Steak (Non Sous Vide)

What's everyone's favorite method of cooking steak? I would like to hear of more techniques.

Personally I like the Blumenthal method best- Cast iron skillet, ripping hot. Canola or grapeseed oil goes in, starts smoking immediately, then the steak goes in after, 15-20 second flips. If I do steaks that are about 1cm or half and inch thick, I have a rack on standby and I will place the steak on the rack for 5-10 seconds to give the oil time to reheat, agitate the pan again, before flipping the steak, just to ensure that the pan+oil remains very hot and the steak does not spend to much time in the pan

Ive also heard really good things about the ducasse method of cooking steak, for this you need a fairly thick cut of meat, he doesnt aim to achieve a strong crust, and instead uses a medium flame and a lot of basting in butter.

I have spoken to a friend that has done an incredible looking steak(very deep crust), he told me he used the Keller method of searing steaks in a beurre monte, which doesnt seem to make sense to me since I would think that the monte would break at high temperatures? I've tried to research the technique but all I've found is that keller uses beurre monte to hold or reheat his steaks. Is anyone able to shed light on this method?

I really enjoyed the last method I attempted, which is to get a cast iron skillet ripping hot, then sear, flipping constantly, only until a decent crust develops, once that happens, pull the steak to rest. Meanwhile, make a beurre monte in a pot, keep it warm and add the steak, constantly basting until it comes up to the desired doneness, I guess its a combination of the two methods mentioned before, but it does make for a damn tasty steak, albeit a ton of work basting it in the monte to wait for it to come up to temperature. I would think that maybe chucking the steak into a bag with beurre monte then sous vide-ing might work pretty well too, gonna explore that option soon me thinks

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Matt_67991

While it is kind of in the spirit of sous-vide, I really like the frozen oven steak. It just kind of works well for making a nice, stress free meal for two.

Quadrillage also isn't bad if you want more of a classical cooked gradient.

Samuel_68313

First time I tried the Heston method my pan was a shade too hot and it almost immediately set on fire.

I realised I actually like just a little gradient. As amazing as it looks when it is perfectly evenly cooked I think the slight change in texture is pleasant. Heston's method is pretty great for that (but still not as good as sv then quick sear) but it is a massive pain in the ass, especially if you are cooking more than a couple of steaks.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Gotta go with the grill. While I can develop a nice crust using a cast iron pan and clarified butter or tallow, the result never tastes as good as it does when I use the grill (either gas or charcoal). I'll do a brief sear on high heat to start out and then move them to a cooler side to finish... unless I've cooked them SV first, in which case I just sear. Sous vide grilling is pretty awesome.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

My favorite cut is ribeye, and my favorite way of cooking it is the 'original' Heston method from 'In Search Of Perfection'. Two-rib roast, sear with blowtorch, then into a low oven set to the temp you want the steak. (125°F / 52°C for me) Cook for 24 hours, then portion the roast into steaks and sear in a ripping hot skillet. (I suppose you could use the blowtorch here again) The low-and-slow method sort of apes the dry aging process a bit, and highlights the meaty flavor and aroma compounds nicely. Thomas Keller uses broadly the same technique for his prime rib recipe in 'Ad Hoc At Home'.

Unfortunately, my current oven has digital controls and only goes down to 170°F indicated (which is actually closer to 150°F), so this is kind of a no-go process for me now.

Samuel_68313

I got the impression that the 24 hour low temperature method was not necessary if using dry aged beef. Something virtually impossible to find in the UK (or at least, back when I lived there it was).

Brendan_Lee_56950

If i'm not doing it SV then I am usually grilling, sear over high heat to get some marking and then to the indirect heat with a probe to doneness. Sometimes I like to rest the steaks off the grill in a warmed pan of herb and garlic infused oil to gild the lily a bit.

Jack_Mayer_85396

I agree with @Brendan, fire up the weber, get the fire roaring hot and sear for color on each side then move to a cooler area and cook until just short of the desired finish temp, rest a few minutes and dig in!

Matthew_Snyder_68770

@SamuelG, when Heston demos the recipe on the steak episode, they use a 2-bone forerib roast from a Longhorn that's been aged 35 days.

The low temp cook method really promotes the generation of those same flavor and aroma compounds that dry-aging produces..... so starting with a dry-aged piece of meat means this method of cooking is like flavor turbocharging.

DiggingDogFarm_65362

My favorites.....

The Ducasse Method.....noted in the following thread: http://forum.chefsteps.com/discussion/comment/12139/#Comment_12139

And a reverse "sear" over charcoal on anodized aluminum "Grill Grates"

Samuel_68313

Oh really? I've not watched it in a while tbh. I remember trying to source some of the ingredients from ISOP a few years ago, it was basically impossible. Still remember the look on my butchers face when I asked for a poulet de bresse.

So do you prefer the ISOP method to just doing it SV and finishing with a sear? Did you make mushroom ketchup at all? I made that a few years back and loved it. Actually, as I recall, some of the condiments from ISOP were the best things, that tomato concentrate in the burger episode is incredible.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Wasn't a super big fan of the mushroom ketchup, tbh. It's been a couple years since I made it, and I don't remember exactly what it was I didn't like. But I know I didn't like it and have not made it since.

Sadly, I do not have a circulator. And when I discovered ISOP, I didn't know anything about the improvised SV methods that are out there. But in the year since I started coming to ChefSteps I've cooked everything from steak to salmon to carrots in insulated coolers or stove top water baths. I've never tried an extended cook on a steak using one of those improvised SV methods, but I don't know if I would even want to try to cook a rib roast overnight in an improvised water bath. But I imagine the concepts at play would be the same, whether or not the product is packaged and sealed in water bath, or just standing upright in a roasting pan exposed to the air.

Jack_Mayer_85396

@Matthew_S - check out the new home versions of circulators coming to the market. Anova and SansAire are about $200 or so; that's the cost of a good sauté pan ... I hope to see my SansAire this week and will report my findings somewhere on this forum (help, which thread would be best!).

I also have the PolyScience "home" unit sold here at the CS store and love it! Truly outstanding customer service from @Edward and the CS team!

t.stanoulis

I'm definitely in the Blumental-rapid flip camp, in a heavy iron skillet where the grill is unavailable. But honestly I just prefer sous vide 52-54C rib, pre-seared and finished on the grill. I like it seam-cut, too, either way. (I find that the IIF method works well: http://youtu.be/icdrQlxmcjY)

Lennard__34626

I've had good results from the reverse sear method too, but sans the grill because I don't have access to a grill, just low temp oven + high heat sear. I believe the added benefit of this is that the low temp oven will dry out the surface of the steak so you get a better crust when you eventually sear it. I personally still find sous vide to be lacking in... Something, especially for tender cuts of meat.

I also dislike steaks that aren't seasoned before cooking, and only finished with salt at the end. I think the rationale behind not seasoning before cooking is to ensure that it doesn't draw out moisture from the meat which would lead to a not so great crust. I've found that a good middle ground is to sear an unseasoned steak, then baste it in salted butter

DiggingDogFarm_65362

"I believe the added benefit of this is that the low temp oven will dry out the surface of the steak so you get a better crust when you eventually sear it."

"I also dislike steaks that aren't seasoned before cooking, and only finished with salt at the end."

Yep...I agree.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

@JackMayer, the Annova was on my to-buy list for 2014. But my wife and I just booked air for a trip to Spain next month..... which will include a dinner at Arzak in San Sebastian. So........ yeah, prolly gonna be using ghetto SV for a while longer!

Lennard__34626

Off topic but arzak was the worst three star meal I've ever had... Couldn't recommend mugaritz more

robert.c.brown15

I cooked a steak using the unilateral method the other day. 1.5 inch thick ribeye (approximately, don't exactly remember).

Salt and pepper steak (I did, but I guess you can do this whenever. I guess you could say the pepper could burn, I didn't notice it though).

Heat oil on medium heat in skillet and then add the steak. Once it colors nicely (swirl the oil around to help as you don't want it to really cook too much at this point), turn the heat to medium low (or really, just keep track of the heat as you don't want to overcook side that is down on the pan, but still get a crust), add butter, thyme, and garlic (I left the skin on the garlic and crushed it), and start basting and basting the other side of the steak. Just keep basting. And basting it.

Once the steak has reached the temperature you want (thank you Thermapen) remove the steak, flipping it over onto a rack and let rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes.

One side of the steak gets a great crust/Maillard reaction, and the entire steak is cooked perfectly and incredibly moist.

I've only done this once, but that one time was great. I'm not sure if it is possible to baste it with hot enough fat to get that Maillard reaction on both sides, as to get the butter that hot you'd probably end up overcooking the other side.

If any of you try this out let me know how it went and suggestions. I'll be doing this again sometime soon I'm sure.

Lennard__34626

Do you guys being your steak to room temperature or at least leave it out before cooking? I would think that cooking a steak from cold actually helps to prevent it from overcooking that easily

Samuel_68313

I am sure I read that the idea of leaving a steak out of the fridge for an hour or two before cooking just doesn't work and the actual difference to the internal temperature is negligible. But I think I read that here so hopefully whoever said it can chime in with more info.

Samuel_68313

To answer your question though, I leave it on a rack in the fridge for about a day to dry out the surface as much as possible and go almost immediately from the fridge to the pan.

Samuel_68313

Ha, while trying to confirm that about leaving a steak out of the fridge (it appears I was remembering more or less correctly), I came across a whole article from Serious Eats on steak myths, though I suspect most of us will be aware of almost all of this, it's worth posting anyway I think.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/the-food-lab-7-old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak.html

DiggingDogFarm_65362

I think tempering makes a difference when doing a reverse "sear"...especially if the steak is thick.

In my experience thick tempered steaks cook more evenly.

Samuel_68313

I imagine an awful awful lot of people will heavily dispute the idea that taking a steak out of the fridge makes no difference. Most chefs recommend it and the more I look it's not easy to find too many other places discussing it.

I do wonder though if there might be just an issue of causality here, it's a piece of advice everyone learns just as they are getting into cooking and subsequent better steaks just could be a case of numerous little techniques improving. It's very easy to attribute an improvement to one thing when it could be numerous other things, that's why recipe development is so hard.

Generally though if the science says it makes no difference, I'll trust that over all the anecdotal evidence in the world.

Lennard__34626

I can't remember where I heard this from but I believe it was from Keller? He said something along the lines of, leaving the steak to temper relaxes the meat and thus it leaks less liquid when being cooked. Never found scientific proof that supports this though

DiggingDogFarm_65362

Kenji's experience is vastly different than mine....my steaks generally warm from about 35 degrees to about 65 degrees in same time his only warmed about 12 degrees.

robert.c.brown15

Doe at least "taking the chill off" of the exterior of the steak by letting it sit make any difference when you put it in a hot pan? Or is the oil temperature so high and so thin in a pan that it recovers its temperature almost immediately?

Edit: Ah, I see that paragraph now.

Nicky_J_17040

I don't think that you can sear in beurre monte.

I prefer a ribeye on a wood-burning grill. That hint of smokiness scratches me where I itch.

t.stanoulis

I can't remember where I heard this from but I believe it was from Keller? He said something along the lines of, leaving the steak to temper relaxes the meat and thus it leaks less liquid when being cooked. Never found scientific proof that supports this though @Lennard

Thomas Keller advocates for basting and resting a steak in beurre monté (The French Laundry Cookbook p.135):

We also use beurre monté to baste meats, and this has several purposes. When we sauté beef or venison or a saddle of lamb, we typically finish cooking it in the oven. But before we do, we drain the fat out of the pan and ladle a little beurre monté over the meat. This helps to keep the meat moist, enhances the flavor, and also improves the cooking, because the even layer of fat—the beurre monté—is a hat conductor.

When the meats are done, they come out of the oven and are submerged in beurre monté—it's the perfect resting medium. It actually lowers the temperature of the meat, reducing what is called carryover cooking, then maintains it at a great serving temperature. But most important, the weight of the fat surrounding the meat keeps the meat juices from leaking out—they stay in the meat. So here, we use beurre monté as environmental control, and it enhances the flavor.

Modernist Cuisine supports the technique of resting meat, but argues against the conventional rationale (p.3-84):

After meat is cooked, it is customary to let it sit—or "rest”—before eating it. The conventional wisdom is that this delay allows moisture that cooking had forced to the interior of the meat to move back toward the surface. Resting can improve juiciness slightly, but not for the supposed reason; water diffuses through meat too slowly to migrate far during cooking or resting.
The water inside any muscle food—meat or seafood—is mostly trapped between the contracting protein filaments inside each muscle fiber. Cooking releases a lot of this water and forces some of it outside of the muscle fibers. If you slice into a steak hot off the grill the juice flows freely out of the meat and onto the cutting board or plate. But if you rest that same steak for a few minutes so that it cools slightly, less juice leaks out when the meat is cut. Why?
The answer is that degraded and dissolved proteins slightly thicken the natural juices as they cool during resting. The thickened liquid then escapes more slowly when the meat is sliced.
Resting also allows the steep temperature gradient inside the meat to come closer to equilibrium. The core temperature of the meat continues to rise after you stop cooking it because heat in the surface layers continues to diffuse inward. Because this “heat wave’ has already been set in motion, the peak temperature reached at the core is practically the same whether you rest the meat in a low-temperature oven or dunk it in an ice bath.

The wisdom of general practice states that the longer you rest your steak, the better. I tend to agree.

With respect to drying out the crust, I've been helping my sister to develop a technique for cooking steak without sous-vide (as she does not have a circulator). The latest technique is to vacuum seal a fairly thick steak with a coating of salt and leaving it to cure lightly in the fridge for a day or two. Then it's removed, wiped of salt, and rested open on a rack in the fridge. (If it were up to me, I'd probably strive to do this for a couple of days.) Cooking is the standard frequent-flip with some basting to 50°C centre.

Samuel_68313

We have to be a little careful of having the attitude that a great chef (or an expert in any field for that matter) never gives bad/incorrect advice, or even good advice for the wrong reasons. I am not saying he is wrong here, but it definitely shouldn't be "Keller said this about cooking, he's a great chef, therefore he is correct". Argument from authority fallacy and all that.