So how the hell do you cook a steak?

copacetic

copacetic

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I am a useless South African male it seems, since I have no idea how to braai a steak.

Last night I bought something called a 'Porterhouse steak' and tried to prepare it on the fire and I ended up with something that I may well have cut from the tyre of my car.

What gives?
 
steak should cook over a moderate heat, if its too hot only a few minutes and turn often.
 
Steak is one of the most popular cuts to cook on the Braai and one that is most frequently cooked badly. Follow the following simple steps and you will be producing meat worthy of the top steak restaurant. When grilling meat, first allow the steak to come to room temperature, otherwise a thick steak will be overcooked on the outside while the inside will be raw and cold. As a general rule, the thinner the steak the closer it should be to the heat. Like roasts, grilled or braaied meat should benefit from a few minutes’ rest to reabsorb the juices disturbed while cooking, and for the meat to relax thus tasting more tender. For maximum flavour, leave a strip of fat on the meat (diners can always remove fat when eating) and ensure that the meat is well marbled.
For a more elegant way of serving, rather choose one big 6cm thick piece of meat, and cook it as one piece, before allowing it to rest and then carved into strips. This will cut down on the amount of meat each person needs and stop wastage. Always cut meat across the grain which will result in it apeering more tender, when eaten.T-Bone

The best cuts for grilling or braaiing are:
On the bone – T-bones, club steaks, prime rib (rib-eye or chuck – if well matured), short rip strip.
Off the bone – rump, sirloin (Scotch fillet, rib-eye, porterhouse), fillet.

To judge whether a steak is done, for a 2cm steak, allow about 3 minutes on each side for rare, and 4-5 minutes for medium.

±250g of meat per person
Teriyaki sauce
Lemon juice
garlic clove, lightly crushed
Olive oil
Course salt

1. Score the meat at ±3cm intervals by cutting through the fat and membrane, to stop the meat from buckling.
2. Rub each steak with teriyaki sauce, lemon juice and garlic and baste in oil. Pierce the meat with a fork to allow the marinades to penetrate well.
3. Just before grilling, season with salt (if left on too long the salt has a tendency to draw the juices to the surface before the meat is sealed).
4. Place the steak on a grill and cook, turning it no more than once as continual turning loses all the juices. Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.
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How to braai a steak.
 
Marinade, marinade, marinade ....... make your own with stuff you have in and add beer to it. Then, even when the steak is on the braai, brush the marinade on every time you turn the steak.
 
copacetic said:
I am a useless South African male it seems, since I have no idea how to braai a steak.

Last night I bought something called a 'Porterhouse steak' and tried to prepare it on the fire and I ended up with something that I may well have cut from the tyre of my car.

What gives?
Click to expand...

The fire was too hot.
To get a soft steak it needs to be cooked slowly on a mild fire, hold you hand over the coals if you kan keep your hand over the fire for at least 10 seconds then it's about right. Any shorter than 10 seconds let it cool off first. And turn it just about every 30 seconds to a minute. This keeps the juices locked in so it gets cooked from the outside inwards equally. If you leave it on one side too long it becomes as sticky as rubber. You don't need to marinade a steak to get it soft, just take care in the process of braai'ng it. If you chuck it on when you think the fire is right and only come turn it once every few minutes.... You fail :p
 
yip. i'm sold on marinading. found a killer balsamic based recipe on the web last year (can't find it on the pc now, but the printout is stuck on the fridge door !). i use rump - cut the fatty strips off first. marinade a bit (even 15 mins works wonders, but longer=better). braai for 4/5 mins a side. killer ! most people that are privileged enough to get a test-test-cutoff think it's fillet ;)
 
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Heathen! One never never never never never never ever cuts the fat off of a rump, never! It's what adds to the flavouring of the meat. Even if you don't wanna eat the fat, only cut it off after it's been cooked, otherwise you're missing out.
 
i cut ! by the time the meaty part is done to perfection, the fats still raw. my tastebuds (and heart, i guess) wont have it otherwise. :)
(maybe i'll give the 'cut off after braaing' a go, though. take it to the next level !)
 
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ironstone said:
i cut ! by the time the meaty part is done to perfection, the fats still raw. my tastebuds (and heart, i guess) wont have it otherwise. :)
(maybe i'll give the 'cut off after braaing' a go, though. take it to the next level !)
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you won't regret it, it really does impart some lovely flavour to the meat and it helps keep it moist :D
 
Put steak over hot coals. DO NOT turn it until the side facing up starts to "sweat". Turn once. When the 2nd side starts to "sweat" remove the steak. It should be a nice medium rare.
 
BCO said:
Put steak over hot coals. DO NOT turn it until the side facing up starts to "sweat". Turn once. When the 2nd side starts to "sweat" remove the steak. It should be a nice medium rare.
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You are a bladdy agent! You vegan interloper!
 
Mephisto_Helix said:
Marinade, marinade, marinade ....... make your own with stuff you have in and add beer to it. Then, even when the steak is on the braai, brush the marinade on every time you turn the steak.
Click to expand...

Marinading meat is inversely proportional to its quality!!!!


In other words, the better the quality, the less marinade is used. And best quality steak never touches marinade.


One thing I have found is Woolies steaks (not their so called Namibian steak, just their SA steak) is the best. Very, very easy to braai because it has been properly matured. A matured steak will cook very fast over warm coals (the same warmth as what you would use for chicken or lamb). It will also cook to medium very quickly and will not overcook due to less blood in the steak.

Nasty steak is not matured and not properly bleed. Tends to cook tough, and can only be cooked rare. This is where you need marinade.

* I never tried steak on the braai till 2yrs back and I'm often the designated braaier at our staff braais - we only use Woolies steak.
 
I do a flllet with the pepper rub from butchers grill in sandton, 3-4 minutes a side for Medium, seconds are inevitable
 
BCO said:
Put steak over hot coals. DO NOT turn it until the side facing up starts to "sweat". Turn once. When the 2nd side starts to "sweat" remove the steak. It should be a nice medium rare.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I find that I only cook a second round when there are woman as they prefer a medium-well steak.
 
Obviously the upper crust cuts don't need marinade but I tend to try not spend hundreds of rands on 'only the best' meat all the time .......
 
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