Steakhouse at Home
June 16, 2012 in Beef/Lamb, Mains
I think it’s illegitimate to pay triple the price for mediocre steak, which is what you’ll find at the chain steakhouses or restaurants that aren’t seeking a Michelin star experience. This is especially true in my logic when these chains will offer USDA Select (the bottom rung of the meat grade for marbling and tenderness). You can buy USDA Choice at most grocery stores (Prime is only about 2% of the total beef sold and gets snatched up by high end restaurants.) Heck, you can get it in bulk at Costco.
So I go to my local grocery store and pick out a piece of sirloin for the butcher to wrap in some paper. I’ve had to do research to learn about cuts for grilling. I’ve never been a steak person, really, and I have really only eaten it in recent years because beef is my husband’s number one protein choice. I think the word “steak” was always considered too much of a luxury in my childhood memories. I’m sure it happened, but I don’t even vividly remember my father ordering a thick slab of meat at a family restaurant outing. Additionally, I grew up in a household where meat was ALWAYS marinated. Beef, for that matter, was sliced thin, marinated and stir-fried. Or it was a roast that simmered in liquid to be pot roast or soup.
Anyway…
So, steakhouse at home = buy a steak that you pick, cook it to your desired doneness, and make your own sides or toppings. Simple.
Season that steak (salt and pepper or whatever else you want), and let it sit for 10 minutes. This will help bring it to room temperature, which ensure even cooking. The salt will draw out some moisture, so be sure to pat the steak dry before you brown. The faux dry-aged steak, if you will.
Apartment living doesn’t warrant us a grill because of fire codes. The way around that is to sear the meat in a pan to get some browning, then finish it in the (toaster) oven at 400°F. How do you check doneness? There’s quite a few methods, but I use Gordon Ramsay’s method as of late. He explains at the 1:11 mark here.
For the sides, I opted for steamed potatoes and carrots, and a topping of mushrooms and onions for the steak.
To complete the “steakhouse” experience, plate it all nice ‘n’ stuff. Here’s a fancy tip: brush your ready to serve steak with melted butter. It adds richness. All of the high end steakhouses do it before it hits your table, so why not do it at home?
