Making a great steak at home.

Cooking steak is an art. No wonder there are so many steak houses out there. Some people believe that a great steak can only be had at a high end steak house. I've been to a few. I've had the pleasure of eating some really good steaks. but not always...

I think that with the right hardware it is possible to make a really good steak at home.

I am fortunate to have acquired Grass Fed Beef and Lamb a few months ago and I am slowly making my way through my 80lb stash.

Steak is one of the few things my wife will eat that I cook these days (and the chicken wings)

Today I defrosted a porterhouse and a NY strip steak. My wife marinaded them for a few hours. When I got home from work they were ready for me at room temperature.

Marinade:
1/4 cup Light Soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Garlic powder
1tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground pepper

Directions:

Combine in a zip lock bag. add steaks. Squeeze out as much air as possible. and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

The key to a great steak at home is 2 stage cooking:
Stage 1: form a crust, that's the brown yummy goodness created by the Maillard reaction.
Stage 2: finish to Med- Rare in the oven.

The reason for 2 stage cooking is that by the time the internal temp reaches med rare the outside will be burnt and the nice brown crust ruined. 2 stage cooking allows you to develop a nice crust , then finish to the correct internal temp without burning the steaks.

Directions:

Heat a cast iron skillet in high for 5 minutes. Cast iron is perfect for this job as it does well in heat retention and transfer. Make sure the steaks are at room temperature. (take them out of the refrigerator 30 min prior.) rub all surfaces with canola oil. Do not all oil to the pan as it will smoke due to the high temp. The Key here it he high heat. place steaks on skillet. do not crowd them. This is where a 12 inch skillet comes in handy. reduce heat to med/high. Allow to sear checking every 2 min to see how the crust has formed by lifting up the steaks carefully. Once a nice brow crust develops flip steaks over. (about 3-4 min). Bring heat to high for 1 min to compensate for the temp drop. meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. place steaks on cooling rack on top of parchment or aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. if you do not have a cooling rack place steak directly on the oven racks with the pan underneath. Finish cooking steaks until med rare (this is where a meat thermometer helps. Remove from oven. Cover steaks loosely in aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 min. this step is critical as it allows the juices to redistribute and you will not have a puddle of meat juices on your plate sogging everything up. I recently ate at a streak house that had this happen. I had a puddle in my plate. they did not rest the meat. what a shame.

As far I am concerned , if you do not eat your steak Med-Rare, its not worth eating it.

NY strip steak with a side of sauteed spinach and garlic and mushrooms and onion.