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Dining out isn’t always the most affordable option during holiday spending and in the post-holiday spending freak out. Sometimes a great steak is taunting the tip of your tongue, but you cannot, really cannot, afford to hit the local steakhouse for a fix. Cooking a steak at home that rivals the meat from your favorite eatery requires some foreknowledge and preparation.
Choose your cut wisely. Look for steaks that are firm to the touch and have a generous amount of marbling, or fat streaks, throughout the meat. Once at home, leave your steak in the fridge for a day or two. Steakhouses pride themselves on aging meat and by leaving yours in the fridge you are too. Over time, enzymes start to break down proteins in the steak, allowing for a more tender and flavorful piece of meat. Most of the moisture from the meat will dissipate and leave more concentrated flavors behind. Salt your meat before throwing it on the grill. Salting raw allows for enzymes to be pulled to the surface that will create a great, tasty crust on the outside of the meat. The brown crust is what takes steaks to another level! Pat steaks dry before grilling; this also helps get that steakhouse browned crust you’re looking for.
Steaks need really high heat—the higher the better. Set up the coals for the hottest grill you can possibly get to create the crust, or sear, that will hold in all the flavor and juices. Turn the meat as little as possible with tongs or a spatula. Don’t puncture it or you’ll lose the juices. Once it’s done, let it rest for as long as it cooked. The juices will redistribute within the meat instead of being concentrated in the center where, once you cut it, they will run all over the plate instead of into your mouth.
Tags: Meat, Steak, Steakhouse, Wine tasting descriptors