char on steak?

El Wayne, I sense a steak night might be coming up?

Whatcha think?

 

Bingo. That's what I mean. A good brown crust is delicious. But, oftentimes I've been served something that I would call burned.

I am sensitive to bitter tastes, so maybe that's the problem on my end, but I love a good crust as long as it's not over done (bitter).

Browned and Crusty, to quote El Wayne.

 

That's a great route route for hanger steak....T

 

And dry so there is no steam to prevent the sear.

 

I think steak can taste great with a burnt exterior but the key is that its very thick and you get all the layers ... the "charr" hast to be thin, then the under caramalized portion, then a moist yet coagulated protein side, then a rich deep pink - red meaty center.

I use my grill - gas grill, turn it on 20 min before - high heat all burners. dry the beef after having rested at room temp for 1 hour. ( covered / sealed.) However this is contrary to all health and safety warnings about food borne illness. dry the meat quickly then pepper and salt the exterior and place on grill. close the grill and wait for the heat to recover.

dont keep opening it... leave it for 8 -10 min ( depending on thickness. ) I usualy dont grill anything under 1". Saute is better for thin meat.

after 10 min turn the meat, and close wait - 5 min. take the steak and place on clean warm plate and cover with foil, but dont completely close if off.
let it rest for 10 min. a full 10 min. keep it in a NON cold part of the kitchen.

when it relaxes the juice is then brought back in to the meat - and it gets rehydrated. you will have some juice at the bottom but that is just a side product. the longer you let it rest the more flavor you will have.

salting the meat more than 3-4 min before you grill, brings all the moisture to the surface of the meat, eventually drying out your steak. only put salt on when you can quickly sear it - then the salt acts like a crystal barrier to charring excessively - since it absorbs moisture. as the meat heats up the salt crystals melt - releasing salty juice on to the surface helping with the sear. some charr on the outer parts is desireable - fat will blister and char quickly ... which usually gives meat is smoky charred flavor. its like anything - it takes practice to master.

WHAT EVER YOU DO - DO NOT USE A FORK - use tongs to pick up the meat before and after cooking it. puncturing the meat with a fork just lets out all the juices... same with burgers - dont smash them down - you are just pushing out the juice / flavor.

 

I go for a dark mahogany colour as you get the best flavor IMO. Charred or burnt is a bitter taste and couldn't care less about grill marks. It is better to convection cook in the BBQ with the steak sitting over a non-lit burner as this will reduce the flare up. I sear at the end for colour and caramelization.

 

All true except pepper can get bitter while cooking too. I add it after.

 

use coarse grown pepper and it will work great. fine grown - the oils get burned and all you have is the pepper husk.

 

I am CERTAIN your steaks come out to perfection, but this description baffles me.

I run my grill at about 750 F, and for most meats, use a flat cast iron grate that reaches temperatures much hotter than that. If I leave anything in that environment for more than a minute per side - it will not only be seared, but will overcook to a depth of at least 1/4 to 1/3 inch per side...

 

I take your point - you have to know your grille. i did a steak the other tday and it only took about 4 min. ... so I amend my comment from 8-10 min... to 3-4 min ( depending on the heat your grille cranks out....

 

I have never used cast iron (that 25% still in use) but a steak should be broiled or grilled over high heat, cooked fast. The "char" is the love yet achieving said char should not mean a steak will be overcooked.

Cooking is not spelled "rocket science".

And one island keeps abusing a common language, TX vs WI.

See what I did?

 

Ah! Thanks for the clarification.

With my grill, the cast iron grate would still scorch a red potato wedge in under 3 minutes AFTER the gas had been completely shut off for almost half an hour. (off topic, but the chicken breasts, herbed potatoes, and asparagus I was cooking got big raves from the wife.)

 

Heat retention is cast iron's success and flaw.

As soon as Painter (my dog) gets tired of kissing (licking me) I am going to look for a steak!!!

 

No doubt! I've literally shattered a cast iron skillet with a steak (think Lodge 15" pan/skillet). Haven't even managed to warp or crack my 1/4" grate/plate so far. LOVE it!

p.s.: I don't sear my meats to the point of a black/burnt outer crust - I use VERY high heats & just seconds to achieve that rich, crunchy caramelization (shy of carbonization), but only at the VERY surface - keeping things below at just the desired level of doneness. Will have to photograph some tuna sometime just to show that the layer between seared/crunch & raw is razor thin.

 

Crap now I want/need a steak!

 

Gregg... Just make sure you buy a steak big enough to give painter his share!....T

 

Go buy an infra red outdoor grill. Not one of the Home Depot crap pieces, get a quality full infra red unit. Mine gets to 1200 degrees and puts a crust on a steak you wouldn't believe. The high end restaurants cook with it, you should too.

 

LOL!

 

Jim.... What brand do you own?....T

 

Wayne, I get the sirloin cap aka Picanha from the local Brazilian butcher. And yes, the Ribeye deckle is the best. I usually save that for last.

 

Did anyone catch the "Bizarre Foods" episode when Andrew was shown a steak that is hidden thus never recognized? I cannot find the episode on YT.

 

Do you get the deckle if you buy an entire rib roast?
I like picanha on the rotisserie, but this rib eye deckle is news to me.....T