IRISHSTEAK.COM’S

ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO STEAK

The ultimate steak lover’s guide to great meat and great eats!

Contents Chapter 1: Understanding Steak        

Cuts Of Steaks: What’s The Difference & How To Choose Unusual Cuts Of Steak Health Benefits Of Steak Grass Fed Beef & The Difference Grass Fed Steak Makes To Your Diet Organic Beef: What Is It And Why Should I Eat It? More Great Reasons To Eat Organic And Grass Fed Steak Aged Steaks: The What, Why, How And Where Of Creating An Aged Steak Fillet Or Sirloin Steak? Sirloin Of Fillet?

Chapter 2: Buying Steak   

Buy Steaks Successfully: Useful Tips To Help You Order Steaks Top 10 Mistakes When You Buy Steaks Rib-Eye Steaks: 7 Steps To Choosing A Good Rib-Eye Steak

Chapter 3: Cooking Steak      

Cook Steak Like A Pro: How To Achieve Restaurant Standard Steak At Home How To Cook Different Cuts Of Steak Tenderising Cheaper Cuts Of Steak Perfect Fillet Steaks In 7 Simple Steps Sirloin Steak: Cooking Tips The Ultimate T-Bone Steaks Cooking Guide

Chapter 4: Steak Recipes & Meal Ideas     

Steak Rubs And Marinades Steak Supper: Cook Brilliant Traditional Sauces And Sides Sirloin Steak: New Ways To Serve This Sensational Steak Fillet Steak: Fabulous New Meal Ideas For Your Favourite Steak Rib-Eye, T-Bone And Porterhouse Steak Flavour Combinations

Chapter 5: Final Thoughts

Dedication Apparently behind every important guy is a great girl. This book is dedicated to that girl - my loving wife and girlfriend for over 20 years – Olive! Of course my dedication extends to our five precious children; Aoife (our little GAA star little princess) and latest arrival Baby Aoibhinn (our little Thumbelina). Also a big dedication goes to my Mother and Father living in Dear Olde Skibbereen, West Cork; and my two young brothers – Owen and Brian.

About the Author Gerard is 42 years old and originally from Cork in Ireland. Married to Olive with five kids ranging from 1 to 12 years old – so a busy house! Over the past 20 years, I have served in a variety of management, engineering, and commercial positions in both public and private industry sectors. I am an accomplished international telecoms expert, educator, serial Internet entrepreneur, angel investor, and home automation integrator. My other professional achievements include the authoring of various technology books:   

IPTV Services and Technologies, Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-16372-6 (Published 2008) Co-authored Home Technology Integrator Certification Lab: ISBN 1-58122-070-7 Published 2004) Essential Guide to Home Networking; ISBN-10: 0130198463 Published (2001) Essential Guide to Digital Set-top Boxes and Interactive TV, Prentice Hall, ISBN-10: 0130173606 (Published 1999)

Over the years I have been given the role as commentator on industry events and trends in the digital home industry sector and have been quoted in a number of premier business publications. Additionally I have presented papers at a number of conferences around the world. In recent times, I have become involved as an angel investor in a portfolio of start-ups & emerging growth companies in mobile apps, e-commerce, e-Learning subscription commerce, food, and digital home sectors. On the education front, I hold electronics and information technology qualifications from the University of Limerick in Ireland.

Who should read this book    

Steak enthusiasts looking to expand their knowledge Keen cooks looking for new ideas and expert techniques Steak novices who want help exploring steak Anyone who’s ever been nervous about buying steak or unsure of what they are doing with steak and would like to get comfortable

Understanding Steak

Cuts of Steaks: What’s The Difference? How to Choose Between Steak Cuts Not understanding cuts of steaks can lead to people not enjoying their meat to the full or they are put off buying it altogether because they are scared of making the wrong decision. In this section, we’ll explain where different steak cuts come from on the cow, what characteristics the steaks have and what that makes the steak good for in your cooking. Here’s a diagram of a cow, illustrating where the different cuts of steaks come from:

Common cuts of steaks: Fillet Steak or Tenderloin Steak Fillet steak is the most highly prized of all the steak cuts; it comes from the tenderloin area (you’ll see this labelled on our diagram) and is a muscle that isn’t worked very hard when the animal moves about so it remains very tender and is also a very lean cut of meat. It’s more expensive than many other cuts of steak and so tends to be served in smaller portions. The classic way to cook a fillet steak is to fry or grill it, with professional kitchens preferring to use a very hot pan or griddle; check out our tips on cooking perfect fillet steaks later in this e-book. Steak aficionados will tell you that it is a waste to stew or roast fillet, although many restaurants do offer the second option and tail end fillet is sometimes used in dishes such as beef stroganoff that require a very tender cut.

Sirloin Steak Just above the tenderloin you’ll find the sirloin, another delicious cut of steak that is tender and pretty lean. One of the differences between the fillet and the sirloin is that the sirloin is covered with a layer of fat that, when cooked properly, melts into the meat making it juicy, tender and delicious. The muscle tissue that makes up sirloin steaks is used slightly more than the tenderloin, meaning the meat isn’t quite as melt in the mouth (although it’s still pretty tender) and this is reflected in the price and therefore often in the serving size. There is a distinction between top and bottom sirloin, with the former cut of steak being considered more desirable (it will usually be marked up as top sirloin if that’s where it is from). Rib Eye Steak Rib-eye steak comes, as you might guess, from the rib of the animal. Usually the rib bone is removed although it is also popular to serve this cut of steak bone in, especially in the US. Rib eye has a dizzying number of alternative names, being referred to also as Delmonico steak, scotch fillet, beauty steak, market steak, Spencer steak, Filet de la Thistle and Entrecôte in France. Rib eye steaks are marbled with tiny veins of fat, which far from being unpleasant, melt during the cooking process to give an absolutely delicious, rich and juicy flavour to the meat. Often described as the beefiest tasting of all the cuts of steaks available due to the muscle getting a lot of exercise during its life, rib eye is great grilled, fried or slow roasted to release all of its flavour. T Bone & Porterhouse Steak T-Bone and Porterhouse cuts of steaks are prepared in a similar way, involving a vertical cut that encompasses elements of both the fillet and front of the sirloin (what the Americans call the short loin) on either side of a distinctive T shaped bone. The difference between the two is that Porterhouse steaks are cut from further back on the sirloin and therefore contains a bit more of the tenderloin or fillet than T-Bone steaks and there’s a corresponding price difference. Both sit between fillet and sirloin cuts of steak price wise, however if you find a comparatively cheap Porterhouse (approx. the same price as sirloin) it is likely to be just the short loin or front of the sirloin, without the bone. These steaks are suited to being cooked hot and quickly on a grill or fried; the bone conducts heat so this cut of steak tends to cook very evenly and it has the added bonus of preventing the meat shrinking of drying out during cooking. Price wise these steaks are similar Rump Steak Rump steak is the most economical of all the cuts of steaks, lean meat that comes from the powerful hindquarters of the animal. Because the muscle tissue that makes up these cuts of steak is used all the time by the animal, they build long, wiry connective tissues and sinews that can give toughness to the meat when cooked. Rump steak can still be delicious; often by marinating or tenderizing the meat (check out our section on aged steak which covers tenderizing steak through ageing and our “at home” tenderizing tips). With careful cooking it can be nice grilled, however there are many other ways to cook rump steak such as stews, stir fries and mince dishes.

Unusual Cuts of Steak New and less common cuts of steak are not only often cheaper than their more mainstream rivals, they also taste better too! Check out our guide to lesser known cuts of steaks: Bistro, Prime and Picanha cuts of steak These three steak cuts provide a tasty and equally purse friendly alternative to your regular rump steak. They are produced by smart butchers who figured out that using the 3 separate muscles that normally make up rump primal as individual cuts enabled them to produce better quality meat. Here’s the run down on what to expect… Bistro is a tender, lean and high quality cut of steak; you can expect less marbling than in the traditional rump, yet it is still very flavoursome and succulent. Consumer taste panels rated its leanness and tenderness above all other cuts of steak! Prime Rump is generally a better colour than regular rump, appearing lean and tasty looking. The cut is tender with similar levels of marbling to your regular rump and of a similar price making it a very good value choice from all the different cuts of steak. Picanha steaks appear more flavoursome and tasty than the traditional rump looking tender, lean and of high quality. There are similar levels of marbling and price wise it is another good value choice being delicious, flavourful, succulent and exuding a gorgeous aroma when cooked, this is a good looking steak that oozes quality.

Centre Cut Steaks Centre cut steaks are made by separating the muscles in the Thick Flank/Knuckle primal into separate cuts of steak that might previously have been kept whole and sold as a roasting joint. Centre cut steaks look tender, good value, high quality and lean with much less marbling than a regular rump steak. Similar in flavour and succulence to the traditional rump this steak has a nicer appearance and is leaner than the rump steak.

Flat Iron Steaks Flat-Iron cuts of steaks are named because their shape is that of an old-fashioned iron! They are prepared from the feather blade, the second tenderest muscle in the whole beef carcase and are very popular in the US with growing popularity in the UK and Ireland. Flat-Iron steaks appear tender, lean and of high quality whilst offering good value. They are succulent and tender, normally being cut as a delicious thick piece of steak with a mouth-watering, generous appearance. Denver Steak, Spider Steak or Pope’s Eye The Denver Cut is taken from the major chuck primal, the Serratus Ventralis muscle which lies under the chuck eye roll. Referred to sometimes as the spider muscle, the Denver Cut is the fourth tenderest muscle in the carcase. The real bonus of this steak isn’t its tenderness however, it is absolutely packed full of flavour and the smell of it cooking is simply divine.

Health Benefits of Steak Most of the time when you order steak, there’s that sneaking guilty feeling that perhaps you shouldn’t and you ought to have fish or chicken instead. The media is chock full of alarmist scare stories about the negative effect on your health red meat can have. What they don’t always make clear is that these effects are only significant if you have too much of a good thing; if you’re going to order steak and chips at every meal then yes, you’re probably going to end up overweight with heart problems. However what rarely gets covered are the health benefits of red meat, which contains a blend of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients that can be difficult to obtain elsewhere. Here we set the record straight and illustrate why if you order steak once or twice a week it can actually be better for you than avoiding it altogether. Steak’s Key Nutrient Benefits Lean cuts of steak are a naturally nutrient-rich source of several essential vitamins and minerals we need to live well and prevent common diseases. When you order steak, you tap into an excellent source of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium and phosphorus; and a good source of niacin, vitamin B6, iron and riboflavin. Let’s take a closer look at why these elements are helpful to the body. Protein: An average 150g serving of fillet steak is an excellent source of protein, supplying most of the protein people need each day (3/4 for women and 2/3 for men). In addition, the protein in beef is a complete, high-quality protein, which means it supplies all of the essential amino acids, or building blocks of protein, the body needs to build, maintain and repair body tissue. Protein is also essential in the formation of hormones and enzymes, and increases resistance to infection and disease. A growing body of scientific research suggests that eating more protein can benefit weight loss, muscle mass maintenance and cholesterol and triglyceride levels, all great reasons to make sure you order steak as part of your regular diet. Iron: According to a 2008 WHO report 23% of Europeans are anaemic with this percentage being higher in preschool age children and women who aren’t pregnant, and childhood iron-deficiency or anaemia is associated with behavioural and cognitive delays. Steak is a good source of iron, and unlike plant proteins, the iron in steak is the food supply’s most readily available and easily absorbed source. Iron not only helps red blood cells carry oxygen to body tissue, it also plays an important role in cognitive health, including memory, ability to learn and reasoning. Zinc: Steak is an excellent source of zinc, which is an essential nutrient that helps support thousands of processes all over your body, including building muscles and healing wounds, maintaining the immune system, and contributing to cognitive health. Yep, order steak for extra brain power, you heard it here first!

B Vitamins: Steak delivers a good amount of several B vitamins including B12 and B6, niacin and riboflavin. B12 is needed for normal function in your body’s cells and of the nervous system; and B6 is also important for a healthy nervous system and helps your body fight infection. In addition, both vitamins play important roles in lowering blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that increases risk for heart disease and dementia. When you order steak you also secure a decent amount of niacin (also part of the vitamin B family), fundamental to healthy skin and nerves, digestion and a normal appetite; steak is also a good source of riboflavin that helps the body use energy and assists in the maintenance of healthy skin and good vision. Selenium: Steak contains excellent levels of selenium, which has attracted attention because of its antioxidant properties (antioxidants protect cells from damage). There is also some evidence that selenium may reduce the odds of prostate cancer, a good reason for men to order steak. Phosphorous: Order steak to reap all the health benefits of phosphorous, including bone formation, digestion, excretion, protein formation, hormone balance, energy extraction, cell repair, chemical reactions, and nutrient utilization. Phosphorus is the second most common mineral in the human body; apart from providing strength to bones and teeth, other health benefits of phosphorus are important in performing essential activities for different body parts like your brain, kidney, heart and also blood.

Grass Fed Beef & the Difference Grass Fed Steak Makes To Your Diet What is grass fed beef? Grass fed beef is meat that is taken from animals that have eaten all or mostly grass or similar green leafy plants from live growing pastures as opposed to manufactured and processed cattle feed all their lives. Grass fed steaks are those cut from grass fed beef cows. Pretty much all beef cows start out on their mother’s milk and move onto a grass fed diet initially, then the decision is made as to which of the three main feeding options to take. Grass fed beef: Grass fed meat is that which comes from animals solely raised on a diet of pasture plants such as grass, shrubs, weeds and other green leafy forage. In cold climates, grass fed cows may spend some time indoors; however they’ll still be fed grass equivalent feed such as silage or hay. Some producers use the phrase grass finished to indicate that the cow has been fed pasture all its life and has not been subject to a short period of intensive feeding at the end, however many producers of grass fed meat don’t use the intensive finishing technique and just label their meat grass fed. Confused? The best way to ascertain how your meat was reared is to ask your supplier, if they’re any good, they’ll know. Pasture raised meat: These are outdoor cows that are fed on a combination of grass pasture and processed feed, usually supplied in troughs in their field. As with grass fed cows, these guys may spend some time indoors if the weather is particularly brutal but where possible they are kept outside. Corn fed beef: These animals are switched from an outdoor grass-fed lifestyle to an indoor or close quartered environment where they are fed high energy processed feed to bring them to edible maturity more quickly, ensure weight is put on rapidly and the desired levels of fat are present in different cuts.

Why grass fed beef? Grass fed vs. Corn fed diets Grass fed beef is raised on, well, grass. It’s simple, natural and as close to how they’d eat in the wild as it’s possible to get in a commercial farming context. Conversely the innocent sounding corn fed diet can contain a whole plethora or weird and less than wonderful ingredients. Corn fed is a bit of a misnomer; the cattle feed base is a grain of some kind (often corn) refined and mixed with water into a sort of slurry or thick soup. To this can be added genetically modified soya beans, processed protein powders, additives, drugs, food manufacture waste products and even old sweets!

It was only after the 1996 BSE outbreak that the EU and FDA in the US banned the use of mammalian protein (i.e. bits of other animals) in animal feed, all the other more interesting bits and bobs that are chucked in to up the calorie content and speed growth are still allowed, American and Canadian cows are still allowed to be pumped full of hormones to make them grow quicker but this meat is not allowed to be sold in the EU. Garbage in, garbage out? You decide. Nutritional Content of Grass Fed Beef Grass fed beef and in turn grass fed steaks have a better nutritional profile than corn fed meat. Grass fed meat has consistently proven to be higher in Omega 3, vitamins B, E and K plus trace minerals like magnesium, calcium, and selenium. Studies show grass feeding results in higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid, the “good” naturally occurring trans-fat and similar levels of saturated fats. Often grass fed beef is marketed as lower fat, this is because grass fed meat is generally less marbled, with more fat being kept directly under the skin and removed before sale. Taste of Grass Fed Steaks Many people think that grass fed steaks taste better; the reason for this is that when you’re eating a grass fed steak it has come from a cow that has taken a longer time to grow, therefore enabling the character of the meat to develop in a full and natural way. Conversely grass fed steak may initially be tougher than corn fed steak as the animal has done a lot more moving around in its lifetime (think running in the field as opposed to standing in a pen). This difficulty is usually overcome with proper steak cooking technique and adequate ageing of the meat (for more information on aged steaks, check out our section that explains all). Where can I get grass fed beef? Most good specialist meat suppliers will offer grass fed beef and a higher percentage of the meat produced in countries such as Ireland is grass fed than in the US. A quick side note from Gerard: The only thing to be wary of is that there are no hard and fast definitions of grass feeding set out in law by the EU, so it’s advisable to only buy grass fed beef where its provenance is explained and verifiable.

Organic Beef: What is it and why should I eat it? What is organic beef? Organic beef is beef that has been produced in accordance with strict guidelines issued by governments around the world. The actual wording of the legislation is very dense and can be difficult to digest, but some of the general guiding principles behind organic farming and the production of organic beef include: 

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Strict limits or outright bans on the use of livestock antibiotics, food additives, preservatives and artificial elements used in processing and other man made chemical compounds to aid organic beef production Absolute ban of the use of genetically modified (GM) plants as fodder or the presence of GM crops on the farm where organic beef is produced Farms must where possible use the resources available to them on the farm itself, from of on-site livestock manure for fertiliser to feed produced on the farm to produce organic beef The species of cow selected to produce organic beef is important, breeders and farmers work together to identify types that that are resistant to disease and adapted to local conditions Raising livestock in free-range, open-air systems and providing them with organic feed is essential to qualify as organically produced beef

Strict rules outlining the definition and governance of organic produce were laid out in a series of legislations and regulatory updates by the EU in 2008 so you can be assured that organic beef sold and/or produced in the EU has met these strict standards. To further support the organic initiative, in July this year the EU finalised the roll out of a new leaf logo that has to be displayed on all pre packed organic food products and is optional on nonpackaged food items. Our organic beef proudly displays EU and national organic symbols for your peace of mind. A quick side note from Gerard: It’s easier to raise organic beef than other meats such as pork and poultry as it can be reared on pasture as opposed to grain (check out our feature on grass-fed beef for more information), in 2007 2.7% of all cattle were organic in the EU, that’s a massive 2.4 million cows and that figure has continued to grow. Why organic beef? Organic beef is guaranteed to be 100% pure quality beef with no additives, extra hormones, genetically modified bits or scary stray pharmaceuticals floating around in it. In today’s world there are so many different bits of conflicting advice and warnings about what additives and artificial products may or may not do to harm your health. Whilst there are bound to be some stories that are just scare-mongering, you’d be a fool to dismiss them all, especially those backed with a weight of scientific evidence.

Buying organic beef is a great way to safeguard yourself from all these modern day threats to your wellbeing; however the benefits go beyond what is left out of the meat. The quality of the diet enjoyed by organically reared beef means that the nutritional profile of organic meat is better than its non-organic counterpart and most would argue that it tastes better as a result also. The third major benefit of buying organic beef is that the animal’s welfare has been assured for the duration of its life. Free to roam in lush pasture and looked after with the highest levels of care and the most appropriate animal husbandry methods, you can be sure that your tasty organic steak came from a happy cow. Where can I get organic beef? Most good specialist meat suppliers will offer organic beef and you should be able to get all the same cuts of steaks that you’d normally expect (after all the cow is still cow shaped, just better looked after!). Unlike grass feeding, organic standards are governed by strict legislation so you can be pretty confident that if meat is labelled organic then it conforms to these standards.

More Great Reasons To Eat Organic and Grass Fed Steak Organic steaks carrying the IOFGA or EU leaf logos indicate organic steak which has been produced to the highest standards as explained in detail in the previous section. In order for steak to be certified organic, it has to have been reared in accordance with organic farming principles which are committed to working in harmony with nature rather than against nature. Organic farming is designed to work within the natural confines of the farming eco-system (i.e. raising cows at a natural pace on a natural grass fed diet) and this will provide you with great tasting food that is good for you as well. Organic steak production avoids the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides that are potentially harmful to your long term health. A quick side note from Gerard: This is not only good for you in that it keeps these unnatural and often potentially harmful nasties out of your body, it also benefits the environment which has been proven to suffer as a result of chemicals and pesticides entering the water system.

In order for a steak to be organic, farmers are required to adhere to the highest standards of animal welfare, happy cattle make for tasty steak and you can feel good because you know that the organic steak that you are eating came from an animal that lived a full life, free from the cruelties and economies of mass meat production.

Organic farming does not permit the use of genetically modified organisms, so you can be sure that by buying organic steak you won’t be putting yourself or your family at risk. No one knows the long term effects of eating GM food and elsewhere in the world cattle are routinely fed GM feed which is just as bad as if you were eating GM produce yourself. When cattle are raised in a natural, grass-fed, organic environment it uses less fossil fuel energy per calorie of food produced. Whether you are a diehard eco-warrior or simply someone who’s awake enough to be worried about the impact we’re having on our planet by stripping and burning its natural resources, buying organic, grass fed steak is a great way to do your little bit to look after our world. Organic farms do not apply artificial chemicals and fertilisers which are by-products of the fossil fuel industry. Instead organic farming methods increase soil carbon and therefore reduce greenhouse gases. Organic farming can directly contribute to reducing our emissions and therefore reducing the impact of climate change. Grass fed cattle are a staple image of the countryside idyll, but your buying grass fed organic steak does much more than preserving that pretty, peaceful picture. In the grass and the hedges, thousands if not millions of plant and animal species happily coexist with the cattle in a way that they couldn’t do if the cattle were raise indoors or exposed to lots of chemicals. Buying grass fed steak helps preserve biodiversity. Organic farmers ensure that they maintain a healthy soil to pass on to future generations by incorporating methods such as rotations and adding natural fertility such as green manures or farmyard manure. This natural stewardship allows wildlife to flourish and is far more sustainable than intensive farming methods which can leave pastures stripped of all greenery and unable to recover. Because organic steak can’t be treated with chemicals or preservatives, it is normally sold locally reducing your “food miles” at a stroke; in addition, because organically reared, grass fed cattle are allowed to grow up at a normal, natural pace so your meat is ready when it’s ready instead of being pushed through at the fastest possible rate. This has a positive impact on your health, the environment and the flavour of the meat, well worth the wait we say!

Aged Steaks: The What, Why, How and Where of Creating an Aged Steak In this section we’re taking a look at aged steaks, what we mean when we refer to aged steaks, why we age steak in the first place, how the ageing process works and where this takes place. First things first: What are aged steaks? Aged steaks are those where the beef, either as a joint or a whole carcass, has been hung up or placed on a rack after slaughter or stored at a low temperature for between two days and six weeks. There are no laws governing the use of the aged steaks label, aside from prohibiting people from claiming an ageing period that isn’t accurate, so you need to pay close attention to the length of the ageing process and to the ageing method used when selecting your aged steaks. Why age steak? After an animal is slaughtered, rigor mortis will set during the 12 to 24 hours after death; this means that the muscle fibres shorten creating the characteristic stiffness in the carcass and more importantly, making the meat really tough. Eventually, after a given time the meat relaxes and becomes tender again; this is all down to a clever enzyme already present in the steak. All it needs is time to work and with beef this time span is longer than other meats, which is why we look out for aged steaks but there’s no equivalent for pork or lamb. The purpose of the ageing process is to allow the enzymes in the steak to break down tough connective tissues and muscle fibres in the meat (post-mortem proteolysis), making it tenderer and for moisture to leave the meat, intensifying the flavour. How do you create aged steaks? As explained above, in order to age a steak all you really need to do to start the ageing process is sit back and let the enzymes go to work. Unfortunately there are other processes that tend to coincide with the ageing of the steak, such as mould growth. Again ideally we’d leave the steak for just a couple of days so it didn’t go mouldy, but the problem we face is that the longer the aged steaks have been hung, the more advanced the enzyme process is and therefore the better the flavour and tender the steak. There are two solutions to this problem: Wet Ageing Wet aged steaks are sealed in a vacuum bag after slaughtering and left for the desired length of time. The advantage of creating aged steak using the wet ageing method is that mould can’t grow in the vacuum and the meat stays entirely fresh looking and appetising. The other bonus is that this process is pretty quick, just a few days is required to wet age steak.

The big drawback of wet ageing is that the moisture level in the meat isn’t allowed to drop and so whilst you may end up with very tender aged steaks, they’ll lack the intensity of flavour characteristic of aged steaks that have been prepared using the dry ageing technique below. Wet aged steak is generally cheaper than dry aged steak as the process is quicker (generally a few days rather than a few weeks) and the extra water content means the weight doesn’t change as much during the ageing process so the supplier can charge you for the weight of water that remains in the meat. Dry ageing In dry ageing there’s no need for plastic vacuum bags, you just store your meat at a very low temperature but in the open air and let nature take its course. As with wet ageing the enzymes break down muscle fibre and make the steak really tender; additionally moisture leaves the meat creating an intense beefy flavour in the flesh that remains. The drawbacks of dry aged steaks are that mould and really dry outer layers have to be cut away after ageing to make the meat saleable; this combined with the moisture loss mentioned previously mean that dry aged steaks can be a lot more expensive than wet aged steaks . Additionally the aged steaks take longer to produce using the dry method than the wet which again pushes the price up for the consumer. Where does the ageing process happen? Dry aged steaks are usually handled and prepared by the specialist meat supplier as they have access to huge cold storage areas that can be kept at a consistent temperature. Wet ageing can be done anywhere in the supply chain and in fact a lot of supermarkets have started individually vacuum packing pieces of meat and selling them as aged steaks, where the whole ageing process takes place under plastic and en route to the stores. How old should my aged steak be for best flavour and texture? General wisdom says that if you’re a fan of that characteristic extra meaty flavour and melt in the mouth texture that we expect from dry aged steaks, you need to be looking for meat that’s been aged for at least fifteen days, up to twenty eight days. A quick side note from Gerard: The longer the ageing process, generally the more expensive the aged steaks due to the labour, storage and spoilage associated with longer storage periods so you’ll have to decide whether you want to go all the way gourmet or a more modest selection when you buy steaks. Generally if you’re looking for a discernible difference without breaking the bank, a fifteen day aged steak will suffice.

Fillet or sirloin steak? Sirloin of fillet? Fillet or sirloin steak? One of the toughest decisions for steak newbies and aficionados alike can be which cuts of steak to choose and one of the most common is deciding between fillet steak and sirloin steak. There are a number of different things you might consider, all relating to your personal taste but here we outline some common profiles that you might find yourself identifying with. Here’s our definitive guide to help you decide: Lean Lovers: Fillet Steak If you hate the visual appearance of fat on your meat and are the kind of person who’s regularly found dissecting their slices of Sunday roast to remove the last scrap of fat before you can eat it, then you’ll be a fillet steak devotee forever; for you there is no fillet or sirloin debate. Sirloin steak is very lean but is traditionally cooked and served with a large portion of fat attached which some people find off-putting; fillet steak by contrast had no visible fat. Low Fat/Calorie Restricting Dieters: Sirloin Steak This is a total curve ball for many people; most women we ask the “fillet or sirloin steak?” question to would answer fillet steak as the consumer perception is that this is the leaner cut. Nutritionally this perception is inaccurate; sirloin steak is lower in calories, fat and saturated fat than fillet steak. How on earth can that be? Well, sirloin steak is sold and cooked with a big creamy edge of fat along the top and it is this piece of fat that alters people’s perceptions; this is not actually a part of the steak meat itself which is actually leaner than fillet. Most people cook sirloin with the fat on which helps the very lean steak keep moist and flavoursome and then either remove before serving or leave that for the diner to do. Soft Touches: Fillet Steak If you’re someone who has to have their meat “melt in the mouth” tender then it has to be the fillet steak for you in the fillet or sirloin analysis. The fillet is cut from a little used muscle which means that it is always going to be tenderer than a sirloin steak cut from the same animal. Sirloin is cut from a muscle that gets more regular use, so the muscle builds a lot of fibres and connective tissues to support the strain which can appear as tough or stringy bits in your meat. One way round this is to buy aged steaks where the naturally occurring enzymes in the meat have had a change to relax these fibres and break down connective tissue.

Muscle Men (or Women!): Sirloin Steak If you’re looking for the steak that packs the biggest punch in terms of protein, it has to be sirloin steak. When looking at the fillet or sirloin debate, this is a clear cut case as not only does sirloin steak have more protein per hundred grams than fillet steak, it also tends to be served in larger portions so you get a protein double whammy from the naturally occurring complete amino acids present in all steak; great for those who are trying to build muscle mass.

Conclusion: You may have reached the end of this section and found that none of these apply to you, if so you’re probably going to be fine eating both fillet and sirloin steaks (lucky you!) and you should rejoice in your ability to enjoy all the wonderful variety the steak world has to offer, don’t stress, just see what you feel like eating on the day. A quick side note from Gerard: As with most things steak, it’s a lot like wine, you need to do your research and try different things to find out what you like. One thing is not better than another; it’s just different and comes down to your personal taste. We also reckon a lot of steak appreciation comes down to the quality of the meat and correct cooking; we know from bitter experience it’s totally possible to have an awful meal featuring your favourite steak because the meat isn’t good or it’s been poorly cooked – that’s why we’re so fanatical about teaching you the right way to do it!

Buying Steak

Buy Steaks Successfully: Useful Tips to Help You Order Steaks Many people who buy steaks are disappointed with what they get on their plate. Some of this can be down to poor cooking techniques but more often than not the fault can be traced back to when they went to order the steaks in the first place. Here we teach you how to buy steaks and use this knowledge to get a great result in your cooking every time. Getting the Right Cut When You Order Steaks There’s nothing worse than buying any old bit of steak and cooking it any old way, you’d be mad to expect anything better than an average to poor result. When you buy steaks you have to be selective about the cut and furthermore choose a cooking method appropriate to that cut (check out our cooking guides for fillet steaks, sirloin steaks and T-bone steaks for top tips, featured in chapter 3). If you are unsure about which cut you need, your specialist meat supplier can help you to decide or alternatively you can read our guide to the different cuts of steaks published earlier in the e-book. Bones & Fat: Buy Steaks to Your Personal Preference There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing bone in or out, there’s no one school of thought on the fat content of your steak either. Our only “rule” when you order steaks is that you buy what you like! If the thoughts of marbled fatty flesh melting together in the pan makes you dribble then get your paws on some decent rib-eye steaks and don’t let go. If on the other hand the thought of confronting the white stuff fills you with fear, you don’t have to choose cuts that are covered in fat. The same goes for when you buy steaks with bones, some people will like the Flinstones-esque Tbone and others will be looking for something a little more delicate. Order Steaks of the Correct Smell, Firmness, Colour Now unlike the above sections, there are hard and fast rules here for when you order steaks. Always buy steaks that smell fresh, even aged flesh should still only smell meaty not sour or rotten in any way. Additionally the flesh should always, always be firm. Good quality steak is muscle tissue and it should feel like it, even that which cooks to be meltingly tender. If it’s falling apart in the middle of the muscle, it’s not good meat. Finally colour; aged steaks are traditionally darker than fresh meat but both should be reminiscent of rubies. Grey meat or pallid coloured flesh more in keeping with pork should be avoided at all costs. Does Size Matter When You Buy Steaks? In a word, yes, but possibly not in the way that you are thinking. Bigger is not always better, calorie counters and smaller appetites will relish a smaller cut that is still bursting with flavour. As a general rule, try not to lose the thickness when you order steaks, no matter how small a piece you are buying as it will affect how well it cooks.

Large appetites should beware the cost of satiating them with more expensive cuts which are traditionally served in smaller portions to avoid you having wallet induced heart failure at the counter. Big does not necessarily mean tasty when you buy steaks and if you have the choice between size and quality of meat, choose quality every time as we guarantee you’ll enjoy your steak more. Customer Service: Order Steaks in Style Your supplier should be able to answer almost any question you have when you order steaks from them and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask whether your query relates to which cuts you need, cooking methods or the provenance of the meat; just because you buy steaks doesn’t automatically mean you’re an instant expert and your supplier should be aware of this and sympathetic to it. They should never make you feel small or stupid for asking a question, if a supplier responds in a discourteous or off-putting way to a query, you have to ask what they are trying to hide behind their reluctance to share information with you. We’ve put together a list of questions and our ideal answers to help you next time you come to order steaks: What breed of cattle does the beef come from? The provider should know and more interesting eating often comes from traditional local breeds rather than standard commercial beef cattle. They should supply information on different breeds and the steak they produce, so keep asking about the qualities of the breeds you are buying. What did the animal spend its life eating? We think grass fed beef is the best kind and explain why we advise eating grass fed steaks at greater length in another section. No matter what the answer to this question, it should be an easy one to answer if the supplier is knowledgeable about the provenance of his meat, which he should be. At what age was the cow slaughtered? We’re looking for an answer of 30 months plus here. Far from being a tired old “Daisy” at this stage, cattle that have grown naturally on an organic, grass fed diet take this long to reach maturity and offer up the delicious flavourful organic steaks that we like to eat and supply. How was the steak aged and for how long? Our favourite steaks have been dry-aged for at least 28 days. You can learn more about aged steaks and the different processes and timelines associated with their production in our aged steaks section. That way you’ll be ready to make your own decision next time you have to buy steaks.

Top 10 Mistakes When You Buy Steaks People often get nervous when they have to buy steaks, thinking that it’s really complicated. We’ll help you avoid the pitfalls with our buying guide. Buy the cheapest cut of steak We’re not all made of money but if you buy steaks solely on price you’re on a hiding to nothing as the cheapest meat can often be tough and tasteless. That doesn’t mean there aren’t good cheaper cuts out there; you’re just better off getting advice from a trusted supplier rather than taking pot luck in the supermarket. Buy the wrong cut of steak for the meal you are planning Steak is a bit like wine, you need to take the time to understand what you like to make sure you really enjoy every bite of every meal. Steaks vary hugely in flavour, leanness, tenderness and size (as well as price of course) so if you’re not sure what you’d like to eat, you should refer to our guide to cuts of steak before you go and buy steaks. Buy steak with no thought for the marbling Related to the last point is the marbling in your steak, marbling is tiny flecks of fat that deliver a big flavour punch when the meat is cooked. If you’re happy to eat your steak reasonable well cooked (medium rare and above) then you can get the most out of buying steak of marbled beef. If on the other hand you’re more on the vampire end of the spectrum and eat your steaks blue, marbling is at best no use to you as it won’t have time to melt in that limited cooking period and worst case you end up with solid cold bits of fat in your steak (yuck!) so buy steaks that are very lean. Buy steak cut far away from the bone or the tougher sections Some people have a bit of an issue with bones, but the fact remains that the closer meat is to the bone, the better the flavour. Ideally if your steak cut had bone in it naturally, you should leave the bone in there for flavour and to keep the shape. Sometimes you might be prepared to sacrifice a degree of tenderness for the sake of extra flavour, however many people just don’t like any kind of toughness in their steak. If you fall into that camp, be very careful about what you buy and don’t buy steaks from the tough areas. One of the easiest ways to figure out whether a cut will be tough or not is to think about how active that bit of the cow is, how much that muscle would have been used. Buy steaks that are on sale Meat that is reduced is past its best, there’s no getting around it. It may not have gone off but if you buy steaks that are on sale they will not be the freshest meat and you’ll suffer a loss of quality as a result, be especially wary of grey patches on the meat.

If you’re buying meat on offer from supermarkets, you are subject to their “mark up to mark down” strategy where they overprice a product in the first place so that they can seem like they are giving you a real deal doing it at half price. You’ll be buying steaks that are worth the half price cost and no more. Buy steaks that have been disguised with flavourings Unscrupulous meat suppliers and supermarkets often sell steaks “pre-marinaded” or with some sort of strong seasoning already rubbed into it. There is always the chance that you’ll find someone doing that just out of the goodness of their heart but realistically it’s far more likely that they are disguising meat that is less fresh or of a poor quality, something to bear in mind during those lazy steak buying moments! Buy steaks that have been mechanically tenderized Best case scenario, your butcher has been getting trigger happy with his steak mallet and your “tender” steak is mushy with a strange texture and not actually tenderer in reality. Your worst case scenario is meat that has been mechanically tenderised using an industrial machine that uses needles or tiny blades to pierce the meat “tenderising” it. Not only is this a pretty grim way to treat meat, it also runs the risk of e-coli and other bacteria on the surface of the steak (where it’d be killed by the heat of your pan) being pushed into the middle of the meat where it may not get hot enough to kill them off. Ask the question before you buy steaks next time. Buying steak that is not dry aged Unlike mechanical tenderising, dry ageing is the holy grail of meat tenderising processes, the absolute best way to make meat tender and as flavourful as possible. Dry ageing allows moisture to leave the steak which intensifies the flavour and as with all types of ageing the enzymes naturally present in the meat do the tenderising for you in their own time. Buying steak from supermarkets/general food shops You wouldn’t take your shoes into the laundrette and expect them to fix them, nor would you try and buy gardening equipment from a kitchen showroom. Before the convenience age and the birth of supermarkets, general purpose food shops used to be called dry food stores and with good reason, that was what they sold. The “all under one roof” idea is relatively new and divorces you as the customer from specialists selecting the best quality produce and meat to sell to you. Many supermarkets purport to offer “specialist butchers” but in the main they are just regular blokes who’ve been on a training course for a few days and work the tills or shelf stacking as well when they’re quiet. Not talking to your supplier A good specialist supplier will be more than happy to answer your questions when you buy steaks and to give you advice on cooking techniques, what to look for etc. They won’t make you feel bad for asking, on the contrary, they’ll be proud to share the story of their meat with you and to help you in any way they can.

Rib-Eye Steaks: 7 Steps to Choosing a Good Rib-eye Steak Rib-eye steaks are cut from the muscular area that sits at the top of the rib primal. If left in one piece as a roast it is known as prime rib (though technically only if it is prime grade beef as per US grading standards). The rib-eye steak is traditionally a boneless cut although we will briefly discuss bone in rib-eye steak which is properly called just plain old rib steak. In this section we aim to provide a comprehensive spotter’s guide to great quality meat.

Things to look for when buying rib-eye steaks: 1) Buy rib-eye steaks from a specialist and not a supermarket. It doesn’t matter whether you choose a quality butcher or if you order steaks online from a specialist provider, just don’t buy your rib-eye steaks from the supermarket and expect top quality, well-kept meat, because you’ll end up disappointed. 2) Aged rib-eye steak will often taste better than freshly butchered meat. The ageing process allows the flavour of the meat to develop and for the flesh to become meltingly tender. For more information on aged steaks you can check out our section that explains the process in full. 3) Look for bright red colouring on the meat. A good rib eye steak should look full of life and vigour, not pallid and bloodless or even worse grey and dull looking.

4) For optimum cooking, the perfect rib-eye steak is at least an inch thick, ideally more like an inch and a half thick. Steaks that are thinner than this will struggle to attain the characteristic flavour and variations in texture that make the steak so distinctive. 5) Abundant marbling is a classic sign that should be obvious in good rib-eye steaks; the veins of fat running through the meat are a sign that the cut will deliver the gorgeous rich meaty flavour that is typical of this type of steak. The fat melts into the steak, creating a buttery richness that die-hard rib-eye steak fans say is second to none. 6) The proportion of the rib-eye steaks are also important; when you are holding the rib-eye steak the right way up (with the widest part with the “eye” in it at the top) the top piece round the eye should be generously proportioned and there should be a decent sized defined fat nugget at the “eye” of the steak. 7) It’s also a good idea to check with your supplier and ensure you choose a rib-eye steak that comes from the middle portion of the ribs, since that is typically the tenderest cut. Cuts of rib-eye steak that come from either end, rather than the middle, tend to have a rougher texture, which you will want to avoid. Finally consider eating rib-eye steaks on the bone (a rib steak). Any steak cooked on the bone receives certain beneficial effects from the bone itself such as the meat becoming juicier, not shrinking and cooking more evenly. Picking a good steak is only half the battle, make sure you’re up to speed on the perfect way to cook your rib-eye steaks so you are guaranteed a perfect result! Serving Rib-Eye Steaks Rib-eye steaks are often accompanied by chips and grilled or fried vegetables such as mushrooms and tomatoes, possibly with an additional serving of peas for added health benefits; however there are many different ways you can serve this delicious cut of steak. Many of the best rib-eye steak meals are easy to prepare and quick too, meaning that rib-eye steak can be the basis of a great weeknight dinner or perhaps a special meal for the weekend if you’re too tired to attempt the full roast dinner on a Sunday. You can prepare something really special that’ll please the whole family in just a few short minutes and if you order steaks online they come straight to your door however often you need them without you having to think about getting them specially.

Cooking Steak

Cook Steak Like A Pro: How To Achieve Restaurant Standard Steak At Home We’re sure you can remember having a great steak in a restaurant, well worth the €20+ you paid for it right? Well, in this section we share with you all the kitchen tips and secrets from chefs at some of the world’s most renowned steak places… Buy good beef: Buying the best quality steak you can is the name of the game here to give you the head start all chefs make sure they have before they try to best you at the dinner table. No chef worth their salt cooks with anything other than the best ingredients their budgets will stretch to (yes they have those too; it’s not just you and your grocery bill!) Look for a healthy red colour, an even thickness throughout the steak, make sure it displays all the characteristics of a good steak of that cut (check out what cuts of steak should be like in our guide featured earlier in the e-book if you are unsure) and if you can afford to buy aged steak, do so. Ideally it’d be dry aged if you can afford the choice. Cheats ageing: Even if you can’t afford top quality fillet steaks you can still use a couple of crafty chef tricks to make your steak tender and intensify the flavour. Rubbing your steak with sea salt tenderises the steaks and removes excess water that is often present in cheaper cuts and dilutes the beefy flavour. Rinse off and towel completely dry after an hour. Another cool trick if you can get hold of it is to use papaya extract as the fast acting enzymes work wonders on tenderizing tough cuts. Don’t play it cool: Tempers have flared and arguments raged over the best temperature to cook steak at but the general consensus is still to let it come to room temperature as this loosens the fibres that have tensed in the fridge and reduces the temperature contrast between the meat and the pan ensuring an instant and effective sealing of the steak. Get tooled up: You want a heavy frying pan or iron skillet, something of a decent quality that will conduct a ferocious amount of heat without buckling or the handle melting onto your hob. Speaking of heat, there’s only one temperature to sear the outside of your meat and that’s as hot as your hob

goes; if you decide to finish your steak under the grill, in the oven or in a cooler pan that’s fine but you must seal it first. Grease the wheels: You want to oil both the steak and the pan but not too much, you don’t want anything swimming in grease. A good oil is one that has a high smoke point as you’ll be cooking at very high temperatures (there’s a difference between charred and burnt after all), you also want an oil that is either flavourless or complements the rest of your seasoning. Chew the fat: Always cook your steak with fat on, even if you can’t stand it on your plate and plan to remove it later. It contains so much flavour; it helps keep the moisture in your steak and helps your steak keep its shape. If you really can’t stand it or don’t trust yourself not to eat it then feel free to trim to serve. Don’t fork about: Use tongs not a fork as this will stop you piercing your hard one perfectly seared and sealed outer coating and allowing all the juices to leak out into your pan and away from your mouth. Beware turning your steak too often, tongs tend to bring out the barbeque demon in even the most sober and level headed cook and all you’ll do is maul your meat and scrape the seasoning off. Turn once, which is all you need. Cook right for the cut: If your steak has marbling, like a rib eye will, you need to allow time for this to melt into the steak to give it that beautiful rich flavour. Conversely if you’re cooking a fillet and you leave it on for 7 minutes per side because you’re scared to death of pink meat, don’t be surprised if it ends up tasting like shoe leather. Check out our cooking guides for all the main types of steak (fillet, sirloin, rib eye and T-bone) if you’re not sure what to do. Leave it be: Let your steak rest for 5-7 minutes, this feels like an age the first time you do it but you have to trust that you’ll appreciate the result as the resting redistributes the juices throughout the meat and makes for a better tasting steak. Many people worry that their meal will be stone cold after such a long time, never fear we cover this next! A lovely warm feeling: Your steak will be very hot when it comes out of your pan (remember we heated it to somewhere near the temperature of the surface of the sun?) so it won’t go cold too quickly if you choose to rest it in a warm oven (warm, not cooking hot!) Our preferred method is a quick flash back in the pan though, leave the meat to rest at room temperature and then pop back into your hot pan for thirty seconds per side to get that really sensational steak sizzle going again. Don’t skimp on the sides: Finally, having put all that effort into creating the perfect steak, you don’t want your sides to be a let-down. One of the wonderful things about eating steak in a restaurant is indulging in crisp, fluffy chips and unctuous creamed spinach; sure your steak should be the crown jewel of the plate but you need some of those rubies and sapphires nestled alongside to create the wow factor, not soggy peas and under cooked oven chips.

How To Cook Different Cuts of Steak Even if you’ve never cooked a particular cut before, this section should keep you on the straight and narrow! Where a cut of steak is quite lean, it is important to preserve the moisture levels in the meat otherwise it may feel dry or tough when you come to eat it. The best method to do this is pan searing, regardless of how you finish cooking your steak.

Heat a frying pan to the hottest temperature your hob will manage and then sear your room temperature steak for a minute on each side. If your steak is quite a thick cut then you’ll need to use tongs to hold it as you sear the edges after you’ve seared both sides. Don’t overcook these sorts of cuts of steak as they are best served at least pink in the middle if not fully rare to enjoy the lean tenderness. Tougher, more flavourful and marbled cuts of steak require a different approach, you want to be looking at a slower, longer cooking process where you melt the fat marbling into the meat to release the full aroma and flavour locked in your cut of steak. Often these sorts of cuts are flame grilled to allow this melting process to happen and to add a chargrilled, smoky flavour to the rich meat. If you are unsure of the best way to cook a cut of steak you can ask your meat supplier for advice or better yet, always seal the meat and then just experiment until you find the perfect way for you.

Tenderising cheaper cuts of steak There are a tonne of different ways to tenderise steak right in your own home, meaning you can make use of cheaper cuts of steaks and still have a really enjoyable meal. Here we’re going to take a look at all your options, how you’d do them and any potential advantages or disadvantages to the methods that might sway you in choosing to do it one way or another. Ageing: Buying aged steaks are the best way to ensure tender meat and whilst aged steaks are more expensive, you may be able to afford it on a cheaper cut of steak especially if it is wet aged as opposed to dry as wet ageing is a cheaper process. The flavour of dry aged steaks is unparalleled and they should be melting in the mouth tender, the only real drawback is you need to buy it already aged as it’s not really practical to do this yourself at home. Marinades: Marinating meat using a liquid seasoning that contains some kind of acid is an excellent and simple way to tenderise your cut of steak. Any acidic food item in your house will do the job, from lemon juice to vinegar; it’s really simple, just mix that with oil and any herbs or spices you like the taste of, even a novice cook can do this in just a few minutes. The drawback of this method is that most marinades are quite strongly flavoured and don’t necessarily penetrate to the middle of thick cuts of steaks, so if you were looking for a plain and simple steak that’s 3 inches thick this may not be the method for you. Enzymes: Most commercial steak tenderising powders use an extract of the papaya seed, to copy them you can buy green papaya seed powder or dry seeds from a papaya you’ve eaten then grind them up. This is an extremely effective way of tenderizing even the toughest meat, creating a similar effect to aged steaks and the papaya seed has a nice peppery flavour making it a great addition to your seasoning in its own right. The down side to this method is that not everyone will be able to get hold of the pre-ground powder and making your own can be a bit of a fiddle, requiring advanced planning and a reasonable level of culinary skills to safely extract, dry and crush the seed. Not one for tough meat emergencies, but useful if you have a plan to regularly buy cheaper tougher cuts of steaks and you’re prepared to spend the time. Salt: In order to tenderise meat using salt, you’ll need proper sea salt and plenty of it; table salt is too small and tastes grim anyway. Liberally coat your cuts of steak with salt then stand back and let the magic happen. You’ll need to wait a full hour before the process is complete and then rinse the steak and towel off the excess water. The upside to this method is that whilst your salt is doing its thing it can also be bringing other flavours into the meat, even more effectively than a standard dry rub so knock yourself out with adding herb and spices at the same time. Don’t forget to rinse your meat and reapply your seasoning before cooking or it’ll be too salty. The down side to this method is that many people get freaked out by the amount of salt required to make this work (it really doesn’t make the steak too salty so long as you rinse!) or resent spending

money on sea salt that they then wash down the drain. If this sounds like you or your doctor has specified a low salt diet, steer well clear.

Baking soda: An alternative to the salt technique is to use baking soda in the same way, all the same pros and cons apart from the cost and baking soda tends to steal more of your meat’s juices, being finer, not a problem with most cuts of steak but something to bear in mind with cuts that tend towards dryness. Manual tenderizing: This is one of the most commonly known techniques (you may have watched your father or family butcher wielding a meat mallet!) but it is fraught with potential difficulty. Hit your cuts of steak too hard and you end up with mush, if the steak is too thick you get mush on the outside and a tough middle, if you hit your nice thick cut of steak for too long it ends up flat as a pancake and less appetizing. Basically, don’t bother with this method unless someone’s shown you how to do it properly and/or you like your steak thin. Nowadays you can get manual tenderising devices that resemble the industrial machines used in mass processing, pricking the cuts of steak with needles or small blades to break up the connective tissue. These are easier for the home cook to use, just make sure you cook the steak through as they can push bacteria from the raw meat into the middle and cause food poisoning. Make sure you clean them really well for the same reason, no matter how fiddly.

Perfect Fillet Steaks in 7 Simple Steps As we learned in the guide to choosing different cuts of steaks, fillet steaks are tender, lean cuts of beef, the crème de la crème of steaks. When cooking fillet steaks it is easier to get it wrong than you might imagine, just follow our best practice tips below and you’ll be producing your best fillet steak ever in just a few short minutes. Before we begin, let’s just remind ourselves of the core principles of buying good quality fillet steaks, as the standard of the meat will have an influence on the end result, just as much as the cooking will. Firstly, make sure that you buy your fillet steaks from a specialist supplier who really cares about the provenance of the steak and observing the correct conditions to keep the meat, this is especially important when buying steaks online. Secondly, you need to focus on the appearance of the fillet steaks. A good fillet steak should be bright red and fresh looking with little or no fat. You may also want to consider how the steak has been aged (check out our section on aged steaks here to help you decide) and want to buy organic steaks as organically reared fillet steaks that are well aged are generally reckoned to have the best flavour.

Having secured a really delicious looking quality fillet steak, here’s what you need to do in order to make the most of the flavour and seal in all the juices to stop this super lean cut drying out:

1) Cook your fillet steaks in as hot a pan as possible, turn the heat right up and get that pan as close to the temperature of the surface of the sun as you can because this will caramelise the sugars on the edge of the meat and seal in the flavour. The reason we don’t recommend grilling unless you can help it is that most kitchen grills are a bit feeble and don’t get hot enough; the big commercial grills used in professional kitchens are a whole different ball game which is why chargrilled meat tastes so good when you’re in a restaurant but you can’t get it like that at home. 2) One of the most common debates raging over cooking fillet steaks is cooking them straight from the fridge vs. room temperature. We advocate room temperature as cold steak hitting hot pan means a reduction in temperature in the pan and the most important rule of perfect fillet steaks is to have a searing hot pan. 3) Dry your fillet steaks. Pat them with kitchen towel as the evaporating moisture in the pan will act like steam cooking and prevent the caramelising effect that we are going for. 4) Rub your fillet steaks with a little sunflower oil or other oil with a high smoke point; don’t use olive oil as it will burn at this temperature. Rub in pepper if you like and salt if you must. 5) Place your fillet steak in the pan and leave it there sizzling away for 30 seconds (you may wish to use this time to open some windows!) before you flip it, ideally using tongs not a fork 6) Cooking time will depend on your hob and how you like your fillet steak cooked; you can monitor cooking by feel. Here’s how: Prod the squishy bit at the bottom of your thumb, this is raw fillet steak. Now touch your thumb to your index finger and squish again, this is fillet steak cooked rare. Lastly touch your thumb and little finger; this is well done fillet steak. Your middle finger is medium rare and your ring finger medium; practice makes perfect on this one! 7) Unless you have a large pan on a really big flame you’ll get a better result cooking the fillet steaks one at a time (temperature again!). Don’t worry about them getting cold; they’ll be fine resting on a warmed plate if you only have 2 or 3 to do or in a warm oven if there are more. Et voila! The best fillet steak in town and it’s ready to go on your plate (unless you forgot to order steaks in the first place that is!).

Sirloin Steak: Cooking Tips Certain elements of cooking sirloin steaks are common to cooking other cuts of steaks too. We’ll cover those in the first section of the section and then move onto sirloin steak specific tips afterwards. Cooking Sirloin Steaks: The Basic 7 Step Steak Cooking Method 1) Cook your sirloin steaks in a really hot pan, as hot as you can bear it without being scared of it as it’s this heat that will caramelise the sugars on the edge of the meat and seal in the flavour. 2) Many people say that cooking cold sirloin steak makes it tough so to be on the safe side we advocate room temperature, as cold sirloin steaks hitting a hot pan means a reduction in temperature in the pan and the most important rule of perfect fillet steaks is to have a searing hot pan. 3) Unless you have an enormous pan on a really high heat you should cook the sirloin steaks one at a time to avoid any drops in pan temperature that might affect the steak. Don’t worry about your sirloin steaks getting cold; they’ll be just fine resting on a warm dish or in a warm oven. 4) Dry your sirloin steaks. Remove all the moisture you can with kitchen towel as the evaporating moisture in the pan will initiate steam cooking, stew the sirloin steak and prevent the caramelising process we are looking for. 5) Rub your sirloin steaks with sunflower oil or other oil with a high smoke point; you mustn’t use olive oil as it will burn at such a high temperature. Rub in some pepper or other seasoning if you like and salt if you absolutely have to (if in doubt, better without!). 6) Carefully lay your sirloin steak in the pan and leave it there sizzling away for 30 seconds before you flip it (be extra cautious if it’s the second of third steak as there may be spitting fat in the pan). 7) Cooking time will depend on your hob and how you like your sirloin steak cooked; you can monitor cooking by feel. Try this: Prod the squishy bit at the bottom of your thumb, this is raw sirloin steak. Now touch your thumb to your index finger and squish again, this is fillet steak cooked rare, touching your middle finger will be medium rare, your ring finger medium and your little finger well done; practice makes perfect on this one! Cooking Tips Specifically For Sirloin Steak  Sirloin steak is ideally suited to taking on flavours from spices and seasonings like pepper and garlic granules; the extra fat in the cut acts like a bridge, drawing flavour from the meat and the seasoning and melting them together 

Invest in a set of sturdy kitchen tongs and begin cooking each sirloin steak by searing and partially melting the strip of fat at the edge of the steak. Ideally it should end up brown and quite crisp all over rather than an unappealing cream colour.

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Always use tongs not fork to turn your sirloin steak as you don’t want to break the caramelised sealed coating and let the juices escape.

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Sirloin steaks lend themselves well to self-flavoured sauce for the same reasons as they take seasoning well. Once you have cooked your sirloin steaks and left them to rest, deglaze the cooking pan with a little stock, wine or even water will do to make a jus. This can be served as it is, or form the basis for a more elaborate sauce.

Serving Sirloin Steaks Traditionally sirloin steaks are paired up with fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and chips, possibly with peas for added vegetables and health benefits; however there are many different ways you can serve this delicious cut of steak. Many of the best sirloin steak meals are very simple to prepare and don’t take much time at all, meaning that sirloin steak makes a great weeknight supper or perhaps a special dish for Friday night after a tough week at work. You can quickly prepare something really delicious that’ll please the whole family and if you order steaks online then you don’t even have to remember to go shopping for them; they’ll just appear like magic each time.

The Ultimate T-Bone Steaks Cooking Guide In this section we are going to cover every aspect essential to cooking perfect T-bone steaks, looking at different cooking methods First off, we’re going to evaluate the three most popular cooking methods for T-bone steaks. Barbeque/Flame Grill Barbequing or flame grilling your T-bone steak is the traditional American cooking method and the one that is most prevalent in steak houses today. In order to successfully cook your T-bone steaks using this method, you need to make sure the grill is up to temperature before you put the T-bone steak on (we advise using a chef’s thermometer or the one on your barbeque rather than risking your eyebrows when sticking your head over it!). Once the steak is on, close the grill lid if there is one; we know that traditionally you’d stand there with it open, worrying the steaks every two minutes and getting smoke in your eyes but trust us when we say you’ll get a better result by shutting it and leaving it alone for the desired time. Pan Sear Pan searing your T-bone steaks will lock in all the flavours and juices that are naturally present in this popular cut. Get the pan really hot before you add the steak and aim to get a good brown caramelised coating on each side before you turn the T-bone steak over. If you like your T-bone steaks well done and you’re worried about over charring the edges, you can pan sear or flame grill the steak and then finish the cooking process in the oven. You may find this more effective than oven grilling which is explained below. Oven Grill This is our least favourite method but it works better with a T-bone steak than many other cuts of steaks as the bone in the steak conducts heat to aid even cooking and stops the meat from shrinking and drying out during the longer grill time required. Get the grill as hot as you can and then put the steak in, turning after 5-7 minutes depending on whether you like your T-bone steak medium rare through to well done. Avoiding salty rubs and marinades can help reduce water loss and resultant dryness of the meat with this cooking method.

Steak Recipes & Meal Ideas

Steak rubs and marinades Rubs and marinades are most often used on rib-eye steaks or T-bone steaks but you can use them on any cut of steak that you choose. In this section we’re going to explain the difference between a marinade and a rub, plus guide you through the best steak cooking technique using each flavouring method. What is a steak marinade? Steak marinades are liquids that are made of herbs, spices, and an acid (don’t worry not one that burns!) this is usually a citrus, vinegar, or alcohol and they’ve been in use since the Renaissance era when they were used to preserve food. Nowadays they are used to add flavour but also to tenderize your steaks. The acids break down connective tissues which makes your steak tenderer. If you are cooking a steak that is already tender (fillet steak and aged steaks are usually already tender) then you should marinate briefly, for 2 hours or less. Tougher steaks such as a fresh rib eye steak or T-bone steak should be marinated in the fridge anywhere from 4 hours to overnight. Don’t leave your steak marinating too long or it will start to disintegrate and lose that firm meaty texture that you enjoy. The best containers for marinating steaks are large sealable plastic bags, or a glass or ceramic dish with cling film over the top. Marinades work from the outside in, so if you need your marinade to tenderize as well as flavour, you might want to think about getting your rib-eye and T-bone steaks cut a little thinner so you don’t end up with a mushy outside and a tough middle. Any leftover marinade in the bag or bowl can be used to baste the meat while you are cooking it, but no matter how tasty it is, do not use leftover marinade as a sauce; it’s been in contact with raw meat and so there’s always a risk of food poisoning. Some of our favourite steak marinades: Tangy Treat: Combine soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcester sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, pepper and a little chilli then massage into your rib-eye steak. Sweet Sensation: Mix soy sauce, honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic, onion powder, cayenne pepper, olive oil and a little salt then massage into your juicy T-bone steak. So Wrong its Right: Stir your favourite smoky barbeque sauce with dark brown sugar and tonnes of fresh minced garlic for a T-bone steak that’s mouth wateringly good. Mental for Oriental: Combine soy sauce, heaps of grated fresh ginger and garlic plus some rice vinegar and sesame oil for a rib-eye steak that just oozes Eastern promise.

What is a steak rub? Dry steak rubs are powdery mixes of spices and seasoning that add flavour but don’t have the same tenderizing action of a marinade. Paste rubs are mixed with enough of a wet ingredient, like oil, soy sauce, or mustard to form a paste that you rub into your T-bone or rib-eye steak. Both kinds of rubs should be patted onto the meat to form a coating or crust, remember to pat gently; don’t rub too hard. Rubs can be applied just before cooking, but for more impact you can put rubs on a few hours before you plan to cook and store meat in the fridge. In order to successfully apply your dry or paste rub to your steak, first dry the meat off with kitchen roll, ensuring that none of the towel breaks off and gets stuck to the meat. After the meat is dry, we are ready to apply our rub. Paste rubs can go on right away but dry rubs stick better if you rub the meat with a little oil first, the oil also acts as a surface for the flavours in your rub to diffuse onto making for a tastier steak. Apply your rub with a firm hand, pressing it into the meat but never scrubbing at the meat as this can damage the texture and will ultimately remove more rub that you put on. Once you have a decent layer or crust of your seasoning you’re ready to send that T-bone or rib-eye steak to the pan or grill. Some of our favourite steak rubs: Sweet ‘n Spicy: Salt, sugar, cumin and chilli are fused together to create a tongue tingling taste sensation that you’ll want to use time and time again. If you like your food spicy then use chilli powder, if not then use chilli flakes which are milder and go easy on the quantity. A Hint of The Exotic: Combine cocoa powder, allspice, cumin, salt and pepper for a holiday inspired T-bone steak treat. For a little extra rumba and your rib-eye you can try adding a splash of rum and flambéing your steak with this rub. Sophisticated Seasoning: Grind yellow mustard seeds and black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar before combining with dried tarragon and salt for a mouth-watering yet refined rub that’ll please even the biggest food snob. Thyme To Taste: Mix dried thyme, sage, salt, pepper and garlic granules then rub liberal quantities over your rib-eye steak for a rub that it deep in flavour yet not at all spicy.

Steak Supper: Cook Brilliant Traditional Sauces and Sides The vast majority of people would say that doing anything with a steak other than pan searing it and serving it as it is would be an insult. For the most part we’d agree, so this section is devoted to sauces and sides to be served with your perfect pan seared steak, each designed to ideally complement the juicy beef.

Steak Sauces Pepper sauce: For this classic steak sauce to serve two people you’ll need ½tbsp vegetable oil, 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped, 150ml dry white wine, 150ml double cream or low fat crème fraîche if you’re trying to be good, 2 tbsp green peppercorns that you’ve rinsed off plus some salt and freshly ground black pepper to season. Heat the oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat and gently cook the onion until soft, add the wine, turn up the heat and reduce the volume by half, then reduce the heat and stir in the cream or crème fraîche and the peppercorns, season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper then serve with your delicious steaks. Mushroom sauce: Allow a generous handful of mushrooms per steak, half a small onion, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 50 ml of cream and wine respectively (red or white is fine, both are yummy), ¼ of a chicken stock cube and a few dashes of Worcester sauce. You’ll also need salt, pepper and butter to hand. Melt a little butter over a medium heat and gently fry the onion and garlic until tender and translucent, add the mushrooms and fry until they are reduced (they’ll have given off a lot of water and be smaller). Add the wine and turn up the heat, cooking until you can’t smell alcohol coming off any more; reduce the heat and add the Worcester sauce, stock cube and salt and pepper to taste, then add the cream once the temperature has dropped off, cook until you are happy with the thickness then serve poured over your mouth watering steaks. Flavoured Butters: These are so simple, even the most novice cook can make them. The basic method is thus; allow your butter to reach room temperature, add to food processor with desired flavourings, bland together, spoon onto a sheet of kitchen foil in a roughly even line/log shape then fold the foil round and roll like a rolling pin until you get a nice sausage shape. Twist off the ends and then you’re set, this will keep in the freezer almost indefinitely. You can use whatever flavour combinations you like and we’d encourage you to get creative and experiment with new combinations to jazz up your steaks, however for a starting point a few of our favourites are horseradish and chive, garlic and shallot, blue cheese, black olive and lemon, watercress, sun dried tomato and basil, wholegrain mustard and ginger and lime.

Steak Sides Triple Cooked Chips: This holy grail of steak sides hails from Heston Blumenthal’s world famous Fat Duck restaurant and Heston himself provides this advice for cooking them, “The first secret is cooking the chips until they are almost falling apart as the cracks are what makes them so crispy. The second secret is allowing the chips to steam dry then sit in the freezer for an hour to get rid of as much moisture as possible. The final secret is to cook the chips in very hot oil for a crispy, glass-like crust." Hand cut chunky chips from Maris Piper potatoes then put the cut chips into a bowl under running water for 5 minutes to wash the starch off. Then add cold water to a large saucepan with the potatoes. Place the pan over a medium heat and simmer until the chips are almost falling apart then remove and place on a cooling rack to dry out, once dry you should place the rack in the freezer for an hour to remove more moisture. Heat your deep-fat fryer or a deep pan no more than half filled with oil to 130ºC then fry the chips in small batches for about 5 minutes until a light crust forms, remove the chips and drain on kitchen roll. Return to the cooling rack and place in the freezer for an hour. Heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer or deep pan to 180ºC and fry the chips until golden before draining and sprinkling with salt. They are now ready for your steak. Wilted Spinach: After your epic cooking mission for the triple cooked chips, you’ll be relieved to know this steak side is super easy; just add spinach to a pan with a little salt over a medium heat and pop the lid on, after 5 minutes the spinach should have started to wilt and give out water so take the lid off and allow any excess liquid to evaporate. If it still looks a little wet you might want to try straining it (a potato masher can help press out any residual liquid). Naughty Salad: Grill bacon until really crisp then snap into small pieces, mix up with a selection of your favourite green leaves and crumbled blue cheese. Simple, sinful and super delicious with steaks. Sautéed Sprouts: A slightly different steak side, cut your Brussels sprouts in half and add to salted boiling water for 5 minutes, remove and allow to steam dry, then add a little oil to a wok and stir fry, adding your choice of bacon cubes, chopped chestnuts and spices.

Sirloin Steak: Fresh Ideas For An Old Favourite You’ve learned how to cook the perfect sirloin steak but in order to keep your cooking fresh and exciting you need to have a few different ways to serve your sirloin steaks up your sleeve. Below you’ll find a great selection of meal ideas to accompany that sizzling sirloin steak.

Not chips again… There are so many exciting starch sides you could be serving with your sirloin steak, there’s no need to find yourself getting bored with chips (as if!). Why not try… Flavoured mash: This is a really tasty treat providing you’re not watching your weight and really simple to prepare. Just boil potatoes, mash in butter, cream salt and pepper until smooth then stir in crispy bacon bits and your favourite cheese grated or crumbled. Alternatively use flavoured butters, herbs and spices. Sweeet Potato: You can use sweet potato as a side to your sirloin steak just as you would a regular potato, the only real difference is that it tends to cook quicker. Try it baked with flavoured butter, mashed or cut into wedges with Cajun spices, the sweetness of the potato is perfect contrast to the deep meaty flavour of your sirloin steak. Potato 84 ways: Well, maybe not quite but don’t forget other ways of cooking potatoes so they’re nothing like your regular chip side; sirloin steak goes just as well with baked or roast potatoes, potato gratin, potato dauphinoise, the list just goes on and on! Pasta pronto: Cooking fresh pasta, tossing it lightly in tomato and basil sauce and then serving your sirloin steak delicately sliced on top is an innovative way of transforming your meal time. Out of Africa: Use a dry Moroccan spice rub on your steak then serve with couscous. Make your couscous really pop by adding roast pistachios, finely chopped preserved lemons and handfuls of fresh coriander leaves. Rice, rice baby: Boiled white rice is quite frankly a little dull, so why not try the nuttier more interesting flavour of brown rice with your next sirloin steak? Working with this as a base you can add handfuls of chopped fresh herb leaves, a squeeze of fresh citrus juice or finely chopped olives and sun dried tomatoes with a good dose of salt and pepper to season. Even if you choose to stick with white rice, these tips will liven up an otherwise bland accompaniment to sirloin steak.

Veg that makes sirloin steaks… We love spinach, mushrooms, asparagus and all the veg you’d normally think to serve with your sirloin steak, but sometimes even we have to ring the changes. Here are a few options to make you fall back in love with sirloin steaks. Onion Rings: Contrary to popular opinion, these are not tricky to make. For two people take one white onion, 50g of flour, 75ml milk, 1 egg yolk and 1 egg white (separated) and 1/2tbsp oil. Sift the flour then mix in egg yolk and oil, adding milk to form a smooth paste then stand for 30 mins. If you don’t have a deep fat fryer, put a deep pan on the hob 1/3 full of oil (groundnut works best) and turn the heat on, you’ll need a chef’s thermometer to check when it gets to 190C. Cut the onion into 1 cm rings and beat the egg white until stiff, once your oil is hot fold the egg into the batter then dip your onion rings and fry until golden brown. Drain and serve immediately with your sirloin steak. Roasted Revelation: Cut up a mixture of red and yellow peppers, chunks of courgette, wedges of red onions and add good quality baby tomatoes to a roasting tin, add chilli flaked, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt before roasting in a 180C oven until slightly charred and soft. Serve in generous piles beside your sirloin steaks. Sassy Sun Drenched Salad: Roughly chop Little Gem lettuce and place in your serving bowl; in another bowl combine chopped sun dried tomatoes, black olives, anchovy fillets, capers, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar to taste and a good glug of olive oil. Mix well and then toss with your salad leaves, serve with generous chunks of feta cheese.

Fillet Steak: Fabulous New Ideas For Your Favourite Steak Many would argue that a perfectly done fillet steak with chips was their desert island meal; however there are so many more delicious and different possibilities that we’re sure that even the most diehard chip enthusiasts will be tempted to broaden their horizons. Here are a few of our favourite really easy, simple combinations for you to try: Fillet Steak with Onions, Mixed Mushrooms and Spinach The beef fillet is ideally matched to the earthy, irony flavours of these vegetables to create a hearty, nourishing meal that can be dressed up smart enough for a supper party and suits anyone on a low carb diet. Chop and fry together the onions and mushrooms and leave the spinach wilting in a pan, microwave or steamer whilst you cook your fillet steaks. To tart this meal up for entertaining, put a chef’s ring on the plate (a round biscuit cutter will do the same job if you haven’t got one of these) and layer the onion and mushroom mix alternately with the spinach to the top, press down, remove the ring and place the beef fillet gently on top of the stack and serve with a steak sauce of your choice. Fillet Steak with Aromatic Herb Salad A light green salad infused with aromatic herbs provides a bright, summery freshness that is the perfect foil to the beefy richness of your fillet steaks. Simply crush a handful of fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano in your hand to release the gorgeous scents, then mix them with your choice of green leaves, slice your beef fillet and lay the slices on top of the pile of sweet smelling salad. Fillet Steak with Stilton & Rocket We love this combination served as the ultimate in decadent Saturday lunch sandwich with fresh bread rolls still slightly warm from the oven, but it works just as well without the bread if you can’t eat it or can’t get hold of any. Preparation is super simple, crumble your Stilton and set aside, cook your steak as you like it then after resting slice quickly and assemble everything in a bowl or roll depending on which way you’re serving it. The tangy Stilton will soften with the warmth of the steak, releasing all its flavour and the peppery freshness of the rocket stops the whole thing being too rich.

Fillet Steak with Caramelised Butternut Squash & Red Onion Fillet steaks prepared this way feel totally decadent but are actually really nutritious and healthy, especially if you blanch some green beans or sugar snap peas to serve alongside. Preheat the oven to about 200 degrees, peel and cut your squash into cubes (bigger than a dice but smaller than a ping pong ball is ideal), peel and quarter your onions and throw the whole lot in a tray with a generous slug of oil and seasoning and put in the oven. About 30 minutes later give the tray a shake and you should see the edges browning up and the caramelising process turning your tray golden (if the edges are starting to catch and blacken, turn the oven down). It’s then time to cook the beef fillet as you like it and blanch the greens if you are doing them, by the time you are done your tray of golden goodness should be too. Fillet Steak with Leeks & Creamed Beans This is another sinful sounding combination that seems to be really naughty but actually stacks up pretty well on the nutrient levels. Chop leeks, fresh thyme, onion and garlic and sweat together in a saucepan over a low heat for about 20 minutes, add a can of cannellini or butter beans. Don’t bother draining them unless the water’s really salty, the leached starches and nutrients in the water are good news; if you have to drain them make up half a tin full of vegetable stock to replace the liquid (you can make this in the tin you’ve just emptied to save washing up!) Bring to the boil then back to a simmer, add low fat crème fraiche, fresh parsley and seasoning if required then cook your steak and serve. Unctuous, comforting and super scrummy. Fillet steak with Garlic Prawns & Samphire This combination takes your classic surf ‘n turf idea and gives it a refined modern twist. Using the delicious and elegant fillet steaks along with exotic tiger prawns, buttery garlic sauce and forager’s favourite wild seaside vegetable samphire, this dish creates a dinner party ready meal out of a pub classic. Preparation is simple and super-fast; cook your steak and set aside to rest, boil the kettle, peel, crush and chop half a bulb of garlic and fry gently in a good dollop of melted salted butter. When your kettle is boiled, pour the water into a bowl over the samphire, hurl your peeled tiger prawns into the garlicky butter and whiz around for 60 seconds before straining the samphire, plating it up with the steak and pouring the prawns and garlic sauce over the top.

Rib-Eye, Porterhouse and T-Bone Steak Flavour Combinations Rib-eye, T-bone and porterhouse steaks are big beef hits that can take strong flavours really well and are traditionally seasoned with some sort of extra flavouring even if only salt and pepper. Here are some of the best for you to try:

Dry Rubs Dry rubs are combinations of dry herbs and spices that you mix together and then massage into the steaks before cooking to create a flavourful crust to the meat. Below you’ll find a guide to our favourite flavour combinations: Salt & Pepper – sometimes the simplest things are the best, a straight up rub with two parts pepper to one part salt will bring out the best in a quality steak. Hot Smoked Paprika and Cayenne Pepper – This combination is not for the faint hearted, spicy and yet earthy, it’s reminiscent of warm Spanish evenings on the veranda. If you’re not a big spice fan, only add the smallest amount of cayenne to your steaks or leave it out altogether and replace with garlic salt. Coriander, Cumin and Turmeric – Combine these spices, three parts coriander and two parts cumin with one part turmeric for an Indian feel spice sensation. Make sure you don’t burn the spice coating with this mix or it’ll start to make your steaks taste bitter. Garlic Salt, Onion Granules and Pepper – This is a flavourful combination without the heat or spice of some of our other steak suggestions. Combine the three ingredients in equal proportions, although if you’re really not into hot spicy things then go easy with the pepper. Chilli, palm sugar, lemongrass and galangal powders – These ingredients fuse together to create a Thai inspired steak; adjust the proportions to suit your personal taste (start with even proportions and a light dusting per steak and work from there). If you can’t get hold of all the ingredients Thai 5spice powder works just as well. Chinese 5-spice powder – Weirdly this ingredient often contains more than 5 spices, including cinnamon, star anise, fennel, clove, ginger, liquorice, Sichuan peppercorns and dried tangerine peel (although the traditional original version had just 5). No matter what it’s made from, it makes steaks taste like a wonder from the Orient.

Marinades Marinades are designed to add flavour to the meat in the same way as dry rubs do, the difference is they’re made with wet ingredients which some argue helps preserve or enhance the juiciness of the steaks. Whatever the final verdict, we know these combinations taste amazing when left covering

your steak for at least 2 hours (ideally all day), so give them a go for yourself next time you have a steak: Brilliantly Boozy: Combine Guinness, garlic, diced red onion, Worcestershire, Tabasco, juice of 2 limes, brown sugar, wholegrain mustard, olive oil and salt in a food processor or blender then pour over your steaks. Pre-packed Perfection: Take a squeeze of each of these for the easiest steak marinade ever; Italian salad dressing, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, garlic sauce and seasoning. Nice n spicy: Blitz red wine vinegar, salt, garlic, shallot, chilli, fresh coriander, flat-leaf parsley, fresh oregano and extra-virgin olive oil in a food processor then dunk your . From Japan With Love: Combine rice vinegar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin, garlic puree, ginger puree and honey into a glorious syrupy mix and pour it over your steaks. Taste Of The South: Slosh this sassy sauce over your steak for taste bud tickling excellence; combine garlic cloves, bought chipotle sauce, a large handful of fresh coriander, olive oil, sea salt, fresh rosemary, zest and juice of a lime, orange juice, fresh ground pepper and minced shallots in a blender and get the steak involved. Eastern Promise: Fuse soy sauce, sesame oil, spring onions, palm sugar, minced garlic, sesame seeds, Chinese or Thai 5 spice powder, white vinegar and ground pepper for a drenched in oriental opulence.

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts I hope that in the reading of this book you’ve got what you wanted from it, a few of the things I hope you can walk away with if you didn’t have them before are as follows: A Deep Knowledge Of Steak A misguided friend of mine said when I started writing this book “How can you fill a whole book on steak? Surely steak’s just steak right?” Of course nothing is further from the truth as you now know reader; not all steak is created equal and without understanding the different cuts and their qualities you’ll struggle to understand what you like and why. In addition, in an increasingly health and environmentally conscious world, it is essential that we understand where our food comes from and in the case of livestock how it was raised. In part this is a case of taste but it is also tied tightly to our health and that of our family, not to mention our responsibility for the future of our planet.

Confidence To Buy What You’ll Enjoy Eating Many people never progress beyond buying very average meat in dull plastic trays from their local supermarket. I hope that I have managed to teach you how to buy good steak and more importantly that you now feel filled with confidence to seek out independent suppliers and quality butchers who will be able to put you in touch with steak on a whole new level

I wondered for a while about including the section on steak mistakes but I decided that sometimes the best way to learn how to do something is to look at how not to do it, perhaps it revealed a few bad steak habits that you didn’t know you had or perhaps it just warned you off what not to do. Mastery of Great Steak Cooking Techniques Any great chef will tell you that top quality ingredients are the beginning of a great dish, not the end and no matter what you pay for your meat or how carefully you source it, you can still ruin it very easily with poor cooking techniques. I hope you’ll have realised how the basics of all steak cooking techniques are the same, if you take nothing else from this section, adopting those will see you enjoying steak far more than you ever had before. In addition, cooking techniques become even more critical when dealing with cheaper cuts of meat that may not have the natural succulence and tenderness of your best fillet steak. Many people on a budget will avoid buying steak for their families because they assume that they won’t be able to prepare the cuts they can afford to a standard where they are enjoyable. I hope that I’ve been able to open your eyes as to how simple kitchen cheats can open a whole new world of steak enjoyment to even the most cash strapped of readers.

Inspiration For Steak Inspired Suppers All Year Round I’m a massive fan of traditional steak sides but only if they are cooked properly, my first gift to you was to let you into the methods and recipes I use at home to create the mouth-watering levels of side dish perfection that sets off a delicious steak so well.

Sometimes I think if I never ate anything other than steak, triple cooked chips, onion rings, mushrooms and spinach again I’d die a happy man, however I am a keen cook and it’d be limiting to my interests not to try different recipes. I’m always asking people for recommendations for new rubs and marinades (the best of which I shared with you earlier). These combined with the different serving suggestions I’ve invented over the years mean that not only can my wife never complain of getting bored of steak; it also enables me to transform different steaks to suit different occasions – everything from a simple lunch to a formal dinner via barbeques and weeknight suppers.

My Hope for You Steak is one of the greatest pleasures in my life; versatile, delicious and nourishing. I’m passionate about its production, cooking and serving and whilst I don’t expect every single one of you to adopt the length and breadth of my passion, if I’ve managed to deepen your understanding and appreciation for this king of meats then it’s a job well done. Thank you for taking the time to read this guide, I hope you enjoyed this and keep enjoying your steak! If you’d like to contact me I can be reached via the contact page of my site www.irishsteak.com.

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