“How do you cook your
steak?” I get this question all the
time. Here at Belly, we’ve dreamed up
tons of ways to manipulate proteins. Low
and slow cook times, dry aging, and smoking (Mmmmmmm) to name a few. But really, how much time are we willing to spend
when we want to sit down to a proper steak dinner? Not much time at all. All we have to do is follow a few easy steps:
Quality
There’s a reason your steakhouse cut kills the local Sizzler
time and time again. Where you source
your meat is extremely important. You’ll
need a steak with decent marbling, or a good amount of fat throughout the
flesh. You’ll also want to make sure the
color is deep and matte looking. Wet,
shiny steaks are not properly hung to dry.
You’re buying water weight, which will actually steam in the pan instead
of sear. Find yourself a good butcher
and feel free to ask questions.
Temper
As mentioned in the previous post, bringing your meat to
room temp will keep your steak from turning to chalk on the surface while finishing
the inside. We want a beautiful, crusty
brown exterior, but we also want a cooked interior. By pulling your steak out an hour or so
before cooking, we’re getting it closer to our desired finished temp without
damaging the steak in the process. You
can’t lose, that is unless you’ve decided to leave your meat out for more than
4 hours. Bad move, homie.
Season
Sorry, but I’ll never tell you exactly how much salt to use
unless we’re baking. Salt comes in many
forms, brands, salinity levels, and flavors.
Not to mention, we all have our own taste when it comes to the zesty
mineral. What I will tell you is when to
season. I like dropping salt on my steak
about 10 minutes before it’s going to hit the pan. This draws out excess moisture from the surface. Moisture that will turn sear into steam. Right before you put your steak in the pan,
dab it with dry paper towels then sprinkle on another thin layer of
seasoning. This way, you’ve used salt as
both a tool and a flavor component. Great
job, chef! Now you’re ready to cook.
Cook
You’ll need a hot stainless or cast iron pan. Non-stick won’t give you the results you’re
after. There’s an entire scientific
explanation involving the Maillard reaction for this. But we’ll save that for…never. A touch of oil will do just fine. Once the pan and oil are up to heat, drop
your steak in and leave it alone. It
doesn’t need to be massaged, caressed, poked, talked to, or even looked
at. It needs time with the pan. Don’t get jealous, she’s gonna end up with
you in the end ;)
Now, your steak has been going for a good two, maybe three
minutes. It’s time to intervene. Using a spatula or cooking spoon, flip that
steak over. Your first side should have
a sizzling brown crust. And your mouth
should now be watering. But we’re not
done yet! Take a garlic clove and give
it a quick smash with the flat of your knife.
Drop it in the pan along with a couple sprigs of thyme and a knob of
butter. Tilt your pan so that all of
these things meet and flavor the butter.
After a few seconds, use a large spoon to baste your steak with the
melted garlic-thyme butter sauce you just created.
Is it done? Huh, is it?
Hey mister!
Knowing when a steak is done is usually reserved for full
fledged Jedi. Yes, these ARE the
steaks we’re looking for. How do you
know if your steak is raw? Poke your raw
steak and you’ll know. You’ve had an
overcooked steak before, right? We all
have. It’s rubbery and dense. So now we have our two extremes. Depending on where you want to end up, just
find a point in between those two examples.
There are exact temperatures for doneness (rare: 125, mid-rare: 130,
med: 140, well: 160), but cooking a steak doesn’t have to be about getting out
your mad scientist gadgets. It’ll take
you a couple times, but once you start feeling for doneness, you’ll start to
feel like you can see right through that steak.
The force is strong with you.
Just don’t go over to the dark side by burning your meat!
And for those thick slabs, feel free to finish them in a low
oven. It’ll keep the exterior from
burning while it cooks through. Don’t
trip, you can thank me later.
Rest
So, I know it looks amazing and you’re really hungry. But if you cut into that bad boy right out of
the gate all of your hard work will be lost.
See, your steak is like a giant wet rag (okay, now you’re not hungry
anymore). But as you apply heat to
protein it starts to tighten up. This reaction
leaves the moisture in the steak with few options. Cutting it now will only give it the option
of spilling out onto your cutting board, just like wringing out a wet rag. Instead, tent it loosely with some foil and
wait 5 to 10 minutes. This gives the
meat time to relax and allows those juices to settle back in. You’ll be glad you did. When you do cut it, make sure it’s against
the grain. Longer strands of protein
will only take longer to chew. And yes,
that butter sauce tastes great on your cut steak.
I hope this entry has helped you. And as always, if you find yourself lost in
the kitchen, just hit us up and we’ll help you find your way. Stay classy, Los Angeles!
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