The ubiquitous steak has been taken for granted for too long and needs a relook. And it’s worth the effort. Try it.
This is not about the prized Kobe beef, merits about grass fed or about the best steak restaurants. Nor is it about the best cuts or the country of origin. Its much simpler than that.
I travel a fair bit for work and had nice meals in various cities. Steak is one dish where you can get a ready recommendation from the Hotel’s front desk. Clearly a popular staple for many on the road.
Work travel also reveals that steaks are enjoyed outside the countries known for their cattle industry. Countries such Argentina, Brazil, the US and Australia.
It is also big in Italy, France, South Africa, Botswana where rearing of quality beef and the serving of a cut is taken seriously. The Butcher Shop in Sandton, Johannesburg is probably the best known in Africa.
Eating the steak alone
Work travel means that you have your meals especially dinner on your own. Eating alone at a quiet corner in a restaurant your senses come alive. You are not distracted. There is no one to talk to and focus inevitably is on the meal. You begin to enjoy the meal.
It was a matter of time before I started to have my dinner later. When restaurants are less busy and much quieter. Always a pleasant experience.
It is also the only dish and a complete meal I know that you can cook yourself without stuffing it up.
All that is needed is steak, fire, oil, salt and ground pepper. Even Omelettes can go wrong but the steak unlikely.
Here is something I have come to do when the family is out and I am alone.
I would pick a nice cut at a local butcher. If I want to try a different cut , I will seek the butcher’s advice. They know their stuff.
I tend to try different cuts for variety but my favorite remains Porterhouse. Never lean as it is the fat that enhances the flavour. The word marbling (read fat) is now a must in any discussion about quality.
Cooking a steak at home
If it is steak and I am alone, dinner would be planned for late night when all is quiet.
I would coat the steak with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on both sides, no other rub than this. You do not mask the taste of a good quality cut with a marinade.
Into a well heated pan, set to sear the sides. Searing the sides to seal the juices is a given but it also gives variety to texture as well as taste.
I am told of the Maillard reaction from searing the sides. Seared sides does taste different to the inside. And it must not be a light sear – it has to be a char.
Next stage is to lower the heat once the sides are seared. Let it cook on the inside at least to a medium or medium well. Feel free to flip it more than once to get it evenly cooked. I know it goes against the grain of what many cooking literature state. Unless you want to transfer it to an oven to get it evenly done.
I am not keen on rare despite some attempts in the past. I sense in a blind taste test, rare meat aficionados will pick the medium cooked meat over rare more often than not.
Off the pan, let the meat rest to stop the juices running out which should be 3 minutes max for a medium. Any more and there is no science to it. To be enjoyed while warm and closer to hot. Putting the meat under a heat lamp for a longer period is not going to help in my opinion. Well aware it is an established practice in restaurants.
Enjoying the steak
A nicely cooked steak goes well with a full bodied red at dinner. Something that comes naturally to South Australians. Preferably a Cabernet Sauvignon from the red soils of Coonawarra. Slice the meat thin, to taste it on your tongue as you eat it. Not large bite sized portions aimed at the molars.
90% of a great steak meal comes from the quality of the producer and the cut. Not from the cook or chef. Try it following the cooking guidelines. Remember there is no secret marinades or spices involved even in the best steakhouses.
Aged steaks, Wagyu and the likes are however in another culinary dimension and requires expertise of sorts. Best left to the leading restaurants and their chefs. That’s another adventure by itself.
By now you must have guessed that I no longer order steak at restaurants if in a group or with family. For those family and group events, it a whole different cuisine set.
Like a good peaty single malt, a self cooked steak is best enjoyed in the quiet of the night. The colder months being the best.
A good book by your side also helps. And if it’s a book, go for the Porterhouse as it is 2 different steaks in one. More time to thumb thru the pages.
Enjoy!