How do you prep your steaks?

Kobie said:

I was grilling up a couple of strip steaks tonight when the idea came to see what DP had come up with.

How do you turn that cow flesh into something magnificent? Is it a spice rub, a marinade, or something else? Do you serve them with any garnish or other accoutrements? How do you make your steaks YOUR STEAKS?

Tonight, for example, I went with my go-to seasoning combo of black pepper, seasoned salt, onion powder and garlic powder, then popped those bad boys on the grill for about 5 minutes a side on high heat. Got me the perfect mid-rare to medium I shoot for (I prefer my steaks on the rare side; The Future Mrs. Kobie prefers hers a little more done). Served them up with some strips of grilled green, yellow and red pepper (seasoned with pepper and minced garlic and tossed in olive oil) that I did up while the steaks were finishing, and I broke out the gourmet horseradish I purchased a few months ago for a little added flavor on my steak (TFMK doesn't touch the stuff).

So what say you, grillmasters and grillmistresses of DP? How do you make it so nobody can beat your meat?

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I try not to buy steaks that need marinating or additional fat unless it is strip steak for fajitas.

I allow the steaks to get to or near room temperature before cooking. We prefer minimal seasoning so I usually just liberally rub in salt and pepper into both sides, maybe a bit of garlic.

The more expensive cuts, i.e. filets, rib eyes, New York cuts, I have grilled in a pinch but usually just sear both sides well in a very hot skillet, preferably cast iron, and then finish in a very hot (500 degree) oven in the same skillet, turning once -- using tongs never a fork -- to turn the steak once during cooking. The steak does need to be an inch to two inches thick for this process. Very important not to pierce the steak during cooking.

As we are on a budget, we usually buy cheaper cuts - sirloin, porter house, or whatever - and those I also bring to room temperature, season in the same way, and then throw them on the George Foreman type grill.

We do use a meat thermometer to check temperature. About 140 degrees internal temp is medium--will have a hot pink center--and that's the way we like them. 130 degrees for medium rare.

Let the steaks rest a few minutes after cooking before cutting into them.

One thing to add - lets look at the back end of the cooking process for a moment - let your meat be tented and rest for a good five minutes after you take it off the grill. It makes a world of difference. You can take it off the grill a few minutes earlier than usual.... tent it in aluminum foil ... let it continue to cook in its own juices for five minutes without the drying out heat of the grill ... and it tastes far better.

faithful_servant said:

I like to cold smoke my steak and then grill it. I've a Smokemaster cold-smoke generator and, using an ice tray, I'll cold smoke my steak for a couple of hours prior to grilling and then smoke it. I do the same thing with hamburgers.

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I have never cold smoked my steaks, I should try that once, I usually use the smoke to cook them, often slow cooked to keep it from being too tough or dry.

Another odd method to smoking is deep pitting, which is common in california or anywhere else there are large mexican populations. It is probably the cheepest and crudest bbq systems I have seen, yet it works, proof no matter how poor the people are, they will find a way to bbq good.

Kobie said:

I was grilling up a couple of strip steaks tonight when the idea came to see what DP had come up with.

How do you turn that cow flesh into something magnificent? Is it a spice rub, a marinade, or something else? Do you serve them with any garnish or other accoutrements? How do you make your steaks YOUR STEAKS?

Tonight, for example, I went with my go-to seasoning combo of black pepper, seasoned salt, onion powder and garlic powder, then popped those bad boys on the grill for about 5 minutes a side on high heat. Got me the perfect mid-rare to medium I shoot for (I prefer my steaks on the rare side; The Future Mrs. Kobie prefers hers a little more done). Served them up with some strips of grilled green, yellow and red pepper (seasoned with pepper and minced garlic and tossed in olive oil) that I did up while the steaks were finishing, and I broke out the gourmet horseradish I purchased a few months ago for a little added flavor on my steak (TFMK doesn't touch the stuff).

So what say you, grillmasters and grillmistresses of DP? How do you make it so nobody can beat your meat?

Click to expand...

Salt, pepper, and a proper, real cut of meat beef. Rare as hell. Serve with a pint of a good ale. Some sautéed green beans, fried brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes are fine for vegetables. Fin.

If you have a less good cut of beef, then we're into marinading territory. There's an Asian marinade I love (cubed ginger, scallions/spring onions, garlic, minced shallots, a little sriracha, soy sauce, sake, mirin, rice vinegar, and sesame oil), but there's a lot of marinades that are good.
Although, that horseradish suggestion does sound nice, I do love horseradish. It's really popular in Scandinavian countries to eat beef on a dense rye bread with horseradish.

Honestly though, if I'm grilling and I don't have a great cut of beef, I opt for chicken or ground meat kebabs (or burgers). Or grilled shrimp, which is great. I just don't love grilled beef as much as I used to. Things like chicken tikka makes me a lot happier than most beef does.

Kobie said:

I was grilling up a couple of strip steaks tonight when the idea came to see what DP had come up with.

How do you turn that cow flesh into something magnificent? Is it a spice rub, a marinade, or something else? Do you serve them with any garnish or other accoutrements? How do you make your steaks YOUR STEAKS?

Tonight, for example, I went with my go-to seasoning combo of black pepper, seasoned salt, onion powder and garlic powder, then popped those bad boys on the grill for about 5 minutes a side on high heat. Got me the perfect mid-rare to medium I shoot for (I prefer my steaks on the rare side; The Future Mrs. Kobie prefers hers a little more done). Served them up with some strips of grilled green, yellow and red pepper (seasoned with pepper and minced garlic and tossed in olive oil) that I did up while the steaks were finishing, and I broke out the gourmet horseradish I purchased a few months ago for a little added flavor on my steak (TFMK doesn't touch the stuff).

So what say you, grillmasters and grillmistresses of DP? How do you make it so nobody can beat your meat?

Click to expand...

I make little cuts along the steak and fill them with slices of garlic. Salt and Pepper and it's ready to grill.