got stung yesterday

[jeepvet]

We don't splurge on steaks but two or three times a year, usually we just get by on ground steak. But when we do, it is only ribeye. You have to go to a place that really knows and cares about meat, so a good meat market will have the best quality. Marbling is the key to buying steaks. The steak with the most marbling is the most tender and flavorful even though it is not the healthiest. Don't ruin a good steak with marinate. I only cook with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Anything past medium rare is too much. Asking for ketchup will get you shot in our house. Steak sauces will get you a very dirty look. Worcestershire is ok.

I do not usually waste my money on a steak in any restaurant, although I have gotten a very few good steaks while eating out. If you think that you can only get a good steak at a restaurant, bring a couple over to my house and I will show you what a steak should taste like.

[Love Life]

Steak is much cheaper when you don’t waste your money on chicken and pork, lol.

[Wag]

I don't eat steaks at restaurants. They're better at home from my own grill. Wild meat is always better than ranch raised beef, but you can still get good beef off your grill. The cut you start with matters and sirloin is typically mid-range, but can still be done plenty good.

Marinades are a waste of time and can actually do more harm than good. Black pepper and salt are the best. Some odd combinations can be good and you can cheat with some rubs if you like the taste of them but as always, don't overdo it. Dried parsley flakes are particularly interesting if you rub it in really well before cooking.

Always let the meat (of any kind) reach room temperature before putting it on the grill. Get that grill good and hot before tossing it on there and don't cook it too long, either. You'll want to have it rare to just barely medium rare to preserve all the flavor.

Once you toss it onto the hot grill, turn the heat down, close the lid and let it sear for about 30 to 60 seconds and then flip it over. Add your seasonings and cook it the rest of the way with the lid closed and don't turn it over again. If you need to check it, go ahead and do so.

Adjust your cooking level by knowing the thickness of the steak. If you want well done (you heathen) get a thinner cut. If you want rare, get it thicker. You'll have to test a few on your grill to learn how your grill cooks.

I prefer charcoal and I haven't used gas in so long I don't even recall how to do it right but I do recall that I try to imitate the charcoal. A properly lit charcoal pile is constantly cooling so if I use a gas grill, once the food is cooking, I start trimming back the flame gradually as it cooks and things come out much better, more tender.

My preference is always a smoker but dang, that's a lot of work!

--Wag--

[nagantguy]

I only buy a sirloin if it has a bone. It's up there with Crab legs.
Attachment 224585

I agree; it’s either the bone imparts extra flavor or helps to break down complex branch and chain amino acids but in my book any cut of any meat is better and more flavorful with a bone in.

Being a self proclaimed grill master I’ve tow free tips; take them for what they are worth to you as the price is right; always let meat come to room temperature before throwing it on a hot grill; and by hot I mean at least 450. Grill cold of frozen meat and it’s either tough or leathery.
Tip two for all red meats; grill it to where the inside is close to where you want it; say you want medium rare; when the out side is cooked to sear in the juices; and the center is still rare take it off the grill and let it sit covered for about 4-5 minutes; if your grill was at proper temp it should finish cooking that last little bit on its own; if not you can throw it back on for another minute or two; at many high end steak houses they call this “plating” and results in more tender juicyer more flavorful meet instead of being cooked to the point of shoe leather.

Grill temperature is every bit as important as pot, melt and mold temperature is in casting. Most only seem to know bloody as hell or burned to a crispy hockey puck.

[jules]

I only grill steak using Lawry's seasoning salt and let it get to room temp before it goes on a 500 degree gas grill. "Charcoal is better yet". When done I drizzle a small amount of melted butter over it. If it's a Sirloin I usually cut it up in strips with fries or Shrimp and add it all on a salad with Zesty italian dressing.
This works with Butterfly or Center cut Pork Chops also.

[fivegunner]

Now stop it! I am getting hungry

[DCP]

don't know but I do know ive had sirloins that about melt in your mouth and in my opinion if you get a good one they have more flavor then about any other cut. Now if I could just learn to tell which ones were like that and which were shoe leather.

Yep same for us. It really seems that one could figger this out. There must be something we dont know.

[Lloyd Smale]

heres how I do back straps and cooked like this there nice and tender. I take a whole chunk of backstrap. I season with montreal steak seasoning and some garlic powder that morning. I get the grill real hot and put the whole back strap on it and let it sear for a few minutes. Then I flip it over and do the same on the other side. Then I take the whole back strap and butter fly it and throw the rare side down on the grill and sear that side. Then I take a brush and start brushing butter on it right from the start. When its pink (I don't like rare) I take it off and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. My fussy wife will even admit its as good as any beef steak and better then a lot of them. You can even grill lesser cuts of venison on the grill. I just run them through my cuber and again use a lot of butter and you can cut it with a fork. My buddy got me into the cubed steak thing. Probably a 1/3 of my venison goes through the cuber. Makes great steak on the grill and the best chicken fried steak ever!

[Fishman]

I love grilled deer. That said, here in Texas we have an amazing grocery store chain called HEB. They have a meat counter with two types of beef, grass fed, and prime. Their prime sirloin is extremely good and about $7 a pound. Lately they have been running prime boneless ribeyes or NY strip steaks for between $10 and $12 a pound. With any of these cuts I can easily improve on any local steakhouse I have eaten at. For less than $20 I can buy enough to make dinner for my wife, 16-yr-old son, and myself, with often some leftovers. We do this a couple times a month so it isn’t too pricey. Heck, you spend more than that at a fast food joint. Anyway, my point is that sirloin can be amazing, you just have to buy a high grade of meat. HEB is widely appreciated here in Texas for quality, value, and community service. And no I don’t work for them, just love having a good grocery store to shop at.

[RogerDat]

We too have a local grocery chain VG's that is known for good meats, they make great jerky but can only sell it at store that makes it unless they package for transport. Also a couple of independent meat markets, one with a great bakery, good bread and yummy deserts.

The independent shops sell freezer packages that can be a very good deal. We can fit a quarter beef or maybe 1/2 hog in our small chest freezer and with just two of us that is plenty. The meat shops offer packages that are similar but a bit smaller overall and tend to have better mix of choice cuts (at a little more price per lb.) but as Fishman pointed out a couple of people eating at even a restaurant can easily cost more than eating premium quality at home.

I will say the two best steaks I have ever had in a restaurant one was in Pueblo Colo. and one was in Pan handle of Florida and one was in San Antonio area, toward Temple TX as I recall. I know that's three but be hard to pick the best two out of those three

[DerekP Houston]

We wait for Omaha Steaks to have a sale and then we stock up on Filet Mignon and Ribeyes. Season them, cook them on a charcoal grill until they're medium rare, and holy cow you're eating good.

We only eat them on special occasions. We do make boneless ribs on a regular basis though. We get the meat straight from the butcher.

I do the same, but the quality I have gotten from Omaha seems to be on the downward slide. Anyone tried one of the other mail order companies? I prefer ordering in bulk for the deep freeze instead of trying to find a sale each week.

[Tom W.]

We have a really good steakhouse about 18 miles from the house, but don't go there much because it ain't cheap. They grow their own cows. Nothing like Western Sizzler or the chain steakhouses.

We don't get the sirloins or NY strip because we really don't care for them.

I'll grill ribeyes. I learned a long time ago NOT to puncture the steak. I'll use tongs to flip it. I also coat them with EVOO to sear them quickly to keep the juices in. Lori likes hers marinated, I'll peruse through the spice rack and find my favorites and mix them with the EVOO. Paired with a baked potato, some roasted asparagus or broccoli and an ice cold Abita beer and I'm good!

[Lloyd Smale]

You've got a good point there. Went to hardys the other day with my wife and granddaughter and it cost us 20 bucks for burgers. Could have fed everyone steak for that. A good one lb piece of steak cost about as much as a hardys hamburger.

I love grilled deer. That said, here in Texas we have an amazing grocery store chain called HEB. They have a meat counter with two types of beef, grass fed, and prime. Their prime sirloin is extremely good and about $7 a pound. Lately they have been running prime boneless ribeyes or NY strip steaks for between $10 and $12 a pound. With any of these cuts I can easily improve on any local steakhouse I have eaten at. For less than $20 I can buy enough to make dinner for my wife, 16-yr-old son, and myself, with often some leftovers. We do this a couple times a month so it isn’t too pricey. Heck, you spend more than that at a fast food joint. Anyway, my point is that sirloin can be amazing, you just have to buy a high grade of meat. HEB is widely appreciated here in Texas for quality, value, and community service. And no I don’t work for them, just love having a good grocery store to shop at.

[nagantguy]

We too have a local grocery chain VG's that is known for good meats, they make great jerky but can only sell it at store that makes it unless they package for transport. Also a couple of independent meat markets, one with a great bakery, good bread and yummy deserts.


The independent shops sell freezer packages that can be a very good deal. We can fit a quarter beef or maybe 1/2 hog in our small chest freezer and with just two of us that is plenty. The meat shops offer packages that are similar but a bit smaller overall and tend to have better mix of choice cuts (at a little more price per lb.) but as Fishman pointed out a couple of people eating at even a restaurant can easily cost more than eating premium quality at home.

I will say the two best steaks I have ever had in a restaurant one was in Pueblo Colo. and one was in Pan handle of Florida and one was in San Antonio area, toward Temple TX as I recall. I know that's three but be hard to pick the best two out of those three

Rogerdat; you are correct that. VG’s is a very nice grocery with an excellent meat counter! And we are lucky to be in a “cattle” part of MI and just trendy enough that everyone wants grass fed Angus.
The fellow who got me into Cur dogs and cook hunting has several 100 cows; sometimes we buy for cash and sometimes we trade ; a winters worth of firewood is worth a beef cow to him so years I have time I cut wood for him a well as us.

[Handloader109]

Well, I grill all the time. Gas most of the time, Yes charcoal is good, but takes way longer and with only three of us, a lot of waste. But the main thing that I do is NOT overcook the steak. I Love mine RARE, wife and daughter medium with just tinge of red. If you cook well done, most cuts ARE shoe leather. Just say'n. RARE. And Yes, corn fed is way better than just grass fed. We raised beef and stopped having any slaughtered as we grain fed was WAY better.

[MaryB]

Sear the outside, get the center to body temp, hand me a knife and a fork!

[PB234]

Steaks are fine and expensive. Really expensive is going to a fast food place and spending five dollars+ for some junk that is only going to make one fat and sick. There are so many great meals to cook that cost little. When time and luck permits a whole prime brisket can be had at Costco for under $3 a pound. 15 pounds of meat (OK maybe 13.5 after trimming fat) to turn into brisket, corned beef and pastrami. We are talking a lot of different meals from one hunk of meat including corned beef hash from leftovers.

With a bunch of thought one can eat great without spending a lot. Going out for a fast food hamburger and fries and a soft drink is hugely expensive and destructive to health.

Make my own sausage and been dabbling making products from pig's head. Beautiful stuff far more complex than a hunk of steak. Before spending a lot of money for a fast food meals for two I would rather buy a great rib streak, grill it perfectly and imagine I was in Italy. Probably serve it up with an African American pie and have a link to that culture too. Mostly I don't go to restaurants anymore. Their BBQ doesn't equal my ribs or pulled pork off the smoker. Most restaurants can't afford to serve a meal that is not markup hugely and even then it is a lot of hard work and nobody is getting rich.

Here is a few dozen meals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oVuUcAK0x0

[snowwolfe]

Thick ribeyes from Costco are my go to steak. Last batch cost $10 a pound but worth every bite.
If you want a tender sirloin cook it via the sous vide method for 2 hours at your desired temperature then toss on a hot grill for 2 minutes on each side.