How do you cook your steak? [General]

2013 Aug 16
How do you home cook steak for best results? (rare/medium rare)

I have grilled
I have seared with cast iron pan and finished in the oven

Both methods have been quick and easy, and have turned out pretty good results.

I have read about slower cooking for rib eyes then finishing with a sear, and have also looked up the pan sear in butter technique.

So... What are your favourite methods?


2013 Aug 16
I like a good steak very rare. Cast iron skillet, a little S&P on the meat, butter heated to just this side of burning, hot and fast, 3 minutes a side tops. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2013 Aug 16
For a Filet or a Ribeye as blue as possible nice sear on the outside with a cast iron skillet, no more than 2 mins a side.

Strips or otherwise I tend to cook it a bit more, 3 mins a side usually does it.

I have a childhood memory of the fmaily going to a high end Argentinian Steakhouse on vacation with my British grandfather who requested his steak Med-well. The chef actually came out of the kitchen and had the waiter translate while he yelled at my grandfather for asking him to "Cremate" a steak.


2013 Aug 16
The proper way to get deliciously rare steak for me is to take a filet, and sear on all side with a handheld brule torch.

2013 Aug 16
Cook it sous vide to 132 then brown it with my trusty torch.

2013 Aug 16
Like this..
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After aging them in my fridge for 7-10 days after bringing them home from Al Jazeera.

2013 Aug 18
1. Close bathroom and bedroom doors unless I want beefy, smoky towels and clothes.
2. Dollarama shower cap over smoke detector, open all windows
3. White-hot cast iron on induction plate (if I use the stovetop my kitchen is a sauna for ages), sear very briefly
4. Pat of salted butter on top of the steak (it'd just have burned during the sear, unpleasant), coarse pepper (ditto), finish in broiler.

Optional 5. Get followed around and/or licked by every cat I encounter until I shower and change.

2013 Aug 19
I get results that taste better than most steakhouses with the following:

1. Lightly oil the meat and sprinkle with Montreal steak spice.
2. Fire kamado grill up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Slap down the steak, turning before it burns (no more than twice on each side). Always cook with the lid down on a kamado.
4. Cook until the texture is right for the doneness you want. Lower the temperature after searing if the steak is more than one inch thick.
5. Let rest for at least 5 minutes.

My favourite cheapo steak is the sirloin tip from The Butchery (pictured here, with kimchi and grilled rosemary). It is lean, absolutely loaded with beefy flavour, and tender enough if you don't overcook it.

Grill marks do look nice, but if they are the only browned part of the meat then your grill isn't hot enough. Grill marks are the result of uneven conduction rather than radiation and convection. Grilling requires primarily radiative heat transfer. Roasting requires convective heat transfer. In both cases, the grill grate is really just there to position your meat over the heat source.

If your grill can't get hot enough to cook a steak properly with thermal radiation, you will need to resort to conductive cooking. And in that case, you might as well use a skillet for even browning.

2013 Aug 25
I usually try to get thick-ass rib steaks (1.5"-2"), cook the steak in the oven (or BBQ) at 275 for 20-25 minutes, and then give it a quick four-minute sear on each side at screaming high temperatures (I go for 700 or so on my Big Steel Keg) to get good crust formation.

It works out really well.

2013 Aug 25
I did a Saslove's boneless rib eye and an Andeson Farms' top sirloin on the Egg at 500F. Struggled with temp for some reason but turned out beautifully. Salt and pepper did the trick.

2013 Aug 25
Did you figure out why your temperatures were off? I might be able to help troubleshoot...maybe.

2013 Aug 25
The chef, me, went for one more cocktail when he should have been paying more attention ;-)

2013 Aug 26
Sounds like exactly what happened with my pulled pork over the weekend. 200, 225, 250, 300, AAAAAAAAAAAA NOOOOOOOOOOO CLOSE CLOSE CLOSE, 200, open the vents, WHAT 300 AGAIN?!

2013 Aug 26
Momo, inconsistent heat won't ruin your pulled pork...I find the only thing that can make it turn out less than stellar is not cooking it to probe tender which is usually 195+ internal temperature.

2013 Aug 27
Man, you'd think 8 hours would be enough. I was not pleased with the cut, either, for what it's worth: it was a picnic shoulder that just seemed...slabby.

2013 Aug 28
I did 25 pounds on Thursday night, boneless skinless pork shoulders that I get super cheap in a cryovac package, and they went for 16 hours at 225. Depending on the weight of the individual butts I'd say 8 hours isn't enough in most cases. Once you hit the stall you either have to foil, or keep cooking through it until the temp starts rising again. Most people think the stall is when all the tenderness comes into the butt as the collagen breaks down, but I find you really have to get the temps up over 195 to really get tender results. I know Bruce was having problems before and he pushed through to higher finished temps after we talked and was happy with the results.

2013 Aug 28
I'll give it a whirl. It wasn't the largest piece of meat: only about four pounds.

2013 Aug 28
I echo what Stuart said. Also with port butt/shoulder/hams the timing is always approx. Depending on whether the porker is trying to get revenge on your dinner party or not, the cooking times vary somewhat wildly (+/- hours) regardless of cut or weight. On the Bradley I get very even heat, but timing wise has been all over the place for similar cuts and weight. If you are cooking for crowd best to get a very early start and foil when finished to hold until you are ready to eat. Worst case if you get to 190 or so you can always chop instead of pulling if you are desperate to eat.

2013 Aug 28
It's amazing how long you can hold meat at 140 degrees in foil inside of a warmed up cooler with a few ziplock bags of hot water in it...I went 2.5 hours on Friday.