STEAK Class & Taste Test

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jeremy5431

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Original poster
Oct 18, 2014
61
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Last year my father in law grilled a steak. It fell flat. It wasn't rested, it was tough and wasn't seasoned well. My mother in law asked me to teach him how to grill a steak. Fast forward to this spring when we got together again for Steak class. I took the class a little further and decided to compare a few different steaks to see which one was best. Here are the contenders:
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From left to right
A: New York Strip from Von Hanson's Meat Market ( a regional meat market popular in the Twin Cities metro area)
B: Grass Fed Ribeye from St. Paul Meat Shop ( the only whole animal butcher in the Metro).
C: New York Strip Von Hansons
D: New York Strip 45 Day dry aged from St. Paul Meat Shop

Now lets stop for a second. Let me ask you all a question. Looking at the steaks, which steak do you think you would like best? The results from our taste test are below
Steaks A, B, and D were salted using Diamond Crystal Kosher salt at 1.5% of their weight 48 hours in advance. C was left as the "control" and salted right before it went on the grill. Then they were vacuumed packed and brought to the lake for class.

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The steaks were then taken out and put on a rack to dry for 1.5 hours before grilling. They were also seasoned with freshly cracked black pepper.

Now its time for a confession, and some here will not be happy to hear this. but they were grilled on a webber gas grill (hey that's what my in-laws have, I personally have both a gas and a charcoal grill). The grill was preheated using all burners including the sear burner for 30 minutes prior to grilling. The method I follow is:

1. Sear the steaks for 45 seconds, rotate 45 degrees, sear for 45 seconds, then flip and repeat.
2. turn sear burner and one main burner off.
3. move steaks to the indirect side and let them rest until they come up to 127.
4. after pulling the steaks I let them rest until they got to 133 (about 10 minutes)

Here are the results:

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So everyone tasted each steak, without the prosciutto scented horseradish sauce, mushrooms, etc. The results were surprising.

First Place: B - The Grass Fed Ribeye from St. Paul Meat Shop
Second Place : A- The 48 hour salted NY Strip from Von Hansons
Third Place: D - The 45 day dry aged Strip From St. Paul Meat Shop
Fourth Place : C - the salted just before grilled NY Strip from Von Hansons.

Im sure like most people, I thought I would like the 45 day dry aged strip the best. It was good, but it was much more dense ( from the aging) and it was gamey. I was surprised that I picked the Rib Eye because I normally don't like all the fat, but this one was amazing. There is something to be said about buying quality meat and St. Paul Meat Shop doesn't let you down (however you also do pay a pretty penny for it too)

This was a fun experiment to do. Its something Ive always wanted to do too ever since reading Aaron Franklin's 'Steak' book. I'll be honest. I have learned a lot from that book. Even if you are an experienced grillmaster, you'll still learn something.

If you have made it to the end of this, thank you!
 

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Nicely done ! Taking the time to experience food is something most people don't know how to do!
 
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Nicely done ! Taking the time to experience food is something most people don't know how to do!

I agree 100% anyone can throw a steak on the grill and cook it. It takes skill to grill it.

Its funny the older I get the more simpler I get when cooking steak. If Im spending $25-$30 a lb for a ny strip, Im going to treat it with respect. I want to season with salt and pepper to enhance the flavor of the meat. The only time you'll see me use a steak sauce is on a poorly cooked steak.

I say that then I remember I made a sauce for the steaks. Its a bit different in this case because the I think the horseradish brings out the flavor of the meat and it was more of a Demi-glace then anything.
 
Love your Test---They All look Great !!
I love all Steaks that are Tender, but no steak I've ever had can even come close to a Ribeye!!!
Like.

Bear
 
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