chron·i·cles: Sally Forth!

Hi everyone! Do I have a guest post for you! Again inspired by ohdeardrea, our sponsor opportunity of the month, we are doing something we love that she does not - eating meat! 

Today's guest post comes from one of New York's leading steak chefs! Insightful and clearly passionate about masterfully prepared steaks, Chef Matt Wool lays it out for us in a way that even I can understand! And he also happens to be really really cute in his chef coat. :)

Ok let’s talk steak… There are so many options when choosing what steak to cook that before we get into the cooking part itself I say we first explore how to pick the right steak for you.  The cuts that I tend to work with the most are: the filet, the bone-in strip, the porterhouse and the bone-in ribeye.   

Let’s do a quick breakdown from the leanest and most tender to the fattiest and most succulent. First up, the filet, comes from the tenderloin of the cow which is easy to remember because it tends to be by far your most tender cut. It is also your most lean option making it popular with people who like to minimize their fat intake. When looking at the filet, you will notice that it is going to lack much of the connective tissue you generally find in say a ribeye. The meat fibers are dense which is important to know because this will comparatively increase cooking time - heat does not permeate the meat as easily without that connective tissue.

Next in line is the bone-in strip, also known as the sirloin. A strip has more marbling and connective tissue than the filet and so is going to yield more flavor and will require a shorter cooking time pound for pound.  With that said, this presence of connective tissue actually benefits from a longer cook time. As a general rule, the higher the marbling/fat content, the longer I cook it for and the reason for this is simple – the more that fat breaks down the more flavor will be infused into the meat. The heat literally releases the flavor in fatty cuts. Educated carnivores have then an added decision. If you know you won’t be happy with anything over medium rare, maybe you should explore the leaner filet which shines at this temperature. Or if you’re open to it, try cooking the next deliciously fatty steak you come across to somewhere closer to medium or medium well and see how lively those flavors can really get.

 The porterhouse in my mind is an easy choice – it literally offers the filet on one side and the strip on the other separated only by that flavor enhancing bone.  This cut is widely considered in the steakhouse world as the best of both worlds!

Now let’s talk ribeye. No, let’s talk prime ribeye!  This is hands down my top choice for my own dinner plate. It has that high marbling content throughout that we know adds tons and tons of flavor. With so much connective tissue, its promises a quick cook time and I know that even if it arrives a little overcooked I’ll still love it because that juicy flavoring only improves with added heat.  Now I said the word ‘prime’ and this simply refers to the quality of the beef. Prime meat comes from only the top 1% of the cows slaughtered in the US. These heifers meet the highest standards set by the U.S.D.A. and so consequently will come with the highest price tag. You can easily find Prime quality meat in any cut though you may find ‘Choice’ quality meats just as delicious, more readily available and more cost effective.   

Once you’ve chosen your cut of meat, it’s time to cook that bad boy up. Naturally, there are several schools of thought surrounding how to begin in preparing your meat.  Personally, I season only with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper and leave the steak to speak for itself.  When you season, make sure that you cover it completely so that no single bite is less delicious than another.  Be aware too that the salt serves a purpose. It literally draws the flavor, water and blood out from the core of the steak.  It also helps in forming the sear or crust on the steak, which texture wise add an immense appeal. You may have heard as well that it is best to warm your steak to room temperature before cooking so that the fibers in the meat have a chance to relax.  I personally do not subscribe to this.  I like my steaks to hit the grill while still within the temperature range of 36 to 41 degrees F.  Either way is effective.

If you are a household fortunate enough to have two options for cooking –searing your steak first in a pan and then cooking it through in the oven or completing the whole process in an outdoor grill- the route you take is a personal preference. I generally prefer the pan and broiler combo. Whichever method you choose, you must first make sure it is HOTTTT! Allow amply time for your grill to get as hot as possible. If like me you sear your steak in a pan, it should be smoking hot before it comes into contact with the meat. When cooking with a pan be sure to grease it with an oil that offers a high smoking point. For this purpose, EVOO will not work well. I would suggest instead using a blended oil or better yet, a grape seed oil which has the highest smoking point and an entirely neutral flavor. You will need only a nickel sized amount of this oil. Once properly heated, sear your steak for about a minute on each side. The heat and oil combined with the seasoning will form a crust, locking in the flavor and will also prevent the juices from running and drying it out.  After the sear, place your over-safe pan in a 400 degree oven and if you have the option, I would recommend turning your fan on high. 

To reach Medium Rare, continue cooking until the middle of the steak reaches an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees on your thermometer. 

For Medium, cook until it is 145 degrees. 

For Medium Well, cook until 150 – 155 degrees.

For Well done just cook the heck out of it while watching a full episode of family guy.  

A final thought: Perhaps the most overlooked though potentially most vital step when cooking a steak is to let it rest for at least 60 seconds before serving - meaning that once you remove your dinner from the grill or take it out of the oven, you must place in on a perforated rack and allow for the excess blood to be released.  This ensures that you do in fact reach your desired temperature. 

Follow these basic steps and you’ll land yourself a delicious meal every time. If you have any questions, please feel free to post a comment here and I’ll be happy to get back to you.  Thanks for reading!