Adventures in Steak

[gfweb]

If you sear the outside of a steak and then put in a 325F oven the inside will finish nicely to whatever temp you want. The time varies with the thickness. I'd guess 10 min for a 1.5 inch steak. It goes quickly toward the end so take multiple temps.

 

I've never tried Shop-rite steaks.  Acme, our market down here, has terrible steak. I get mine at costco and freeze a bunch.

 

Though Angus is a legit cattle breed, what's marketed as Angus in the US is a heterogeneous mix of cattle that are loosely related to Angus but are >50% black ...in other words not a consistent type.

[rotuts]

this is a fair assesment :

 

http://bbq.about.com/od/beef/a/Angus-Beef.htm

 

Id not really trust the > 51 % black

 

Id trust the marbled look and then your taste.

 

the idea of browning one side, flipping, and at that point finishing in the oven , is a standard better restaurant cooking technique

 

 

works very well after   you master it.

[paulraphael]

New type of Angus brand steak?

 

Shoprite, the only store that I can easily get to, does not have a great meat department.  And don't even think about the fish or seafood.  However I noticed that they now carry a new type of vacuum packed Angus steak.  This steak is marked "choice" and is much better marbled than any other meat in the store.  They claim it is aged.  It is also about twice as much per pound as regular Angus, which means it is way more expensive than ordinary steak.  But I must say the marbling looked far more appetizing than anything else at the meat counter.

 

Being the inquisitive sort I had to try it.  I bought a rib steak.  The steak was large enough to serve me for about four meals.  For the first experiment I cut off the deckle and cooked it up as Anna taught me:  hot pan, cook till crust forms then turn.  The crust was lovely.  But what lurked beneath minded me more of galvanism and Mary Shelley.

 

Tonight I prepared the eye.  I gave it extra time on both sides and the edges.  The crust, if anything, was even more lovely, but what I would probably have sent back in a restaurant as raw.  Maybe my expectations just need calibrating?

 

Has anyone else tried this new sort of Angus?

[btbyrd]

Tonight I prepared the eye.  I gave it extra time on both sides and the edges.  The crust, if anything, was even more lovely, but what I would probably have sent back in a restaurant as raw.  Maybe my expectations just need calibrating?

 

Like others have suggested, the problem seems to be with the technique rather than with the meat itself. Did you cook it straight from the fridge or did you let it sit out for an hour or so? If you're just searing the steak on both sides, even a deep seer won't be enough to cook the interior, especially on thicker cuts. It's much better to sear on both sides and transfer to a low oven. If you're just cooking one steak and you can babysit it, you can do the Heston method and cook it in a scorching hot pan, turning every 15 or 20 seconds.

 

[rotuts]

"""  problem seems to be with the technique rather than with the meat itself """

 

fair enough.

 

however, Ill add this :

 

one might bring what you have purchased to it  best potential,

 

but well with respect, you cant make it more than at its best it might be.

 

there are more elemental ways to say this but ....

 

on the other hand, learn with whats Cheap and on sale.

 

then Move Up and enjoy.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Through a bit of googling I answered much of my own question.  This is the brand of angus that I bought:

 

http://www.buckheadbeef.com

 

 

I must say the buckhead angus was better than regular angus.  I generally don't find much difference between regular angus and the store brand beef, certainly not enough to be worth the price premium for angus.

 

But the buckhead angus is twice the price of regular angus, even more than the cost of Australian beef.

[paulraphael]

The stovetop-to-oven method works well, but can take a while to dial in (you can't see what's going on in an oven). I believe this method evolved to make best use of the limited burner space at restaurants. If you don't face those recommendations, there are ways to get results that are at least as good on the stove.

 

Heston's method should work well. So does the Ducasse method (at the beginning of the thread I linked above). Easiest of all is to start in a blazing pan with high heat oil and sear both sides. Then pour off the oil, and turn the heat very low. Add butter. Flip the steak every minute or two, and keep basting it with the browning butter. The temperature gradient won't be as minute as with a sous-vide steak, but it should be pretty unintrusive. 

Edited January 5, 2015 by paulraphael (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The stovetop-to-oven method works well, but can take a while to dial in (you can't see what's going on in an oven). I believe this method evolved to make best use of the limited burner space at restaurants. If you don't face those recommendations, there are ways to get results that are at least as good on the stove.

 

Heston's method should work well. So does the Ducasse method (at the beginning of the thread I linked above). Easiest of all is to start in a blazing pan with high heat oil and sear both sides. Then pour off the oil, and turn the heat very low. Add butter. Flip the steak every minute or two, and keep basting it with the browning butter. The temperature gradient won't be as minute as with a sous-vide steak, but it should be pretty unintrusive. 

 

You may have noticed I am a participant in the Ducasse thread.  That is my favorite method as long as the steak is thick enough.  For me the Ducasse method doesn't work that well with normal sized steaks.  I don't eat much meat at a sitting, though I did see a nice looking buckhead angus cowboy rib steak tonight.  Reminded me of a small rib roast.  I didn't buy it, but I'm sure it would have been delightful by the Ducasse method.

 

In my hands sous vide steak turns out pretty, but totally dried out.  I don't think sous vide works that well with tender beef.

Edited January 5, 2015 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[paulraphael]

Sorry, I haven't re-read that thread in a long time. The other stovetop methods mentioned in the thread are less dependent on a hugely thick piece of meat (but I find that at least 1.25" is helpful).

 

I'm still curious about your SV results. They're not typical.

[weedy]

the "hip hype" is about both what's better for them, and about what's better for us (when/if we eat them)... not about what they'd "prefer"

 

just as quiet1 said: humans 'prefer' sugary foods... that doesn't mean it's better for them, or that suggesting it's not is 'hip hype'