Need help cooking steak!!

Whether we cook in the oven or on the grill, they just come out tough. Did a flap steak last night and it was so tough I could not eat it. Great taste, but... Please, any suggestions will be appreciated.

Cast iron skillet is your friend.

Set your oven to the highest possible setting and throw the empty skillet in.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper the steak, and a light coating of vegetable oil. The aerosol kind is good.

When that pan is screaming hot, put on a welding glove and take it out of the oven and on to the stove top. Turn off the oven.

Throw the steaks into the pan. flip in 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness and how you like it done. Eat, and thank me later.

Steak in the oven????

Good lord man...

On the grill or in a pan. med-high heat, sear both sides and the edges to seal in all the goodness, then turn the heat down and cook until it's as tender as you want it.

I like med-rare to rare so no more than 5 minutes, generally.

Make sure you use 50/50 butter and oil in the pan (butter won't scorch this way) and make sure you season your steak before cooking with salt and pepper. Lots of kosher salt and let it sit for about 15 minutes. don't use table salt, you're seasoning it, not salting it.

Go here: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Pan-Fry-the-Perfect-Steak/?ALLSTEPS

Extreme high temperature, short time. Medium to medium rare is 5 minutes per side or less and a 5 minute rest wrapped in foil. You need the grill as hot as it can get. Rather than using the oven, use a skillet. Hot, hot, hot.

Also, don't cook a steak straight out of the refrigerator. Let it warm on the counter, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

I'm pretty sure you can't cook one well done and not have it a little on the tough side. I don't know for sure, I've never ruined a steak like that.

The key is getting the correct cut of steak. My personal favorite is New York strip. Best blend of price, flavor, and tenderness.

Also cook to temp. I use a probe thermometer if the steak I big enough.

Don't bake it broil it. If you must bake it set the oven to 350

Get a cast iron pan and get it rocket hot on the stove. Sear the stake in pan and then move to the oven to finish. Bake to the desired doneness by the internal temp and don't forget about carry over. Season to tast after you cook. Let the steak rest for a minimum of five minute before cutting it. Ten minutes is even better.

Not as good as a grill but dam close.

dean1484 wrote: Not as good as a grill but dam close.

I will tell you this... once I learned to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet, I quit using my grill. In fact, I sold it.

Now, maybe you're right and a skillet isn't as good as a grill, but the skillet is faster, easier to clean, and more foolproof.

Maybe a marinate would help.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/grilled-marinated-sirloin-flap-steaks-350252

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_marinated_flank_steak/

Tough steak is either overdone, or tough when it came out of the cow. Find a real butcher shop. Won't be much more than the Walmart, and you have a professional to talk to.

Closer to the bone and a bit more fat equals a better steak.

Take a nice thick ribeye and let it sit out for about 30 mins or so. Coat it in canola oil then rub in kosher salt and very coarsely ground black pepper. Fill your chimney starter with chunk charcoal and get it red hot - the air compressor can help with that process. Put your cast iron directly on top of the chimney starter and let it get blazing hot. Once a sprinkle of water will sizzle before it actually hits the surface, put the steaks on for about 90 seconds per side. Any more than that and you ruins it. If you have heathens as guests who demand overdone meat, first serve them the select steaks and reserve your choice or prime for everyone else. After the 3 minute cook on the jet engine, give them another 60 seconds on each side for medium rare. You can put them on a regular charcoal grill for an additional 90-120 seconds each side for medium. Anything more, don't waste good beef on them, they can have a hot dog along with the other kids.

EvanR wrote: Cast iron skillet is your friend. Set your oven to the highest possible setting and throw the empty skillet in. Meanwhile, salt and pepper the steak, and a light coating of vegetable oil. The aerosol kind is good. When that pan is screaming hot, put on a welding glove and take it out of the oven and on to the stove top. Turn off the oven. Throw the steaks into the pan. flip in 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness and how you like it done. Eat, and thank me later.

very similar to my method … stove on high for >5min … oven preheated to 500° …

oil the steak

salt and pepper

put into the cast iron frying pan (dry pan) for 30" each side

put into oven … 2' each side (more or less depending on amt. of rare/well done you want

but for tender … be very selective of you steak choices … I'm not familiar with flap steak … I tend to use tenderloin, ribeye among others

flap steak should be cut at a right angle to the way the fibers lay in very thin slices, much like skirt steak.

those two cuts are generally tougher than others, but they dont have to come out like a shoe. and if you cut it with the fibers, it can be a tough chew. cutting it at a right angle lets it come apart more satisfyingly in a bite.

try your existing recipe one more time, maybe with a tad less cook time, and slice it super thin (1/4" at the most)after its cooked, at a 90 degree to the meat fibers.

EvanR wrote:

dean1484 wrote: Not as good as a grill but dam close.

I will tell you this... once I learned to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet, I quit using my grill. In fact, I sold it. Now, maybe you're right and a skillet isn't as good as a grill, but the skillet is faster, easier to clean, and more foolproof.

I concur completely. I think I should re phrase that and say that the skillet in the oven method is equally as good. You get the seared browning (Maillard reaction) on the surface that gives it that oh so good crust. What you don't get is the smoke grill flavor. Both are excellent both make me REALLY REALLY WANT STEAK TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Edit (just got back from the store)

So went to the supermarket and there was a butcher on duty. Asked for some new York strip and he pointed to the case (as opposed to the pre wrapped stuff) When I told him to choose as it was for my daughters birthday and she had requested NY strip he said hold on and diapered out into the back. He came back in about 5 minuts with three 1.5" thick NY strip steaks that are some of the best I have ever seen. He smiled and said it was a birthday present for my daughter. (He charged me the sale price as well!!!!)

For those that watch "Good Eats" Alton Brown's advice of "getting to know your Butcher" should be taken to heart. They are experts in there field and when asked I have always "steered" (ok bad pun) me in the rite direction.

Back at the OP seriously talk to your local butcher they can help. Also search out on the interweb the "good eats" "steak your claim" episode.

Ok I did it for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7p_yFWdprs

You may very well be over thinking how you cook steak.

If you're ever forced to oven cook the Omaha steaks PDF. instructions/cooking guide based on width of the cut is worth checking.

Does the salt do anything for the cooking process? I can't stand salt and will go to extremes to not have it on anything. My steaks come out okay but I don't know if I'm missing anything.

Pulls moisture and proteins to the surface concentrating the flavor and you will get better browning it also is a flaver enhancer. But it is not needed. You m may have to keep it in the pan a bit longer to get the desired browning.

i dunno, but i season first and salt after cooking last. thats just me, tho..

In reply to Nick (Not-Stig) Comstock:

I'm not a huge fan of salt either but when I learned to use it correctly, things got a lot better.

Restaurant food turned me off salt because all I could taste was salt. They use table salt and heap it on so you'll buy more drinks.

Once I found out about coarse salt, kosher salt, etc, I found that they made me taste the food more without tasting like salt.

Shawn

madmallard wrote: i dunno, but i season first and salt after cooking last. thats just me, tho..

shrug … I use salt as a seasoning … so it and pepper first .. makes a nice crust

just my 2¢

dean1484 wrote: You get the seared browning (Maillard reaction) on the surface that gives it that oh so good crust. What you don't get is the smoke grill flavor. Both are excellent both make me REALLY REALLY WANT STEAK TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!

You can with one of these, I have one, it just requires industrial grade ventilation to use inside and cleanup is a pain, not worth the trouble in my opinion.

I have a weber grilling book I got years ago that has a cheat sheet in the back. Look up your cut of meat, tells you what temp, direct or indirect heat, and time. I went from under or overcooking all the things to juicy delicious grilling.

Recently read this tip online for pork loins. Called the 7-6-5 cooking method. High heat, 7 minutes, then flip the pork loin and cook for 6 minutes. Do not open grill, turn it off and let the pork sit for 5 minutes and then remove. You're welcome.

Streetwiseguy wrote: Tough steak is either overdone, or tough when it came out of the cow. Find a real butcher shop. Won't be much more than the Walmart, and you have a professional to talk to. Closer to the bone and a bit more fat equals a better steak.

While meat from the butcher is good, I grill meat from Walmart 99% of the time and unless I berkeley something up it comes out fantastic.

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

I have one of those. Agree with everything you said. It is best for using over an open flame. Otherwise it makes a decent door stop.

For those that watch "Good Eats" Alton Brown's advice of "getting to know your Butcher" should be taken to heart. They are experts in there field and when asked I have always "steered" (ok bad pun) me in the rite direction. Back at the OP seriously talk to your local butcher they can help. Also search out on the interweb the "good eats" "steak your claim" episode. Ok I did it for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7p_yFWdprs

+1

I saw this episode a decade ago and I've cooked steaks this way ever since. I also made ribeyes this evening -- oil, salt, pepper, nuclear hot skillet (the IR thermometer should say 700F+), and a nice bottle of wine. Mmmm.

dean1484 wrote: In reply to Kenny_McCormic: I have one of those. Agree with everything you said. It is best for using over an open flame. Otherwise it makes a decent door stop.

Yeah I can see how it would work well on a campfire, just throw the pan in the fire when you're done! Not like they require seasoning like most cast iron cookware. Though if we're cooking steaks over a fire, might as well do them on a grate or right on the coals.

Step one. Buy.gigantic steak. Step two- heat oven to broiling. Step 3, put stuff on steak to make it tazte Good (I actually use himilayan rock salt and fresh black pepper, with a combo of grapeseed and olive oil) heat iron pan til glowing hot. 30sec to 1m a side to wear. Into oven for two min. Flip. Back in oven for two min. Any more.and you've overcooked it.

You guys are making me miss steak, another ribeye fan here.