Posted on 07/20/2020 3:04:42 PM PDT by neverevergiveup
I am not certain of when but I recall the USDA lowering the standard for choice. That is probably why they are not as good now.
What - no sous vide fans? Easiest (but not fastest) way to restaurant-quality, perfectly-cooked steaks, ever...
Start with your favorite cut of meat and seasonings. Sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper and garlic powder work for me. Maybe add a pat of butter and vacuum seal in a plastic bag.
Place into water bath heated to 130 - 132 degrees F for medium rare, and cook for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, maintaining the temperature with your immersion circulator. The meat will come to the proper medium rare temperature and will stay there - it will not ‘overcook’. Cut into your steak and see its perfectly even medium rare color throughout, with just a light band of dark on the top and bottom from the sear.
When you’re ready to finish, remove the steaks from the water, unbag and pat dry with paper towels. Finish by searing in butter and a little olive oil in a very hot cast iron pan, 1 minute/side to develop a crust. Alternately, sear over hot coals on your grill, or use a flamethrower. (Really!)
Them’s some good eats!
“I clicked on this vanity thread expecting to see a bunch of funny sarcastic responses.”
Yeah, just discussing one’s favorite way of cooking steak is dullsvile.
Steak threads usually dissolve into arguments of rare vs medium vs well done. Proponents of rare like me are the real fanatics.
“Sir, how do you want your steak?”
Me: “MOO!!” Then my wife kicks me and I say, “Rare, cool center, please”.
Someday I’ll order rare steak with a famous line by Lucius Beebe: “Instruct your waiter to walk rapidly through the kitchen while waving your steak at the stove, then serve.”
Anyway, I used to love flank steak marinated & grilled then sliced crossgrain. It was once a cheap alternative but no more, flank & skirt steak are muy mucho caro nowadays.
I mentioned the seasoning....
It’s good stuff. I was introduced to it about 15 years ago and haven’t grilled a steak without it since.
Good on chicken and pork too.
And since the subject is grilling I’ll mention that last night I tried buffalo burgers for the first time last night.
I can’t believe I’ve lived this long without having eaten one of those. $10/pound and worth every cent.
I never used to pay attention to meat grade as everything the grocery stores carried was Choice.
One day in a discount grocer I saw T-bones in the meat section that were priced at 1/2 of what normal stores charged.
Bought one, grilled it up and it was tough to the point of being inedible. Pulled the wrapper out of the trash and saw the meat grade was “Tender”. Blech.
Marinated London Broil.
Porterhouse for me, followed by sirloin.
We’re talking BEEF here.
This is serious stuff.
I'll do 124F for a couple of hours for those wanting medium rare+, and 2:30 a side.
I'll add the rare steaks after an hour, and do 1:30 a side.
What’s beef? Oh that $10/pound stuff?
Yes! I was a Wishbone Italian marinator before it was cool. Great universal marinade.
It’s so hard to pick a singular cut, means of cooking, etc. There are so many ways of making any cut of beef delicious, but I like how so many here have so many ways each of us might want to try.
Nope!
I’m partial to plain ole sirloin steaks - if I want to spend more, I choose NY Strip over rib-eye.
If you like very lean and substantial, London Broil is also on my list.
All the sous vide charts I’ve seen list medium rare at 129 to 134F. That would seemingly put 124F in the ‘rare’ category.
But know how you like ‘em. Enjoy!
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