Fisher Cutbait
08-25-2011, 09:11 AM
From the "Free steaks at Outback thread":
Outback is OK, but I quit going to restaurants for steak years ago once I realized I could cook one just as good as they can, at a fraction of the price. The key is waiting until your local store puts whole rib eyes on sale. Once a month or so the local stores will put whole rib eyes on sale for around $5 a pound for select grade, or $6 a pound for choice grade, and will cut them free however you want.
The key is to get them cut thick. Usually when you buy steaks in a grocery they are cut too thin. A thick steak always cooks better than a thin steak - thick steaks can get a good sear on the outside while still being tender/rare on the inside. Thin steaks are too well done by the time you get a sear on the outside. So I buy a whole rib eye and have them cut them 1 1/2 inches thick. The steaks will be large, but my wife and I can split one if we have a big baked potato on the side. Sharing a thick steak is so much better than having 2 separate thin steaks. And if you have more people, just cook more steaks and split them in 2 after cooking and resting.
A whole rib eye runs around $80 - $90, but I get 10 or 11 thick steaks from it. So splitting that into 2 portions per steak, it comes out to $4.50 per person. And you know how much Outback and any other steak house will charge you. Do the math. And over the years I have perfected my steak technique to be as tasty (or better) than they can do anyway. Add that to the fact that you sometimes have to wait around for a table and its a no-brainer. It kills me the times we are with a group and have to go to a steak joint, and my wife leans over and says "Your steaks taste better than this", and then I get the bill.
Mmmm, typing this is making me hungry. I think I will pull one of our rib eyes out of the freezer for dinner.
I'm in a good mood. I'm going fishing this weekend and I have hardly been at all this summer because of a new baby. I'm going to post my steak recipe on the recipe board to share with everyone.
Most fancy chefs will tell you that a good steak requires no marinade. This is true. But just because a good steak doesn't require a marinade, doesn't mean that a marinade will be bad. After years of eating un-marinaded steaks, I enjoy the variety of adding an extra layer of flavor that you can taste in the meat. I marinate my steaks in equal parts soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine.
Now the key to a great steak is a good sear on the outside that will seal in the juices on the inside. To get that you need a really really hot hot hot grill. Screaming hot. I recommend using lump charcoal instead of briquettes.
Lump charcoal burns way hotter than briquettes. Way hotter. In fact, if you start your charcoal in a charcoal chimney you can see the flames burning in a blue color, which indicates extreme heat. But like all things that burn brightest, it doesn't last as long. So lump is good for steaks and burgers that cook quickly, but it doesn't last long enough for slow cooked meats like chicken or ribs. And once its ready you can't wait long before putting the meat on like you can with briquettes, you have to be ready to go. But another good thing about lump charcoal other than the intense heat is the amount of smoke it produces. No wood chips needed. You will see the smoke bellowing out of your closed grill. And you really can taste the smoke in the meat, adding yet another layer of flavor.
So you've got your lump charcoal heating up, and your steak marinating. After my coals are all lit in my chimney I empty them into the grill and let the grates heat up for a few minutes while I prep the steaks. I remove the steaks from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. DON'T THROW AWAY THE MARINADE Then I sprinkle each side with granulated garlic, granulated onion, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper (you should only use kosher salt on meat, as regular salt will draw moisture out of the meat).
My grill has cast iron grates, which like a cast iron skillet can get screaming hot, way hotter than porcelain or steel grates. It's a Char-Griller brand grill, pretty inexpensive at Lowes or Home Depot, and one of the few I've seen with cast iron grates. Cast iron really makes a big difference. When you drop the steaks on a screaming hot grill, you can hear the difference. Close the grill cover, wait 2 or 3 minutes, rotate the steaks (without flipping them) so the grill marks can cover more area, and grill a couple of minutes more. After 4-5 minutes total on one side, flip them and repeat. After you flip them, you can pour some of the marinade over the top to re-moisturize the steak and also fall into the coals making more smoke. Cover the grill and watch the immense amount of smoke bellowing out. Yum. After 4-5 minutes on the other side then both sides will be seared.
If your steak is thin, they will be done already. But if you were smart and got a thick steak, then it may not quite be done in the middle yet. Move it to the top rack to finish cooking, and pour some more of the leftover marinade on it.
When is it done? You can't tell by looking at it. Since different piles of coal may burn at different temperatures, you can't tell just by the cooking time. Some chefs tell by touch. But I don't take any chances - I cheat with an instant-read thermometer. I like my steaks seared on the outside and pink on the inside, which is right when they hit 130 degrees in the center. Once you experiment a little and decide exactly what temperature you like yours, you can consistently reproduce the perfect steak (or chicken, or whatever) just the way you like it. If you use a thermometer, you can make your food consistent every single time. It really is the key to consistency, and you will never be disappointed to cut into meat and find it over done and ruined. I like my steaks at 130, and my chicken and pork tenderloins at 155, but that's just me. And ALWAYS let any meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. Then the juices are absorbed into the meat itself. Otherwise, the juices run out on the plate and your meat is dryer.
When I eat these steaks, I can actually taste the meat, the marinade, the rub, and the smoke separately. All of the separate layers of flavor come together beautifully.
If you have a gas grill, you could still use some of the tricks above, but why bother? A gas grill is nothing more than an outdoor oven. The main argument gas grill owners use is that it can get going in just a few minutes. But lump charcoal (unlike briquettes) can be ready in 15 minutes using a chimney. And if good food isn't worth spending 15 extra minutes on, then it isn't worth eating in the first place. And in those 15 minutes you can be prepping the rest of your dinner anyway.
Outback is OK, but I quit going to restaurants for steak years ago once I realized I could cook one just as good as they can, at a fraction of the price. The key is waiting until your local store puts whole rib eyes on sale. Once a month or so the local stores will put whole rib eyes on sale for around $5 a pound for select grade, or $6 a pound for choice grade, and will cut them free however you want.
The key is to get them cut thick. Usually when you buy steaks in a grocery they are cut too thin. A thick steak always cooks better than a thin steak - thick steaks can get a good sear on the outside while still being tender/rare on the inside. Thin steaks are too well done by the time you get a sear on the outside. So I buy a whole rib eye and have them cut them 1 1/2 inches thick. The steaks will be large, but my wife and I can split one if we have a big baked potato on the side. Sharing a thick steak is so much better than having 2 separate thin steaks. And if you have more people, just cook more steaks and split them in 2 after cooking and resting.
A whole rib eye runs around $80 - $90, but I get 10 or 11 thick steaks from it. So splitting that into 2 portions per steak, it comes out to $4.50 per person. And you know how much Outback and any other steak house will charge you. Do the math. And over the years I have perfected my steak technique to be as tasty (or better) than they can do anyway. Add that to the fact that you sometimes have to wait around for a table and its a no-brainer. It kills me the times we are with a group and have to go to a steak joint, and my wife leans over and says "Your steaks taste better than this", and then I get the bill.
Mmmm, typing this is making me hungry. I think I will pull one of our rib eyes out of the freezer for dinner.
I'm in a good mood. I'm going fishing this weekend and I have hardly been at all this summer because of a new baby. I'm going to post my steak recipe on the recipe board to share with everyone.
Most fancy chefs will tell you that a good steak requires no marinade. This is true. But just because a good steak doesn't require a marinade, doesn't mean that a marinade will be bad. After years of eating un-marinaded steaks, I enjoy the variety of adding an extra layer of flavor that you can taste in the meat. I marinate my steaks in equal parts soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine.
Now the key to a great steak is a good sear on the outside that will seal in the juices on the inside. To get that you need a really really hot hot hot grill. Screaming hot. I recommend using lump charcoal instead of briquettes.
Lump charcoal burns way hotter than briquettes. Way hotter. In fact, if you start your charcoal in a charcoal chimney you can see the flames burning in a blue color, which indicates extreme heat. But like all things that burn brightest, it doesn't last as long. So lump is good for steaks and burgers that cook quickly, but it doesn't last long enough for slow cooked meats like chicken or ribs. And once its ready you can't wait long before putting the meat on like you can with briquettes, you have to be ready to go. But another good thing about lump charcoal other than the intense heat is the amount of smoke it produces. No wood chips needed. You will see the smoke bellowing out of your closed grill. And you really can taste the smoke in the meat, adding yet another layer of flavor.
So you've got your lump charcoal heating up, and your steak marinating. After my coals are all lit in my chimney I empty them into the grill and let the grates heat up for a few minutes while I prep the steaks. I remove the steaks from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. DON'T THROW AWAY THE MARINADE Then I sprinkle each side with granulated garlic, granulated onion, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper (you should only use kosher salt on meat, as regular salt will draw moisture out of the meat).
My grill has cast iron grates, which like a cast iron skillet can get screaming hot, way hotter than porcelain or steel grates. It's a Char-Griller brand grill, pretty inexpensive at Lowes or Home Depot, and one of the few I've seen with cast iron grates. Cast iron really makes a big difference. When you drop the steaks on a screaming hot grill, you can hear the difference. Close the grill cover, wait 2 or 3 minutes, rotate the steaks (without flipping them) so the grill marks can cover more area, and grill a couple of minutes more. After 4-5 minutes total on one side, flip them and repeat. After you flip them, you can pour some of the marinade over the top to re-moisturize the steak and also fall into the coals making more smoke. Cover the grill and watch the immense amount of smoke bellowing out. Yum. After 4-5 minutes on the other side then both sides will be seared.
If your steak is thin, they will be done already. But if you were smart and got a thick steak, then it may not quite be done in the middle yet. Move it to the top rack to finish cooking, and pour some more of the leftover marinade on it.
When is it done? You can't tell by looking at it. Since different piles of coal may burn at different temperatures, you can't tell just by the cooking time. Some chefs tell by touch. But I don't take any chances - I cheat with an instant-read thermometer. I like my steaks seared on the outside and pink on the inside, which is right when they hit 130 degrees in the center. Once you experiment a little and decide exactly what temperature you like yours, you can consistently reproduce the perfect steak (or chicken, or whatever) just the way you like it. If you use a thermometer, you can make your food consistent every single time. It really is the key to consistency, and you will never be disappointed to cut into meat and find it over done and ruined. I like my steaks at 130, and my chicken and pork tenderloins at 155, but that's just me. And ALWAYS let any meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. Then the juices are absorbed into the meat itself. Otherwise, the juices run out on the plate and your meat is dryer.
When I eat these steaks, I can actually taste the meat, the marinade, the rub, and the smoke separately. All of the separate layers of flavor come together beautifully.
If you have a gas grill, you could still use some of the tricks above, but why bother? A gas grill is nothing more than an outdoor oven. The main argument gas grill owners use is that it can get going in just a few minutes. But lump charcoal (unlike briquettes) can be ready in 15 minutes using a chimney. And if good food isn't worth spending 15 extra minutes on, then it isn't worth eating in the first place. And in those 15 minutes you can be prepping the rest of your dinner anyway.