So my first attempt of making Steak yesterday and it went horribly wrong
So it was beef and no idea what but as it was just a big slab at the halal butchers
So marinaded in a little oil, slat and balsamic and left over night
The next day on high heat I cooked it 4 minutes each side and then dam for about 5 minutes
I do not lie, the fork and knife were pointless, I had to hold it bite off pieces like a caveman..
What did I do wrong?
Re: Rock hard steak
Maybe because it was beef? I always thought that steaks should be lamb, as beef needs cooking for longer? Could be wrong though.
Re: Rock hard steak
I think you're supposed to cook it on low flame
I have always made steak of chicken meat and have cooked it on low flame
Re: Rock hard steak
Did you try using a meat hammer to pound it and make it thinner? That's supposed to help too...
Re: Rock hard steak
Steak is all about the quality of the meat you're using and what you're going for in a meal; do you want flavorful meat or do you want soft succulent steak? The different cuts of meat also determine the toughness of your steak, cuts of beef from the tenderloin area are the best...you get filet mignon from this part (the tenderest parts also have less flavor). T-Bone steak, porterhouse, and flank steak are really flavorful but also very tough...they're usually used for outdoor grilling/BBQ's. Another really important factor if you want a really melt-in-your-mouth steak, look for one's with a higher fat dispersal throughout the meat, it's called marbling. There should be even speckling of fat throughout the steak itself.
As for cooking the steak, make sure the pan you're using to sear is extremely hot before you even think of adding the meat. The steak should be room temperature, not cold (very imp). Let each side sear for 3-4 minutes and what I usually do is preheat my oven beforehand and just throw the pan in the oven to finish off the cooking process. When it's done, I tent it with foil and add a piece of butter atop each steak (learned that from Ina Garten), it really makes the steak taste AMAZING, super-juicy and just wow. Hope this helped!
Re: Rock hard steak
You have to pound the beef to make it tender and then marinate, if you do not pound it with meat pounder it will stay tough as beef steak meat is always tough.
Re: Rock hard steak
Not every cut of meat is meant to cook as steak.
Spunk post is right on the spot about choosing meat and cooking of steak.
Re: Rock hard steak
.
Re: Rock hard steak
Steak is all about the quality of the meat you're using and what you're going for in a meal; do you want flavorful meat or do you want soft succulent steak? The different cuts of meat also determine the toughness of your steak, cuts of beef from the tenderloin area are the best...you get filet mignon from this part (the tenderest parts also have less flavor). T-Bone steak, porterhouse, and flank steak are really flavorful but also very tough...they're usually used for outdoor grilling/BBQ's. Another really important factor if you want a really melt-in-your-mouth steak, look for one's with a higher fat dispersal throughout the meat, it's called marbling. There should be even speckling of fat throughout the steak itself.
As for cooking the steak, make sure the pan you're using to sear is extremely hot before you even think of adding the meat. The steak should be room temperature, not cold (very imp). Let each side sear for 3-4 minutes and what I usually do is preheat my oven beforehand and just throw the pan in the oven to finish off the cooking process. When it's done, I tent it with foil and add a piece of butter atop each steak (learned that from Ina Garten), it really makes the steak taste AMAZING, super-juicy and just wow. Hope this helped!
Wow great tips on cooking steaks. Would marinating steak longer period of time make a difference as well? What is "Aged Steak"? Any tips on how long it should be marinated for and any method on keeping it wrapped in certain way?
Another question how long are you keeping the steak in the oven and at what temperature?
Re: Rock hard steak
we never ever grill on the stove-top for more than 3 mins each side.....no oven, nothing. (be sure to use a cast iron pan to grill and yes, make sure that it is super hot before you add the room temperature meat)
the cut and grade of meat used is of utmost importance.
marinating for about 2 hours at room temperature in a standard tupper ware container usually does the trick but it really depends on the flavour you are aiming for. since we like to eat our steak in its natural juices, we prefer to go easy on the spices and marinating.
Re: Rock hard steak
Wow great tips on cooking steaks. Would marinating steak longer period of time make a difference as well? What is "Aged Steak"? Any tips on how long it should be marinated for and any method on keeping it wrapped in certain way?
Another question how long are you keeping the steak in the oven and at what temperature?
Again, marination of steaks depends on the cut. T-Bone/porterhouse/chuck...needs loads of marinating time cos it's tough. Filet mignon doesn't really need any marination time...an hour/30 minutes. Usually, filet mignon is cooked with salt and pepper and served with some sort of reduction sauce...the less spices/marinade you use, the better really. Simple marinades work best with steaks. Idk about wrapping it a certian way, easiest way to marinate for me, is throw the steak in a plastic ziploc bag with all the marinade ingredients...shake it around and place it in the fridge. Although, I will say, my mom used to marinate steak in a dry rub and used wax paper to wrap it and freeze it. Then every morning she'd cook us steak to take for lunch lol so maybe you could use wax paper?
Aged steak I honestly know nothing about it, sorry. =/ I'm assuming it's like jerky-ish?
I preheat my oven to about 430 F and cook it for about 10 minutes. 10 minutes makes it medium, which is how i like my steak. But if you wanted it well done you would add probably a few more minutes to that, and if you wanted it medium-rare i'd say about 6-7 minutes in the oven would do it.
Re: Rock hard steak
Another really important thing with steak (esp if you're solely using a pan searing method) - after you've seared both sides, and have achieved the doneness of steak that you want...take the meat off the heat and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before touching it. This finished off the cooking process and helps maintain the juiciness of the steak.
S punk is a real steak man it seems. 
Btw as far as marinades go, if you go to the Brazilian style steakhouses they only use salt and pepper.
Good quality meat, proper process and tools help a lot. The pan and oven method s punk noted is used by banquet chefs all over.
I get good steak cuts, dry aged, never frozen, and have a kick ass infrared grill..And the results are better than anything random steak joints make.
Re: Rock hard steak
Corrected. =]
Re: Rock hard steak
yowza...a steak lovin n grilling woman....rare sighting :)
since we are both in chicago, i think we need a steak collaborative effort..gas grill, charcoal grill, big green egg, infrared grill...and heaps of tbones ribeyes etc..
Re: Rock hard steak
@OP since you are a beginner in the science of steak making you should start with fish and chicken steaks , you can never go wrong , once you have perfected those then move on to Beef, lamb , goat etc.
Re: Rock hard steak
Thanks everyone, Mirch bhai, yep will start with Chicken Breast and move on to bigger tasks
Re: Rock hard steak
So my first attempt of making Steak yesterday and it went horribly wrong
So it was beef and no idea what but as it was just a big slab at the halal butchers
So marinaded in a little oil, slat and balsamic and left over night
The next day on high heat I cooked it 4 minutes each side and then dam for about 5 minutes
I do not lie, the fork and knife were pointless, I had to hold it bite off pieces like a caveman..
What did I do wrong?
how thick was the slab? Anything less than 1&1/2 inch thick and 4 mins/side on an open flame is a murder.