Steak at home

[CharityCase]

I made a strip sirloin au poivre in the cast iron skillet last night, using some freshly rendered lard (tx Fifi!). Steak rested at room temp, heavily peppered and salted, for a bit; left the burner on high for ten minutes with the skillet heating; then popped the steak in for 2 min on each side while basting (tx Rochelle!); then the whole thing into the 450 oven for 5 min.

Best steak I've ever made at home, hands down. Thanks y'all!

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Interesting Lard idea..I may have to try that. So did you heat the skillet dry and baste with lard?

[Chris Amirault]

I made a strip sirloin au poivre in the cast iron skillet last night, using some freshly rendered lard (tx Fifi!). Steak rested at room temp, heavily peppered and salted, for a bit; left the burner on high for ten minutes with the skillet heating; then popped the steak in for 2 min on each side while basting (tx Rochelle!); then the whole thing into the 450 oven for 5 min.

Best steak I've ever made at home, hands down. Thanks y'all!

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Interesting Lard idea..I may have to try that. So did you heat the skillet dry and baste with lard?

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Sorry -- omitted that step. Heated the skillet until it was smoking, threw in a knob of lard, melted it and when it was smoking tossed in the steak.

[viaChgo]

Whenever I make steaks at home in the kitchen, I always have issues with smoke filling the kitchen/house & smoke detectors going off.

To those of you who regularly prepare steak at home, do you have hoods? My kitchen cam with the microwave builtin in above the range. It's vent is not adequate when I make steak.

Usually, I grill steaks outside. But when I do cook them inside, I sear in a super hot cast iron skillet & then finish in the oven. I have my kitchen windows open and vent on high as I try to blow the smoke into the vents as it billows. I don't try this too often.

[chefboy24]

i think the lard smoke point is around 290? 320? vegetable oils smoke points are at 400+

wouldn't you burn the hell out of the lard (cause an awful taste & smell)

i'm a big fan of searing steaks in olive oil. (at home)

[Malawry]

Yes, it gets smoky in my house too, and the smoke hangs around like a haze for a couple of hours. I have no suggestions beyond cranking the crappy vent hood (which is all I have too) and cracking some windows, maybe turning on a fan. IMO, it's worth it for a good steak.

[cjsadler]

Whenever I make steaks at home in the kitchen, I always have issues with smoke filling the kitchen/house & smoke detectors going off.

To those of you who regularly prepare steak at home, do you have hoods? My kitchen cam with the microwave builtin in above the range. It's vent is not adequate when I make steak.

Usually, I grill steaks outside. But when I do cook them inside, I sear in a super hot cast iron skillet & then finish in the oven. I have my kitchen windows open and vent on high as I try to blow the smoke into the vents as it billows. I don't try this too often.

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I got sick of the smoke too. Try the Ducasse method that Patrick S mentioned instead.

[monavano]

I have a Thermador hood that could suck the white off rice, and I just love it. We can grill steak, chicken you name it. But still, I crack a kitchen window.

Could you get a portable fan and blow the smoke toward an open window?? Or would that make matters worse/...hmmm.

How about just sticking to broiling, perhaps.

[Patrick S]

How about just sticking to broiling, perhaps.

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The smoke can get awfully thick using the broiler too, at least if you are putting the steaks close to the element.

viaChgo, I have a wimpy vent too, and have set off many the smoke alarm in search of delicious steak. The Ducasse method is a great alternative, but doesn't work well with all steaks (works best with massively thick rib-eye). If I don't want to smoke out the house, I try to get the heat just below the point where I get lots of smoke, somewhere in the medium-high range. It is possible to get a decent caramelization without too much smoke with a little practice.

[twhalliii]

Ok, everyone... I am mostly a lurker on this section of the site (although I did make a nice molé thanks to you all!) but I am on a mission... To create a delicious steak in my low-rent, grill free apartment in Brooklyn, NY. I have tried several methods with mixed results. I have a "grill top" piece that overlays two burners, but without a good hood vent (the first thing I will buy when I get my dream kitchen), this pretty much sets off every smoke alarm in a two block radius. Smoke aside, it just isn't good enough. I have tried the broiler under the stove, but it too seems to be just a step away from being right... It must be me!

I do have a couple of things working in my favor; I have a great local butcher only a few steps from my front door that carries dry-aged NY Strip (yum). It is hard to walk past this store every day without grimacing in frustration that I cannot prepare this steak to the level it deserves. My second advantage is that I seem to have a knack for seasoning; I'm not shy with the salt, pepper and use a dash of butter and this seems to add a nice flavor to the already quality meat. But it just isn't as good as I want it.

My goals: a nicely seared crust, medium rare, and a seasoning/ preparation method that delivers the goods without alarming the fire department. Grill aside, what am I missing?

My neighbors and I thank you for your insights...

Tom

Edit: merged from another topic... never mind and thanks for the advice!

Edited November 2, 2005 by twhalliii (log)

[Ted Hudgins]

I ahve been buying the ersatz Kobe (Weygau) top sirloins from my local butcher and doing them like most of you here: preheated 450-500 degree oven, seared with some neutral oil, etc. However, my next foray will be a 10-12 hour sous-vide experiment at 131 degrees and then seared just before service in the same very hot black iron skillet. I'll report back after the "experiment."

[UnConundrum]

CharityCase, you beat me to the punch. I was just going to suggest sous-vide. Did veal chops last night, about 3 hours at 55C (130 F) and then 2.5 minutes per side in a hot oiled pan. Set the steaks aside, and made a pan sauce..... Served about 10 minutes later.... Best darn chops we've ever had, and we've eaten at some might fine steak houses

I'm also a big fan of what we call the T-Rex method. Described in detail with pictures here. And, there is a T-Rex video HERE. In essence, you sear the steak over very hot heat for about 90 seconds a side (depends on thickness of the steak) and then you let the steak rest for 20 minutes before you finish in a 400 oven. The idea is that during the sear, the muscle contracts, then relaxes during the 20 minute rest. It does not contract again during the final cook, so it's more tender. I always rest the steaks another 10 minutes or more, wrapped in foil, after the final cook. The web site gives detailed instructions on doing the steak on a Big Green Egg. I have an Egg, and use it often, but I have done the sear and cook on my range with equal results (as to tenderness that is, no smoke taste). I'm a big fan of the T-Rex method, which is 2nd only to the sous-vide approach.

[Chris Amirault]

I ahve been buying the ersatz Kobe (Weygau) top sirloins from my local butcher and doing them like most of you here:  preheated 450-500 degree oven, seared with some neutral oil, etc.  However, my next foray will be a 10-12 hour sous-vide experiment at 131 degrees and then seared just before service in the same very hot black iron skillet.  I'll report back after the "experiment."

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Welcome, Ted! What will you be using for your sous-vide experiment? Pix, s'il vous plait!

[Chris Amirault]

Sorry -- just saw this:

i think the lard smoke point is around 290? 320?  vegetable oils smoke points are at 400+

wouldn't you burn the hell out of the lard (cause an awful taste & smell)

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It's 350-400F apparently, comparable to some olive oils: click.

[nathanm]

My favorite method these days is sous vide, with pre-smoking.

I have a smoker that works at low temperature, so what I do is smoke the steaks for a hour or two at an air temperature of 130F. The go into the smoker cold - straight from the fridge. I monitor the temperature of the center of the steak with a probe - it gets up to about 80 degrees during that time. I would stop the smoking if it got above 90F. Hickory and oak are my favorite woods, but apple and other hardwoods for smoking work well too.

I then vacuum bag the steaks (no seasoning), and cook them sous vide for 2 hours at 125F. Strictly speaking, you don't need that much time - there are tables in the sous vide thread that tell you the minimum length of time. I go extra long to tenderize the meat a bit more.

Finally, I will take the steaks out of the bags and sear them on a hot plancha (griddle) for a very short time to put a bit of a crust on the outside. The smoking already colors the outside, so it does not really need the sear, but to get a crust you need to do it.

If the steak is thin, or has a bone, then I sear the edges with a blowtorch.

If you don't want the smoke, the same method works well - just sous vide at 125F - this is on the rare side of medium rare. 122F would be really rare. 130F is very much medium rare, headed toward medium. Note that there is NO agreement on these temperatures various people call anything from 125F to 140F as "medium rare".

If you have a tough steak, then the 10 hour treatment at 131F is the way to go. I have made brisket that is as tender as fillet mignon, but that takes 36 hours.

Note that as a food saftey measure you should not do temps below 130F for more than 4 hours total (which is why I smoke for 2 hours then sous vide for 2 hours).

[Rebecca263]

I am not really expert here folks, I simply broil a fatty steak every so often when I'm on my own. Yes, I ASK my dear butcher for a 'fatty' steak, and he gives me something that costs more than I care to think about, and it is delicious. I also like him because he calls me young lady , but that's an altogether different subject. BUT, I once dated an avowed steak lover, and he once broiled me a truly primordial steak. He had wrapped fatty corned beef AROUND the steaks and fastened it with tiny metal skewers. Then he broiled the steaks at a very high temperature for a few minutes on each side. They were delicious! I'm sure that there was more to it than that, but I'm sorry to tell you all that I just don't remember, too much imbibing went on during the meal for me to remember the details. And you know, they say perfection is in the details. Or was it dust is in the details? Huh, nope, that must be the details of the house that have dust. Well, I'll go read the rest of this thread now, maybe I'll learn what cut that lovely fatty steak is, and impress Mr.Butcher.

[woodburner]

This past summer I had a unique experience cooking a whole, choice grade ribeye approx. 11lbs in weight.

Starting with a procedure that Chris Schlessinger expains in one of his books which calls for rubbing the entire ribeye with EVOO and simply salt and pepper. Do a hot sear over hot coals on all sides then removing from the grill and cutting the ribeye into individual steaks, so as to cook each steak to each individual's requested doneness.

Well I did a very hot sear, almost blackening all sides, removed from the grill and quickly wrapped in saran type plastic and put the whole kibbodle into a well chilled cooler filled with ice.

After well cooled, about three hours later I cut the ribeye into individual steaks and finished over hot charcoal.

The peeps went crazy.

wonder what I did

woodburner

[PCL]

Just bumping this back up, in hopes of eliciting some kind of clarity...

Isn't the method just described above like a 'par-searing'? I mean, just to crust what would have been normally a difficult part of the steak to crust, namely the edges??

[tcavallo]

Just wanted to add a recent home triumph with two 3lb. (each!) 2.5" thick Lobel's porterhouses.

Gas grill, half on HIGH half on low

Liberally salted and judiciously peppered the steaks

Brushed butter on side one and threw them over high heat for 4 minutes

Brushed butter on side two before flipping, 4 more minutes on high

Moved the steaks to the rack above the low side, turned the HIGH side down, closed the lid, and let them cook at 350 or so for another 7-10 minutes (was going on feel, didn't watch the clock too closely)

Perfectly charred (to my liking) and on the rare side of medium-rare in the middle... I might do them a little thinner next time, but damn were they good.

My question is, where can I get beef that good that doesn't cost more than it would fully prepared at a steakhouse??? I am going to try Paisano's and Staubitz(Sp?) in my hood in Brooklyn and report back.

[Torrilin]

I haven't found a butcher here in LA that does dry aged beef, but my parents local grocery store (!) does do dry aged beef. For $20/lb for less than ideal cuts like NY strip, and pushing $30/lb for better cuts. Un-aged beef is approximately equal for equal quality (middling to top end choice is the best I've found here or at my parents), so I'd expect about the same prices for dry-aged. I'd probably double or triple the price of unaged choice ($10-15/lb) for unaged prime, since it's something like 1% of US beef. Aged prime I'd double again.

So... if you paid between $20 and $30/lb for your beef, you got some really nice steaks, and if you paid $60+/lb for dry aged prime, you got some utterly mindblowing steaks. My brain is still reeling from my only taste of dry aged beef ever, and that was a couple *years* ago... Good steak is Not Cheap.

Emily

[Pork Neck]

In LA, you need Harvey's Guss. On Ogden just north of Olympic. (323) 937-4622. Dry-aged Prime ribeye for $16.99/lb, dry-aged Prime strip for 24.99/lb.

Incredible meat

[bigred93]

Regarding the question of how much heat is the right amount of heat for a sear, I tried an experiment recently with some dry-aged ribeyes. I was firing my wood oven and towards the end (the cladding was up around 800F or so) I threw my cast iron pan into the tail end of the fire (mostly hot embers but a little live flame left). Left it there about 15 minutes. It did create a wonderful seared crust on the steaks (finished in a low oven to medium rare) but there were three problems. First off, with the first steak I put the steak-laden pan back in the oven, and the rendered fat caught fire, which gave a little bit of bitter flavor to the steak. The other one I cooked outside, relying on the retained heat in the pan and that worked better. Second, I burned through my oven mitts - I needed to hold the pan handle with a wet towel and then hold that with the oven mitt, and even then not for long. 800F (or higher as it was in the fire itself) is pretty darn hot. Which leads to the last problem, which is that all the lovely seasoning on the pan had burned off. Still, it was worth it... in the name of science of course.

[Joe Blowe]

Which leads to the last problem, which is that all the lovely seasoning on the pan had burned off.

You know what they say: Keep an unseasoned cast iron pan around for high-heat cooking...

[Daniel]

For me, with a basic kitchen, no backyard, I throw the steak on a screaming hot cast iron grill.. If its a big steak, I finish off in the oven using an internal probe that beeps at 130.. Here is a rib eye..

Sliced:

But, I wish I had a hot ass charcoal grill..

Edited May 31, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[snowangel]

Steak of choice here lately as been the much overlooked Chuck Eye. Vert much like a rib eye, without the price. In fact, when chuck roasts are on sale, they are often on sale for as low as $3.00/lb. Makes an affordable steak meal for a family with a mess of growing kids who can eat what seems to be their weight in steak. Don't overlook this cut of meat, please.

I grill, and I grill year round (yes, even in MN). If it's raining to hard, lay the cast iron skilliet over a high burner, and forget about it until the kids start whining, then it's hot enough. I don't S/P the steaks, but just toss some kosher salt (Morton's) into the skillet before I add the steaks.

Done is when my thumb says they are done. Practice makes perfect!

[Taboni]

Nice steak Daniel.