beefsteak – intro
2016-12-29
Steak as a general term includes all of those higher-quality cuts that do not require long moist cooking to be tenderized. I have divided the steak recipes in 3 categories:
- small-cut steak; (Pic1)
- thin steaks, up to ½ " thickness; (Pic2)
- thick steaks from ½ " to 2" thickness. (Pic3)
Anything thicker than 2" would be considered a roast.
Pic1: small-cut steakPic2: thin steak = up to ½ "
Pic3: thick steak = ½ "-2"
Many people like their steak rare to medium-rare. Others prefer them medium or even well done. To each their own. All you have to do to get there is increase the cooking time.
To get a steak that so-desirable brown crust, its outside needs to be heated to high temperatures of 250-350 ºF. Yet, the inside of a rare steak must not reach above 133 ºF, when the meat loses its red color. To cook the steak exactly like we want it, we need to find the correct balance between temperature and cooking time.
- In thin steaks, the inside can quickly overcook and become tough and dry.
- In thick steaks, the outside can burn to coal long before the inside even begins to warm up.
This means we need to use different cooking techniques for thin and thick steaks. Some of those techniques are explained in the recipes that follow.
Remember these two rules:
- The thinner the steak, the hotter the pan and the quicker you're done.
- Thick steaks require a double cooking technique, not necessarily in this order:
- Sear the outside at high enough temps to get the color and flavor;
- Cook the inside at low enough temps to maintain the red color.
As always, these are meals I have prepared in my kitchen at home. Not every recipe or technique is represented. The recipes in this chapter are about demonstrating the different methods I use to cook beefsteak, not to provide fully detailed instructions for whole meal menus.