ISO: New ideas for steak

[tsim]

I've got some steaks left for my food this month, and while I don't mind grilling steaks, usually the only thing I can think of to make with them is to grill them up on my George Foreman. I got creative one time and rubbed the steak in butter first, and it seemed to make a difference, though I have no clue as to what it was! Can anyone offer any tips as to stuff I could do? The steaks I've got currently are probably cut for steak, but I'd love to have another option!!

 

[YT2095]

shred it thinly and do a stir-fry with noodles and onions, plenty garlic, ginger and Soy sauce

 

[Barb L.]

If it is a tender steak, I don't mess with it too much, salt, pepper, little garlic powder, then when done little butter on top. I just like the true steak flavor.

 

[tsim]

YT, thanks! Sounds good! I'll give that a shot.

Barb, so, are you suggesting still grill it after doing that?

 

[SizzlininIN]

If it is a tender steak, I don't mess with it too much, salt, pepper, little garlic powder, then when done little butter on top. I just like the true steak flavor.

Ditto......and sometimes I leave out the garlic powder too.

Another thing you can do is coat one side with a generous amount of freshly coarse black pepper for Pepper Steak.

 

[YT2095]

I got the impression he was tired of the whole Steak Cut idea (and I guess it could get a little boring in time).

actualy, if you have a food blender you could blitz the steak up to make a mince, and then there`s plenty you can do, Meat balls, chili, bolognaise with pasta, burgers, loads of stuff really

 

[Barb L.]

YT, thanks! Sounds good! I'll give that a shot.

Barb, so, are you suggesting still grill it after doing that?

Yes, I would, or saute it ! Grilling outside if possible.

 

[auntdot]

To me what I do with a cut of meat depends upon where it comes from on the critter.

For ground meat, which we usually grind ourselves, prefer something from the chuck or round (or a mixture).

Most cuts that take to dry heat, I cook as a steak.

Tht being said, you might, if the steak is thick enough, be able to cut it into kabob pieces.

Or cut it into strips and marinate it in teriyaki sauce, or any marinade you choose. Can then cook it on the stove, grill, or as a stir fry.

Or maybe a satay.

Anyway enjoy.

 

[buckytom]

tsim, how about making a dry rub just for a change. my fave is a combo of: onion powder; dried parsley, oregano, and basil; sea salt and black pepper; and a splash of worcestershire or maggi sauce. add garlic powder if you like that too. i just sprinkle each one on the meat lightly covering each side, then i wrap the meat tightly in plastic, pressing the rub into the meat. you can let it "marinate" as long as you'd like. i prefer to let it sit in the fridge at least overnight.

then i like to broil my steaks in the oven. actually, my broiler is a drawer under the oven. i wrap the tray in foil, put it in the middle slot of the drawer, and turn on the oven to broil. i let it heat up for a few minutes, then cook the steak for 5 to 7 minutes a side, flipping only once and not disturbing it in between. if done right, the steak should be medium rare. if you like it more well done, give it another minute or two on each side.
hope this helps.

 

[elcameron]

Depending on what cut they are you might slice them thin, pound a bit, rub with pesto, or sundried tomato pesto, or mushroom mix, or just herbs, then roll and tie, roast grill or braise.

 

[pacanis]

An old friend of mine used to like grilling them this way:
He would score both sides with a knife, diagonally and both ways for looks, and rub whatever seasoning he wanted into them including some Lea & Perrins, which he always said tasted better than the other popular kind (Heinz is it?). Sometimes he would rub fresh minced garlic on them, too. Of course let them sit out for a while at room temp.
It's not my favorite way to eat steak, but it does give a fresh taste to them if you are tired of just lightly seasoning and grilling them (my favorite way). The scoring makes them cook more quickly, too. If I happen upon some strip steaks I usually cook them this way, as I don't think it is that flavorful a cut (personal opinion), at least not like ribeye.

Disclaimer: I would NEVER do this to a two inch thick NY strip! Just wouldn't be right.

 

[tsim]

whoa!

haha! So, I expected to get an email whenever this thread got updated again! Just happened to check in on it and lots of great ideas!

YT was right, I am pretty tired of grilling. Although I have to say I think I'll definitely try the broiling thing that buckytom suggested! That sounds good!

aunt dot, what is a satay?

elcameron, I don't know how to braise...yet. But I'm willing to learn!

pacanis, the scoring idea sounds good, I'll be sure to try that soon.

Thanks all! I love steak, and I like grilling and the taste of a grilled steak, but it's like ramen: it's alright the first couple of times, but you eat it several times in a row and it's just wrong. (Except one of my old roommates who went through a box of 30 in a month or less...)

 

[AllenOK]

Here's a few that I've done:

Adobo Marinade for Steak:

1 lime, juiced
1 T minced garlic
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
2 T Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, minced
Adobo sauce, from the can, to taste

Mix the ingredients, and season to taste with the Adobo sauce. Be careful, it's got a lot of vinegar in it. Take your steak, and prick (or stab) with a fork all over. Marinate the steak in a ziplock baggie for an hour or two. Grill to desired doneness.

I think this one is called Steak au Poivre (sp?):

Liberally coat a steak with cracked black pepper. Preheat the oven to about 400 or 450 degrees F. Heat a saute pan (that can go in the oven, no plastic handles) or a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add a little oil, and sear one side of the steak. Cook until the peppercorns start toast, about a minute or two. Flip, and place the pan in the oven. Cook for a few minutes, to desired doneness. Remove the pan, and plate the steak. Deglaze the pan over heat with a little red wine and some strong beef stock (or demi-glaze, if you have it). Reduce slightly, and season to taste with salt and pepper

Remember, I'm not sure about times or temperatures on this, so do a little searching. I know there's a good thread on the Beef sub-forum by one of the other members about this. His handle is mylegsbig.

You could just Blacken the steak. I know I repeat this with a lot of different things, but I used to work in a cajun restaurant, and have a major addiction to anything blackened.

If you broil, or pan-sear and bake, you can also top the steak with crumbled bleu cheese, let that melt, and serve. I know this is popular right now, but honestly, I can't stand bleu cheese.

Have you thought about Compound Butters? A classic one, Maitre D'Hotel Butter, is classically used to top a steak with. Just a small bit of butter is needed.

 

[tsim]

Allen, those sound like good recipies. I'm not sure about the cajun stuff. I've got acid reflux pretty bad and spicy stuff just doesn't set well anymore. So I compensate with sugar...

As to the butters, I hadn't even heard of Compound Butter. Wouldn't know where to go to get them. I usually just get a four pack of butter at Sam's. What exactly is 'compound' butter?

 

[AllenOK]

Compound Butters aren't something you buy, it's something you make. Let the butter come up to room temperature, put it in a bowl, and mix in some flavoring ingredients. I've got about a dozen different recipes, and ran a search on ichef.com and chef2chef.com, and found many more recipes there.

I can't seem to find a recipe for Maitre D'Hotel butter. I remember it's softened butter, parsley, a little minced garlic, maybe minced shallots, and a little lemon juice.

Here's a recipe we do at work for steak:

Steak Butter
Yields:
From: TCC recipe

8 T (one stick) butter
8 T (one stick) margarine
¼ t dry mustard powder
2 ¼ t lemon juice
1 t parsley, chopped
1 t green onions, sliced
1 t Maggi Seasoning
1 t Cain’s meat seasoning

Let the butter soften. In a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix for a few minutes. Scrape the bowl, and mix until smooth.
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper, and spread the butter out in a line across the paper. Roll the paper up, and using a flat edge of some kind, tuck one edge of parchment under the lip of the flat edge (a sheet pan works good for this), and press forward. This will form the butter into a perfectly round tube. Finish rolling the parchment around the butter, and twist the ends to close it. Wrap in plastic, and store in the freezer.
To serve, slice off a thin piece, about 1/8” thick, and place on the steak immediately after it’s cooked.

Maggi Seasoning is a liquid product, similar to soy sauce. Look for it in a grocery store in the international aisle, near the soy, or in the Mexican products.

You could also do Steak Diane, a classic dish of thinly-sliced steak, sauteed, with shallots and mushrooms, flambeed with brandy, then strong beef stock or demi-glaze is adding to finish the sauce.

I have 118 recipes for beef on my HDD. If you want, I can find more likely-looking recipes, and pm them to you.

 

[SizzlininIN]

tsim, how about making a dry rub just for a change. my fave is a combo of: onion powder; dried parsley, oregano, and basil; sea salt and black pepper; and a splash of worcestershire or maggi sauce. add garlic powder if you like that too. i just sprinkle each one on the meat lightly covering each side, then i wrap the meat tightly in plastic, pressing the rub into the meat. you can let it "marinate" as long as you'd like. i prefer to let it sit in the fridge at least overnight.

then i like to broil my steaks in the oven. actually, my broiler is a drawer under the oven. i wrap the tray in foil, put it in the middle slot of the drawer, and turn on the oven to broil. i let it heat up for a few minutes, then cook the steak for 5 to 7 minutes a side, flipping only once and not disturbing it in between. if done right, the steak should be medium rare. if you like it more well done, give it another minute or two on each side.
hope this helps.

Thanks Bucky.....gonna paste this in my file.

 

[college_cook]

tsim, what cuts of meat are you using exactly? That will largely dictate what should and should not be done with them.

If you've got cut like ribeyes, NY strip, tenderloin, etc. then you should probably not venture too far from normal steak cooking. One thing you should always do when having a normal grilled or pan-seared steak is to make sure it's well seasoned.

Ways to jazz up a regular grilled steak might include topping it with some pancetta (bacon) butter and let that melt over the steak while it rests after cooking. To make pancetta butter, or bacon butter, simply lay out your bacon/pancetta on a baking sheet, and put it in a 350 oven till they are crispy. Let it cool, chop it, and then beat it into some butter using an electric mixer. This can be stored in the fridge as well, if you have extra, thought I'm not entriely sure fore how long. I'd say a week to be on the safe side. You can also use this butter on a baked potato, or on to saute' veggies with.

Another way is to marinate in chimichurri (basically minced clinatro and garlic, and lime juice), then season and grill your steak, and then melt some mexican cheese over it when it is done grilling and while it rests. Just be sure to buy mexican cheese that melts like normal cheese, because some varieties of mexican cheese do not melt (queso fresca, i believe is the name of the non-melting kind).

 

[tsim]

Allen, I'd definitely be interested in some recipes! Especially if you have some for apple or honey butter. mmmm...

college_cook, I just measured the steak, and it will probably be about 3/4" after it finishes cooking.

Here's a question. When I was watching Top Chef, I noticed they did something quite frequently called a Surf and Turf. Now, I've got some Salmon, small deveined shrimp with the tails already off, and some crab meat. I've been wanting to kind of try that, I just haven't had much time to sit down and actually think of a good way to combine the steak with one of those.

Running with the idea of the compound butter idea, could I make a garlic butter and rub the steak in that, then season it with crushed sea salt; top it with a salmon that's cooked in savory, butter and a little sea salt? I've tried the salmon like that before, and it turned out ok. Any thoughts?

 

[AllenOK]

Ask, and ye shall receive:

Honey Butter

1 c unsalted softened butter
¼ c of honey
¼ c Confectioner’s (icing) sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

 

[BrazenAmateur]

Assuming this is a fairly tender steak, I'd try the following:

Get a pan (preferably cast iron....but any kind will do) and heat up some oil or butter as hot as your stove can heat it.

Place steak(s) in pan and hold something on top of them to sear, maybe 2 minutes per side. Get a real good char on there.

Then take the whole pan and put it into an already-heated 500 degree (or as hot as it will go) oven.

I let little 6oz filet mignon's cook for like 8 minutes, larger steaks will take a little longer, but do NOT overcook it. Remove it a couple minutes before you normally would, as it will continue to cook once outside of the oven.

NOTE: If your pan is oven safe, or if you don't know if it is or not, just put the steaks in a pre-heated casserole pan or something. Always transfer with TONGS, do *not* pierce the outside with a fork or anything like that.