A Lesson in Meat

My celebration for the end of summer school went just as planned. I promised more on my celebratory meal and here it is; along with a little insight for the many who enjoy a good steak but just plain disrespect the godsend that is red meat.

First and foremost, let your meat sit outside the fridge and get to room temperature.

The less work the meat has to do, the better it will taste. This philosophy comes from Japanese cattle farmers who raise the cattle that yield the greatest of all red meat, wagyu beef. Most know this prized meat as Kobe beef because Kobe is one of the most popular regions in which the meat derives. The cattle are raised to be as relaxed as possible to increase the marbling of the beef, and with increased fat content comes increased flavor, this is how these things go. Anyways...let your steak come to room temp. This way, the trip it takes to get to the internal temperature you want will not be as long and arduous as it would if you just took it from the fridge to the grill. And don't worry about spoilage, it's red meat, it's only going to be sitting out for a little while, and your going to cook it, killing any germs.

Second, don't over-season.

If you have a good quality slab of beef your going to want to let the natural flavors shine, especially if you're doing a ribeye or other fatty cut. Most inexperienced cooks think that the more dried seasonings they put on their steak, the better it will be. Now, if your preference when eating an expensive steak is to taste an abundance of garlic salt, onion powder, and cayenne pepper then by all means, douse it. But this particular preparer of meats prefers the flavor of red meat with fat rendered throughout. My suggestion is to put your cut into a glass baking dish with a healthy dose of Worcestershire in the bottom, sprinkle the top with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and let sit overnight.

Sear the hell out of it.

This is a personal preference but if you are like me and would rather have a juicy, flavorful steak over a dried piece of shoe leather, than this is the way you'll want to do your steak. Very hot grill, coals close to the surface, steak over the coals, sear for 4 min, turn horizontal and sear another 4 min (this is just for looks really), then flip and repeat.

I went with the porterhouse because anything you cook bone in is going to draw flavor from the bone and yield a better taste. It was labeled as a t-bone but was a very thick cut and the filet side was large enough, I believe, for the porterhouse consideration, so I'm going with it. 

Now, the most important part, let the meat rest!

Anyone who has ever hacked into their steak immediately after removing it from the heat knows that an abundance of juices run onto the plate. All that juice is supposed to come out of the meat while it is in your mouth and is very disheartening if it ends up on the plate before it even makes its way to the end of your fork. Pull it off the grill, put it on something, cover loosely with foil, and walk away for 20 minutes. I recommend making some sort of whiskey concoction and readying your side dishes for the meat that is about to accompany them. 

Once the steak has cooled, move it to a cutting board. If you are working with a large steak such as this, especially one with a bone, cut it first. Don't be that guy who sticks a huge piece of meat on his plate and then knocks his asparagus and potatoes onto the table while trying to maneuver around a large bone and thick gristle. Move your meat to a board, remove the filet and strip from the bone, and cut into strips, against the grain of course (another key step in preparing easy to chew meat).

Ok, everyone chill out. I know this looks incredibly rare. If I could get the flavor of the grill and smoke onto a rare piece of meat and simultaneously sear only the fat around the edges, I would eat my steaks completely raw. But alas, I don't have a blow torch and I hate liquid smoke. Also notice that very little juice has spilled out onto the board, basically just the wetness from the outside of the meat. This is purely my preference and if you like your beef a bit less bloody, cook it longer. But I would like to take this opportunity to inform the ignorant (I said ignorant, not stupid. There is a difference), that red meat and fish are COMPLETELY SAFE TO EAT ABSOLUTELY RAW and in most cases, much better that way, especially fresh fish.  Pork and chicken are the only types of meat that need to be thoroughly cooked in order to avoid food-born illnesses. 

Pair your delicious side of beef with classic steakhouse accouterments, like I have done here with a baked potato and squash casserole. Yes, in case you were wondering, I did put blue cheese crumbles on my potato, along with real bacon bits leftover from breakfast, green onions, and a healthy dollop of sour cream. Don't judge my plate, I'm still a college kid and haven't purchased my William Sonoma french whites yet.