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! 

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. 

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. 

R-Carpenter

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

R-Carpenter

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

R-Carpenter

Haha. It works well.

Mzisserson

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

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. 

Bryan@MAC

Love it...so off topic yet so interesting, especially seeing Roman at the stove...lol.  Priceless. 

Mzisserson

Thanks guys! Very good thread. 

I make all mg own rubs and marinades, and can grill very well.... but suck at searing or cooking a steak inside. Its more of a smoke show than anything for me

R-Carpenter

Nic, T-Roy gets his beef from Lobel's of NY. The place is hideously overpriced and I am not so sure you will get the meet you can't get for less from other sources. USDA prime for example is a federal grading system and no matter where you get it from, it'll be the same top quality meat. In Lobel's of course, you will pay 4 times the price you pay in Costco.
At some point in my life I would like to try Wagyu or even aged Japanese Wagyu but that's then I get rich and famous.

For any of you guys who haven't seen it, there's a good documentary on Netflix. Steak Revolution.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2827708/

R-Carpenter

Mzisserson said:

Its more of a smoke show than anything for me

If you cooking steak indoors and smoke alarm isn't going of, you aren't doing it right. LOL.
But really, steaks smoke a lot. Indoors, high temp oils like avocado oil or grapeseed oil will make searing less painful.
Filet Mignon, ready to go. This was purchased at $6.99 in Fairway on sale. Whole loin was around $28.

jr@mac

Good point on the fan. My little fridge circulates quite well without one, some may not. 

I should add that there are no "loser" cuts of beef, just have to be aware of each cuts limitations. A bottom round makes for a dry, tough steak, but a delicious slow cooker pot roast. Chuck makes an interesting steak, but I personally find it to be hands-down the best choice for shredded beef and gravy. 

My favorite cuts for steak are tenderloin and ribeye. Here are some prime cuts I picked up a few weeks ago at Sam's Club:



After a hot, quick trip to the grill (with fresh made steak fries):



Eating around the fat is the price we pay for eating ribeye. 

jr@mac

Another thing to consider is yellowish fat on a beef can be an indicator of having been grass fed. 

R-Carpenter

I am not sure if I prefer grain fed or grass fed beef. I think both have flavors, I like.

Any suggestions on cooking pork tenderloin?

greywarden

I'm inviting myself over to Roman's house for steak dinner. @R-Carpenter what are we drinking?

R-Carpenter

greywarden said:

I'm inviting myself over to Roman's house for steak dinner. @R-Carpenter what are we drinking?

Red with the steak and bourbon for desert. Ringiding me if in NY.
Speaking of, I need to go to Costco and pick up  rib eye for aging.

R-Carpenter

No suggestions on pork tenderloin?

jr@mac

I am contemplating the pork, Roman. When I collect my thoughts I will post. 

R-Carpenter

It's inexpensive, lean and dry. I tried it twice and was,'t successful.   Thinking, marinading, slow cooking.
Looking forward to your thoughts, JR.