Garlic bread, rib eye and fillet

[Pecker]

Tiny, a quick word on the 'don't salt your steak' theory.

In theory it's fairly solid, in as far as it goes. Salt does indeed draw moisture from meat, and this is used by Jews to prepare their steaks ('kashering'). They believe in removing all the blood, so they soak their meat in water so the blood mixes with that water, then cover in salt and leave for several hours so the salt draws the water - and the remaining blood - out of the meat.

However, they use a lot of salt, and they let the meat sit in the salt for at least an hour before rinsing it off.

If you put a little salt on to season your steaks it'll probably be just before cooking, or maybe just a few minutes, and you'll only put a small amount on.

Subsequently. the amount of moisture you lose from a typical steak will be a few drops - maybe half a teaspoon. If this salt/moisture combination is still on the meat when you cook it it'll actually help form the delicious crust.

In comparison, you lose 2 or 3 tablespoons of moisture from the steak just through evaporation whilst cooking.

Steve W

[keith157]

I've had steaks seasoned just before they go on the heat, and after they have been cookes. I will cast my lot with seasoned before cooking, to my tastes anyway

[FlashGordon]

There was an article posted on here about the salting, it stated that if you salt at least 40 mins before the salt draws the moisture out, but if you leave it it goes back in and helps tenderise the meat (can't remember the exact science).

Interesting read though.

[FlashGordon]

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/how- ... d-lab.html

i enjoyed reading this, always open to new things.

[Pecker]

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/how-to-grill-a-steak-guide-food-lab.html

i enjoyed reading this, always open to new things.

That's such an excellent article. It's always interesting to see a few pieces of received wisdow subject to proper scrutiny.

One thing I notice is that he says he finds charcoal burns hotter than briquettes. I think that depends on the charcoal and the briquettes . Some briqettes burn very hot indeed - I'm not sure you'd need any hotter, and the ultimate temperature difference will not be a factor when grilling a steak. They all appear to burn more than is hot enough to do the job. Indeed, unless you (and all of your guests) only like your steak blue (that's very rare indeed), if the temperature is too hot you'll get an outside that's done before the inside is done enough. That's fine with fillet, but rib-eye (the ultimate steak, for me) is better somewhere between rare and medium rare, rather than blue.

Steve W

[keith157]

I have to agree with you, there is too much marbleing on Rib Eye to be served blue. Other than Rib Eye I like my steaks Black & Blue in general.

[FlashGordon]

Rib eye is the ultimate, its just amazing when you get a good one.

That was why i did it in-direct, until the middle hit 140, then i whacked it over the coals to sear it. Was extra effort but my god it blew away the t-bone i had from the pub the day before.

[Pecker]

Rib eye is the ultimate, its just amazing when you get a good one.

That was why i did it in-direct, until the middle hit 140, then i whacked it over the coals to sear it. Was extra effort but my god it blew away the t-bone i had from the pub the day before.

T-bones have quite a reputation - one which I don't feel is always deserved. The reputation is for a big, meaty, juicy steak. Well, it's certainly big. But it's effectively sirloin on one side and fillet on the other. Fillet is great for being tender, but the taste is nowhere like as meaty as rib-eye, whilst a sirloin isn't as juicy.

I've almost given up ordering steaks when I'm eating out. The quality of beef is variable (and that's being generous), and I don't know why they bother asking how you want it cooked. It's almost always overdone, to the point where I started always asking for blue as I knew they'd get the message, only to find that it still came to me an even brown colour all the way through or, one the odd occasion they listened, it was truly blue but a really poor, tough steak.

And ultimately, I've never eaten a steak out which is good as the ones I do at home.

Steve W

[keith157]

Have to agree, certainly within our budget . I know some of the forum members hit a high class steak bar a while ago and raved about the quality but I can't afford to pay those prices regardless of the quality. There used to be an Outback Steakhouse/Restaurant here in Stevenage and we went to the opening. They were serving grass fed Irish beef (28 day matured) and they were the best steaks I'd eaten in any UK restaurant. Sadly the quality didn't last, they were good but not as good. Now we have a "Mexican Themed" restaurant where my wife was served a frozen Mahi Mahi fish steak on Sunday much to my daughters disgust, a Father's Day treat. Cooked & sauced on the outside but solid ice inside, they replaced it and we weren't charged but..........

[Pecker]

We have some smashing farm shops here in West Yorkshire.

I live in Huddesfield and work in Wakefield - depending on which way I go home I pass either Thorncliffe Farm Shop, which is right at the base of Emley Moor Mast, or Blacker Hall Farm Shop.

The quality of both is superb. Blacker Hall maybe has the edge, but is relatively expensive. From Thorncliffe I got a bone-in ribe eye steak weighing half a pound for about £3.50, and it was a delight to eat. I mean you can barely get a McDonalds for that! A single rib roast is usually just under a tenner, which is a nice treat, and just the right size for us (two adults, two pre-schoolers).

Steve W