Let’s face it. There’s a million ways to a perfectly cooked steak. Actually, it’s hard to get two people to agree on the best way. I know, everyone in my family thinks they do it best and the techniques are all different.
A perfectly cooked steak depends entirely on the quality of the meat. There, I said it. But, it makes sense. The better cut of the meat, the better it will cook. What makes a better cut of beef? First, make sure it’s a breed of cattle you enjoy. Yes, they all are different. We prefer red angus for all of its attributes. We’ll discuss those below.
What makes a good steak?
Next, do you want grass fed or grain fed? Or a blend of both: grass (or pasture) raised and grain finished? That’s how we raise our beef. We find the cattle does better on grass for most of its life. And we work at having the best grass pasture, as we believe happy cows are well, happier. And healthier. But nothing, in our opinion, beats the flavor or marbling of a little grain finishing at the end. We utilize a grain mix, only 5 simple ingredients. NO additives, no fillers, nothing that isn’t a pure food.
The next criteria is the quality of the steak, i.e. the marbling. Marbling is the interior fat deposits. This is what makes a steak juicy and tender. And it helps the steak cook properly. We select and breed our cows based on genetic markers for many things including marbling and ribeye area. This is what our steaks generally look like. Now, those are prime steaks you can’t buy at any grocery store!
Back to a perfectly cooked steak!
Now, back to cooking the steak. I love a cast iron skillet on a cooktop range. Get it good and hot. Sear the steak on both sides, lower the temp a bit, add some butter and a clove or two of garlic and baste for a few minutes on each side, until as done as you like it. The Art of Manliness shows how to do the touch test for doneness.
Another popular way to cook steak at our house is on the grill. Can’t ever go wrong that way! Very important that the steaks are room temperature. It helps the fat melt into the meat to keep it juicy. Dust liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. When that grill is good and hot, set the meat down gently and let it cook 3 minutes, flip and cook another 3 minutes on the other side. And then remove the meat! Do not cook it longer. Let it rest for a few minutes (if you can) before cutting. Then enjoy!
As mentioned before, there are many more ways to perfectly cook a steak, but these two are our favorites. Easy, delicious and ready quickly. We’d love to hear how you like to cook your steak. If you need the steak, you can buy it at Triple C Ranch TN!
