Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Best tasting steak?

Ok so the thread about the best tasting fish got me thinking about the best tasting steak.

The guys and I with our annual golf trip to Florida had a steak night one night. I said to the guys we really need to try this chop house call "Mannys Chop house". Guys ask why and I said there is an hour twenty minute wait to get seated.

So off we go at happy hour. Drinks in the parking lot to let the time pass so the 1:20 was not that long.

I had the best porterhouse steak I have ever had in my life. We will be returning there if we don't make a trip to Texas next year.

What was their secret to their steak? This bad boy was easy 1.25"s thick and the size of my head. I am sure it was flame broiled but prep do you think was done before hand?

What is your guys key to a perfect steak?

Cheers Don.

Great idea for a thread Don!

There are two musts in my opinion. First, and most important, you must start with a great piece of meat! Second is it must be cooked over a hot open fire/barbecue so you can char it a bit. If you have those two, even just garlic salt and black pepper for seasoning will give you a fine dine! Season both sides and use the back of a spoon to press the seasoning into the meat. I prefer ribeye cause I like a little fat in it.

Ditto about starting with great piece of meat. If you don't, no kitchen wizardry will make up the difference.

Well marbled steak is best in general. Prime bone-in ribeye is personal fave, as the bones help keep the steak juicy. (Bones have similar effects in chicken and fish, actually.)

Some good steakhouses, like Ruths Chris, will warm up butter until it becomes liquid, then drop steak in it for 20 minutes prior to cooking. Adds to sear and to flavor.

Also, dry-aged beef has more concentrated flavor.

Personally I love teriyaki marinated flank steak, but that is more of a specialty item. Flank steak is pretty darn lean, even the best, so anything beyond medium rare is not recommended.

All I know is I like a filet, juicy, and cuts like butter.

For me personally "bigger is not better"...tender is better.

ps: butterflied can be nice too.

Amen.

Ribeye is my favorite, over very hot charcoal!

And to add a third must to Bill D's suggestions, be sure and let the steak rest for at least 3-5 minutes before cutting into it. It allows the juices to distribute evenly instead of running all over your plate when you cut it!

Yep! An absolute must. I loosely lay a piece of aluminum foil over it and let it rest 10 minutes....if I can wait that long!

Dangit, all this steak talk, I just went to the freezer and grabbed out some ribeyes to barbecue tonight!

Hand cut, inch thick Ribeye, lip-on, off the full rib, wood/charcoal heat, flame seared from drippings and grilled medium rare...seasoned with my special blend of Lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, a bit of hidden valley dry ranch dressing mix, durkee steak dust, cavender's greek seasoning, a bit of sugar, and sea salt......super moist, tender and mouth-watering flavors...Served with bacon wrapped, grilled asparagus sprinked with the same seasoning and a large grilled portabella marinated in a balsamic vinegar, jalepeno juice, liquid smoke, Worcestershire, lemon juice, olive oil and staek seasoning blend, then encrusted in freshly shredded parmesan cheese

My grill is under the front porch for year round grilling at least once a week. I am normally Vegan-by-proxy...cow eats veggies, converts to an edible form...I eat cow!

Great post on a topic near and dear to my heart!

We use choice or select cuts, but I'm not partial to the cut. I find a smoked top sirloin prepared and grilled correctly can give any other cut a run for it's money. My butcher cuts everything for me at least 1.5", if not up to 2". My favorite on the grill is a reverse seared tenderloin [fillet] roast, but I'll tackle any roast or steak and accept the challenge. Some just require much lower and slower cooking times if they are especially lean.

I use a dry rub and do not add any salt as it will dry out the surface of the steak. I allow to rest in fridge for 12-24 hrs.

An hour prior to grilling, I allow steaks to reach room temperature which ensures it cooks evenly - no hot or cold spots which can mess with internal temps and level of done-ness.

I grill everything on homemade lump oak charcoal on my Green Egg - which is generally a very inconvenient way to cook food, but for someone who loves messing with fire it's fun, and I've never tasted anything that can rival the flavor of natural oak or hickory lump.

I employ the reverse sear process on steaks at my place in order to achieve a hint of smoke flavor into the meat. I get the egg up to 650, then add whatever wood chunks I am in the mood for and shut it down to 300. A favorite is Mesquite and Cherry, but Hickory or Pecan and Sugar Maple also is good. When I get a good smoke rolling, I'll place steaks to smoke on 300-325 for 10-15 min per side, depending on thickness. I'm getting internal temps up towards the 110-120 temps here [do this by feel, don't pierce meat with temp probes!], and allowing the smoke to penetrate the meat, which one can't do if you sear first. This is the logic behind the reverse sear.

After "roasting" for 10-15 min per side up to around that 110-120 degree mark, I remove the steaks, open up the vents, and get cast iron grate up to 600+. Replace the steaks and sear crosshatch pattern about 30 - 45 seconds per direction, moving to hottest part of the grate as I flip. I flip a total of 4 times, 30-45 seconds each. Internal temps reach around 135-140 by this time, and I remove. Internal temp will continue to increase off the grill to get to the magic 145 medium rare temp I want.

The end result is a super juicy, lightly smoked, medium rare steak with a nice thin crust that's not overwhelming. I rest the steak for at least 5 minutes in order to allow the juices to distribute back through the steak. Consider the reverse sear next time you are grilling and adding some smoke flavor. It's a bit more complex, but I think you'll elevate to another taste universe.

Coming soon, I hope, to my dinner table:

A thick, well-marbled ribeye, grilled over hardwood coals and smothered in fresh morel mushrooms sautéed in butter.

Superb play-by-play on the technique, TJ. Sounds delicious.

TJ - sounds like you can also cook well besides raising nice fish. One time at a PondBoss convention in TX, the early days, we went to a restaurant that had smoked steak. It was delicious. I have yet to find smoked steak anywhere else. I don't know why some chain steak restaurants don't offer that great tasting steak.

Ah, morel season around the corner. I'll bet you guys will be out very soon down there. We're still at least a week or two out up here, if not longer.

Taste of Texas, only in Houston (I-10 @ West Beltway)
It don't get no better!!!! (pardon the grammar)
http://tasteoftexas.com/restaurant/

Awesome! I too have found that gently warming the steak to room temperature prior to cooking helps a lot when it comes to consistency and juiciness.

Man, this is just too god ta resist. Here's my vote and it's very simple. Tube !!! Bill, the only preparation is mental but in the 70s mine was well smoked.

Agree with Bob-O. And afterwards there was no mess up with to clean ...

Another vote for Ribeye - Just seared enough on both sides to hold the juices in and give it that "Kinda Cooked" texture and flavor.

An initial thought that ran thru my bean was the possibility of Ribeye for lunch on the lake, but don't think that will happen.

You will be really impressed with this London Broil tho.

Ahhh...the 70's. My college years. I knew a place that could smoke one I will never forget!

BD, hopefully it's on a beach somewhere. Life is grand in Bob-O land !

Just dropped 1 inch thick bone in ribeyes on a really hot grill. You must also have an ice cold beer in your hand while barbecuing a good steak by the way!

Another vote for ribeyes. Hirsch's meat market in Plano TX has cut to order prime that's outstanding.

I usually get counter cuts, and do the 4,3,3,3 minute cross and over on my Weber. It'll hit 500 degrees, and I leave it at that temp until the steak's nicely seared, then back off the temp for those that may want a less rare steak. Kosher salt and course free ground pepper are the only seasonings.

To go further, caesar salad and crispy thin fries are my sides of choice.

It's almost impossible to find Bone-In Beef in the Midwest anymore...maybe too many inbred cows around here...lol

I hit 640 Meats in Rockford. My buddy Pete hooks me up with a whole loin cut to my specs. and I freeze them. Usually just Choice meat. This thread makes me think next time I am going Prime.

Dangit Don! See what ya did?!!! I am sending you a bill for the difference in cost of a Choice loin and that next Prime loin!!

Some great tips guys well done. Keep them coming and pictures too if any of you guys get the urg.

I really like the idea of a smoked then sear steak, and the butter dipped hoo yaah. I need my smoker sooner than later now.

I had some wings in the US last year that I swear they were cooked in butter.

I do have a great butcher close by that custom cuts us what ever we need. What I like about them is they are small still and kill, hang their own beef. They hang them for 25-28 days. It is very noticeable in how the beef cooks.

Bill D. I am sure the up charge will be well worth it. I wish I could buy beef as cheap as you guys in the US.

Cheers Don.