This isn't a post about John Howie's restaurant Steak (though I'm sure I will be writing one at some point). No, this is about that food of the Gods, steak. Without a doubt steak is my favorite food. I could eat a well-cooked (not to be confused with well-done) steak any day of the week. There is nothing that makes me more upset when it comes to food than someone that cooks a steak poorly. I've already written a couple posts that involve steak (Craftsteak review and my grill pan), but nothing that is just dedicated to the delectable dish itself. So I decided that on this beautiful Seattle summer evening, I would come home, throw a couple steaks on the grill, open a beer, and then kick back and write a post about my favorite food.
My taste for steak has evolved much like my taste for other foods. But a lot of the evolution came with budget more than anything else. When I was in college, I didn't have a lot of money, so I would only buy steak for myself when it was on sale. Usually that was a couple day old chuck steak or every now and then a sirloin. I would take it home and put it on the Foreman grill that night, not even saving it. When I moved to Seattle, I continued to purchase sirloin steak, shopping at places like Safeway. When I had a few extra dollars, I would go to Whole Foods and get the sirloin from there. It was usually thicker cut, which was exciting. Finally, when I got my most recent job, and had some more money, I stepped up my steak level. Now, it's all about the thick cut ribeyes from Whole Foods, and special occasions call for the dry-aged ribeyes.
But it wasn't just about buying my steaks, it was also about ordering when I went out. One of the first place I remember going was the Texas Roadhouse, and ordering the cowboy cut sirloin (maximizing my meat to dollar ratio). It was always a good reliable steak. Then I got to try the filet at Ruth's Chris which was a completely different experience; a broiled filet with melted butter. I had never had a filet and it made me feel sophisticated at the time (interesting side note: the filet was the cheapest thing on the menu). My restaurant steak experiences peaked when I had the Waygu chef's dinner at Craftsteak in Vegas. Perfectly prepared, extremely flavorful steak that made everything else seem like hamburger.
All of my steak experiences have led me to develop some strong opinions and my own set of "rules" when it comes to steak. I've never really written them down before, but I figure this is as good a forum as any. So, here are my personal Rules of Steak.
Rule #1: No steak should be cooked beyond medium
Actually, I don't think that any steak should be cooked beyond medium-rare, but I know that some people can't quite do that. However, anything past medium is just not worth it. It loses all juices and flavors and everything that makes steak wonderful
Rule #2: When it comes to steak, fat is a friend, not a foe
What I mean by this is lean cuts of steak don't have the same flavor as the more marbled cut. When I was first learning about steak, Filet Mignon was the steak that I definitely wanted to try. Now, give me a ribeye or a New York strip, something with some fat. And don't cut the fat off prior to cooking. If you want to remove fat from your steak, wait until it has already given it's flavor to the meat.
Rule #3: Let the flavor of the meat shine!
Don't put extra stuff of the steak. Definitely flavor with salt and pepper and other seasonings (I like Montreal Steak seasoning from McCormick). Maybe some peppers or mushrooms. But that's it. No sauces necessary. If it requires A1, then it's messed up. When I had the steak at Craftsteak, it had Salt, Pepper and Rosemary. Other than that it was a beautiful, delicious cut of meat that didn't need anything else.
That's it, just three simple rules. But that's the way it is with steak. Just get a good cut of meat (hugely important), season it well, and cook it well. Right now the best cut of meat I purchase is from the butcher case at Whole Foods. If there is something better, I hope to find it. And I'm sure there will be more and more posts about steak as I try it at different places!
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