How Do I Slice And Serve Grilled Steak
Conventional wisdom is to rest a steak before you slice it, but Id argue that a steak hot from the grill is the best, juiciest steak you can have. With that in mind, remove the steaks from the grill and slice across their grain immediately. Top the warm steak with slices of the compound butter and enjoy immediately.
Cultural Significance Behind Steaks
Back in ancient times, local communities had to rely on what was available locally. And one of the most evident available foods was meat from animals. So, hunter-gathering communities basically cut steaks from indigenous and local animals.
For instance, the Sámi people relied on the meat of raindeers, while local Australians were big on kangaroo consumption.
This meet-cutting and eating culture significantly led to the onset of the tradition of meat consumption and also determined the various types of meat and cuts we have available today.
Cooking Different Types Of Steak
Tender cuts: these types of steaks are excellent for cooking at high temperatures using dry heat such as grilling, broiling, pan-frying and baking. Examples include Porterhouse, T-bone, Ribeye and New York Strip. You can cook thin cuts using direct heat only. However, if your steak is thicker you may want to use a reverse sear to combine direct high heat with lower indirect heat.
Cuts with a medium level of tenderness and marbling: these cuts of steaks should be before cooking at high temperature and limited to medium doneness. Examples include Flank Steak and Skirt Steak.
Lean and tough cuts: use low-and-slow cooking for these cuts such as Round Steak.
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What Makes A Great Steak
The best types of steak are tender, juicy and well-marbled, since nobody enjoys dry and chewy meat. Fat is the main flavor component in steak. Beef quality is therefore graded for tenderness, juiciness, and flavor according to USDA Meat Grades. Muscles getting less use are usually more marbled and tender, so the best cuts are in the center of the cow, mainly the rib and loin sections.
There are 3 levels according to USDAs beef grades:
The Most Underrated Cuts Of Steak
Like with any animal, there tend to be some beef cuts that are more popular within certain cultures. In the United States, we tend to favor large, tender cuts for grilling, which almost always means a soft filet from the tenderloin, a fat-rich ribeye, or a sirloin, which is a mix of soft muscle tissue and marbly fat.
That doesn’t mean we have to overlook other cuts for grilling, though. Knowing the consistency of the cut you’re cooking with is everything, and you’ll adjust your preparation accordingly, but tougher and bolder cuts can come out every bit as well as that filet mignon with the right attention.
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Steaks Over 15 Inches Thick Reverse Sear Method Of Start It Low Finish With A Sear
For any steak over 1.5 inches thick, the reverse sear method is fantastic. It is arguably and believe me, people do argue it a lot! Lol the best way to cook thicker steaks.
The reverse sear method is so named so because it flips the traditional way back to front:
Reverse searing is where you cook the steak low and slow until its 10 or so degrees Fahrenheit below the perfect temperature throughout, and then sear it to finish.
This method is good because the more gently you cook a piece of meat, the more evenly it cooks. So reverse searing, bringing it up to temp slowly, then searing hot at the end, results in a perfectly done steak throughout, with a very thin Maillard crust.
With thick steaks that you sear first, then finish slow, you tend to end up with a few mm of crust on the outside, then a few mm of well-done steak, a few mm of medium-well steakand so on, until a bullseye medium-rare center. A good portion of the outside layer is overcooked.
Reverse seared steaks are perfect doneness edge to edge, with a good crust. Brilliant!
So, in conclusion:
Steaks 1.5-inches and under you should sear first, finish low. Steaks over 1.5-inches thick, use the reverse sear method.
OK, so with that out of the way, lets now look at the best 11 steaks for grilling.
The Food Lab’s Definitive Guide To Grilled Steak
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Summer’s here and I’ve got a brand-new backyard to grill in, so now seems like as good a time as any to reexamine some of the things we know about grilling beef.
Sure, we can all agree on what our goal is: A perfect steak should have a crusty, crunchy, well-browned exterior surrounding a core of perfectly pink, juicy, tender meat that spans from edge to edge. A perfect steak should have a nice contrast between the smoky, almost charred exterior and the deeply beefy interior. A perfect steak should be chin-drippingly juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
We all know where we want to go. The real debate is, what’s the best way to get there? You’ve just dropped $50 on some prime aged beef, and you’re rightfully nervous about screwing it all up. After all, there’s a lot at… ahem, wait for it… steak.
Want to know how to grill a steak? Here’s my advice: Do not do it the way they do it at steakhouses. It seems counterintuitive: Surely a restaurant with years of experience cooking hundreds of steaks a day knows a thing or two about how it’s done, right? Well, yes. They know how to cook a steak in a steakhouse setting, where their goal is consistency, quality, and, more importantly, speed. Hungry customers don’t want to have to wait for their meat, and a steakhouse has equipment and techniques designed to meet those needs.
Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
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Why Is My Steak Tough And Chewy
This is because steaks from muscle rich parts of an animal have more connective tissues due to the muscles. Meat science has it that an old animal has tougher and chewy steak since its meat has more muscle fibers than a young one. The type of food an animal is fed will also determine the texture of its meat.
How To Grill Steak
It’s time to end the steak intimidation. Grilling steak is a great method for getting that perfectly seared crust and tender, juicy interior. But for the amateur venturing out to the grill for the first time, it can seem like quite an undertaking.
But here’s the good news: Using this method will make even the novice a master of the grill. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions on how to grill steak, plus find steak cooking times and temperatures for your reference.
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How To Grill A Steak To Perfection
Cooking time for your steak will depend on its size. Generally, for a one-inch-thick steak, grill for around 4 to 5 minutes per side.
On a charcoal grill, two techniques are to sear or reverse-sear it with two heat zones. To sear, grill first on high heat then finish on indirect heat. This creates a more crispy outer edge. To reverse sear, cook on indirect heat first and then move to direct heat to sear-finish, which will lead to a more evenly distributed level of doneness across the surface area of the steak.
With a gas grill, you can adjust the heat so that you dont overcook, and also you can manually create different heat zones. Once you sear each side on the hot grates, youll want to slightly turn down the heat on that section of the grill so it doesnt continue to cook on high heat.
What Makes A Delicious Steak
As soon as you bite into that sizzling piece of meat, if there is an explosion of flavor in your mouth, and the tenderness of the meat simply blows you away, you know it is going to be an amazingly delectable meal.
There are two key characteristics that give a good steak its due excellence: flavor and tenderness.
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They Can Range In Tenderness Marbling And Price Range With
Can someone confirm that for me. Steaks come in all different cuts and sizes. It all starts from the preparation and using the right cooking method. Minute Steak Or Cube. When someone says medium rare I think that means halfway between medium and rare right. The type of steak its thickness and the heat of the grill will determine how long it will take to cook 1 but no matter if it is a 1 12-inch thick porterhouse or thin flank steak the internal temperature is what determines when its done.
Warm and has a mostly pink-to-red center. How to Cook Different Types of Steak Hanger Steak. Although London Broil is labeled and sold as a cut of beef in supermarkets it is actually a cooking. Warm and has a mostly pink-to-red center. As with flat steaks its crucial to marinate rump steak before attempting to grill it although braising broiling or pan-frying are preferable cooking.
Less-tender types of steak such as skirt steak flank steak or round steak cook better when braised. The type of steak its thickness and the heat of the grill will determine how long it will take to cook 1 but no matter if it is a 1 12-inch thick porterhouse or thin flank steak the internal temperature is what determines when its done. How do you prefer your steak. There should still be slightly more gray-brown than pink coloration. Hanger steak is cut from a hanging muscle that supports the diaphragm of the beef cow and is not connected.
How To Cook The Perfect Steak
The best type of steak for grilling are the kinds with medium to high-fat content that come from the middle section of the cow.
Many consider sirloin steak and ribeye steak as the best kinds of steak for grilling or pan-frying. Tender cuts of beef are best served medium-rare and beef filet can be served rare to medium rare. In general, the longer you cook steak for, the less tender it becomes.
To cook the perfect steak, the cut of beef should be at room temperature and the pan or skillet should be very hot. Season your steak and cook on high heat for the required time to cook your steak rare, medium-rare, or medium. Steaks should be left to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
One concern about cooking meat at high temperatures is the fact that toxins and carcinogens can develop. Some studies suggest that meat cooked at high temperatures can increase the risk of certain cancers.
It is good to remember that steak can be a good source of important nutrients when consumed in moderation.
Steak can be bad for you if you eat too much red meat in your diet or choose fatty types of steak. There is also evidence to suggest that processed red meat is worse for you than cuts of beef.
Cuts of beef steak are not processed. Therefore, there is no evidence to suggest that eating a tasty lean steak once or twice a week increases your risk of heart disease.
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Doneness Levels Of Grilled Steaks
One of the most important parts of the grilling process is to make sure the steak is cooked to the proper doneness. The best way to make sure youve properly cooked your meat is by using a meat thermometer to gauge the internal temperature.
The key to getting your desired doneness is to remove the steak when it is about five degrees cooler than the recommended temperature. If you like a medium-rare steak, which is done at an internal temperature of 135°F, you should remove it at 130°F and let it rest. Be sure to review the USDAs safe minimum internal temperatures chart for more information.
How To Cook Medium Well Steak
This level of doneness is for those who don’t want a lot of pink in their meat. A medium well steak should have just a hint of pink in the very middle of the steak with a dark brown surface and good charring on the top and bottom. The steak will be very stiff but still have a little squish in the center.
For a 1-inch steak, place steak on a hot grill for 7 minutes. Turn and continue grilling for another 5 minutes. Cook to an internal temperature of 155 to 165 F .
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Different Types Of Beef
Butchers do meticulous work, carving up a cow into as many usable cuts as they possibly can and ensuring that even the cow cheeks and hocks don’t go to waste. With so many different cow parts to consider and so many potential cuts, it can often be confusing when you’re walking down the meat-aisle at the store trying to decide on a sirloin, filet or ribeye!
To make things easier, butchers generally divide beef into eight different cuts. These are called ‘Primal Cuts.’ The butcher then divides these primal cuts into smaller ‘Sub-Primal Cuts.’
The following list of beef cuts makes up the eight major parts of the cow that are carved into primal cuts:
- Brisket
- Shank
- Short Plate
From these major primal beef cuts, you can then cut other types of beef steak. For example, the well-known sirloin steak comes from the cow’s loin area, while the ribeye steak is cut from the rib area.
Different cuts have different textures and qualities. The ribeye is one of the fattiest cuts of beef, for instance, so if you’re after a leaner cut, you need to go for top sirloin.
Let’s take a look at these primal cuts in more detail, and explore the best way to cook these different types of beef.
How Well Is Your Steak Cooked
Every time you go to a steak house, once you are done deciding what type of steak you want, the next question is always about what temperature you want your steak to be.
Thats right. Different types of steaks are cooked differently according to various frying and temperature degrees. Thus hugely depends on the size and shape of the steak cut and also the method of preparation.
It is also about personal preferences. While some people love to see a slightly pink center in their steaks, others prefer a browner than a pink-colored steak. However, there is some science behind steak cooking styles and temperatures, which says that the more cooked the beef is, the tastier it will be.
Below is a list of steak temperatures that primarily decide how well your piece of steak is cooked.
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How To Grill A Frozen Steak
There are many debates about cooking frozen meat. Conventional wisdom holds that it is ideal to let meat thaw before cooking, but experiments with cooking frozen meats have shown that there is often no difference in the results from doing this.
It will, however, take a lot more time to cook a frozen steak to your preferred level of doneness. So be prepared to wait a bit if you are throwing some frozen cuts on a grill.
Additionally, make sure you know the rules for defrosting frozen meat before you grill a steak that has been frozen.
The Six Inexpensive Steaks You Should Know
These are the steaks that butchers and chefs love to use because not only are they more inexpensive, but they’ve got character. Many of them are whole muscles that must be trimmed by the butcher just-so if you want them to be tender and large enough to cook as steaks. There are also not many of them on a steer. For every 20 pounds of ribeyes and T-bones you can get off a steer, you get two hanger steaks. That ain’t much.
These butcher’s cuts tend to be more packed with flavor because of the work they do, yet because they’re not as marketable to the general public and require a bit more skill to cook and serve correctly, they remain much cheaper than their mainstream counterparts. This is good news for you if you want to maximize your flavor and your dollar.
The Hanger
Also Sold As: Butcher’s steak, hangar , arrachera , fajitas arracheras , bistro steak, onglet .
Where It’s Cut From: From the plate section of the cow , it “hangs” off of the cow’s diaphragm, hence the name. U.S. meat-cutting classification of NAMP 140.
The Skirt
Also Sold As: Fajita meat, Roumanian Strip .
Where It’s Cut From: The outside skirt is the diaphragm muscle of the cow, cut from the plate. It is the traditional cut for fajitas, and is generally sold to restaurants. Inside skirt is part of the flank, and is the more widely available form of skirt.
The Short Rib
Also Sold As:Kalbi , Jacob’s Ladder , asado de tira
The Flap
The Flank Steak
The Tri-Tip
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How Do I Season A Steak For The Grill
The best grilled steaks are seasoned two ways: with salt, before cooking, and with butter, added to the steaks while they rest.
Youll start by generously seasoning each steak on all sides with kosher salt before you even light the grill. Plan on at least 1/2 teaspoon per half pound of steak. For thick strip steaks that weigh in about 12 ounces each, thats roughly 3/4 teaspoon per steak, but dont fuss too much over exact measurements just salt generously. Once salted, return the steaks to the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours or overnight if needed. As they sit, the salt permeates the steak, making them juicy. It also draws some of the proteins and sugars to the surface of the steak, giving it that crave-worthy crust youre after.
