Thursday, August 18, 2011

My Best Ever Steak - Yum!

Steak is something that I think ever single male begins their cooking journeys with.   Despite the fact that we start with it the fact remain that getting it right it actually something you have to spend a lot of time working on!

Steak is quite the obsession of mine and I have tried lots of different things.    In these trials I have begun to lock into a formula for success.   My formula is quite simple:

Good Ingredients + Time + Accuracy + Patience = YUM







So why don't I talk about the ingredients first....

1 Dry Aged Steak Sirloin Cut (Dry Aged = FLAVOR and is WORTH the cash)
Black Truffle Infused Olive Oil
Butter (The fat of the gods)
Garlic Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Soy Sauce

One of my first steps is the rub.   I use a very simple rub that is garlic powder, black pepper and a pinch of salt per side.  I rub down the steak in this and then move it to the refrigerator.   This is where TIME really becomes important.   I like to leave my steak in the frig for about an hour and then take it out of the frig one hour before I cook it to allow it to come to room temperature.   Rushing this step of it will only result in a sub-premium product.  DONT RUSH THIS!!!!!

I then move to making a savory fat mix.   I melt some butter about half a stick and combine it with 2 tablespoons of truffle oil and one tablespoon of soy sauce.    The more premium soy sauce the better the flavor.   I use a black aged soy sauce.

I set my oven to 400 degrees and then get a skillet heated to medium high.  Once the pan is nice and hot i toss in the fat mix after giving the steak one quick coating of it.  It will start to bubble and spit and be ready for a little smoke to come up.

I then toss the steak in the pan with the bubbling hot fat mix and let it sit on one side to achieve the perfect sear.  The sear is a very step.  It helps keeps the steaks juices in but also really makes your steak look BEAUTIFUL.   Eating is about all senses.   Don't neglect beautification!  Also don't always check your steak!  Let it sit for 5-6 minutes and get that sear.   Patience and time are your friends.

While working to achieve the perfect sear I tilt the pan and get some of the bubbly fat spooned onto the top of the steak.   Once the sear is right on the bottom side  I flip the steak an then move the pan to the oven.

Now how long you leave your steak in the oven is all about how you like your steak cooked.   I like Medium to medium well so depending on the size of the steak I leave it in their for 8-12 minutes.   Size matters in how long you leave it.   I use my tongs to check how "firm" the steak is by pressing into it and that always help me really nail the time perfectly.

Once you are happy with how long its been in the oven take the steak out and let it rest for 5 minutes and let the fats redistribute themselves throughout the meat.  Slice the steak and make sure you are working with the grain of the meat and not against it.   Once the steak is sliced hit it with a slight pinch of salt to button up all the flavors and VOILA!

The soy sauce and truffle oil bring a earthy umaminess to the steak.   The garlic is straight savory and the meat stands on it's own.   Nothing over powers and they all work to make it beefy beefy goodness.   I call this steak recipe my bubble gum steak recipe because if they made steak flavored bubble gum I would want it to taste like this :)


Here are some of the pics:


Steak Cooking

Steak Cooked

Steak Sliced #1

Steak Sliced #2


YUM YUM STEAK!

2 comments:

  1. Tried it. Think i used too much soy. By the time I was finished searing I thought the steak was done but put it in the oven anyway (my mistake) for a few minutes - it was a bit overcooked.

    The guests were not in ah. One comment, from a charcoal grill snob, was "Oh, you're cooking them grandma style."

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  2. So when u seared did u sear on both sides or one then flip and stick the pan in the oven? The latter is what you want to do to avoid overcooking.

    As per your charcoal snob friend I live in an apartment so if I had a grill to use I would use it. I do believe a butter sear is better than grill flavor though for steak. But that's just my take on it

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