The perfect steak?
So what does come to your mind when you crack open a beer (or non-alcoholic grape juice) and sit down next to a hot piece of meat? A lot of things.
When you think about steaks dark restaurants, rustic atmospheres and generally moody ambiance usually come into mind. It's always the ones tucked away that serve the best stuff: Gulliver's Prime Ribs of Beef (10th Floor, Great Eastern Hotel, 7842 Makati Avenue, Makati City Reservations: (632) 896-7475) is a nice little place actually tucked away. Literally. As in the area just looks like it's straight out of hell's kitchen. Or maybe that might just be old time flashbacks coming back. Gulliver's was one of my childhood restaurants; Sunday dinners with Grandma and Grandpa always featured a special bit of prime rib.
Another place that might come to mind would be Melo's over at Burgos Circle in the Fort area. It's a bit more modern now with nicer glass windows but still a great atmosphere overall. Walking inside feels like stepping into another era. My brother recently had his birthday there and the food was amazing. The Mango Flambe is definitely a must try, even if you are just there for the wagyu steak.
Even with these places, sometimes the best steaks just don't seem like they have that oomph they used to. That's where home cooking comes in. There's nothing more satisfying than just sticking something on the skillet, frying it for a couple minutes and then sticking that in your mouth (then maybe crying and flailing about with the boiling hot whateveritis sloshes all over your gums).
Aside from going out for a steak, why not try cooking it yourself? There are a lot of good places to find a good cut; Santi's Delicatessen being my favorite. Here's a tip: don't buy more than you're going to make. It's always best to just buy the ingredients you're planning on using the day or the day before you're going to use them. The French do it and just look at their food reputation! No need to plan out heavy use of spices and herbs. It only takes a few key items to spice up anyone's steak. Learn from experience. The simpler and easier it is to make, the simpler and easier it will be on you (THE CHEF!) and the more impressed your eat-mates will be at your skills!
I first learned this method on youtube on Jamie Oliver's method of making the perfect steak. It was amazing at first but well... after a while it just got boring. Here's my own adapted method using some of the methods I learned at a cooking course:
FIRST:
You'll need a good pan. Cast iron is always good, just make sure you've got that seasoned and well taken care of. It'll last you a proper long time. You'll also want that cast iron if you want those oh-so-prettiful criss-crossing lines on the steak. You'll also want to preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. You won't be cooking the steak entirely on the skillet. You just get the lines here. The actual finishing will be done in the oven. This ensures you get the right steak, every time.
Stick your pan or skillet over the fire on high heat. You'll want it hot all the time so you've got a nice uniformity and you'll get the griddle lines you're looking for.
NEXT:
Gather the ingredients. It need not be over-the-top expensive. Just find a good cut. Rib-eye is my personal favorite; leaves out all the complications of bones and uneven cooking times. Usually a 1/2 or 1 inch thick slice is good. With these you really see the meat and get a feel for the textures and colors.
Prepare a dry rub. Feel free to experiment! The first thing I tried was just salt and pepper. Boring huh? Sea salt/rock salt and fresh cracked pepper is best but you can still use the normal kinds. It just won't have the same effect. The fresher the cracked pepper, the better the flavor.
For my steaks I usually get:
Rosemary
Black Pepper (I crush this in a mortar and pestle but you can just use a bowl and spoon if you want. Sometimes if I'm feeling adventurous, you can experiment with different types: black, green, pink... feel free to pick and choose. Make sure to crush them coarsely. You'll want to have some texture on your steaks)
Sea Salt (you'll want the nice big coarse ones. The good thing about sea salt is that it always looks a lot more than it actually is. Keep that in mind in case you panic if you accidentally add too much. Don't overdo it though!)
Garlic Powder (for that nice punch)
Paprika (unless you're allergic, you'll want to add just a bit [or a lot] of this. It adds that spice you just can't get with other chilies or peppers)
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Although that may be a lot, you can start off with just sea salt and cracked pepper for starters. When you feel more comfortable with your other herbs and spices, finding ingredients turns you into a fat kid at an all-you-can eat fried food buffet.
Before you say "Oh no, Kris! There aren't any measurements on this! How do we know how much we need!" Well kids, the answer is simple. Feel it. Yes, that's right. I said it: "FEEL YOUR HERBS." Just keep a few basic principles in mind: 1.) Steaks love pepper. Just coat the whole thing in crushed black pepper and it'll still turn out great. 2.) Don't buy random herbs that don't go. For example, you wouldn't want to put Dill on your steak now would you?
AND, if you're unsure just google it! Google is the answer to the world.
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THIRD:
INGREDIENTS ASSEMBLE! This is the messy part. Once you've got your rub (unless it's just salt and pepper; if it is just sprinkle a lot of pepper and a little salt on the steak, brush with oil and fry!)
Coat your steak in the rub. Just dump it all in there. You'll be happy with all that flavor. Mmmm... mouthgasm.
Once your steaks are coated, just brush it with some olive oil and you're good to go. You never want to oil your pan directly. This'll cause the steak to stick and you don't want all the good bits stuck on the pan.
FOURTH:
GRILL! (or fry.)
Have you been preheating your pan, hmmm? Once you've got the ingredients assembled, just put lay your steaks on the pan. Press it down a bit with your tongs to make sure the whole steak makes contact with the pan. You don't want a little pocket of uncooked beef in there now do you?
1 and a half minutes, then flip.
You'll want to do this twice so you're cooking it for a total of 3 minutes per side.
Tip: when you flip it for the 3rd and 4th times, tilt the steak 90 degrees to get that nice cross section on the grill lines.
Once this is done, let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes on a cooling rack over a plate. Make sure to cover the steaks with some foil to keep it warm!
Tip: Collect the drippings on the plate and use it on the gravy later on. Delicious dudes. Delicious.
FIFTH:
Once the steaks have "rested" they'll be ready for the oven. You want to get them to around the same temperature so when you finish it, it'll cook uniformly.
Stick the steaks on an oiled baking pan and put it in the oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for another 3 to 5 minutes. You don't want to overdo this step. If it's undercooked you can always come back but there's no going back from an over-done steak.
Voila!
Perfect steak. Feel free to tweak the recipe a bit. Find your own rub, style and taste. Everyone has different views on the perfect steak. This one's just my favorite. Enjoy!
Photos and gravy techniques in the next post!