Buying and Cooking Tips for Steaks

When you’re buying steaks, it’s great to keep in mind some tips and guidelines to help you pick the best cuts. Also, since you are dealing with steak which is quite tricky to cook especially for the inexperienced, the following cooking tips will also be helpful.

 

Choosing the Perfect Steak: 

 

1. Sirloin is a great choice, as it is tasty, juicy, and very tender. It has nice marbling and right amount of fat. Rump steak is quite cheaper than sirloin. However, it is still excellent for frying or grilling, as it offers more flavour compared to sirloin. But it tends to be chewy if it hasn’t been properly matured.

 

2. The steak’s age is very important. This is because the hanging process tenderizes the meat and enhances its flavour. It would be great if the butcher could tell you how long the steak has been hung. As a general rule, the minimum is 21 days, and 35 days maximum.

 

3. Good steak must be deep red in colour. The beef should have good marbling. You should see tiny streaks of fat throughout the meat. The marbling will melt when heated. This will baste the steak from within during the cooking process.

 

4. Look for a layer of creamy white fat around the top of the sirloin steak.

 

Cooking the Perfect Steak:

 

1. Heat your frying pan or grill over a high heat, until it is smoking hot.

2. Lightly brush your meat with some olive oil and then season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

3. Make sure you keep the steaks spaced well apart. Do not cook more than two steak in one pan, otherwise the meat will stew, instead of fry.

4. Do not turn the meat until you get good seared marks. Turn your steaks over, then sear the other side.

5. Allow the steaks to rest for about three minutes prior to serving. This will cause the juices which have been drawn to the surface to relax back into the steak.