This is not new. People the world over, from philosophers to 50cent have discussed this idea--light needs dark as much as dark needs light.
This is a long road to say that the last time I attempted steak, I failed miserably.
Too red in the middle, too tough on the outside--the whole thing was a mess. If I were cooking tuna steaks, it would have been perfect. These were not tuna steaks, however, just regular moo-cows.
I tried steak again as I wanted to know more about what exactly I had done wrong. For the impatient readers among us, my previous point of failure was not placing the steaks in the oven after cooking on the stove (see steps below). I will also save time and tell you that while I learned a great deal today about steak prep/cooking, I am unsure whether today was a success or merely another mark in the road to good steak. In other words, I have much to learn, and much more beef to maim before I get it right.
Today's steak story begins with a lesson on preparation. According to a few websites I'd found, there are many roads that lead to a good steak on a stove. However, most would agree that steaks are best cooked on the grill. What with the wildfires (and general laziness), I did not fire up the coals outback, so I already knew I was starting with sub-prime steak.
The general idea for "indoor steaks:"
1. Room Temperature, Pat Dry.
2. Season with Salt and Pepper.
3. Hot Pan, cook on both sides approx. 3 min
4. Finish in a hot oven.
5. Let sit for 10 min after cooking to lock the juices in.
These steps are nothing new, and most people would probably agree that they knew these steps (or at least intuitively knew them) as it stands. However, I found that step two is controversial in some circles, as well as step three and four combined.
Step two: There are a few theories on seasoning. The first theory is that a quality cut of steak needs nothing more than salt and pepper. Anything else is superfluous, and not worth your time. The other theories discuss the point at which one salts the meat, the "salt early" vs the "salt late" methods.
Basically, it is what it sounds like. Some believe salting early is much like a brine--you tenderize the meat and draw some of the water out which will be reabsorbed to further enhance flavor. Some believe that salt merely dries out meat and should be added at the very end, as flavor and flavor alone.
Step Three/Four: From what I've been reading, these steps are interchangeable, it just depends on personal preference. According to the website I linked to above, if you were to switch, the idea is to salt and pepper the meat, place on a wire rack above a cookie sheet in the oven and cook on low heat (275degrees) until the meat reaches 110 degrees internally. Promptly remove, and place in a hot pan on the stove, 3-4 min on each side. Follow through to step 5. Furthermore, some folks believe that one should know the internal temperature of the meat by touching or looking at it, as to pierce the meat is to release it's juices, giving you dry, tasteless, and therefore sad, meat. I found this website to be helpful for the meat-novice such as myself.
I used the "Salt Late" method and reversed step 3+4 as stated above, save the pan portion; I used a pan I had used that morning to fry bacon in, so it had a great build up of bacon crust and grease (what can I say? Bacon is the meat that's so good it's used to flavor other meats).
The results? Medium-well, with a good flavor on the crust. The only problem is that I found it too chewy altogether. J felt differently, stating, "you are the worst critic of your own food."
For sides, I used a recipe for a zucchini couscous and made an impromptu salad.
You be the judge:
Off to watch the first season of "Community." Man, did I get on that train late or what?
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