Steak Help

imakimm

Please help me! What am I doing wrong?! Whenever I cook a steak at home it never tastes as good as it does when I have it at a restaurant. Like today I marinated a london broil overnight and cooked it on my george foreman grill and it tastes ok but I know it could be better..How do you guys cook your steak and meat? Thanks!

UponThisRock

Restaurants don't use foreman grills

Leiki

Buy good meat. A 4 star restaurant uses better meat than what is available in the grocery store. Luckily, one of my housemates is a manager as said restaurant, and he brings home delicious skirt steak for about $4/ lb.

Marinate it for at least an hour. If you need to tenderize it because it is not the best quality meat, vinegar, limes, fruit juices, and other acidic marinades are good for breaking down the meat. Don't forget to salt and pepper it. Although it seems odd, salt draws out the meat and "dehydrates" it which in turn makes it taste juicier.

Let the meat sit at room temperature before cooking.

Cook on high on both sides. (This is a good time to use red wine, or butter if you are adding any of these).

Remove on heat and let it sit for a few minutes.

Do not over cook.

sarahgilmore

my husband never picks steak when we go out cos he says i can do just as well (if not better) at home

I typically pick a cut that is marbled nicely with fat, and is thick about 1 1/2". Never a totally lean piece. Can always cut the excess fat off when you eat it.
I always go for scotch fillet. I find eye fillet too dry, and sirloin too tough.

HOT frypan, cast iron is best
brush the meat with oil, rather than adding oil to the pan. Some freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste on the meat now.

Cook hot and fast on one side to brown, then turn with tongs, never pierce the meat, and cook slightly slower on the other side (but not slow enough that it stews) until juices appear on the top. That gives us a good medium-rare.

I would NEVER put steak in something like a foreman, it goes dry, tough and there's no flavour. I also never marinate a good cut of steak.

3laine75

OMG what are you doing to your steaks?? Marinate?? Do you guys get fillet in the US? Salt and pepper then a minute each side in a pan - i use a teaspoon of olive oil but still tastes good with no oil

mmapags

Restaurants don't use foreman grills

This! A foreman grille doesn't get hot enough to get a good sear in the steak. You need a good grill with a flame and high temp.

dls06

Something like london broil has to be cooked fast, High heat and rare then sliced very, very thin. Or braised in liquid for at least 2 hours or more.

rjt1000

Please help me! What am I doing wrong?! Whenever I cook a steak at home it never tastes as good as it does when I have it at a restaurant. Like today I marinated a london broil overnight and cooked it on my george foreman grill and it tastes ok but I know it could be better..How do you guys cook your steak and meat? Thanks!

a lot depends on what restaurants you're going to. Outback and LoneStar use massive amounts of salt which is yummy tasting. They're grilling over high heat and using wood to add smoky flavor as well. High class steak places (Morton's, Ruth's Chris) use "aged beef" which is more tender and generally has more taste. Also, higher quality cuts and higher cost as well.

As others said, cook on high heat to sear. That seals in juices so meat isn't dry. Use seasonings that you like. London broil isn't a cut that has great flavor either. Try something with more marbling (meaning fat mixed in with the lean meat). Ribeyes, filets, etc. All cost more of course.......

ladybg81

Our steaks at home are WAY better than they are at a resturant. We season them and let them sit for maybe 30 minutes. Our gas grill has a sear burner so we sear it and then grill for a few minutes on each side. We like ours between medium rare to medium.

We prefer ribeyes though a sirloin or filet will work.

imakimm

Thanks everyone!! :-)

pozj

good grade of meat

kosher salt and pepper

Canadian steak seasoning

rub it with olive oil..don't oil the pan ( or grill it).

Here's the secret we discovered on the food network...when the steak is done..don't cut it to test doneness, btw.. Instead, time the cooking on each side instead to your desired doneness...then take the piece of steak, wrap it in aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes all wrapped up. Your steak will be amazingly juicy

mmapags

good grade of meat

kosher salt and pepper

Canadian steak seasoning

rub it with olive oil..don't oil the pan ( or grill it).

Here's the secret we discovered on the food network...when the steak is done..don't cut it to test doneness, btw.. Instead, time the cooking on each side instead to your desired doneness...then take the piece of steak, wrap it in aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes all wrapped up. Your steak will be amazingly juicy

This tecnique is called "resting" the meat. With any good cut, there is adequate moisture. One of the reasons, as someone else said, for searing is to lock in the moisture and you need high heat to do that. When you cook at high heat, the moisture is pushed to the middle of the steak. The resting allows it to permate back to the surface. You don't really have to completely wrap it. You can put it on a serving dish and cover it with another one. Either way, high heat sear, and resting get's you a great steak.

PS: For those against marinating, you can take a nice inexpensive cut like flat iron steak, skirt steak or flank steak and marinate with acid and seasonings and make it tender as all get out! Then just grill as you would as stated above. A little butter sauteed mushrooms on top and you got you some goooooooood!

Leiki

Yeah, I don't marinate expensive cuts, but cheap cuts need it.

mjbrenner

I hate sharing this info, because as more people realize it, the price goes up - but I guess I am just a nice guy

Two great cuts of steak that are inexpensive are the top blade steak and the chuck eye. Top blade is very tender and flavorful with excellent marbling, There is a single run of gristle right down the middle of the steak, but it is easy to see and cut around on your plate. Chuck eye steak is the part of the rib eye that continues into the chuck primal cut. If you can get it at your grocery store, you are getting what is essentially rib eye steak for chuck prices. It is not quite as tender as a true rib eye, but it is dang close and half the price. The flavor is every bit as good as a rib eye.

TheMerryPup

Bump for later. Some good ideas here. Thanks all!

Acg67

Salt...

http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-turn-cheap-choice-steaks-into-gucci-prime-steaks.html

http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/the-food-lab-more-tips-for-perfect-steaks.html

dumb_blondes_rock

restaraunts cook there steaks, then put a big glob of butter on top to make in more tender and juicy. What i usually do is spice my steaks, and let them get to room temp. You NEVER want to cook cold steaks. Ill use the steaks we had last night as an example. I use olive oil to lightly coat the steaks, added the seasonings and let them sit until room temp. I took a pan and on highest heat cook the steaks for 5 mins on each side....less if your steak is thinner cut. After that i popped it in the oven at 350 for 8 mins....turned out to be perfectly medium rare....and soooooo juicy! You also do want to let you steak sit for at least 5 mins before cutting into it.

these were REALLY thick steaks....so you just want to cook them until you get a good brown color on them

engineman312

buy yourself a really really good cast iron pan. take care of it properly. you practically have to store it in olive oil and bake it dry for two months.

lisablueeyes

Try this link!!! They always come out perfect when I make mine like this! I add a little steak spice on mine..

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-a-steak-in-the-ove-108490

Nana_Booboo

OMG what are you doing to your steaks?? Marinate?? Do you guys get fillet in the US? Salt and pepper then a minute each side in a pan - i use a teaspoon of olive oil but still tastes good with no oil

agreed!!!