Doing great steak is not as hard as you think and doing it as good, if not better than your local steakhouse is definitely not as hard as you think. Of course there are the "Meccas of Meat", those places that do exceptional beef, I am not talking about those places. These are places that have the facilities to dry age their meat for 28 days or longer, get prime cuts of beef, have the staff and equipment to prepare those steaks better than most of the cook-at-home crowd. In the Detroit area, some of those would be, Roast at the Book-Cadillac, Lelli's in Auburn Hills, Cameron's in downtown Birmingham, Big Rock Chop House in Birmingham, Ruth's Chris off Big Beaver, Fleming's, Capital Grille at Somerset, and the Rugby Grille in the Townsend. Now those destinations command $45 or more for a cut of beef and dinner for two, with wine and tip, will set you back $250 plus. Listen, I am not against any of these places, Jeanne and I go often through out the year. What I am saying, is that if you want to enjoy a great steak once a week (or more) you can do it yourself with terrific results at a fraction of the price. You just need to know a few simple tricks of the trade.
It starts with the quality of meat. Remember, "less is more", so buy great aged meats versus the cheaper ones. It's not about quantity, it's all about quality. Go with a smaller amount of high quality beef, an 8-ounce prime cut will be so much more flavorful and satisfying than that lesser quality "gi-normous half a cow" steak so many are into. When doing beef, I buy either Prime beef or Certified Angus and prefer bone-in Rib eye. The marbling (fat content) is what makes a steak and this cut has it all, super tender, great fat content, extremely flavorful and lends itself well to aging. I also love bone-in NY strips, another great cut. Leaving the bone in increases the flavor when cooking and tends to help add to the fat content which again aides in the aging process. It is so worth it to find a good butcher that sells grass feed beef with no hormones, no antibiotics etc. If you can find one that offers locally raised, even better. The truth is, average supermarkets carry average beef. If you are looking for a market in the Detroit area that has great beef I think Plum Market, Papa Joe's Gourmet Market, Whole Foods, and Hiller's have tremendous quality. I also go to Embassy Meats down at Eastern Market (ask for Barry, he owns the place, always there) and my friend Matt Burnstein's shop Marketplace Meats in Waterford off Commerce and Union Lake Rd is terrific.
Next, how the beef is handled prior to cooking also makes a difference. Some of the high-end markets carry dry-aged beef. If you can find it, get it. If you've never had aged beef, it is fabulous. The aging process removes water, so it intensifies the flavors. It also increases the tenderness of the beef. Pretty much every premier steakhouse ages their beef. If I can not find dry-aged, I like to do it myself before I cook it. This is not essential, but boy does it make a difference with the taste. If you are willing to go through a little extra time and energy, your efforts will be greatly rewarded. I realize there are different views on this procedure if doing it at home. Not everyone is a fan, I understand. I've been aging beef in my home frig. for years now and never had any problems. If I am working with individual steaks I age them for no more than 3 days. If I have a larger piece of beef, say a roast or prime rib, 7-10 days. I have never been comfortable with aging for longer at home. I've read many articles and blog posts that claim they will age beef at home for up to 2-3 weeks. I say, have at it, God bless, but that's beyond what I am willing to do.
To age steak at home, here's how I do it. Take the beef out of its original wrapping. Rinse it with cold water and then dry it off. Wrap it in cheesecloth and place in a glass baking dish. Set it in the refrigerator, down at the bottom, where it is coldest. It is very important that your frig is clean and free of foods that have strong odors (the beef will absorb the flavors its around). Let sit for 24 hours, then take it out, unwrap, the rewrap with the same cloth (so cloth doesn't stick to beef). Place back in frig and repeat each day. If you are aging a large cut of beef you can unwrap and rewrap every two days. When beef is ready, unwrap and discard cloth, cut away the tough outer layer and you will be left with a spectacular tasting piece of beef ready for cooking.
Next comes the seasoning of the steak. Most people I observe in the kitchen or around the barbie,seem to be in one of two camps; either they don't use enough seasoning when cooking or worst they completely go hog wild with the seasoned salts, mixes or cajun spices. Proper seasoning is an essential step in preparing a killer steak. I'm a purest, I only use kosher salt and cracked black pepper when preparing steaks. By all means, you can experiment with different spices, seasonings, marinades, oils etc. For me, I prefer the classics, no frills, a great cut of beef and S&P; a match made in heaven. Just before you are ready to cook your beef, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Gently rub the seasoning into the meat on both sides. Remember, when you slice your steaks only the outer edge will have the seasoning on it, most of the slice will not, use more than you think. The seasoning acts as a flavor enhancer. Without it, even the best cut of beef will taste "dull" or muted. This will take some practice and is probably the number one area cooks either get wrong or need to improve on. This obviously makes a huge difference not just with steak, but everything you prepare.
The proper cooking of the steak is critical. Obviously, there are many different ways to prepare a great steak. Cooking over hot charcoals or wood adds a smoky flavor. You can pan sear and finish in the oven or under a very hot broiler (the only way its done at the legendary Peter Luger's in Brooklyn). At home, I prefer using a very hot grill and then finish my steak in the oven. The best steakhouses use grills or broilers that have very high BTU outputs and can get over 1,000 degrees. This sears the beef's exterior, makes a "to die for" char on the outside and locks in the juices. Your outdoor grill is probably the hottest cooking source in your house and your best bet. First, I mark my steaks on the grill and then finish them in a hot oven, 400 degrees. I do this because if I am cooking a thick steak, I don't want the outside to get too much char or burn and leave the inside too rare. When preparing a thinner cut, I will just use the grill for the whole job.
Step 1, turn your grill on and let it get really hot. This is another mistake many at-home cooks make, they never let the grill or pan they are using get hot enough. When what you are cooking on or in does not get hot enough, the food never sears. You literally end up steaming what you are cooking which leads to pale looking food that's tough. Searing only happens when things are really hot. This makes a huge difference. So, to test your grill, hold you hand, palm side down a couple of inches above the grill, if you have to pull it away after 2 or 3 seconds, it's ready. Brush the grill with some olive oil, vegetable oil works too and lay your seasoned steaks down. For those of us who also like our food to look as good as it tastes, lay your steak down on an angle. Only use tongs to move the steaks, never use a fork. A fork will puncture the meat and you will cause most of the juices to flow from the steak and the juices equal flavor. I learned the "10 and 2" method. Imagine the face of a clock, lay the steaks down facing two o'clock. Let sear for 2-3 minutes and then rotate to 10 o'clock. Let sear for 2-3 minutes and turn, once, setting the other side at two o'clock and repeat. This will give you those beautiful diamond shaped grill marks that you see in the finest restaurants.
Step 2, finish steaks in the oven. Beef heats to a medium rare doneness in 15 minutes per pound. Take this into account when cooking. One of the most difficult things for cooks to master is telling the doneness of their steak or roast without poking it with a thermometer or cutting into it. Both will cause the steak to loose it's juices and you will end up with a dry piece of meat. Learn how to do it by touch. It's really not that hard. A neat trick I learned to help you learn how to tell the doneness of your steak is performed with your hand, palm facing up. Using your right hand, put your thumb and forefinger together, don't squeeze. With your other hand touch the meaty part of your hand just below the thumb. This is what rare feels like. Now touch your right thumb and middle finger together. Again, touch the meaty part of your hand just below the thumb, this is what medium rare feels like. Thumb and ring finger together will feel like medium-well and using your pinky and thumb together will feel like well done. This will take some practice, but it's so much better than making your steak a pin cushion. I like my steaks medium rare. For those who like their steaks well done, well, I'd say you may want to eat other fare than a prime dry-aged piece of beef. Maybe chicken or pork. Prime beef was made to enjoy rare, med-rare, or at most medium. Even the most skilled cook will butcher a well done steak. At best, it's dry and most of the juices that make a great steak, great, have been cooked off. At worst, you get a hockey puck and you might as well buy shoe leather and cook that. I offer, make an effort to, over time, learn how to enjoy your steak less well done. I would first start by eating them med-well and then gravitate to medium. You may never get to medium rare or rare, that's ok, but at least you will taste what that great juicy steak was meant to taste like.
Lastly, step 3, the most important step! Once the steak is cooked, remove it for the oven and let it rest on the stove top or counter top for 10-15 minutes. A larger cut for 20-30 minutes. Do not touch it, prod it, and for God sakes what ever you do, DO NOT CUT INTO IT! Resting the beef will allow for all the juices to settle back into the muscle fibers. If you cut into the steak right away, the juices will pour out leaving you with an extremely dry, flavor lacking hunk of meat.
Now, you are ready to serve a fabulous steak that will rival even the best places in town. As always have fun, involve family and friends, and enjoy!
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