BBQ, Help

[Krauter]

Well, since I figured this forum is filled with men (and some Fraus too) I figured I should at least ask for some help.

Ever since I moved out and started living by myself, I've had to cook steaks with a grill.. obviously this wasnt very tasty or fun. So for Christmas I asked for a BBQ.

Now, fast forward to New Years, and my girlfriend is up visiting. I decide to buy some nice steaks and do them on the BBQ. As it's not a huge BBQ (but a 'tail gate' one to fit on my balcony) I have some trouble gauging how best to cook things. The steaks turned out very well done, and very chewy.. :nope:

Any tips or things I could do to cook steaks better? I heard that you should only turn them twice and cook them for 4 minutes on each side and then put them on a top rack with low heat to cook them to Medium or Well done. As its a 'tail-gate' BBQ I don't have a top rack..

Cheers,

Krater

[Rockstar]

I was taught and have always practiced turning the steaks and pretty much anything else on the grill with two sides, including sliced veggies only ONCE. Don't salt raw steak meat on the grill but wait to do it on a cooked side otherwise you get that nasty coagulated blood festering to the top.

The amount of time per side depends on the thickness of the steak.

Also very important get the grill up to temp before putting anything on it and set it up for a direct grilling

-----> Find a good grillin' bible by Steven Raichlen http://www.barbecuebible.com/
(http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Raichlen/e/B001H6PZU6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1)

[Takeda Shingen]

For me, it's really important to get that good sear on both sides first. I cook with a good old-fashioned black Webber charcaol grill. What I will do is place them in the center with the lid off first for about two minutes per side. With the juices sealed in, I then move them off to the cooler perimeter and place the lid back on. I do about two more minutes per side for medium rare and 4 per side for medium. Of course, the thickness of the steak will play a major factor in the time. I usually do thicker cuts on the grill.

I don't eat meat, but you do, so you can use a trick until you start to get the feel for it. Take a plate outside and cut into the steak that you will eat. That way, you can see what is going on inside the steaks and not mangle your guests' meals. In any case, the most important part is that the hot part of your grill is hot, and I mean really hot. Searing the outside without cooking the inside is critical to keeping your steaks moist regardless how 'done' they want them, and giving them that very appealing chared texture and appearance that one would expect from steaks on the grill.

EDIT: Rockstar, Steven Raichlen is the freaking man.

[Krauter]

Hey thanks for the quick replies guys :)

Just finished my meal for tonight. Here's results and what I did.

Turned propane BBQ on high, for 5 minutes (to get it hot). While waiting, I took the steak (raw) on a cutting board, and put on Montreal steak spice, rubbing it in both sides. Afterwards, I took it outside, turned BBQ down just underneath 'Medium' and put it in the centre. Because the last time I cooked between Medium and High for 4 minutes each side, I decided to turn it down a tad and cook longer. This time was Medium for 10 minutes each side.

What turned out was, when I went outside to turn them, all the juice had risen and kind of coagulated at the top (making the steak a little dry..) After turning it twice, I cut into it and found it was still a little too pink for me so I put it back on (Cut side UP) and let it sit for 5 more minutes. Eating it now, it tastes great, maybe a tad too spicy but its great. It's kind of dry but that's about it.

Don't salt raw steak meat on the grill but wait to do it on a cooked side otherwise you get that nasty coagulated blood festering to the top.


So what your saying is I should spice the steaks while they're on the grill already? How does this stop the blood from coagulating on top?

What I will do is place them in the center with the lid off first for about two minutes per side.

So cook them on high with lid off until they're seared? Will this stop the juice from rising to the top and coagulating?

Take a plate outside and cut into the steak that you will eat.

The only problem with this is that I like the look of presenting a meal (with guests here) where the steaks are whole and not mangled :D. Are there any tricks to knowing how long it takes to get rare, medium, well done steaks? Or is it only a matter of knowing your grill and experience?

In any case, the most important part is that the hot part of your grill is hot, and I mean really hot.

The only problem with this, is that when I cook, it doesn't look or feel like the grill is getting all that hot.. Maybe because its something like -25~30 or maybe its just me :D

Also, is liquified propane (obviously all propane is dangerous) dangerous? Does it run the risk of exploding?
The problem is, while barbecuing I had no problems, however, when I took the tank off prior to eating, the tank still had some escaping gas, while attempting to re-attach it to the propane feed, some liquid propane came out and squirted onto my finger (it went numb and was dam cold). After calling my parents, my dad said just to leave it outside. Because of this, I'm afraid the next time I go try to re-attach the tank, the majority of the tank is going to be liquified.

Thanks for the quick replies!

Krauter

[Takeda Shingen]

So cook them on high with lid off until they're seared? Will this stop the juice from rising to the top and coagulating?

There will always be some blood rising to the top, but with the heat high enough, you can get that really nice sear before too much of the juice is gone. It is also worth noting that thick cuts will always grill better than thin ones, and it is hard to find the thick cuts this time of year.

The only problem with this is that I like the look of presenting a meal (with guests here) where the steaks are whole and not mangled :D. Are there any tricks to knowing how long it takes to get rare, medium, well done steaks? Or is it only a matter of knowing your grill and experience?

That's why you pick the one you want for your self and cut it, not your guest's. If you like your's medium rare, and your guest likes medium, you can see how pink your's is and have a pretty good idea of what the inside of your guest's looks like.


The only problem with this, is that when I cook, it doesn't look or feel like the grill is getting all that hot.. Maybe because its something like -25~30 or maybe its just me :D

Therein lies your problem. You are a using propane grill, which is fine, but your's doesn't sound like a very good one. This is probably compounded by the fact that you are grilling in the winter, and the surrounding air temperature is not helping your grill's lack of 'punch', if you will. It is forcing you to keep the meat on longer (30 minutes is way too long) which is drying out your meat.

Also, is liquified propane (obviously all propane is dangerous) dangerous? Does it run the risk of exploding?
The problem is, while barbecuing I had no problems, however, when I took the tank off prior to eating, the tank still had some escaping gas, while attempting to re-attach it to the propane feed, some liquid propane came out and squirted onto my finger (it went numb and was dam cold). After calling my parents, my dad said just to leave it outside. Because of this, I'm afraid the next time I go try to re-attach the tank, the majority of the tank is going to be liquified.

Thanks for the quick replies!

Krauter

I don't have much experience grilling with gas, but I'd say that you probably don't want to play around with it.

[Krauter]

Aah ok, thanks a lot.

My steak that I had tonight is about an inch thick, maybe a little thinner. Is this thick for a steak?

Yes I understood what you meant :) But I just meant I like a good presentation on my own meals also :)

I really thought that was what the problem was. Besides the point that its freaking cold out, the BBQ isnt some huge monster that can grill 10 steaks at once, its only 1ft x 1.5~2ft with not very much heat coming out of it either haha. But thank you for the help.

As for the liquified propane thats leaking, I think I'm just going to dispose of it (at a store or..)

Cheers

Krauter

[Takeda Shingen]

An inch thick is a pretty good thickness for grilling, and is probably the best you'll find in January.

[Krauter]

Excellent :) Thanks a lot Takeda :D

[tater]

I season the meat before I cook it, not after. In fact, well before I cook it. I take it out, and salt it, then let it come to room temp before I cook it 9or whatever it gets to in an hour out of the fridge).

I used to grill, but now I virtually never do. I cook steaks on my cast iron pan on my 22k BTU burner, hot, then if thick I put the pan into the over to finish them.

For really thick, "who's your daddy" steaks (2+ inches) I might use longer cooking, low heat (same cast iron).

It's all about the golden brown sear.

BTW, until you get the feel for your grill (or pan), I'd suggest a digital probe thermometer. Set it to ~116 for rare (the steak will "coast" another ~5° after cooking while resting). Dunno what the medium temp is... 130 (so set temp 5° below that).

ALWAYS rest meat after cooking. Always. 5 minutes minimum. If you cut a steak and "juice" pours out, it's not rested. Rested steaks look like "fake" pictures, they are gorgeous red (unless ruined by overcooking to more than medium ;) ).

[breadcatcher101]

Here in the southeastern US we call what you are referring to as a "BBQ" a grill.

BBQ is a well-known food you sometimes cook on your grill.

Funny how the same words mean something different depending on where you are.

As to our grill, I don't use charcoal but short sections of wood from either pecan or hickory as we have those here in abundance in the woods, saves lots of money you can spend on meat instead.

[tater]

I'd say to be BBQ it would have to be with a lid (closed), and smoke would be part of the equation.

I don't consider a steak as BBQ, frankly, not unless you cook it long enough that the smoke really matters.

[Krauter]

Hah, what I meant by BBQ is the cooking tool.

As I live in an apartment, in the middle of a snow clogged city, getting wood to burn isnt really an option for me on a student budget.

Tater, what does leaving the steak out of the fridge for an hour do compared to taking it out of the freezer the night before (setting it in fridge over night) and then taking it out, salting it and then putting it on the grill/bbq/whatever you like to call it?

Also, what does resting the meat for 5 minutes after cooking do? This time, when I cut into the steak there was no blood. But, for example, I pan fried sausages last night for dinner and they had juice come out when I was eating them.

[tater]

The critical thing is the temp inside BEFORE you cook. If you take the steak from the fridge and cook, by the time the center is the right temp, the outside will be wrecked. The goal is the perfect crust, and as much of the inside the same target temp as possible. Room temp is closer to target temp than a fridge (which is ~37° F).

Resting is critical. When you cook, the juices are driven away from the heat. When the steak rests, the heated water equilibrates and spreads more evenly around the meat. The result is more moist bits of meat (all the fluids that cover the plate/cutting board are NOT in the meat, obviously. Rested meat doesn't bleed, all that goodness is in the meat.

Always rest meat. Always.

[Krauter]

Awesome, thank you for the tip Tater, I wasn't aware of that :)

Edit: And as for room temp; I thought it was as long as it wasn't frozen, or have bits meat still frozen inside, it was good.

[tater]

Say you want rare. The very center would be ~120°F (~49°C). If the steak was 40°F at the center (fridge temp), you have to raise that bit 80°. The trouble is that since the heat is coming from the outside, the outside gets crisped while the center slowly heats.

What you see when you cut such a steak is the crust on the outside (which is very well done, obviously, then grey, well done meat surrounding our rare center. The trouble is that it has taken so long to get the center to 120 that the "rare" bit of your 1.5" thick steak is almost not there. In fact, the bulk of the steak is well or medium well, and only a sliver in the middle is well.

A "perfect" rare steak would have a great crust (again, the crust is very well done), but the crust would be VERY thin, and the entire interior would be a uniform 120°. 1.25" of red, rare steak, and 1/8 of an inch of crust all around.

If you start with the steak at room temp (~70°F), the very center only needs to rise 50°. This radically improves your chances of having the bulk of the middle fall in the rare range (~120-125°), with a thin crust.

With any cooking method, you'd be very well served to get a probe thermometer with a temp alarm (under $20). Set the temp alarm to 5°F below your target temp. So 115 for rare (120 final temp after resting), 121° for medium rare (126 target temp), 131° (135 final) for medium. I'd not worry about well, there is no "perfect way to ruin meat. Above medium anything is ruined enough to be "well done." (anyone who orders well-done in a restaurant should reconsider eating out, or order something else. In restaurants, they typically save the worst pieces of meat for "well" since no one ordering well can tell the difference anyway (the best cut cooked well tastes no better than the worst).

Use the probe. Cook enough on your grill or pan, (ideally try for the same thickness of steak every time, it makes it WAY easier to learn), and you'll be able to do it by time and feel (press meat with finger and watch for the way it rebounds—but this take a load of practice with similar pieces of meat to get right). When I cook for guests, I always use a probe on one steak as a guide so I get them right. If I have rare, MR, and M that people want, I set it for rare (all steaks look the same thickness wise), then pull the rares when it goes off leaving the probed steak as the most done. I then reset it for medium rare, and pull those when it hits 121. Then medium last. I don't cook steaks for friends that like ruined (don't have any, actually :) ). If I knew people that liked steak like that, I'd cook something else (stew, or maybe a roast (then give them the heel of it that would be well)).

That make sense?

[Krauter]

Makes a ton of sense :)

Thanks a lot tater, steaks tomorrow, take #2 :yeah: If I ever go to a subsim meet I'll have to thank you personally :D

[tater]

Probe thermo (same I have):
http://viveksurti.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/probe-thermometer.jpg

This will save your butt, and take the guesswork out. On steaks, since they are sorta thin, I stick in in from the side dead center.

Do this and you can't go wrong in terms of target doneness (115—R, 121—MR, 131—M, >131—ruined ;) ). Take 'em off when they hit target, rest for 5-10 minutes.

My fave cut is rib-eye, and thick. When you have think steaks, you need to finish them slow if you sear first ("searing in juices" is BS, you can sear last, too—which is another way to cook, slowly raise center to target, then a quick, hot sear). I have seared on blazing hot cast iron for ~2 minutes on the first side, then flip, 1 minute on heat, then chuck in oven til probe goes off.

The slow method is to set the burner (or grill) to ~340° (I have an infrared thermo (laser) I got at Lowes), then cook all sides (thick steak so you cook the SIDES, too) at lower temp. Same deal, visually cook outside for "sear" and use the probe to decide when it is done.

People who can cook steaks without "aids" and can hit proper doneness I give props too. I have to cheat and use the probe most of the time :) (we're all geeks here, being a techno geek is a perfect excuse :) )

[gimpy117]

cook it hot and fast my man.

slow and cold makes bad steaks. you wanna sear it fast to keep the juices in

[Rockstar]

Don't salt raw steak meat on the grill but wait to do it on a cooked side otherwise you get that nasty coagulated blood festering to the top. So what your saying is I should spice the steaks while they're on the grill already? How does this stop the blood from coagulating on top?



I usually don't do anything to a steak until it's been cooked. IMHO a good cut doesn't need spices.. I think what makes a good steak a tasty steak is how it's fired on the grill.

I will sometimes make a rub for a steak before I throw one on. But it doesn't seem to make the icky stuff come to the top like salt does. Wish I had an answer why. Just MHO.

Still though I highly recommend Steve Rachlein. I've learned how to grill corn on the cob up right, fish, poultry, veggies, bananas, tofu and ice cream. This guy is the mac daddy of all grill masters ;)

Oh also if you hold your hand 3 inches above the grill and you can get to 3 mississippi before you let out a yelp the grill is at the right temp. :)

[tater]

There are 2 camps on seasoning. One says salt early, one late. I salt early.

As for "searing the juices in" it's easy to demonstrate this is wrong. You can sear a steak, and cook one at lower heat for longer. Weigh both steaks before you cook them, and cook to identical target temperatures. Weigh both after. See if there is a difference in wight with each method.

"Slow" for a steak doesn't mean hours, it means not blazing hot, and for a little longer time. Slow cook steaks are usually thick. I never buy steaks under 1.5 inches thick, and ideally 2". Lower temp and slower works just fine. I have done this and get cut with a fork steaks with a nice crust, though I usually sear, then move to over to finish since that's how I started doing it, and it feels more normal. For thick "slow" is worth a try for sure.

Remember that on the outside of the steak you want it caramelized, not "charred." Brown (even very dark brown) is good, black means you're doing it wrong ("cept for the "grill" marks if grilling, those get pretty dark, I'm talking the overall non-striped part).

My pan-cooked steaks are uniformly dark, golden brown on the outside.

I never get anything "icky" with salting before hand, and I salt pretty liberally. I salt the steaks when I take em out of the fridge, too. They have salt for ~1 hour before cooking. It pulls water out of the surface—which is what "aging" does (concentrating flavor by reducing some of the water). I sometimes put a little cumin on them before cooking, too (a dry rub). But I really like cumin :). Depends on what else is going with the meat (makes it slightly "exotic" tasting, so it depends on the sides). I like a dinner with mushroom soup (easy, and really good), roasted veggies (broccoli, Brussels sprouts) or maybe chard or kale, and a big, "in your face" bottle of red wine. Simple food, with the best bottle of wine I can find (with company, 2, maybe 3 bottles of same :) ).

[THE_MASK]

My rule no 1 , no spray or anything on the bbq plate .
My rule no 2 , get the plate nice and hot .
My rule no 3 , drop the steak on the very hot plate and let it cook and just starting to smoke , turn it over once and do the other side . take it off ( no more than once each side) .
My rule no 4 , i like to wear thongs while i am barbequeing .
I nearly forgot , if you want it tender cover it with alfoil and let it rest for a few minutes first .

[TarJak]

My rule no 1 , no spray or anything on the bbq plate .
My rule no 2 , get the plate nice and hot .
My rule no 3 , drop the steak on the very hot plate and let it cook and just starting to smoke , turn it over once and do the other side . take it off ( no more than once each side) .
My rule no 4 , i like to wear thongs while i am barbequeing .
I nearly forgot , if you want it tender cover it with alfoil and let it rest for a few minutes first .
Rule 5 the only tools you need are a pair of tongs and an ice cold beer.

Steak should be only turned once. A good way to see if it is cooked the way you want it is this:
http://www.esquire.com/features/cooking-perfect-steak

The finger feel method on page 3 is absolutely the way to go.

[krashkart]

My advice:

Take all the advice you can get here and practice, practice, practice. And never stop asking for advice. You will find your recipe, and when that happens the rest of the art falls into place. :yep:

[NeonSamurai]

I can tell you guys the 'professional' way it is done as I was trained when I studied at Le Cordon Bleu.

Ok first off, never salt any meat going onto a grill, griddle, or fry-pan; Salt extracts juices from the meat and makes it tougher. Ditto for herbs unless you really like the taste of burnt herbs. Spices can also be a problem too as they can burn and the results may not be desirable (this all depends on type, cut, and thickness). Also it helps if the meat isn't cold to start with.

For grilling (and frying) the procedure is to get the grill to maximum heat (don't forget that it takes time for outdoor bbq's to come up to temperature, like 10 - 15 minutes or more), then sear both sides to seal the meat (meat should color a bit). If you are serving it blue, its done, otherwise you will now flip it back over to the starting side and turn the heat down to medium/medium low and start the cooking process. If you want to make it look good, make sure you flip it so you get that crosshatching or diamond pattern. You will also want to cook it on each side for the same time length (this takes practice), turning it no more than 4 times in total (once on each side to sear, and again once on each side to cook). If I am seasoning the meat with spices I would add them some time around this point on each side. Herbs I would add using a herb butter when serving, salt only gets put on when serving. Also letting it rest is also important so that the juices migrate back into the cooked area, ~5 minutes in a warm oven works well. Also put the meat on warmed plates (oven at lowest setting, or back side of the plate under the hot water tap) so it does not cool down fast.

There are 3 ways of telling doneness for steaks, cut it and look, use a thermometer, or touch it. Pros use the touch method as it is by far the most accurate, and it does not leave any cuts or holes. This is done by pressing down in the center of the meat from the top while it is on the grill. With practice you can tell doneness very accurately by doing this, but the general rule of thumb I was taught was to touch each finger one by one to your thumb and feel the resistance in the muscle between your thumb and index. Thumb and index is rare, thumb and pinky is well done (results may vary though).

We also did not use thermometers for roasting meat, or birds for that matter. Birds we would check by using a skewer, poking into the thickest part of the bird to the bone (leg or thigh), and pressing against the hole to see what color juice came out (clear is what we wanted). For roast meat we would use a skewer to the center of the meat, then touch the tip to the underside of the lip to feel how hot it was.


Btw flipping it once per side is not considered a good idea (blue or very thin steaks are the exception), and will toughen and curl the meat. The reason is that the juice in the meat flows away from the heat, and you want that juice to stay in the center so that it does not escape (and make the meat tough). Do it too long on one side and you will see juice start to seep out on the top of the meat, eventually forming a pool. Searing will help keep it in a bit too.

[Takeda Shingen]

I can tell you guys the 'professional' way it is done as I was trained when I studied at Le Cordon Bleu.

Ok first off, never salt any meat going onto a grill, griddle, or fry-pan; Salt extracts juices from the meat and makes it tougher. Ditto for herbs unless you really like the taste of burnt herbs. Spices can also be a problem too as they can burn and the results may not be desirable (this all depends on type, cut, and thickness). Also it helps if the meat isn't cold to start with.

For grilling (and frying) the procedure is to get the grill to maximum heat (don't forget that it takes time for outdoor bbq's to come up to temperature, like 10 - 15 minutes or more), then sear both sides to seal the meat (meat should color a bit). If you are serving it blue, its done, otherwise you will now flip it back over to the starting side and turn the heat down to medium/medium low and start the cooking process. If you want to make it look good, make sure you flip it so you get that crosshatching or diamond pattern. You will also want to cook it on each side for the same time length (this takes practice), turning it no more than 4 times in total (once on each side to sear, and again once on each side to cook). If I am seasoning the meat with spices I would add them some time around this point on each side. Herbs I would add using a herb butter when serving, salt only gets put on when serving. Also letting it rest is also important so that the juices migrate back into the cooked area, ~5 minutes in a warm oven works well. Also put the meat on warmed plates (oven at lowest setting, or back side of the plate under the hot water tap) so it does not cool down fast.

There are 3 ways of telling doneness for steaks, cut it and look, use a thermometer, or touch it. Pros use the touch method as it is by far the most accurate, and it does not leave any cuts or holes. This is done by pressing down in the center of the meat from the top while it is on the grill. With practice you can tell doneness very accurately by doing this, but the general rule of thumb I was taught was to touch each finger one by one to your thumb and feel the resistance in the muscle between your thumb and index. Thumb and index is rare, thumb and pinky is well done (results may vary though).

We also did not use thermometers for roasting meat, or birds for that matter. Birds we would check by using a skewer, poking into the thickest part of the bird to the bone (leg or thigh), and pressing against the hole to see what color juice came out (clear is what we wanted). For roast meat we would use a skewer to the center of the meat, then touch the tip to the underside of the lip to feel how hot it was.

I had no idea that you studied at Le Courdon Bleu. Awesome! :up:

I had always assumed about not salting (salt dries things out) and searing to seal, but your post confirms that for me. I never season or marinate any meat that I am grilling.

[NeonSamurai]

I had no idea that you studied at Le Courdon Bleu. Awesome! :up:

I had always assumed about not salting (salt dries things out) and searing to seal, but your post confirms that for me. I never season or marinate any meat that I am grilling.

Ya I did high french cuisine and pastry (includes candies, chocolates, and anything else of a desert nature). It was career 1 until I found that I got payed the same working in a good restaurant, as working as a pizza cook in a bar. Neither payed much, so I went on to career 2 (computers), and then 3 (clinical psych/social work).

There are times when you would marinade, or do seasoning rubs (like ribs), but this is often done with fast cooking (fish or thin cuts), or pre-cooked items. Marinades with salt can also be done, as the marinade will not draw the juice out (assuming there is water content in the marinade) so readily, but marinades with acids will start the cooking process (in fact you can actually fully cook thin cuts of fish, only using acid like lemon or vinegar). Otherwise with anything else salt goes in the beginning (professionally I was trained to salt to 'perfection' where the salt brings out the maximum flavor) after any saute-ing is done.


There are 2 camps on seasoning. One says salt early, one late. I salt early.

As for "searing the juices in" it's easy to demonstrate this is wrong. You can sear a steak, and cook one at lower heat for longer. Weigh both steaks before you cook them, and cook to identical target temperatures. Weigh both after. See if there is a difference in wight with each method.

The difference in weight would be minimal at best as the amount of juice you loose is about a couple of tablespoons. Most scales wouldn't even pick up the difference.

Searing doesn't really seal the juices in, though it will help a bit in keeping them in longer, particularly as the searing process drives the juices on the outside towards the center. Frankly I think it is mostly done for the caramelizing effect, and then the effect of driving juice inward. It is also how you get the first hash mark. Plus it helps prevent curling.

"Slow" for a steak doesn't mean hours, it means not blazing hot, and for a little longer time. Slow cook steaks are usually thick. I never buy steaks under 1.5 inches thick, and ideally 2". Lower temp and slower works just fine. I have done this and get cut with a fork steaks with a nice crust, though I usually sear, then move to over to finish since that's how I started doing it, and it feels more normal. For thick "slow" is worth a try for sure.From my training I would cook anything over ~1/2 inch "slow" as you put it, or not on high heat, really thick cuts would go down even lower. Also if you are going for well done you need to drop the temperature a bit more so that the outside isn't burned.

Remember that on the outside of the steak you want it caramelized, not "charred." Brown (even very dark brown) is good, black means you're doing it wrong ("cept for the "grill" marks if grilling, those get pretty dark, I'm talking the overall non-striped part).I agree though I tend to avoid really dark brown. One should also avoid any curling or liquid pooling on the top as that is a severe sign that the meat is being cooked too long on one side.

I never get anything "icky" with salting before hand, and I salt pretty liberally. I salt the steaks when I take em out of the fridge, too. They have salt for ~1 hour before cooking. It pulls water out of the surface—which is what "aging" does (concentrating flavor by reducing some of the water).Have you ever tried not salting them until after they are cooked? As the salt pulls more than just water to the surface, and also that water is what helps keep meat tender (as opposed to tough). I would suggest trying it some time, take two identical cuts, salt one normally, and salt the other only when serving it. You should notice a good difference between them with the other one being more tender and juicer. Though perhaps you just prefer your meat that way.

Also aging is not entirely done for what you suggest, Aging decays the meat a bit and causes the muscle mass to relax from rigor mortis and break down due to enzymes. Dry aging does reduce the water content, but the area that looses most of the moisture is discarded. Also the steak gains tenderness even though it has lost ~10% of its moisture content, because of the muscle tissue breaking down, otherwise loss of moisture = greater toughness. Lastly they do not salt the meat, as salting it would draw out the moisture too fast and draw juices (flavor) with it. Water lost during aging is lost from slow evaporation at near freezing temperatures.

[Krauter]

OK, so don't salt the meat before cooking it. Does this also apply to spices (I have either Montreal Steak spice that I just sprinkle on both sides of the steak and rub in) or I have another steak rub that I use the same method.

What way do I apply said spices and, when do I apply these spices?

[Krauter]

Round Two tonight :D

Just heating up the BBQ now. I let the steaks sit for an hour out of the fridge and just put the steak rub on now.

Edit: Fuuuu- Goddam propane feed on the BBQ is fudged -.-. Pan fried abortion steaks here I come.

[krashkart]

Round Two tonight :D

Just heating up the BBQ now. I let the steaks sit for an hour out of the fridge and just put the steak rub on now.


Good luck to ya, and enjoy. :up:

It's too cold and snowy around these parts to fire up the barbeque, otherwise I'd try some of those techniques that NeonSamurai mentioned earlier. There is a lot that I don't know about cooking in general. :hmm2:

[sharkbit]

With practice you can tell doneness very accurately by doing this, but the general rule of thumb I was taught was to touch each finger one by one to your thumb and feel the resistance in the muscle between your thumb and index. Thumb and index is rare, thumb and pinky is well done (results may vary though).



That is an awesome tip. :yeah: Thanks.

I've experimened with different techniques of cooking steaks-sometimes they are expensive experiments.

From what I've read and what has seemed to work best for me is the technique you talk about-Heat the grill 10-15 minutes, sear both sides, turn down the heat to medium, and cook to desired doneness(turning once more). Then let the meat rest.
I haven't quite perfected my technique bit I'm getting better.

:)

[NeonSamurai]

Spices depend on how long you are cooking the steak, and if you like your spices burned or not. The other option is to put the rub on early, let it sit with the rub, sear it and then brush off the rub so that it doesn't burn. This also depends though on the heat of the grill, and time cooking (doneness and thickness).

But some people like the taste of burned spices.

The french tradition is not big on spice rubs, so we don't use them very often. More popular are herb butters which are put on top of the finished steak and melt from the heat of the steak. It works very well and is a great way of adding herbs to a steak (I do not recommend using any herbs, particularly dry ones, in a rub as they burn in a heartbeat and give a bitter taste), and the butter helps too.

Another trick you can do too, is to sear the steaks in a frypan with butter or oil, then transfer to the grill. You wont get the double grill mark this way unless you turn the steak while cooking.

[Krauter]

Sorry for this bump, but I don't know what the hell I did to make this happen :shifty:

So last week I bought two nice T-Bone Steaks. Not too thick but not super thin either.

Anyways, did a search on the interwebs and found a nice way to do them.

Basically;

Take em out of the freezer (they won't frozen when I bought them so I didn't have to worry about this) to dethaw. About an hour before cooking put salt on it (I did so with a little Montreal Steak Spice)

Heated the grill up on high for 5 minutes, then turned down to medium and threw the Steak on for 3 minutes, turned it 90 degrees for another 2 minutes to get the criss cross marks.

Then flipped the other side and same thing. Total cooking time on medium: 10 minutes. Then I turned on low and waited for the juice to rise up. Then I got a warm plate (had it in the oven on low) and put the steak on it for 2 1/2 minutes.

Eating it was wonderful, nice and juicy, not burnt but cooked just right.

Note: While cooking there were a few flames but I just blew those out.

Now on to tonight.

Same process leading up, however I try a different spice thats a little bit more flaky (ie: more substance to it).

Heat the grill, throw it on for three minutes, come back to turn and I'm greeted by flames rising up and the steak seems to have shriveled. No problem I think; I blow out the flames turn even lower and come back after two minutes to flip. Now I flip the steak over and it looks fine i.e.: The meat isn't burnt, though some of the spice that's on the meat is charred as well as some of the fat is charred which is fine. However as I flip it over flames erupt anew. I blow them out and keep going. Now after the 5 minutes on the last side (3 min + turn 90degrees @ 2 minutes) I flip it over again and turn it right down to low to get it done to medium. No flames this time and the side that was just cooking isn't burnt at all.

Now I let the meat rest after while I go get some wine to drink with dinner and leave it for 2 1/2 minutes figuring the meats going to untense and unshrivel. Nope. The meat stays shrivelled up. Though it's not dry at all (a little at the bottom of the "T") and tastes good, though maybe I went too heavy on the steak spice, everything was fine.

Basically the point of this shameless bump was to find out how I can stop my BBQ from raping my steaks with flames, as well as how I can stop my steaks from shrivelling up like that, though admittedly this is the first time a piece of meat like that has shrivelled up on the grill.

Cheers!

Krauter

[Gargamel]

I'd almost think it was the cut of meat itself. Unless those spices had some super-hemo/hydro-phylic type properties. I'd try it again with a new steak (not the hold one! ha ha..... ) and the same spices, and see if it happens again.

The extra flames usually come from juices leaking out and catching fire. When that happens to me, I usually flip more often, but for the same total cook time. Those juice flames add flavor if you don't let them burn the meat.

[Krauter]

Well thats the thing there were little embers sitting overtop of the burner that looked like the bits of spice. The steak juice itself didnt actually come out of the meat until I turned the heat down really low and let it sit for a bit.

Also, if it was the "cut" of the meat why didn't the other steak do the same :hmmm:

[Gargamel]

Well thats the thing there were little embers sitting overtop of the burner that looked like the bits of spice. The steak juice itself didnt actually come out of the meat until I turned the heat down really low and let it sit for a bit.

Also, if it was the "cut" of the meat why didn't the other steak do the same :hmmm:


Ah.. thought they were different cuts.

Could be the spice then. But if you like the spice, try turning it more. Also, see if there's the same spice in a more powdery rub type. I know http://www.penzeys.com/ makes a lot of great spices. I have quite a few rubs from them.

[Madox58]

CRAP!
:o
I've been doing it all wrong all these many years!
:nope:
That's what I get for listening to 'So called' experts.
:doh:

Now to butcher that Angus we have and really do it right.
:yeah:

[Krauter]

:rotfl2: