How to: Steaks
Get to know the different cuts of steak and how to cook them !
CUTS:
1) TOP ROUND
(AKA London broil)
Very lean with mild flavor; dense and slightly chewy.
Inexpensive with no fat to trim off, so more meat for your money; even shape makes it easy to slice thin.
Marinating will tenderize the meat.
Best served rare to medium (overcooking will turn this cut into leather).
Must be carved very thin, against the grain.
Great cold for sandwiches.
2) RIB EYE
(AKA Delmonico steak)
Naturally tender cut cooks up juicy, with a rich flavor of caramelized meat.
Can be sold bone-in for rib lovers and for a more dramatic presentation.
Lots of marbling makes it self-basting.
These steaks are pricey, so look for ones with a large "eye" and less surrounding fat.
3) FILET MIGNON
(AKA tenderloin steak)
Its mild flavor and tenderness make it the perfect canvas for a starring sauce.
Expensive, but unlike other cuts, it doesn’t need to be trimmed and doesn’t shrink much during cooking.
Avoid acidic marinades -- they'll deteriorate the fine grain and make the meat mealy.
Best eaten rare to medium.
Lean and tender enough to be eaten cold.
Skip the steak knife -- it cuts like butter!
4) T-BONE
Nothing says "steakhouse" like a T-bone. Great for steak lovers who eat with their eyes first.
Combines two contrasting cuts in one sitting -- part of the delicate tenderloin and robust, juicy strip.
The bone adds flavor and seals in juices.
Perfect for carnivores who feel the meat's just a vehicle for getting to gnaw on the bone.
5) SKIRT STEAK
(AKA fajita steak)
Good bang for your buck -- juicy and flavorful; quick-cooking and versatile.
Firm, accordion-like grain soaks up dry rubs and marinades.
Best served rare to medium-rare. Anything more toughens the meat.
6) STRIP LOIN
(AKA strip steak; New York strip steak; shell steak)
A beef-lover's steak -- you can really taste the steer.
A trophy cut -- tenderness, succulence and a satisfying chew.
Low maintenance: cooks evenly, ideal for a variety of cooking methods (grilling, broiling and pan-roasting).
Serve rare or medium-rare: This cut turns mealy when overcooked.
TEMPERATURE & MEAT
KNOW YOUR TEMP
The chart provided contains the official degrees of doneness as deemed by the Beef Association. Perhaps the best way to achieve these levels of doneness (and not overcook your meat) is to pull your steaks off the grill a few degrees early, and then let carryover cooking bring them up to those temperatures on the chart. Of course, continue to cook all burgers to 160°F (well done) as a means of food safety.
HOW TO TAKE A TEMP
So, you’ve got your grill or cook-top raging, your steaks are seared, flipped and seared again, and it’s to the point you’re starting to worry you might miss the sweet spot. Overcook the steaks and you risk a poor eating experience, undercook them and you risk having picky eaters turn your food away. So it’s best to temp. Using tongs, lift the steak off the grill and take out a trusty thermometer. Place it carefully into the thickest part of the steak, from the side. Be careful not to touch bone or fat, as that will give you a false temperature reading. After removing the steak from the grill, place it somewhere to rest, about 3-5 minutes for an average steak. This lets the juices redistribute evenly throughout the meat.
TYPES OF COOKS
RARE (120F)
It is typically seared quickly for it to remain mostly red in the center. Once it is taken out of heat and left to rest, the steak should achieve the perfect tenderness and juiciness. This is said to be The Perfect Steak condition.
MEDIUM RARE (125F)
Also seared and after doing so, it should be warm with the center mostly pink and becoming red towards the center. This condition will make the steak soft and juicy on the inside; though this is said to be past the point of having ‘The Perfect Steak’ state, this is actually my favorite ‘doneness’.
MEDIUM (134F)
This kind of ‘doneness’ has a mostly pink center, but it is said that grayish-brown colors should be more prominent than the pinkish color. This is especially drier and tougher than ‘The Perfect Steak‘.
MEDIUM WELL (150F)
Only has a slight tinge of pink inside and will mostly be grayish brown. This is often picked by those who want a slightly juicy steak without it having any signs of ‘red’ or ‘blood’ in it; this condition is way past the condition of being ‘The Perfect Steak‘.
WELL DONE (160F)
This is 100% brown with no signs of pink coloration and usually has a slight char outside. Well done steaks are said to be a waste of good steak meat; for those who favor this, it should be cooked very slowly on low heat or else it would become very, very, hard and chewy.
