The first step to cooking a good steak is to choose the right grade of steak. The top quality beef is graded USDA Prime and commands top prices. USDA Prime grade meats are sold to the restaurant industry and specialty markets and are not as likely to be found at your local grocery chain. The next grade of beef is USDA Choice. USDA Choice is tender, flavorful and only slightly lower in quality than USDA Prime. The meat is well marbled with fat and will be tender and juicy when properly prepared. USDA Choice makes up about 70% of all graded beef and is readily available in your supermarket. USDA Good graded beef is an acceptable grade of beef that has only minimal marbling of fat. It is leaner, but may not be as tender as USDA Prime or Choice.
Subsequent, appear in the color and texture from the meat. A great steak ought to be firm towards the touch, moist, and vibrant in color. It ought to be nicely marbled with thin streaks of white fat all through along with a thin crust of steak around the outdoors. In our fat conscious society, we have a tendency to appear for lean cuts of meat, however the thin streaks of white fat marbled all through the meat would be the important to a tender juicy steak.
Probably the most tender and juicy steaks come in the sirloin, the brief loin, and also the rib. These steaks consist of the sirloin steaks, porterhouse steaks, t-bone steaks, rib steaks, demonic steaks, and also the filet mignon. Steaks containing bone will weigh greater than these with out, however the bone adds flavor towards the steak.
Aging is really a desirable procedure that intensifies the flavors and tends to make the meat much more tender. Aged steaks are much more costly and generally only discovered in higher finish supermarkets and specialty markets. An aged steak is recognizable by its darker color.
As soon as you've bought your steak, you are able to additional improve the tenderness and juiciness by marinating it. Attempt a marinade produced of ½ cup every great wine and olive oil mixed two Tablespoons of lemon juice or herb vinegar. Add any seasonings that you simply like garlic, freshly ground pepper, onion, or herbs. Location the steak inside a zip lock bag, pour in sufficient marinade to just cover it, and refrigerate overnight. Marinating a steak like this may add flavor and tenderness. In the event you routinely shop steak within the freezer prior to cooking, attempt pouring the marinade more than the steak prior to freezing. The steak will marinate when thawing and be prepared to cook.
You will find meat tenderize accessible to sprinkle onto your steak, and they definitely do tenderize the meat; nevertheless, meat tenderize can occasionally more than tenderize the meat, altering the texture from the meat into mush. In the event you ought to decide to go this route, do it carefully.
When prepared to cook, slash via the outdoors fat layer around the steak inside a couple of locations to stop curling, but don't reduce in to the meat. The much more tender steak cuts may be broiled, grilled, or pan fried. Much less tender cuts ought to be pan fried or slow braised. Steak ought to by no means be cooked in liquid. When pan broiling, use a really heavy skillet like an iron skillet or griddle and heat the pan prior to adding the meat. The heavy metal will hold the heat for correct heat distribution and not cool down when the steak is added. A hot pan will rapidly sear the outdoors, trapping the moisture inside.
When cooking, attempt to turn the steak only as soon as. Cook the meat till browned on 1 side and half carried out, then turn and finish the other side. Turning as well frequently will stew the meat instead of searing it and create a much less juicy steak. When the steak is carried out, eliminate in the pan and permit to rest to get a couple of minutes prior to serving.
Whilst the meat rests you are able to make a sauce using the pan dripping if preferred. Use your preferred sauce, or fry mushrooms and onions within the pan. When almost carried out, add a tablespoon every of butter and flour and cook till lightly browned. Add a splash of wine and loosen any bits that might be stuck towards the bottom from the pan. Permit to cook till thick, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve more than the steak. Enjoy!
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