How to Cook the Perfect Steak

Once you learn how to cook the perfect steak, you won’t have to depend on a fancy restaurant to eat delicious beef.

What is the best cut of steak for the home cook?

You actually don’t have to break the bank when eating beef at home.  That steak below is about $1.25 a serving.  Last time I checked you couldn’t get a coffee at McDonald’s for that price!

The chuck is just behind the shoulder of the cow.  A chuck “steak” is just a cut off of the chuck eye roast.  It has a lot of nice fat marbling, but it tends to be a tough cut of meat if not cook properly.  I would totally use this for making beef stew cooking it a long time, but last night I felt like a steak. 

Since I carried this on my train ride home, it had plenty of time to get to room temperature by the time I got home.  But if you are making this from your fridge – set it out for 30 minutes before cooking.  NEVER COOK A COLD PIECE OF MEAT IN A HOT SKILLET.  It will be tough every time.  Sorry I was shouting at you, but you don’t want to throw your beef out!

What should I season my beef with?

I seasoned mine with Hardcore Carnivore Rub Black – my fav.  And recently got their Red seasoning meant for pork – cannot wait to use that on a pork shoulder when grilling weather gets here.  Or at the very least, when it’s still light enough for me to grill outside when I get home – but I’ve got several weeks before that happens.

I tend to only use a meat thermometer when I am making a roast, because when I make steak in my Lodge cast iron skillet, I can see the cook line on the side and know when to flip it.  This steak was about an inch thick, so I went with 4 minutes on the first side over medium high heat, then just 3 minutes on the other side.  And then I let it rest on a plate in my microwave for ten minutes before slicing.  Please ignore my messy stove top – I cleaned it after dinner, promise

That picture above is after the first flip.  Here is the fatal mistake a lot of people make with cutting beef – not cutting across the grain. 

Since this steak is cut from the chuck eye roast, there are going to be what I call “fat lines” – not sure what else to call it, but I cut around that part because it’s usually just gristle – or just give it to the dogs.  So I cut the steak just shy of the fat line to cut it out.   For the record, cuts with weak muscles like filet mignon – it’s going to be tender no matter how you cut it. 

What does cut across the grain mean?

But this is a cut from the harder working part that has lots of muscle.  So unless you cut across that muscle grain, you are going to get a tough chew and you’ll think you either bought a bad cut of beef or you cooked it wrong.  Nope, just didn’t cut across the grain.  After I cut the piece from the fat line, I turned it, and cut across the grain.  This is how you’ll cook the perfect steak at home.

Don’t you love that I am using my stumpy finger to show you which way the grain is going?!  You can just see how tender the beef is.

Gah, I wish my lighting was better, but hopefully you get the idea – this plate of food was absolutely delicious.  The package of beef had a nutritional label that was 3 points for 4 ounces.  This had a bit of fat on it, and I ate just over 5 ounces, so I called it 7 points to be on the safe side.  On the side I made glazed mushrooms and green beans.  

If you love beef, check out my beef stew!

Today is my WI day.  Again, I have no idea how it will go.  I haven’t been able to work out since Saturday since I haven’t been feeling well, and I didn’t use all my weekly points like I normally do.  But I have changed my mindset that the number on the scale is simply a barometer.  You’ll just have to follow me on Instagram (mybizzykitchen) to find out if you can’t wait until tomorrow’s post.

So here is your Thursday Thought – make it a great day!