Need Help: Best way to make a steak

tommyt21

Hey guys,

Tomorrow night going to have some people over for dinner and a movie. The wife and I are looking at doing a steak dinner. We are not the best cooks in the world and don't socialize much so we would like to make a good impression.

What kind of cut and method would be a great choice?

Thanks

tonyb

Go to Micheal Symons show on Cooking channel. He does a steak in an Iron skillet, cooked in bacon fat, broiled in the oven, with a garlic smear that will blow your mind. I've tried all his stuff so far and it's all great. 5 minute chocolate cake that you microwave, excellant.

thsmith

I prefer Sutton and Dodge steaks sold only at Super Target.

My wife likes rare and I like Well done.

On my gas grill I turn all burners on high until at full operating temp, usially 10 mins.

Her rare steak gets 2 mins per side, mine gets 4 mins per side.

Season as you like.

tommyt21

tonyb wrote: »

Go to Micheal Symons show on Cooking channel. He does a steak in an Iron skillet, cooked in bacon fat, broiled in the oven, with a garlic smear that will blow your mind. I've tried all his stuff so far and it's all great. 5 minute chocolate cake that you microwave, excellant.

yummm, That sounds freaking good. Bacon makes everything better:cheesygrin:
Gonna check that out now, The cooking channel on the net? Is that the Iron chef guy?

bmbguy

IMO, steak must be grilled. For a little flavor assistance, marinade it all day in a baking pan (flipping occasionally) with a little soy sauce and a little brandy or whisky.

As for cuts there are many good ones, but good quality beef is getting harder and harder to find in a grocery store these days -- the restaurants get all the prime stuff. If you know of a good butcher shop nearby, go there. The cut (prime rib, filet, sirloin, etc) isn't quite as important as it is to get good quality meat to start with. Of course, you definitely want to stay away from the tougher cuts (round steak, etc). And save the flank and skirt steaks for things like fajitas. T-bone can be good, provided the little corner of the filet hasn't been removed...

If you're not confident with your grill skills, then avoid the thicker cuts like filet. They're much more difficult to cook properly.

codyc1ark

Filet, NY strip, or ribeye. I find one of the easiest ways to make a good steak is to broil it, 4 minutes a side. I salt and pepper mine, and thats it, always happy with it. A lot of times when I do broil them, I'll do it on a bed of onion/mushrooms, great flavored topping. Of course you can always grill them, but I find that broiling can be easier, just make sure you have a timer handy. Also be sure to cover them in foil when done, and put a towel over that, let rest for 10 minutes or so. Good luck!

tommyt21

Also what would be some good sides, we were thinking mashed potatoes and ?

Joe08867

Via Alton Brown from the food network.

This is the exact method I use. Haven't had a bad steak since. This can also be done with stainless cookware but you need to transfer the steak to a broil pan when you stick it back in the oven.

Ingredients
1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 1/2-inch thick
Canola oil to coat
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions:
Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature.

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

bmbguy

A good salad helps to start things off. For veggies, corn on the cob goes nicely with steak! And maybe some good garlic bread?

How 'bout dessert? Gotta have a good dessert... Ok, now I'm just making myself hungry.

evhudsons

Go talk with your butcher and ask very nicely for a thick sirloin or whatever type you like. The steaks they put out for sell are meant for everyday cooking not a special steak dinner.

Get some Dales steak sauce but if you can't find it use the posted advice regarding brandy and soy. Use lots of black pepper because most of it cooks off.

Sear on seriously high heat five minutes each side uncovered. You can then either put it back on to make it less rare or take them off. Sometimes if it's a really thick cut I put them back on to get cross marks and cover for about two minutes more each side.
Portebello mushrooms, and asparagus drizzled in olive and sesame oil with soy is awesome. Mix kale with melted butter and grill til the edges get crispy and then chop it up and you have killer greens on the side.
That's my gameday tailgating recipe I make after eating key west pink shrimP and stone crab claws or even blue crab depending on the season.

tonyb

oops

tonyb

Really guys, check out Symons show, he gives a good rundown on a complete meal all the way down to the drink. Simple, yet good, anyone can cook his stuff. Yes, Tommy, the same Iron chef guy. From the main dish to the salad, desert, drink, he makes you want to cook and his stuff won't take you all day in the kitchen to do it.

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/symons-suppers/index.html

breal74

I would choose a ribeye. Fat=flavor! At the restaurant I just use salt and pepper to season. You getter better flavor from better ingredients and I most often get my best results by letting the product, i.e. meat, fish, veg, ect. "speak" for itself and not drown it in seasonings. Good luck!

evhudsons

Oh yeah, and listen to everyone making your own choices. Bmbman called or right on garlIc bread.

tommyt21

tonyb wrote: »

Really guys, check out Symons show, he gives a good rundown on a complete meal all the way down to the drink. Simple, yet good, anyone can cook his stuff. Yes, Tommy, the same Iron chef guy. From the main dish to the salad, desert, drink, he makes you want to cook and his stuff won't take you all day in the kitchen to do it.

I printed out the broiled porterhouse recipe. I think we may give that a try. The garlic smear and bacon would probably tie in nicely with some roasted garlic mashed potatoes. The idea of the other side as a salad sounds good also.

Now do we go wine or beer?

tonyb

Have both available, but try and get a handle on what your guests like.

mudwrx

For a nice teriyaki steak, I do this with tips, but I'm sure the same would be good with NY strips:

- First, tenderize each piece with a couple of forks. I firmly believe this makes a big difference. The end result is a very tender piece of steak.

- After each piece is tenderized, spice them on both sides. I use Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning (this stuff is awesome on lots of stuff).

- Place in a bowl and cover with your favorite teriyaki marinade. I use Ken's Teriyaki Marinade.

- Add plain ketchup. Never really measured it but I put in a few good "squirts".

- Stir well and let sit as long as possible. Overnight is preferred.

- Stir it a few times every couple of hours or so while it is marinading.

- Cook on grill to your likeness.

For a side dish one of my new favorites is oven baked asparagus:

- Place the asparagus on a cookie sheet or other baking dish.

- Coat them with extra virgin olive oil.

- Sprinkle them with sea salt and garlic pepper.

Bake between 350-400 for about 15 minutes. I take them out just as the tips start to look crunchy. So good...

Good luck!

bmbguy

Ooh, I prefer to let guests make their own beverage choice (and I'm about as far from a wine expert as you can get, though I do enjoy it). And when it comes to what to drink with the meal, I still prefer a glass of good iced tea.

tommyt21

So I text my wife we are going to "Kellers" the local butcher when I get out of work. We are going to go with Tonyb's idea of Michael Symons Broiled Porterhouse with salad and garlic mashed potatoes. Drink choices will be wine, beer and soda. Hopefully the 3d movie will be as good as this dinner :redface: Getting hungry and excited now! I'll let you guys know how it turned out.

Thanks everyone:cheesygrin:

read-alot

Ribeyes, Costco has some good ones

Marinade a few hours in Allegro - any grocery store should have it.

Grill

You will like it.

hochpt21

If you don't end up marinating them, apply your salt/seasonings at least 4 hours ahead of time and cover them in the refrigerator. This will help draw out some of the moisture and make your steak a little more tender.

bmbguy

The butcher shop is really your best bet. Really, the quality of meat in the grocery store has gone downhill over the years. Ask the butcher about the availability of 'prime' beef -- it's hard to find these days.

We're a bit spoiled -- my father-in-law raises cattle, so we've usually got a freezer full of good beef. And we can really tell the difference when we run out and have to try the stuff in the stores.

Willow

for a side, how about some BBQ portabello mushrooms? the big guys. Add a salad and some garlic bread. We just bbq ours and let guest add s&p to their tasting. The other times it is balsamic vinegrette, soy sauce and garlic. Let sit over night BBQ and enjoy, you can also add the porties to the marinade and bbq them as well.

evhudsons

I've got a freezer full of vacuum sealed fish packaged the same day we caught the fish. I wish I could trade some of that for steak!

For perfect iced tea put some but not a ton of sugar in with the water when you boil it, then put in the tea after you take the water off the burner. The sugar dissolves fully in the water if you put it in before starting the boil, that way it mixes perfect and blends the flavor of the tea much better. Use fresh lemon, and you are good to go. I sometimes put fresh mint in after the teabags are taken out. Also, don't put the tea in the fridge until it cools for a while. I don't put the tea on ice except when serving to individual glasses, or a single serving glass pitcher. Make more tea than you need because you will probably run out anyway.

As a southern boy I use Luzianne tea, not Liptons but both are good options.

Sherardp

You can never go wrong with a NY Strip. Your choice of sides and cold beverages.

bmbguy

evhudsons wrote: »

As a southern boy I use Luzianne tea, not Liptons but both are good options.

+1 on the Luzianne tea. It's the best!

Kex

thsmith wrote: »

... My wife likes rare and I like Well done.

On my gas grill I turn all burners on high until at full operating temp, usially 10 mins.

Her rare steak gets 2 mins per side, mine gets 4 mins per side. ...

This is all that I do as well, but I'm lucky, since we both like it rare. One important note, however, for me anyway:

• I use only tenderloin.
• I season the steak with rock salt at least four hours beforehand, on both sides. This draws the proteins to the surface, or something like that, and the result is more juicy.

You don't have to be all that careful with how much rock salt you use. It's not as strong as regular salt. If you try this, then bury the rock crystals level with the surface of steak using the back of a spoon, or the tongs etc.

mudwrx

Always fun to see how/what people like to cook...

tommyt21

Tony, do you think it would be okay to use a stainless steel pan instead of the cast Iron?

Upstatemax

tommyt21 wrote: »

Tony, do you think it would be okay to use a stainless steel pan instead of the cast Iron?

If you're going to broiled it, sear it for about 3min on each side in the pan. Then I put the steak directly on the rack in the oven and put a pan on a lower rack under the steak to act as a drip pan.

rooftop59

tommyt21 wrote: »

Tony, do you think it would be okay to use a stainless steel pan instead of the cast Iron?

Ok I'm not Tony but grill a lot of steaks. Any skillet will work, but a cast iron will impart more flavor and a nicer crust than a stainless steel. Having said that, any skillet will work, and a brand new cast iron won't have the same flavor that a good used one will (provided you have only wiped it with a paper towel).

My go to recipe for future reference if you're interested:

The Rub:
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika (I often used smoked)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried ground thyme
1 teaspoon finely ground coffee beans

One inch thick sirloin grilled until just beyond rare, then let it sit under sealed foil for five minutes. You will have a steak with a very complex flavor, a great crust, and a (albeit thin) sauce to boot. I prefer grilled thinly sliced new potatoes and asparagus with olive oil, garlic and sea salt. Must be served a nice bold cab or malbec.

Enjoy your night! Good Luck!