Steak, my best so far. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Cyclotron
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 07:21:20 pm
content: I purchase good quality beef at Costco. They really do have good prices on this and good quality. If you're in the US, I recommend it!I will buy strip or ribeye at minimum a day before. Lay them out on a drying rack and sprinkle generously with MSG and salt. The steaks are typically 1.5-2 inches/38-50 mm thick.Place them in the refrigerator to dry age for 1 day.I then put them on a smoker for a couple of hours at 185F/85C and monitor them with a Fireboard. When they hit 112-116F/44.5-46-5C I take them to a large cast iron frying pan that I've prepared with some bacon fat and butter. I use McCormick's Montreal seasoning and sear them off.They come out an amazingly deep color and the flavor can't be beat for me. My finished steaks are rare to medium-rare.

author: McCarthy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 03:30:32 pm
content: Quote from: Cyclotron on September 11, 2025, 07:21:20 pmAt this point I only buy my steaks at Costco. The quality at local super markets has gone down hill, and we don't have any good butchers either.I buy an entire, cleaned filet steak every 3 months or so, clean it even more, and cut it into 8 to 10 thick steaks. Two gets consumed the same day, the other steaks get vacuum packed and frozen.I keep it simple: bring down to room temp, salt and black pepper, heavy copper pan made in France on high heat, sear on all sides, park in oven for 10 min at 200 F, let rest for a couple minutes. I always add sauce bearnaise.

author: Cyclotron
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 04:35:49 pm
content: Quote from: McCarthy on September 13, 2025, 03:30:32 pmSounds and looks fantastic. I'm hungry now.I agree about the quality of beef from Costco. Meats in general are terrific there. I no longer even cook chicken for soup and salads. I buy Costco rotisserie chicken, use the meat for my soups and salads, and save the carcass for pressure cooking down bone broth. I can crush down 4-5 remnants and freeze them till I want to make broth.I will take some pics of my next set of steaks I make, probably next week. The umami and beef flavor is what I love with my primary method.I am jealous of that copper pan you described. I was going to purchase some, but I am planning to go to an induction cooktop from my current natural gas stove.I'm sure there's some ferrous-clad copper, but I would think that mostly defeats the reason for buying copper.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 05:33:23 pm
content: My local Walmart now carries Wagyu at about $24/# (surely the lowest grade). I go very early in the AM and look for meat that has been marked down as it expires that day (i.e., it's been wet aged*). The price is often half, and that occasionally includes Wagyu. It was pretty good. Two of my children, spouses, and one grandchild are visiting next week. Unfortunately, I had to buy it full price, but I want them to experience it.*My butcher CLeveland (now retired) had a PhD in biology in the late 60's. No jobs, so he got into business selling restaurant quality to the public (almost any meat or cut, lamb, veal, beef, salami, and of course, brisket and pastrami ) . He did an experiment comparing dry aging to wet aging with a knowledgeable client and posted the results in his newsletter. No one at the party could tell the difference. I have no Costco nearby.

author: Cyclotron
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 05:48:51 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on September 13, 2025, 05:33:23 pmI've never made any Wagyu at home. I have had the privilege to have it in restaurants a few times but always paid for as business expenses. My last was in Chicago a couple weeks back during a wine and dine. I feel too embarrassed due to price to be the first to order such (not sure why) but if the person "expensing" the meal orders, I'm in line next.The loss of the traditional butcher, bakers and so many others is sorely an issue for me. At least outside of the larger metropolitan areas, so much is homogenized and commercial. It's loss of culture.We recently lost one of my favorites which was cheese shop near me and now the very close by farmer's market is closing due to health of the owner. The owner of the cheese shop tried to get his kids to take it over as it was a successful business but they had no interest.I've encouraged my kids to try those career options if they thought them may be interested. One has switched from Engineering to narrowly focus on HVAC which I think is awesome as AI won't replace the job and no one wants to be hot/cold.My youngest remains drifting at the moment. Hopefully something intrigues him soon before I have to push.I wish I had the time and carrying capacity to bring stuff I find out in my travels home. I mean in larger quantities. I could have it shipped but that's a huge cost these days. I bring samples back home whenever I can though.Has anyone done a whole or partial purchase direct from a beef grower? This seems to be the best pricing you might get but then you have to freeze and store so much food.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 06:27:12 pm
content: Quote from: Cyclotron on September 13, 2025, 05:48:51 pmTwo of my daughters live in Minnesota and each has 4 children. Buying a half or even quarter is a common practice and they do that. When I lived there, we also had 4 children and bought a half or quarter. You do get a lot of hamburger, but at least you can specify lean, and it's very freshly frozen. If you have 2 or more children at home , it should be considered. Once the children leave, you are inherently older, and I don't eat as much I used to. A pound steak lasts me two nights.I also have pork about 3 times as often as beef. It's super affordable, low fat, and is great with a white sauce I make. (Shallots, garlic, heavy cream, white wine, pepper, and thyme).I used Noilly Prat Extra Dry (1 cup to 1 cup cream) originally. It has become hard to find in my area, so I switched to only an ounce or so of Martini-Rossi . Noilly Prat is delicious over over ice. Martini-Rossi was way too much floral taste for me and IMHO is not drinkable neat. It is cheap and since so little is added, the time to reduce the mixture to the right consistency for a sauce is much less..

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 07:03:33 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on September 13, 2025, 05:33:23 pmHere in Switzerland, most steak* isn’t aged as much as I am used to from USA, so I not only take advantage of last-day discounts, but even buy vacuum-packed steak and deliberately store it for 3-7 days beyond the expiration date before cooking it. (Don’t do this with bone-in steaks, as the bones go off faster than the muscle, especially if the bone is cut.)*that I can afford, that is — the concept of dry-aging eventually made it here, but of course it’s $$$$.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 07:23:04 pm
content: @tookiA agree. It's hard to turn down Angus USDA choice at half price. If packaged in the market, I follow the expiration date or freeze. A day or two (a day to home, a day or 2 to defrost) doesn't make a difference at refrigerator temps. If packed wherever in vacuum packs, that expiration date is based on them the market defrosts it. I think it is much more flexible.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 07:29:55 pm
content: QuoteBut the best part of a pork joint is the crackling ,not exactly low fat

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 07:42:59 pm
content: I was referring to port loin, rib chops, or loin roast. However, growing up we had pickled pigs feet often on Saturday at noon along with other disgusting foods (according to my wife). I have not lost the taste. The best pork joints I have had were with radishes and wonderful bar girls in a beer tent in Keil, W. Germany (before unification).

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 07:48:46 pm
content: Have you guys tried sous-vide your steaks? That's how engineers make food, precision and precision.Vacuum pack it, cook it based on taste (I go for medium) and thickness and then sear it at a million degrees, or as close to it as you can get.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2025, 08:58:12 pm
content: Quote from: tszaboo on September 13, 2025, 07:48:46 pmSort of.Rather than vacuum packing it, I dry the steak and then bring it to temperate in a very, very low convection oven (i.e. at juuuuust a smidgen above sous vide temperatures, but dry). This achieves the slow, careful cooking of sous vide (in fact it’s slower, since heat transfer from air is much worse), but allows the surface of the meat to dry out a bit, which much improves the ability to sear it quickly, since you don’t need to flash off a bunch of water. Just check on the steak periodically, and once the surface has dried enough (you don’t want a layer of beef jerky, either!), rub it with some oil to arrest further drying.I like to use an air temperature that gets the steak to the desired internal temperature in around 2 hours. I do not like the mealy texture of steak that has sous vide cooked for hours and hours.I also do not salt the steak in advance, though one can.Once it’s reached the desired internal temperature, I season it and then sear in cast iron.

author: Cyclotron
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 12:11:39 am
content: Quote from: tooki on September 13, 2025, 08:58:12 pmI was a die hard Sous Vide fan till I started the method I described at the beginning. Cold dry aging with salt/MSG, for me, brings just a bit more deep juiciness and also aids in drying the outside. The sear is OFF THE HOOK.I also loved Sous Vide for the precision. But doing this slow, raise the temps and in a relatively cook oven/smoker while watch the internal temps like a hawk (Fireboard) you will get even better results. I was never able to get anywhere near the mallard reaction on sous vide steak as I do on rack drying (reverse searing I think its called).But Sous Vide is great. I still have mine and still use it.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 10:36:56 am
content: Quote from: Cyclotron on September 14, 2025, 12:11:39 amYep, you want a low-moisture surface, since otherwise, you’re just heating it to dry off the surface, which takes longer (possibly too long).