The Swamp

My name is AB, and I suck at cooking steak. I know there's a cooking thread, but this is too personal. I WANT to cook steak proficiently. I just can't. Last night I had a USDA Choice New York Strip. Brought to room temperature, patted dry. Salt and pepper only as seasoning. Instead of telling you how I apparently went wrong after that, you guys tell me what to do to get it right.

If you have a gas oven/range with a good broiler, you can’t go wrong with broiling. 10 minutes for a 1” thick steak, add on a couple of minutes if it’s much thicker than that.

My options are electric range/oven with broiler or a gas grill.

What doneness is your target? Rare? Medium rare? Well done? If it's well done, then any cooking advice we give you doesn't matter.

ETA: Also, do you have a cast iron skillet?

I prefer medium-rare and the ladies prefer medium. Yes I have and used a cast iron skillet.

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:18 am My options are electric range/oven with broiler or a gas grill.

Gas grill, as hot as you can get it. Flip once after 5 or so minutes, then either flip again, or remove completely, based on how you like it.

I agree. You need direct, high heat and I don’t trust an electric stovetop to get you there.

Also, do you rub with olive oil before seasoning?

First off, really make sure it's room temp. Like, 30 minutes at least.

Put a bunch of kosher salt and course black pepper on it. Make sure you get the sides too.

Now with the grill, get that whole thing really hot. Like, as hot as it goes, with all the burners cranked. People fuck up here by just doing a sear zone or one side of the grill. You want to sear this thing at the highest possible temp.

Here's something that takes it over the edge: Get a pasta dish or some kind of container that can act as a dunking dish. Melt up a decent amount of butter, and with the steak fully seasoned, get a nice coating on both sides.

(If you don't do the butter thing, get some oil and spray the spot you're gonna drop the steak.)

Place the steak on the hotter side of your grill, if you don't think you have one, just pick a side. Don't mush it down! But do give it a couple of pats to set the grill marks.

How long you sear it on both sides is completely related to thickness of your steak. A relatively thin cut of meat, you only want to do 90 seconds-2 minutes. You got a 1 1/2 inch ribeye, you probably want to do 3-4 minutes. At some point while steak is on the first sear, you want to turn down the side you're not using to medium-low heat.

After you've seared on both sides, move the steak over to the lower heat and cover the grill. Again, the length of time on the grill is dependent on the cut of meat. You can push down on the steak with your finger and if you've still got some give to it, it's probably in the medium to medium-rare zone.

Especially with the done-ness, there's just going to be trial and error, but the thing most people fuck up is not adjusting their timing according to the thickness of the cut of meat.

I almost exclusively use a gas grill. For a medium 1"-thick steak I grill on one side for about 4 minutes then flip and grill on the other side for around 3 minutes.

IMO the key is 1) get the steaks out of the fridge for 15-30 minutes before you cook them and 2) let them rest after cooking (cover with foil) for 5 minutes. Steaks closer to room temp cook better.

I've done the cast iron skillet/over thing to sear then cook in the oven but i just find the grill easier. For the cast iron I heat the pan in the oven by setting in the oven cold then heating to 500 degrees. Pull the pan out; coat the steaks with a high-heat tolerant oil and place in the pan for 30 seconds then flip and let sit for another 30 seconds. After than put the pan with the steaks in the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side; flip then the same time on the other side. The key to this method is same as the first...pull the steaks out of the fridge (the thicker they are the longer you want them to sit out) and letting them rest after cooking.

The problem I have with stove top is that with the searing, you better have a kick ass ventilation system or you're gonna smoke the house up. I also don't think the heat gets truly where you want to be, even with a gas stove.

Shutting the grill cover gets the convection thing going.

Now, I have seen my BIL do a deal where he sets the searing on the stove top and then pops the steaks in the oven to finish off with a broil. That works pretty well in a pinch.

Rex wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:43 am I agree. You need direct, high heat and I don’t trust an electric stovetop to get you there.

Also, do you rub with olive oil before seasoning?

The steak?

I don't want to be biased by prior answers, but (assuming no sous vide), I was always super hot cast iron one side, quick flip, into the oven to finish. And use a thermometer. I missed high way too often trying to stay strictly stove top.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:11 am I don't want to be biased by prior answers, but (assuming no sous vide), I was always super hot cast iron one side, quick flip, into the oven to finish. And use a thermometer. I missed high way too often trying to stay strictly stove top.

This is how I've had the best luck.

I've been reading that the best way is to actually do the oven part first and then sear but I haven't tried that yet.


I've actually had really bad luck with sous vide for whatever reason. I have also seen a suggestion to put it in the fridge for a half hour after sous-vide and then sear or something like that but that may have been a bad acid trip.

Personally I heat a dry cast iron to hot hot, sear by flipping every minute or so and then finishing with a bit of butter that once melted I spoon over to really get a nice crust. Medium rare is like 7-8 minutes from when the steak hits the pan.


We have a sous vide, but I prefer elk out of the sous vide and steak out of the pan.

bfj wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:02 am

Rex wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:43 am I agree. You need direct, high heat and I don’t trust an electric stovetop to get you there.

Also, do you rub with olive oil before seasoning?

The steak?

Dammit.

I only do on grills as I don't have a cast-iron skillet, but at least with a grill, taking it off a minute or two earlier than you think, placing it on a plate or cutting board, slapping a pat of butter, and then covering it with foil for 5-10 minutes is an absolute must. The interior will continue to cook on its way down to serving temperature. Never eat immediately off the grill if you can help it.


ETA: Didn't see that GoodKarma mentioned the setting step.

Gunpowder wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:38 amI've been reading that the best way is to actually do the oven part first and then sear but I haven't tried that yet.

Reverse sear. It's the only way I cook steak these days. I get the thick cuts from Costco.

Aside: the best steak is the Top Cap Ribeye. The spinalis dorsi. Costco seems to be the only place that has it, btw.

The point of the steak is to have the least gray on the inside as possible. Therefore, heat to an internal temp of 125 (for medium rare) after you've liberally salted and peppered it at room temperature.

Then, in an obscenely hot pan, cast iron or otherwise, 45 seconds a side in butter, garlic, and, I think, rosemary.

Boom. Restaurant quality in your home.

I'm old school, I guess. I don't do many steaks, but when I do, its using the following workflow:

- Remove steak from fridge and let come up to room temp
- Season with fresh ground salt and pepper
- Start up the Grill...let it get hot
- Put the steak on the grill...
- After a couple/few minutes, turn steak 45 degrees to get the cool 'cross-hatch' grill marks
- after another couple/few minutes, flip steak
- After a couple/few minutes, turn steak 45 degrees to get the cool 'cross-hatch' grill marks
- Test for doneness using the 'hand/firmness' test, outlined here: Determine the Doneness of a Steak with Your Palm
- once its where you want it, done-ness wise, pull it off and LET IT REST! (the key step that people forget).

That's it...

I can't speak to the grill options, I can't have one at my apartment. Using an oven and cast iron pan is super simple and most importantly incredibly easy to repeat. Follow this recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alt ... pe-2131274

One very important lesson do not use oil with a low burn point. Your steak will smoke like crazy.

You'll have to practice some to get the doneness just right depending on the thickness of the steak, but you literally control that just by the time it's in the oven.

I personally like my edges a little crispier so I sear for 40 seconds instead of 30 on each side.

Yeah, I don't do steaks that often, but I did a good one just two nights ago - big ribeye. This is mostly redundant to what others have said.

1. Gas grill - get one side going full heat (I'm usually cooking tuna and corn on the cob on the other side, so I can't go all hot. I have three burners on my grill).
2. Steak to room temp. Rub with salt and pepper. Sometimes mix in other spices to my rub (paprika, white pepper, oregano, etc.).
3. 4 minutes on side 1. Flip
4. 4 minutes on side 2. Remove
5. Take it inside and leave it on a plate for 5 minutes. Don't touch.

That's it. Easy and a great steak.

I'm surprised at how few people have a gas range with broiler (or perhaps how few people use it). It's truly set it and forget it. Don't have to worry about room temperature, don't have to turn it, don't set off the fire alarms. Only variable is timing/thickness.

My neighborhood is all electric. You have to buy your own tank and we had no interest.

I may not be able to cook a steak but I wore some burgers out tonight. So so good.

Grind that shut up and I’ll cook the fuck out of it.

If the cut is thick enough (must be 1.5” or thicker), I reverse sear every time. Less than that on the green egg. I insist on seasoning with the salt at least 4 hrs before I cook. Normal routine is to season the night before and then let the beef sit in fridge uncovered all night. I then remove from the fridge in the morning, cover with foil and let it sit at room temperature all day with the thick ones, or two hour minimum with the thin. Pepper and garlic powder go on before I cook. Key is to give several hours for the salt to osmose into the beef. I also sometime make a paste with olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh minced garlic, and rosemary. Sometimes I add Dijon mustard. Paste goes on a minimum of 4 hours before cooking, prefer overnight.

Reverse sear:
Oven at 200, use a temp probe in the thickest part of the beef. While beef is in oven get your skillet piping hot. For rare (my preference), it comes out at 108. Medium 114. Well done 120. Sear for 90 seconds, flip and sear for 90, flip and sear for 60, flip and sear for 60, then use tongs to sear the sides which only take a few seconds. Whomever commented on high temp oil is correct to reduce smoking. That said, I love the taste of butter so I open windows and crank fans.


Grill:
Minimum of 400 degrees in one spot. As Dave said, 45s in the hot spot, rotate 90 degrees for 45s, FLIP ONCE, 45s, rotate 90 for 45s, then move to holding zone to reach desired doneness. Key on grill is to ONLY FLIP ONCE. On the grill juices rose to the top surface. When you flip multiple times all you do is dry the meat out and remove flavor by cooking off the juice. Never squeeze or press the steaks for the same reason. Grill is also more variable and down to the equipment than the reverse sear. You likely know your grill better than I, but key is to have a nice hot zone where you can minimize flare ups for the direct cooking, then a cooler zone to hold.


Then remove the steaks to a plate and cover tightly with foil and allow them to rest a minimum of 10 minutes, but 15 is better if you can be patient. Rest is as key as salting early. This is required for either cooking method.

geebus.

salt and pepper AND oregano..

or soysauce/garlic/scotch marinade for at least an hour - then pat dry

sear on both sides (smoke, what smoke?) cast iron skillet of course
then drop it in the oven 10 or 15 (depending on thickness and desired done-ness.. if you say well done then get out) at 325

if nice weather outside.. fire up the coal grill (fuck gas grills) healthy pour of something nice and get at it.

oh yeah.. and the cut.. @johnnie is right -- Picanha is where is at. Butcher shop>Wholefoods>Costco

Just did my first steak on a Ninja Foodi grill, and I’d like to amend my answer.

Mods. Please close this thread. I got it now.

Just one more video to help:

Sous vide + reverse seared flank last night for fajita night. Perfection.

More like "Teach AB to Bump a Thread"

Give AB a steak and he'll eat a meal. Teach AB to cook a steak and he just tries to shoo you away.

Rex wrote: ↑Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:46 am Give AB a steak and he'll eat a meal. Teach AB to cook a steak and he just tries to shoo you away.

I no longer have time for suggestions. Because the sous vide is taking up most of my time now.