HowDoWhy

Spring is finally here and grills across America are beginning to fire up. The mouth-watering smells of burgers and hotdogs filled my own neighborhood last weekend, but the smell that always sends me running to the grocery store is the smell of grilling steak. I have very high expectations when it comes to steak and it’s a rare treat to reproduce the results I’ve experienced in some of the best steak houses in America. No wonder, as grilling an awesome steak is as much art as science and there’s a surprisingly significant amount of science as it is. So let’s get to it!

In the steak grilling world, a perfect steak has four main elements.

• Taste
• Visual Appeal
• Doneness
• Texture - Tenderness

Miss out on any of the above and what could have been the perfect steak winds up as only a good or ok steak. Miss more than one and it can be a disaster. Taste is largely a combination of the type (cut & grade) of steak you buy and the rub or seasoning you use. Visual appeal is fairly simple to accomplish and I’ll touch on it in a later “quick-hit” post. A steak cooked to preference is a real challenge and a topic for a lengthy future post. Today, I’d like to talk about Texture. So if you’d like to learn how to cook a wonderfully tender steak (as well as learn what not to do) please read on!

In researching this question, I came up with several answers and it’s up to you which (or which combination) you’d like to try. My most recent experiment was a salting solution from SteamyKitchen which turned out alright. The Choice grade steak did turn out Prime grade tender as advertised. It was a bit saltier (not excessively) than I would have liked but still perfectly edible. Give the article a read - How to Turn Cheap “Choice” Steaks into “Prime” Steaks. In addition to the tip at SteamyKitchen, here are some other proven methods to land you a more tender steak every time.

          Grade of Meat - The saying “you get what you pay for” is pretty accurate when it comes to steak. A Choice Grade steak, while potentially delicious, probably won’t be as flavorful or tender as a Prime Grade cut of meat. If you are grilling your steak to satisfy a craving, Choice is fine. If you really want to spoil yourself or wow a guest, shell out the extra money and purchase Prime.

          Cut of Meat - Some cuts of meat are simply more tender than others. For proof, make your next steak purchase a Porterhouse. On one side of the bone will be a delicious cut of meat that’s pretty tender. This is the Strip. On the other side will be a super tender piece of meat that has a notably different flavor and is known as the tender loin. In contrast, a flank steak is particularly tough and must be both prepared and cut the right way to get around the toughness (but man is it good in fajitas!)

          Cut the Meat - No, I’m not repeating myself. Specifically, this is how you cut your meat after cooking. I’m speaking specifically of Flank steak which, while tremendously flavorful, is also tremendously tough unless handled properly. To cut a flank steak properly, slice thinly against the grain and at an angle. Failing to do so will leave you with tough slices of stringy meat.

          Marbling - A steak with less marbling (the white “fatty” parts visible in the red part of the meat) will be more tender than a steak with more marbling. Just do a side by side comparison of a rib-eye or flank and a filet mignon (most tender cut) to see the difference. The downside? Less marbling also means less flavor which is why you often see filet mignon wrapped in bacon when it cooks.

          Cooking time - The longer you grill your steak, the tougher it’s going to be. When I was younger, I liked my steaks well done. Texture wasn’t as big a concern for me. I just loved that charred taste. Now I want both a good flavor AND a tender steak and prefer my steak medium at most. Medium rare is your best bet for a tender steak that’s also cooked enough to be safe.

          Bookend a nap before and after - Tossing a steak straight onto the grill after pulling it from the fridge “shocks” the fibers in the meat, causing them to contract rapidly. This can lead to toughening. Tearing into it straight off the grill can give the impression that the steak is dry and tough in places. You want to let your steak sit, covered, on a counter for 30 minutes or more before grilling to allow the meat to move towards room temperature, reducing the shock factor. You want to let the steak rest for 5 minutes after it comes off the grill to allow the juices to redistribute through the meat.

          Turn with Tongs - Never turn a steak with a fork or skewer as it grills. Doing so will bleed the meat of its juices. You want your steak to be unmolested. A juicier steak will be naturally tender.

Those are the basics. Follow those steps above and you can be assured that the steak’s full “natural” potential for tenderness will be achieved. Now let’s talk about the unnatural alternatives.

Beat It - Pick up a meat mallet and give that thing a dozen or so whacks per side. The process of hitting meat with a meat mallet breaks up the tissue prior to cooking. It also abuses a poor steak that’s done nothing to you. Most grill masters abhor this kind of abuse as it can result in a drier piece of meat after cooking. But it will be tender. Best to save this for your poorest cuts, when all you want is something you can chew through and the alternative is jaw fatigue.

Soak It - Many amateur and professional cooks swear by a good long soaking in olive oil or other oil-based marinades. I’ve tried this with extra virgin olive oil and, yes, it worked. It also tasted terrible. My mistake was not tasting the oil before I used it. If you want to marinade your steak in ANYTHING to allow enzymes to begin weakening the tissue bonds, make CERTAIN you like the taste of the oil or marinade first. The flavor will definitely be present come eating time.

Commercial Tenderizer - Does it work? Sure. Is it worth it? That’s a judgment call. I’ve given up on these as they inevitably impart a flavor to the steak that I don’t like. I want my steak to taste like steak and only have a hint of whatever seasonings I choose to apply. Good luck finding that in a meat tenderizer.

Jack The Ripper - I’ve seen recommendations to cut, score or stab (with a fork) the meat before cooking. I do NOT recommend this. Yes, you’ll tenderize the steak to a greater or lesser degree. You’ll also guarantee a dry piece of shoe leather for dinner. Harming your steak will drain the meat of juices as it cooks.

I didn’t expect this post to run as long as it has but it goes to reinforce my earlier claim, there’s a lot of thought that goes into preparing a tender piece of steak. Follow the advice above and you’ll do fine. Just remember, we’ve only covered one of the 4 elements of a perfect steak. Hope you’ll check back often for the next How To steak segment!