Steak!

D1PP1N

I'm just starting to cook food aside from burgers, pizza and mozzerella sticks.  I am looking for what cuts/types you guys buy and prefer. My parents used to make t-bones mostly and sometimes filets. I bought some skirt steak for tacos and some top round to try that. Looking at it, it seems like maybe a stew type steak but im not sure. My wifes doesnt eat meat but on rare occasions so she doesnt like making it either. 

I find when i grill steaks they dry out. Tried searing on a pan last week and today then popping it into the oven to cook through for like 15-20 minutes. 

 What's like a happy medium cost and quality steak? Any cooking tips. 

PWRRYD

Luckily we live in the midwest, so steak

PWRRYD

prices are a good value.  I prefer bacon wrapped filets. My local meat store has 8 oz filets on sale often for $5.99.  They cook perfectly on our grill (medium).

D1PP1N

These turned out well and tasted pretty good! 

Nicholas_23

If you get a chance and can find it in your area , try a tritip. The last one I did was in the oven and not on the grill . Turned out perfect . 

PWRRYD

I prefer my steak medium, like Nick's pic.  My wife likes her's more well done like Mike's pic.

jr@mac

It takes a long time to get an eye for picking steaks. Absent going shopping with someone in the know, expect to experience a lot of disappointments. As a general rule, look for good marbling (not swaths of solid fat), and very tender to the touch. Brisket, flank, skirt, round, etc are not well suited for medium rare traditional steak cuts and benefit from marinades, braising, thin slicing, and other preparation methods that are intended to make use of these cuts. 

Don't be afraid to experiment with seasoning. 

Nicholas_23

The tritip roast was hot and fast in the oven at 425 for maybe 45 minutes ( didnt sear it)? I dont have a fancy convection oven. Some of the meats like JR mentioned above do not need to be murdered in the pan or on the grill and are perfectly fine med rare before they turn into leather . If youre going to do a brisket or a brisket flat I would cook that sucker low and slow,  hit a 195 temp , pull it and wrap it then into a cooler for a few hours. On the menu tomorrow is a pork butt , again low and slow . The pulled pork at DDIY was sub par and dried out and I apologize guys , I can do better than that with a bigger smoker .  

Mzisserson

Often overlooked cut is london broil. Maranading it is best, but rubbing it, or even a simple salt and pepper works well because it has a lot of natural flavor. 

Cooks well and stays juicy broiled in the oven up to med-well, but dries FAST and is hard to get fully well done and juicy. 

Slice thin (1/8th to 1/4) across the grain and it is suprising how juicy, tender, and flavorful this budget cut can be! 

R-Carpenter

I age steak. Have a dedicated fridge for it.
For aging I get Rib Eye from Costco. I prefer Choice over Prime as Prime gets to be too fatty for my taste.
Always medium to rear for me and the Mrs. High heat, salt and peper, butter, sage.
For un-aged I like skirt steaks and tenderloin.
Thenderloin goes on sale at $5.99 from time to time if you get the whole loin.
I trim it, cut in to file Mignon, wrap each piece in bacon.
Sear on as high heat as I can get my cast iron to do (usually a bit over 500) , two min top and 2 min bottom, then throw some salty blue cheese on the top and finish in the oven for 8 min or so. Always use a thermometer. Get it to 125.
Flank is also very nice.
I usually slow cook mushrooms and onions to compliment the beef.

R-Carpenter

Skirt steak is may be a bit tough to cook for a beginner. It''s chewy and beefy and tasty and very easy to overcook. It's lean.  High heat, 3 min each side. The red that runs out of it, is not blood. Cut it across the grain with a very sharp knife. Thinner the cuts better it is. Always let the steak rest for 10 - 15 min after you pull it off.
On the grill, your steaks dry out because there's not enough heat and you cooking them too long. Basically, there's no such thing as enough heat. If you can throw a piece of meat in the molten lava, it'll be the best steak there is. LOL
Price-vise, there's no need to spend more than $16 a Lb for a holiday treat until you master the cooking. Depending on the cut, anything from $4/lb to $16/lb can give you superb dinner.

Mzisserson

Tell me more about aging! 

R-Carpenter

Aging intensifies the flavor and decreases moisture content. It's a steak+.
Most famous Steakhouses will serve aged steak. Some age it themselves like Peter Luger, others will buy aged from specialty supplier. Wholesale price from aging house is around $22/lb.
It takes time. There's weight and volume loss but the results are well worth it.
I age traditionally for 5 weeks+ or in whiskey soaked  cotton towels  for 6 weeks +. Whiskey aging adds honey sweet flavors and decreases moisture and weight loss while the tenderness of meat only gets better.

jr@mac

Buy a dorm fridge, some kind of dessicant (I see Roman uses salt) and stick the steak in there for awhile. Try not to open door until day of cooking. 

jr@mac

I age in the little fridge in my garage. 

Nicholas_23

Cast iron is fantastic too if you want to sear the steaks then into oven to finish them off. Curious what you all are cooking on ? 

R-Carpenter

JR, I also use a small fan in the fridge.

Nicholas_23

Been a fan of cast since the old lady brought them into the house . Sucks to clean but hot damn does it cook nice . 

R-Carpenter

Have you tried the chain mail thingy for cleaning cast iron, Nic?

Nicholas_23

No sir , but did watch a video on it , looks to be the cats ass

R-Carpenter

Haha. It works well.

Nicholas_23

Copy that 

Mzisserson

How does the meat not go bad after a month of sitting jn a fridge?

Nicholas_23

Not steak but pork. Will be in the fridge until early morning.Im glad you posted the question btw 

Nicholas_23

It somewhat does zisserson , bacterial break down which is supposed to it tender , then you finish it off and kill with fire

Nicholas_23

Whole meat muscle btw , don't do ground

Nicholas_23

There is tiger meat , ground beef with seasoning served rare . Never had it myself

R-Carpenter

enzymes, not bacteria. Otherwise, yes. It's a rotten meat
Delicious!
Love the mustard! lamb rack rubbed with mustard and herbs.

jr@mac

I age at ~36-39 degrees plus dry environment = bacteria has a tough time. 

Nicholas_23

I think the good man started a foodie thread . I'm down with that

Nicholas_23

I don't have the money to try this but would like to eventually . Seems like it's almost a cure using the salt .