The Search for the Perfect Steak

from the Search for the Perfect Steak
By KATY MCLAUGHLIN September 8, 2007 Wall Street Journal

I'm standing in the kitchen of Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Peter Luger Steak House, inches from a wall of broilers, fearing that I, like the Flintstone-size porterhouses sizzling behind me, might be developing a heavy char. Waiters rush to pick up hissing plates of beef, while cooks spear steaks onto huge, pointy forks and, in a flash, dissect them into chunks…

Even as the price of prime beef skyrockets -- partially an odd side effect of the nation's new love of ethanol, which is driving up the price of corn used to feed cattle -- I discovered there's a trick to making cheaper choice cuts nearly as flavorful and tender as prime. And I learned why the most critical gadgets in the pro steak chef's grilling arsenal are a humble cast-iron pan and tongs.

Americans have grown accustomed to the taste of top-drawer steak since the steakhouse industry began to boom in the early 1990s. But for years, there was a still a difference between the beef served up at these pricey restaurants and the best cuts sold in most stores. That began to change toward the end of the '90s, when more retailers started carrying USDA prime, sometimes dry-aged. The "prime" label is the highest grade assigned to beef by the Agriculture Department based on the amount of marbling, or lines of fat, it contains. Lesser grades, such as choice and select, have less marbling…

But the good stuff doesn't come cheap. At Peter Luger, for example, a porterhouse for two costs $81.90 -- or roughly $2.04 an ounce. You can cook a similar steak at home by buying a porterhouse package through the restaurant's online butcher shop for $206.20, or about $2.71 an ounce (though you get steak sauce, chocolate coins and shipping, too).

Whereas restaurants might eat margin losses or rejigger the rest of the menu to offset losses, retailers set their prices high partly as a hedge against market fluctuations. This year, for example, wholesale prices for USDA prime steaks have jumped 8% to 9% from the same period last year -- and that's on top of a 15% increase from 2005 to 2006. These are historically large jumps, according to market analyst Cattle-Fax, reflecting the high demand for prime.

Fueling the increase are corn prices that have risen by 50% this year compared with last year, partly a result of rising ethanol demand. Ethanol uses up 26% of the total U.S. corn crop -- up from 11% five years ago, according to USDA numbers. In response, the beef industry is cutting the number of days it feeds cattle grain, which translates into fewer cattle developing the marbling that merits a prime grade…

Elias Iglesias, the 14-year veteran executive chef at the New York branch of Morton's, says though he uses prime at the restaurant, he happily cooks choice meat at home… cuts them into even, 1½- to 2-inch steaks himself (filet should be cut 2½ inches thick)…well-marbled choice steaks can taste as good as prime if they are properly aged and cooked…

While prime beef is slightly scarcer than usual right now -- accounting for about 2.5% to 3% of all beef on the market, down from 3.1% last year -- choice beef is plentiful, at roughly 58% of all beef, compared with 56% last year. Beef grade is largely determined by nature, though the industry tries, through genetics and feeding practices, to raise cattle so that they will earn a choice grade…

Cooking the meat to 165 degrees would kill off pathogens, but the meat would be like shoe leather by then. For medium rare, most chefs cook steak until the interior is 125 to 130 degrees (it will continue to rise in temperature by a further five to 10 degrees as it rests) and has a rosy, but not blood-red, hue…

At Morton's, I saw large trays of raw meat sitting out beside the stove. Mr. Iglesias explained that the restaurant lets steak sit outside the refrigerator for about an hour -- as much as the health code allows -- but "at home I let them sit for two hours," he admitted. The purpose: To raise the internal temperature slightly, so that the center doesn't stay cold while the exterior burns. This turned out to be a key technique for cooking the perfect steak.

To imitate the golden crust the steakhouse broiler provides, Mr. Iglesias suggests searing steaks in an extremely hot cast-iron pan coated with a little oil and flipping them with tongs, never a fork, which releases juices. Then, the steaks should be moved to the center rack of a 400-degree oven to finish cooking. Of course, it's wonderful to use an outdoor grill -- searing first over high heat and then moving the steaks to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking -- though not practical in winter.

Morton's also seasons steak with a secret salt-and-spice blend. Mr. Iglesias says Lawry's Seasoned Salt is a perfectly good alternative (though I, a purist, just use kosher salt). After cooking, he says it's critical to let the meat rest for a few minutes before eating it, to allow the juices to reabsorb into the meat…

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Lessons From the Pros

Master Recipe

2 steaks; cut strip steaks or rib-eyes about 11/2 inches thick, filet mignon, 21/2 inches
2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil
Kosher salt

• Remove steaks from refrigerator 2 hours before cooking time. Dry them with a paper towel.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with a rack set in the middle.

• Heat a heavy, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, until a few drops of water sprinkled in the hot pan evaporate within 3 seconds.

• Coat the bottom of the pan with 2 teaspoons of grapeseed or canola oil.

• Liberally salt the steaks with kosher salt, about 3/4 teaspoon for each steak.

• Place steaks in pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side, flipping only once with tongs.

• Transfer the steaks, still in the pan, to the oven and roast for roughly 8 to 9 minutes for 11/2-inch steaks to achieve medium-rare (an instant-read thermometer should register between 125 and 130 degrees).

• Let the steaks rest, under a tent of aluminum foil, for 5 minutes before serving.

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Bobby Flay's Coffee Spice Rub for Strip Steaks

Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup ancho chile powder
1/4 cup finely ground espresso-roast coffee beans
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons chile de árbol powder or cayenne (optional)

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid and mix well. Store in a cool place. Omit the chile de árbol if you want a milder rub. To use: Proceed with the master recipe, replacing the kosher salt with a coating of 1 tablespoon of spice rub on each steak, plus salt to taste. During searing, there will be a bit of smoke, but the steaks are not burning; it is just smoke from the spices in the rub. Works on all steaks but is best on strip steaks or rib-eyes.

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a good article, worth reading, I would quibble with a few points, but it should help you prepare better steaks