My good buddy, Pete Freitas, and I grill outdoors a lot. He lives right next door to me so that makes for a lot of fun evenings around the barbeque pit. We're always trying to out-do one another with the perfect grilled steak. And your in luck today, because I'm going to share some of our secrets!
Despite many popular opinions, Beef IS good for you. I often hear people say, "red meat is bad for you, I only eat fish and chicken." And they're completely wrong. Yes, fish and poultry are healthy meats too, but so is beef.
People don't eat beef for a number of reasons but the biggest two I hear are:
1. they think it has "bad stuff" in it that causes their cholesterol problems (which isn't true), or
2. they think that beef cows are treated inhumanely (which is often wrong too). Trust me, ranchers aren't stupid. They know that happy cows gain weight, and heavy cows make a lot more money at the auction, so they try very hard to keep those cows fat and happy. Am I saying that all feedlots are fun, happy places for cows?… No, but they're often not as bad as people think.
However, this is not an article on feedlots or the health benefits of beef so let's move on. However, I encourage you to do the research yourself and find out how it's all those junk carbohydrates causing your cholesterol problems and more truth's about feedlots. Here's a good place to start. (http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cattle-feedlot-visit)
The fact is grass-fed, hormone-free, ethically raised beef is good stuff! Did you know that 40% of the fat that's in grass-fed beef is mono-unsaturated (think avocados and walnuts). Yes!
So without further ado, the perfect steak…
1. Buy From a Butcher Rather Than the Store.
The first key is get good meat and that means skipping the grocery store and going straight to the butcher shop where you can find the highest quality stuff (grass-fed, hormone-free, ethically raised beef).
I like the one out in Arroyo Grande, in the Village. He's generally helpful and has a lot of fresh stuff on hand. (try his home made rub, it's good too, though in a minute I'm going to show you a very simple one to do at home)
2. Try the Rib-Eye Steak
Most people tend to choose very lean cuts of meat which may be a little lower in calories but certainly don't taste as good as a marbled chunk of rib-eye. You need that good fat to produce the taste. Just trim the fat off the outside (after cooking) and eat a smaller portion of it and you'll be fine.
Nutritionally, a little saturated fat, like that found in beef, is good for you. Many hormones are made from saturated fat. Just don't eat too much of it and you'll be fine.
3. Rub With A Clove of Fresh Garlic
Fresh garlic makes for a quick and delicious steak rub. Just cut a large clove in half and rub it all over both sides of the steak (including the ends).
(Hint: to get the garlic smell off your hands wash them and rub them along the side of your stainless steel sink.)
4. Season with Plenty of Sea Salt
If you don't have one already get yourself a salt mill and pepper mill and fill them with sea salt crystals and peppercorns. Grind out a generous amount of salt and pepper on both sides of the steak, enough to form a light crust over the meat. Go ahead, put some flavor on that thing!
5. Right Before Cooking Freeze the Steak for 45 Minutes
A great steak has a beautiful brown crust that seals the juices in. This is usually achieved in the steak houses with a commercial grade, very hot broiler. A quick hit on that thing and it rapidly evaporates surface moisture giving you a crust.
So, instead of this, stick your unwrapped, freshly salted and peppered steak on a rack in the freezer for about 45 minutes (put the rack on a cookie sheet with paper towels under it).
Freezers are very dry and 45 minutes is a perfect amount of time to dry out the surface of the steak and get it just to the point of freezing. Careful though, any longer than that and the steak may freeze.
Take it out and put it on the grill as soon as possible.
6. Use a Digital Meat Thermometer to Cook It Perfectly
Steak houses go to extraordinary lengths to get their steaks to the exact 'doneness' that their customers desire. Why not measure it exactly at home? Sure, you can be the 'cool guy' and use the finger method, but why take a chance? Set the alarm sit down, drink a beer and take it off when the alarm tells you to!
Insert the thermometer through the edge of the steak to the center and make sure it doesn't touch fat, bone or metal. Each level of 'doneness' corresponds to a certain internal temperature.
| Doneness | Desired Temp | Stop Cooking At |
|---|---|---|
| Very rare | 120 °F | 115 °F |
| Rare | 125 °F | 120 °F |
| Medium rare | 130 °F | 125 °F |
| Medium | 140 °F | 135 °F |
| Medium well | 150 °F | 145 °F |
| Well done | 165 °F | 160 °F |
Remember, steak will continue to cook after you've removed it from the fire so take it off about 5 degrees before your desired temp and let it "rest." I will usually put it on a plate and cover it with foil for about 5 minutes.
7. Let the Steaks Rest for 5 Minutes Before Serving
As I said above, the steak's internal temperature will continue to rise for about 5 minutes after you take it off the heat. But the juices will also redistribute during this time, moving back out to the edges of the steak now that it's off the fire.
This is a key step you shouldn't skip! Wait 5 minutes and you'll have one juicy steak.
8. Baste with a Sprig of Fresh Rosemary
If you have a drip pan in your bbq or you cooked the steak in a pan, take a sprig of rosemary and gather-up the juices in the pan left after cooking. Then, pat the steak all over with the sprig, essentially basting it with it's own juices. This is a great way to add even more flavor!
9. Serve on a Warm Plate
This is one of the easiest things you can do to make a meal better. At restuarants they tell you all the time, "careful, the plate is hot." This is because they know serving the food at the right temperature is one of the most important factors in your enjoyment of a meal.
Getting the right food temperature is key. Simply, heat your oven to about 350 degrees and pop your plates in there for about a minute. Careful, don't go too long and use cookware that can't handle the heat.
10. Finish with a Little Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Fresh Basil
This is optional but another great way to add flavor to your steak. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil on a cutting board and lay a couple fresh basil leaves in it and chop them. Then take a fork and grind the leaves into the oil. Take your 'rested' steak and lay it in the basil oil. Flip it and coat both sides.
11. Serve and Enjoy!
You can serve it anyway you like it but a good healthy way is to chop it (cutting it at an angle from top to bottom to make it even more tender) and lay the strips on a bed of greens covered in a simple lemon vinaigrette. But do whatever blows your hair back at this point. Just enjoy it!
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