A Quick Guide On How To Buy A Proper Steak
When it comes to steak, everyone enjoys theirs differently. I know from experience, I used to buy the leanest cuts I could. Lots of filets, only eating the lean portion of a ribeye, and always cooking it well done, planning on pouring steak sauce on it. Now I'll go on record and state that A1 is delicious on cheap steak, but I had no idea I was using prime cuts to commit crimes against cooking.
I let go of my horrible steak ways once, in trading some marbled meat to our gunsmith buddy for some finish work. Now I knew he liked marbled beef, so that's why I bought it. I was never a fan, and wasn't planning on eating his payment either... but he's such a nice guy, he insisted I let him cook me a ribeye. Before we continue, let me just say, he absolutely ruined steak for me.
The gunsmith was a steak fanatic. He was always swapping out different grills in search of the perfect meal, and he was good at it. This particular night, he had a giant ceramic grill. Think of a Big Green Egg, but on steroids. It was mosiac tiled on the outside, cavernous on the inside, and incredibly hot like lava. It's the type of grill you cook things with at over 1000 degrees with forced air over charcoal.
After a surprisingly simple salt/pepper seasoning, he tossed those steaks on the grill, trying not to burn his hands over the heat. He might have cooked these things for 45 seconds on the first side, 30 on the other, and popped them onto a plate. I grabbed a knife, cut into it, and not wanting to be rude, decided to eat a very pink steak.
The moment I closed my lips and pulled that fork out, I was in heaven. I thought "How in the world can something so under-cooked be so delicious?" And just like that, steak was ruined... At least for a while. I must have taken me just over a year or so to learn how to properly cook a steak. Simple seasonings, hot heat, let it rest, dig in.
Now, I usually light the coals, set the steak directly on said coals, and enjoy the goodness afterwards. Much like in the video below, but I'll leave it on the coals for a good two minutes because I prefer medium over med-rare. Steak should be eaten hot, not cool.
Also, there is a new king in the steak game... It's called a 'chuck eye'... Look it up.