considering the popularity of steakhouse
restaurants it's little surprise that
many of us have tried to replicate their
meaty menu items in our own kitchens
however beef can be a fickle beast wanna
know how to make the best steak of your
life
teach me
all steakhouses worth their salt are
able to rely on their beef suppliers and
so should you even though you may not be
buying meat in bulk a good relationship
with your local butcher can mean the
difference between a prime cut and a dud
this is because your local butcher
stocks the type of meat that simply
isn't available at the grocery store
including ethically raised grass-fed and
hormone-free meat they can also give you
recommendations about different cuts and
tips about prep and cooking times and
once you establish a bond with your
butcher they are likely to remember your
preferences and maybe even save you
those special cuts they know you'll love
just like steakhouses most butchers know
the exact origins of their meat you just
need to ask according to michelin star
chef hilary henderson of cut in beverly
hills some of the best questions to ask
your meat purveyor include what's good
that day what would they buy for
themselves when's the next shipment
coming in the owner of a minneapolis
restaurant vena yin veng says that he
usually opts for locally sourced meat he
went on to say this to explain why
because our animals don't travel far
they have much less stress and i believe
you can taste that difference stressed
animals release hormones that can make
the meat tougher and mealy
most steakhouses don't simply just serve
steaks but rather different cuts of beef
each with its own flavor profile and
texture and while you don't need to know
enough to annoy your waiter at the
steakhouse everybody knows the tiny bone
side of the sirloin is the most tender
what kind of steak joint is this
it's good to have at least a basic
understanding of the cuts available at
your local butcher shop after all the
perfect steak is about much more than
just the preparation method you need the
right ingredients to work with so what
are the more popular cut options at
steak houses according to the
gentleman's journal sirloin ribeye and
rump are the undisputed showstoppers
they have great fat distribution and
come from mussels that are more tender
when it comes to steak houses how the
steak is cut is just as important as the
part of the cow it comes from and in
this department thicker is usually
better this is because ensuring that a
steak is perfectly seared on the outside
and rarer in the center is generally
much easier with a thicker cut chef
david walzog from sw steakhouse in wynn
las vegas told forbes about the
importance of thicker cuts of meat
there's a huge margin of error in
cooking thin steaks and if your meat guy
has prime you're probably going to pay
30 a pound for it so splurge it's hard
to screw up a thick steak
it's important to let the steak come to
room temperature before whacking it on
the pan or grill however how long you
let the meat sit out on the kitchen
counter isn't an exact science as
highlighted by bon appetit you don't
need to wait until the meat is exactly
72 degrees fahrenheit and you certainly
don't need to take its internal
temperature with a meat thermometer
prior to cooking if you need a measuring
stick however celebrity chef donatella
arpaio told insider that she leaves her
steaks out of the fridge for around an
hour professionals agree that it's
important to leave meat out of the
fridge prior to cooking for a number of
reasons firstly placing a cold cut of
meat on a grill or skillet will cause
the muscle tissue to contract making
even heat distribution more tricky and
increasing the likelihood of burning if
meat cooks evenly on the other hand it's
much easier to achieve the required
level of doneness speaking with bon
appetit rob levitt of chicago's the
butcher and larder summed up the problem
of cooking meat straight out of the
fridge the outside will be charred and
the inside will be mostly gray meat with
a little nugget of red in the middle
while a good cut of beef can generally
stand on its own most steakhouses add
some level of seasoning into the
equation most steaks usually don't need
much more than sea or kosher salt ground
black pepper and perhaps a little bit of
garlic and salting is a crucial part of
the seasoning process tender greens chef
pete balistreri told eat this not that
about the importance of seasoning a
steak salt releases moisture in the
muscle of the meat and releases the
natural flavors of steak there's some
disagreement among chefs as to when it's
best to season your steak according to
some it's best to season the meat right
after you take it out of the fridge this
will ensure that the cut soaks in the
seasoning leaving you with a more
flavorful dish top chef finalist and
owner of cafe farensei chef fabio
viviani disagrees claiming that the
steak should be seasoned right before
cooking saying quote applying salt too
soon will dry out the meat and it won't
be juicy and tender whatever you do
however don't wait to season your steak
until it's on your plate
hey have you been unwittingly ruining
your steaks by cooking them in the wrong
oil watch your mouth sunshine
whoa take it easy all we're saying is
that when it comes to prime cuts many
chefs advise staying away from olive oil
due to its low smoke point of between
300 and 350 degrees fahrenheit this is
the temperature at which the oil starts
to burn when this point is reached your
culinary masterpiece could end up
tasting scorched or rancid in addition
the smoke can also leave carcinogenic
compounds on the meat something that you
definitely want to avoid according to
home cook world the best oils for
searing steak are avocado oil soybean
oil and canola oil since all of them
have high smoke points of between 400
and 520 degrees fahrenheit in addition
while you want to stay away from regular
butter which has a low smoke point of
around 300 degrees fahrenheit it's
perfectly fine to cook steak with
clarified butter since its smoke point
stands at around 450 degrees fahrenheit
alternatively some chefs wear by searing
the stirrup of fat on the side of the
cut by holding the steak vertically with
tongs before cooking it in the rendered
fat
these days many steakhouse chains such
as ruth's chris use infrared broilers
with their steaks to ensure extremely
high temperatures and even heat
distribution unfortunately most of us
don't have the luxury of such kitchen
gear at home there's no need to despair
however since many chefs still swear by
pan frying their steaks and many of them
recommend using cast iron skillets chef
steve dukakis told michelin guide that
he uses cast iron pans because they hold
heat which ensures the right sear since
cast iron is a dense metal it also
ensures even heat distribution this in
turn translates to evenly cooked and
brown steak last but not least for best
results veteran british chef kevin b
thompson recommends that the skillet is
quote very hot but not smoking another
method of steak preparation that's
popular with some chefs is the reverse
sear the award-winning chef behind the
food lab column at serious eats j kenji
lopez alt swears by this recipe the
cooking method involves slow roasting
the meat in the oven to the desired
wellness and then searing the steak on a
quote screaming hot cast iron skillet
lopez alt went on to elaborate on the
importance of cooking in such a hot pan
by starting steaks in a low temperature
oven you wind up with almost no
overcooked meat whatsoever then when
searing a piece of meat our goal is to
create a crisp darkly browned crust to
contrast with the tender pink meat
underneath
many of us have heard that turning the
steak too much during pan searing or
grilling can ruin a perfectly good cut
of meat the executive chef at gordon
ramsay steak at the horseshoe baltimore
samantha love agrees she told thrillist
that you should wait for the mayard
reaction to take place before flipping a
steak this refers to the interaction of
certain proteins and sugars at high
temperatures they both brown the steak
and makes it so damn delicious at its
most extreme professionals advise that a
steak should be flipped only once so as
not to disturb the meat so if you've
been flipping your steaks this whole
time you've been doing it wrong
wait before you chuck your steak in the
sink there's some good news a more
recent take on the steak preparation
process among chefs is that flipping the
steak frequently doesn't downgrade its
flavor or texture according to the
culinary guru j kenji lopezald flipping
the steak as often as every 30 seconds
actually improves the final result he
says that not only will turning the
steak not prevent it from crusting but
it will also result in a more evenly
cooked center
according to kitchens here butter is the
secret and sometimes not so secret
weapon of many steakhouses even if
there's no visible fat on your steak
when it arrives at your table chances
are that it's been cooked in tablespoons
of clarified butter and there's a good
reason for this butter is said to not
only increase beef's flavor and texture
but also gives it an appealing glossy
finish most chefs recommend adding
butter well into the searing process
this is because butter has a low smoke
point which means that it starts to burn
at around 300 degrees fahrenheit this in
turn can make the steak bitter not to
mention smoke out your neighbors the
michelin star meet master alain dukas
recommends adding butter to the skillet
after the steak is already browned and
using the melted butter and garlic to
baste it so does celebrity chef gordon
ramsay who believes in basting his
steaks in butter infused with crushed
garlic and thyme for additional flavor
one great thing about steak houses is
that they can cook a steak to your exact
specifications whether it's rare or well
done getting your steak just right can
be the trickiest part of preparing the
dish in your own kitchen this is because
the speed at which your steak cooks
depends on the thickness of the cut and
the temperature of the grill or skillet
sure you can cut into the steak to check
whether it's ready but this isn't
recommended since it lets out the juices
to help culinary gurus from heston q
have come up with a chart that outlines
the exact searing times and temperatures
for different cuts of meat and wellness
levels since many of us aren't great at
following tables there is another method
that can prevent your cut from coming
out over or under done a meat
thermometer available in either digital
or analog versions meat thermometers are
inserted into the center of the meat to
gauge its internal temperature in the
case of a medium rare steak this should
be around 130 degrees fahrenheit however
because the steak will continue to cook
on the plate it should be removed from
the source of heat when it's 5 degrees
fahrenheit lower than the desired
temperature
steak house specialists realize that how
you present a steak can have a huge
impact not just on its visual appeal but
also on its flavor and texture if you
want to cut the meat prior to serving
always cut against the grain or
perpendicular to the direction of the
muscle fibers since muscle fibers can be
on the tough side slicing through them
will make the beef more tender slicing
along the muscle fibers on the other
hand will have the opposite effect
making the steak chewier another trick
to elevating your home dining experience
to a restaurant level is by warming the
plate prior to serving this is because a
warm plate helps to maintain an even
temperature of the food while a cold one
absorbs its heat which could translate
to a lukewarm state one of the best ways
to warm your plates is by stacking them
in the oven set at a low temperature or
by placing them on the stovetop burner
once it's been turned off
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