How To Grill Perfect Steaks – 11July21
I wanted to call this post “Classic Steak House Grilling” or better yet “Vintage Steak House Grilling” but I went with the more pedestrian title in deference to the various search engines out there. I’m pretty sure that most people are going to be typing “how to grill perfect steaks” or “how do I grill perfect steaks” into the search box because they don’t realize that the old-school steakhouse method is the thing they really want to find.
And yes, this is definitely grilling. You can smoke a steak, you can roast a steak, but when you want to do it right a steak needs direct heat. Grillheads rejoice, this is one time when your way is the best way. Crack a beer and pat yourself on the back.
This method (or “The Method” if you want to be dramatic about it) was revealed to me when I was visiting the butcher one day. I got to talking to another customer who is was a line cook at one of the last 1970s-style steakhouses in my area. We talked about steaks and as the topic wandered from the best cuts to the best thickness he was nice enough to pass along the secrets of the Lost Art Of The Steakhouse Grill.
And now, like that old guy in the original Kung Fu series, I impart the sacred wisdom on to you. Keep reading, grasshopper.
Click here for a tree-friendly hardcopy
There isn’t really any extra work involved with The Method but it does involve some extra time. There are no fancy ingredients, no arcane techniques, just a couple of extra steps, a watch, and a really hot fire. Clear your mind, and let us begin.
You will need:
Rib-eye or strip loin steaks, 4-6cm thick (about 2 inches if that’s how you roll)
Oil with a really high smoke point – peanut or grapeseed is best
Coarse kosher or sea salt
Coarse-ground pepper
Mesquite charcoal or a nice big chunk of mesquite wood.
A Quick Note About Steaks: Any steakhouse guru will tell you that rib-eye is the best steak for grilling, period. Strip loins and new york strips are safe fall-backs if you are watching your pennies. However, almost any steak that has some decent marbling will work, and if you prefer a t-bone or porterhouse or even a sirloin then by all means follow your muse and use one. But you owe it to yourself to do this with a premium rib-eye at least once.
A Quick Note About Mesquite: If you can’t find mesquite charcoal just use your regular hardwood lump and get a nice fist-sized chunk of mesquite wood, the kind they sell in bags at the barbeque store. Do not use chips, you want a chunk. If you are using real mesquite charcoal, be aware that (as noted in a previous post) it can be somewhat harsh for beginners, If you are unsure of yourself or your brand of charcoal mix it with a regular lump charcoal to mellow it out.
Start with your fire. Hot, hot, hot fire. I use my Big Green Egg because it is the easiest way to get a stupidly hot fire, but you can do this with any charcoal grill that holds enough fuel for the necessary heat. You want your coals to look and feel like a pool of magma.
At the steakhouse they have part of the grill toasting away at about 1000 degrees celsius (that’s 2000 fahrenheit for you imperial types) and you want to get as close to this as you can. If you can get the thermometer in the dome or lid of your grill up to 450 C (850 F) then your temperature at the grill itself will be right in this range. I use a mix of mesquite charcoal and the Charcos cocoanut charcoal (which burns crazy hot) to get up to this temperature with a minimum of fuss. While your fire is building up to these apocalyptic levels, go prepare your steaks. This part is dead easy – rub them with a bit of the oil and then give them a nice heavy seasoning with the salt and pepper. Do this five minutes before you are going to put them in the grill. Don’t worry about over-seasoning here, the temperature during first sear makes that almost impossible. When the five minutes are up, slap these on the stupidly hot grill for ninety seconds per side. There will be flames and smoke and general mayhem here and if this is your first time you will be tempted to panic. Be sure to heed the immortal words of Douglas Adams at this point.
DON’T PANIC.
The thickness of the steaks is what is protecting them here, and the reason that steakhouse steaks are always crazy thick. If for some reason you had to go with thinner steaks, cut this time down to one minute per side. Either way, once they have had this crazy sear on each side take them right off the fire and put them somewhere safe for 15 to 20 minutes. This is the extra time I was talking about, and it is crucial to the final product. While the steaks rest (in the steakhouse they call this “dwelling”, if you were wondering) you need to bank your fire and get it down to a less-insane temperature. You want to claw it back to 200 C or 400 F on your built-in thermometer. If you aren’t using mesquite charcoal, this is where you add your chunk of wood — dry, never soaked — to the coals.
You will know when the wood is ready because you will be getting white smoke. White smoke = flavour. Not white smoke = nasty creosote doom.
When the temperature is right and – if you added wood – the smoke is white, put your steaks back on. If you are using the recommended thickness, follow this handy time guide to get to the result you want:
Rare – three minutes per side
Medium Rare – five minutes per side
Medium – six minutes per side
Medium Well – seven and a half minutes per side
Well Done – watch your mouth, punk.
If you are unsure, use a meat thermometer. That’s what they were invented for. Pull your steaks from the fire and let them rest for 5 minutes. And then dig in.
As always, you’re welcome.
Source: http://truenorthbbq.com/?p=688
Wedding and reception venues in vacation hotels of Clark Pampanga offer a unique ambience that supports a laidback relaxing lifestyle. Many wedding couples travel north to Clark Pampanga from Manila to get married in these resorts.
Many wedding couples prefer wedding venues in the north, in Subic and Pampanga. In Pampanga, Philippines, there is a highly recommended beach resort that is frequently visited and very popular for weddings. Clearwater Resort and Country Club is a semi-private resort that offers over 12 different venues for wedding receptions. Each event venue offers a different style, charm and ambience. This is probably the best outdoor venue in the Philippines for wedding and receptions.
For reservations, comments and inquiries,
www.philippinesweddingvenue.com
Philippines Wedding Venues Service Center
Creekside Road corner of Centennial Road,
Central Business District, Clark Freeport Zone,
Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Tel: (045)599-5949 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
Email: Wedding@Yats-International.com
For assistance in hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, log on to
http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com
To inquire with the highly recommended beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com
For more information about Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com