Calling all Americans, Argentinians or anyone who's an authority on Steak

markie916 · May 30, 2020

Hello all. I like steak now and then but fancy a new way to eat it in terms of a sauce to apply once its on the plate or a rub to cook it with. Americans love a steak and looking at some of the sizes of them (steaks not americans) I'd say the US is the tops. So, whats your favourite steak sauce? or preferred method to cook or rub to apply.

I like my steak pan fried medium rare with salt a pepper, butter and garlic. Served with fries and a salad. I'm looking for a US style sauce or rub though. Thanks guys.

mz_cle · May 30, 2020

If I'm cooking the steaks a home, the method is determined by the cut and size, but I always dry brine. I have had very good results too with koji aging larger cuts of beef and pork, like a standing rib roast or double cut pork chops.

Amazing Ribs Dry Brining Article

My current favorite preparation is a cowboy cut ribeye, reverse seared on a charcoal grill with a touch of cherry wood smoke. I use chunks of cherry wood from a local whiskey distillery that are sold for this purpose. When the steak hits 120 or 125 F I pull it and tent it, then I sear over a hot fire and finish with blue cheese red wine compound butter. I slice the steak and plate it with a small pad of more compound butter, and serve it with grilled asparagus or roasted cauliflower.

This is making me think I should head to the butcher this afternoon.

markie916 · May 30, 2020

I'm getting hungry........

Shabbaz · May 30, 2020

I'm on a diet...🤮

Shabbaz · May 30, 2020

I WANT TO EAT!!!

Canuck · May 30, 2020

Alberta (Canada) raises some of the finest cattle anywhere. About 40% of Canadian beef is raised in Alberta. HP sauce for me. After marinating the beef in red wine vinegar, canola oil, oregano, basil, black pepper, and a dash of salt. Barbecued! Mid rare. MMMMM!

A bit of perspective. There are more people in California than there are in all of Canada. Canada is the second largest country in the world, by land mass. And Texas is about 2,000 square miles larger than Alberta.

140dave · May 30, 2020

A good steak needs no sauce....salt & pepper, cooked over charcoal or hardwood. Cast iron if you have to be indoors. Sauce is for the subpar steak you want to hide a bit or lesser cuts, and then I’m pretty much on the same page as Canuck.

Foo2rama · May 30, 2020

I make my own "steak sauce"

a few roma tomatos
some garlic (as always a little more then the recipe asks for lol)
Some cilantro
A jalapeno pepper (optional)
(parsely optional)
Onion ( iIlike white)
and a little lemon juice.
A little olive oil

rough chop all ingredients then beat into submission in a food processor.

Its basically a bastardized chimichurri. It can be used as a marinade on lessor cuts as it has the acid from the tomatoes and limes. Works great on top of steak as well (and bread if you put in more olive oil.)

I just play around with the proportions that work for me and the season. Currently I am about 1/2 onion to 4 roma tomatoes, 1 jalapeno, 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, 4 cloves of garlic and 1/2 a lime squeezed, plus a decent splash of olive oil.

:edit:
So I am an American making a version of an Argentinian preparation.

140dave · May 30, 2020

For bigger cuts that I wouldn’t call a steak, more roast size, I like the Santa Monica style dry rub. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. More or less equal amounts, mix, rub, sit for 4-24hrs.

Braindrain · May 30, 2020

Thinly sliced real a5 wagyu from Japan. Without peer in the world.

sjg22 · May 30, 2020

My preferred method is to focus more on steak quality than sauce.

I get dry aged or cold smoked steaks and go really simple with additions: salt, lots of pepper and some butter. In winter, I sous vide to medium rare (sealing the steaks in with butter - perhaps some garlic and rosemary as well if I feel like a change) and then pan sear in a cast iron skillet for 1 min per side.

In summer I typically grille (charcoal or gas, depending on time).

Sous vide is incredibly easy and produces a perfect product every time, especially with a cast iron skillet to finish.

amfalconer · May 30, 2020

My favourite prep is to allow the meat to come to room temperature, give it a coat of light olive oil, plenty of sea salt and pepper, (I use black pepper, despite hearing that green peppercorns are the best).

Then my secret weapon, porcini mushroom powder, it gives a really deep, earthy taste and compliments the meat perfectly.

Served the rarer the better for me, no sauce I should add.

X350 XJR · May 30, 2020

Seared rare to medium rare, a little salt & pepper. If I eat a steak, which is not often, I want to taste steak not sauce.

BlackTalon · May 30, 2020

The U.S. way to sauce or season steak?

We call it ketchup... 😁

Honestly I don't usually use anything more than salt, and maybe some butter if I want to throw some rosemary, etc. into the pan. On the grill it's nothing except salt. I used to use Montreal Steak Seasoning (the spicy version) but there is no reason to use it unless the quality of the steak is lacking. We don't eat steak very often, and when we do we spring for better steaks then the lower-grade stuff I ate growing up.

Ketchup and A1 Steak Sauce were very common when I was a kid. Thankfully that is rare these days -- at least where I live.

EDIT: We do like grilling a flank steak and serving with a chimichurri sauce once or twice a year.

markie916 · May 30, 2020

amfalconer
My favourite prep is to allow the meat to come to room temperature, give it a coat of light olive oil, plenty of sea salt and pepper, (I use black pepper, despite hearing that green peppercorns are the best).

Then my secret weapon, porcini mushroom powder, it gives a really deep, earthy taste and compliments the meat perfectly.

Served the rarer the better for me, no sauce I should add.

Mushroom powder eh?? Are you in the states?

Charlemagne1333 · May 30, 2020

Medium rare rib-eye with chimichurri. Served with sweet potato mash

My favorite way to serve steak

markie916 · May 30, 2020

Thanks people. You've given me some thing to think over. I came to the states in the late 80's, I'm sure there was steak sauce and as a kid I guess I thought that was something different and it stuck with me. On you tube lot of guys use dry rubs which I thought was a bit weird and would you taste the beef. You guys have largely confirmed that you too just let the meat speak for itself (with a few tweaks here and there). Ribs tonight, but steaks are coming this week 😉😉

flw · May 30, 2020

If there's ever a large scale GTG for ΩF members in the US and Canada, I think I can guarantee what would be on the menu! We could combine it with a steak cook-off 😁

BlackTalon · May 30, 2020

forget steaks, and even pork ribs. To make the GTG special would require lots and lots of lamb ribs 😎

flw · May 30, 2020

BlackTalon
forget steaks, and even pork ribs. To make the GTG special would require lots and lots of lamb ribs 😎

Fair point. That would work really well too!