Overall, the most important step is what meat you buy. Even if you skip the rest of this recipe, remember that it all starts with the cut you buy. Buying a cheap steak is like buying a house that is a fixer upper: it's a triumph of spirit if you get it done, but it's a lot of effort and you will have scars. Much better then, to buy the house that's good from the start and make improvements.
From a grocery store, you'll have essentially three grade choices (according to the USDA):
- Select (the Chevy Cobalt of beef grades) <-- Cheapest, could be $2-$5 / lb. (or less).
- Choice (the Cadillac of beef grades) <-- The minimum grade to be labelled: angus. Middle-of-the-road, could be $5-$12 / lb.
- Prime (The Ferrari of beef grades) <-- This is what you want. Note that beef labelled " Del-Monico" tends to be prime or better. It just means "best we have". Ranges from $12-$25 / lb. (anything above $20 is pricey)
- Wagyu (You won't find this at the store, this is the Rolls Royce of beef grades) (runs upwards of $70 / lb.).
Buy meat that is "marbled" or has lots of evenly distributed fat. Unlike bacon where you look for leaner cuts, steak is the opposite. The best cuts have small amounts of fat evenly distributed throughout (you don't want one that has a huge chunk of fat in the middle, like when you look at marble that has ribbons of color running through it). The better the marbling, the juicier the steak it produces.
Where on the cow the steak comes from is significant. Certain muscles are tougher than others, while others have less fat, which means they can dry out easier. My preference for this recipe is boneless NY Strip. Its usually got decent marbling (at prime grade) no matter what you choose. It also has a nice fat edge. NY strips are cut from the loins. Filet Mignon is also good but can dry out very easily as it is cut from the beef tenderloin, which has very little fat. A preparation of filet tends to involve the addition of fat (wrapping in bacon for example) or other tricks to keep it moist. NY Strip does not require such trickery / witchcraft and is easier to get right. There are many other cuts as well that are worth mentioning, but I digress.
The type of salt you choose has an impact.
Table salt (typically iodized) has a higher salinity than kosher salt so you'll need to adjust based on which you use.
I would recommend a kosher salt to avoid over-salting the meat.
- Prime NY Strip Steaks (as many as you want, look for cuts that are at least 1 inch thick for more predictable temperature control).
- Butter (unsalted)
- Lemon Juice
- Thyme (dried is easiest)
- Rosemary (fresh in stalk form)
- Salt (kosher, but table / sea salt is fine)
- Pepper (or a Montreal-style steak rub)
- Olive Oil
- Plastic Wrap
Prep time: 15 minutes, dry brining time: 3-8 hours before cooking (overnight works fine as well).
- Leave the Steak in the refrigerator until you're ready to prep.
- Line the steaks up (in a row, facing the same direction. I usually do this on a baking / cookie tray).
- Generously pinch salt onto the top side of the steak (less generously if you are using sea / table salt).
- You'll know you're "done" if by running your finger along the steak it feels slightly "sandy".
- Flip the steaks over and repeat.
- Lightly salt the sides of the steak (including the fat side).
- Store in fridge to dry-brine for a minimum of 3 hours (8 or overnight is preferable).
- Make a stick (or half a stick) of unsalted butter soft. Don't completely melt (no need to add more salt to this recipe).
- Add lemon juice and thyme to the soft butter (to taste. You'll have to experiment as I always wind up with a slightly different amount) and mix.
- Roll out and cut a small sheet of plastic wrap and put the softened, mixed butter on it.
- Wrap it tightly and store in the fridge.
- After the dry brine, bring the steaks out (they should be a deeper red coloring than they were before).
- Apply a small amount of olive oil to the top side of the steak (rub in with your hand).
- Flip them over, and do the same to the other side.
- Do this to the sides as well.
- Apply your pepper (I prefer fresh cracked black pepper or some type of montreal steak seasoning) to all sides and rub it in.
- Cut / snap your rosemary springs into thirds.
- Use a filet knife to cut 3 evenly spaced little pockets perpendicular to one side on each of your steaks (the goal is to insert the broken / cut rosemary into these slits (to hold the rosemary against the meat, not stick out of it like a tree).
- Insert the rosemary into the pockets on each steak.
- Charcoal is best, and lump charcoal is the king (not the briquettes). DO NOT USE LIGHTER FLUID. Use a charcoal chimney or stack them but don't use lighter fluid as it WILL affect the flavor negatively.
- If you have it, use some kind of woodchips as well for a nice smokey flavor, if not don't worry about it.
- If charcoal isn't an option, gas is fine too.
- IMPORTANT: Whether charcoal or gas, make sure the grill is "clean" and HOT (400+ degrees at the grate).
- Heat source
- My method of cooking involves two "heat zones".
- The hot or direct side and the cooler / indirect side.
- If you have a gas grill, after pre-heating to 400, drop half or 1/3 of the burners down to low (on the left or right).
- Or if using charcoal, only put the coals on one side.
- Place the steaks (rosemary side down) on the hot sear zone and close the lid.
- Leave on that side for at least 3 minutes.
- Open the lid and flip them over (after 3 minutes).
- Much of the rosemary will have burned off. That smoke rosemary flavor is now in the steak.
- After another 3 minutes on each steak use the tongs to hold the fat side directly above the flames until you see the fat start to bubble (rendering the fat so it can be chewed).
- Move all of the steaks (rosemary side down) to the cooler zone.
- At this point, flip as necessary to get an even cook. Use a thermometer for an accurate gauge of "done-ness" (could take around 20 minutes depending on how your grill is set up).
- 130 - rare
- 135 - medium rare
- 140 - medium
- 145 - medium well
- 150 - well
- 155+ - hockey puck (don't be that person)
- Just before the steaks are at the temp you want, stop flipping them and cut pieces of the butter you made and let it melt on top.
- Remove from heat and let them rest for a minimum of 5 minutes before eating.