How do you prepare a steak?

[DudleySquat]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

News to me, I was always under the impression a Maillard reaction occurred with reducing sugars, I don't know where you find them in protein and fat.

Certainly, steak will brown with cooking. Or even before. However, it's not a Maiilard reaction, it's a myoglobin oxidation.

I find it fascinating how some people read and comprehend my language. Thank you.  

 

Quote

Browning, also known as the Maillard reaction or caramelization, is caused when you heat sugars and amino acids together. This reaction occurs in meats heated to temperatures between 300 and 500 degrees F. This reaction is what causes that very flavorful and wonderful crusty surface in meat that gives it that great, grilled flavor.

You got it right.  Good on you. 

 

Quote

Yes. It adds flavour and pulls moisture from the meat.  You want that for the Maillard effect to happen.

I wrote that. Where I say that the Maillard Effect relies on water. 

 

I'll wait for your answer.

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, DudleySquat said:

I find it fascinating how some people read and comprehend my language. Thank you.  

 

You got it right.  Good on you. 

 

I wrote that. Where I say that the Maillard Effect relies on water. 

 

I'll wait for your answer.

I thought I already had.

[DudleySquat]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I thought I already had.

I have to question your ability to parse a sentence in English. 

 

I wrote: 

Quote

Yes. It adds flavour and pulls moisture from the meat.  You want that for the Maillard effect to happen.

So I'll ask you again to show me where I said the the Maillard Effect relies on water or salt.  

 

Where is it?

[DudleySquat]

Ok, you bored me.  I'll help you by restating what I wrote.  I think I was answering someone who wanted to know why you should salt your beef for a few hours to a few days to get better flavor.  

 

The answer is simple.  Liquid, unless it is oil, will inhibit the Maillard Effect.  So the salt draws moisture from the meat. It's that simple. 

 

Nighty Night folks

[Ralf001]

4 hours ago, DudleySquat said:

Ahhh Hellaby.

 

Have tried that, definately requires pre-salting to make it edible.

 

Not all import steak is good steak.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, DudleySquat said:

Ok, you bored me.  I'll help you by restating what I wrote.  I think I was answering someone who wanted to know why you should salt your beef for a few hours to a few days to get better flavor.  

 

The answer is simple.  Liquid, unless it is oil, will inhibit the Maillard Effect.  So the salt draws moisture from the meat. It's that simple. 

 

Nighty Night folks

You may get better flavor from salting steak, that is a matter of individual taste. It has nothing to do with a Maillard effect/reaction, which requires reducing sugars. Show me where said sugars exist in steak.

Attacking me, because I am correcting you on fact, is classic shooting the messenger. Is that plain enough English for you?

 

[patman30]

14 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

I'm a peasant so fancy and fine mean the same thing to me. But I guess you can have fine dining, ie. quality ingredients prepared correctly, without fancy tablecloths and annoying waiters ????

 

I met a French steak chef at a nightclub in Bangkok last year and duly promised to visit him for a le steak at his fine dining establishment which happens to be a few minutes walk from my gaff. Then I looked up the prices on the internet and ordered KFC instead.

 

Maybe when the markets pick up a bit more I'll bite the bullet and see what this bleu business is all about. I'm a fan of medium-rare Aussie Wagyu but I guess I could branch out just the once.

i was taking the mick a bit with fine
as most chefs who know what they are doing
will know what a blue steak is
obviously not so much in a 69 baht steak place or sante fe lol
Every chef in a French place should as the French are very fond of bleu steak
basically just extra rare
but ideally should be cooked on very fierce heat to get a good sear
as stocky mentioned, to serve blue it should be room temp prior to cooking
honestly it is very rare (or blue lol) for any resturaunt to be doing this
when dining out steak will likely come straight from the fridge and onto the grill
especially if you don't order any starters

[norbra]

2,3 days in refrigerator let it bleed,always tender

[LaosLover]

12 hours ago, 2009 said:

I call it a 'steakey-doodle', then once it's been named appropriately, I can consume the product.

 

Might dip it in a lil' syrup or something as I am eatin'

Sir, I salute you. You have concocted a high end Jimmy Dean Sausage Stick. Contact TGI Friday's immediately.

 

I maybe cook two a year. I'd be a chump and go to an outlet like Rimping and buy the second best cut, Pan so hot that a drop of water skates across it.

 

Add some high heat oil; I like peanut oil. toss in the steak, wait one minute, turn the heat down a quarter for 3 more minutes. Turn up the heat for 30 seconds for the other-side sear. 3 more minutes on the other side. For medium.

 

Trump ruined consuming a well-done steak for all time. It will forever be a joke. I feel bad for the people who like it.

[DudleySquat]

10 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

I  seriously doubt you are paying Bt.460 for import NZ Rib Eye.

 

Happy to be proven wrong though so please name the shop.

 

 

You may apologize for doubting me. 

[richard_smith237]

15 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

For me marinading a steak is sacrilege. And BBQ sauce? Oh my God.

 

And whoever wants a cheap steak, absolute no no. With a steak you get what you pay for and it is worth it. A cheap steak will be tough and horrible.

 

A good middle ground is a decent Thai-French ribeye, or an Aussie ribeye, maybe 400 baht in Villa for a decent sized one. As someone else mentioned take it out of the fridge an hour before you want to cook it. Just before cooking add salt and pepper to both sides (I understand the argument of salt only and add pepper when you serve, that is also ok), heat up a heavy pan to as hot as you dare (or as hot as you can bothered waiting), slap it in for a couple of minutes (no oil), turn it for a couple of minutes, throw butter, thyme and a smashed garlic glove into the pan, cook for a minute or so. Turn once more so both sides get the buttery thymey goodness, remove, rest a few minutes. Consume. Beautiful medium rare tender steak. No sauce, no marinade, ever.

I agree with this and do something very similar ...

 

Usually a 1 to 1.5” thick Ribeye or Tenderloin... out of fridge for 30mins - salted and lightly peppered (not too much coarse pepper as this sits the steak off the pan and partially prevents the sear).

 

Very hot cast Iron skillet - you can tell its hot enough when you see the Leidenfrost effect (a drop of water bouncing around in the pan).

 

A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped garlic, lightly salted butter.

 

Sear the steak in the very hot pan with olive oil (1min each side / and long steak edges)....  then add butter, Garlic, Rosemary and baste,

 

Place the whole skillet the in the 200 deg C (preheated) oven for 4.5mins (this is for 1” medium-rare cooked steak adjust oven time for thickness or preferred level).

 

Take the skillet Pan out of the oven.... Baste the steak again, then remove and allow to sit at room temperature on a wooden board for 10mins before serving with roasted garlic, french-fries and salad.

 

 

 

 

[josephbloggs]

9 hours ago, DudleySquat said:

Hilarious. You tell everyone you are so smart because you pay less for your meat then you scrub out the web address of www.expatfoodsthailand.com like it's a secret place that only you are clever enough to know and you will only tell it in a PM to people who are nice to you. So childish it is funny.

Like I said, I have tried the cheap NZ Ribeye and it is poor quality. As you said yourself you have to salt it overnight - which chef ever does that to a quality piece of beef? None. Minimal prep, salt no more than two minutes before cooking and your high quality cut will be juicy, tender and delicious.

Weird that a thread simply asking about the best way to cook a steak became a ridiculous p!ssing contest about who has the best secret place to buy meat. And hilarious that you think expatfoodsthailand is where the super smart people in the know buy their meat. I like EPFT (although I hate their website) and I use it for some groceries and goodies from home, but I pay more for my steaks from quality butchers as I think steak is one the things worth paying for. You disagree, that's fine. But don't tell everyone they are stupid for doing it, and enjoy your stringy 102 baht steaks as often as you like.

[DudleySquat]

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Very hot cast Iron skillet - you can tell its hot enough when you see the Leidenfrost effect (a drop of water bouncing around in the pan).

 

A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped garlic, lightly salted butter.

 

Melt the butter in pan along with Garlic and rosemary. 

You've left the rails with the butter. 

You cannot heat butter like this. The milk products will burn. You have to use clarified butter or ghee. Easy to make from butter.  You are burning your food. 

 

 

[DudleySquat]

I just read a fine article at Food & Wine.  Do not read the article whatever you do. 

 

https://www.foodandwine.com/meat-poultry/the-juicy-secret-to-seasoning-meat

 

 

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, DudleySquat said:

You've left the rails with the butter. 

You cannot heat butter like this. The milk products will burn. You have to use clarified butter or ghee. Easy to make from butter.  You are burning your food. 

Correct...  I sear in Olive Oil, then add the butter, garlic and Rosemary and baste... (I corrected the mistake in my ‘previously rushed’ comment).

 

If you are suggesting not to use butter at all.... then we disagree. 

 

 

[Adumbration]

I don't.

[DudleySquat]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

Correct...  I sear in Olive Oil, then add the butter, garlic and Rosemary and baste... (I corrected the mistake in my ‘previously rushed’ comment).

 

If you are suggesting not to use butter at all.... then we disagree. 

 

 

You don't need anything but a hot pan.  Forget the oil.  I use butter and herbs, mixed with olive oil which has been infused with damn near anything I could find, and only use it when I lower the heat. 

 

No oil will make it adhere to the hot pan until it is properly browned and then it will release itself. 

[xylophone]

30 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Like I said, I have tried the cheap NZ Ribeye and it is poor quality.

Obviously we are finding out loads of different ways to prepare and cook good steak, and I think I've got it down to a fine art now, and one of the things I learnt just recently from a top chef was that the steak needs to be out of the fridge and left at room temperature until it attains that temperature (about an hour?).

 

Searing it in a hot pan for a few minutes either side, and then putting it into an oven at about 200° for about five minutes seems to do it for me.

 

Now on the subject of New Zealand ribeye, which was why I originally decided to reply, I had some poor quality NZ ribeye a while back, and I vowed never to buy it again, and when I went back to NZ and mentioned this to a couple of guys whom I had recently met, they were astounded because they worked at the plant which produced the meat!!!

 

I gave it another try when I got back here, and still reckon that it isn't a patch on the Australian tenderloin which can be bought here – – and if I'm going to have a good steak, with a lovely bottle of wine, then that's the steak I buy.

[josephbloggs]

23 minutes ago, DudleySquat said:

I just read a fine article at Food & Wine.  Do not read the article whatever you do. 

 

https://www.foodandwine.com/meat-poultry/the-juicy-secret-to-seasoning-meat

 

 

Good advice as you clearly didn't read it all the way through did you? HIs summary after the blind tastings:

And so I will always season lamb shanks the day before they go into the braise. I will try to season chickens the day before, but if I don't have the chance, I won't sweat it; and I will season steaks and pork roasts right before searing. Not only can I handle the truth, I can handle several truths.

 

So I will go with that, which also agrees with Gordon Ramsey and Heston Blumenthal who also say season just before cooking (they didn't mention whether or not 102 baht secret website steaks were ok or not so you're safe there):

 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gordons-mix-match-steak

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/heston-blumenthals-perfect-steak

 

Again, this is subjective, you can cook however you like as it doesn't bother me, you can buy the cheapest meat you can find as that doesn't bother me. Just don't come on here calling people stupid for advocating a quality cut or grade of beef, and don't pretend to be smarter than other people for "discovering" expatfoodsthailand.com and then trying to cover it up so other people can't see it, it is really pathetic.

With cooking there is no right or wrong - if you like it that is all that matters. Someone came on here to ask for advice on how people like to prepare a steak, people have replied with their favourite methods - not to show off but to help someone who asked - you are the only one attacking other people for it and saying yours is the best / smartest when it clearly isn't.

 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, DudleySquat said:

You may apologize for doubting me. 

Your hellaby photo is at odds to your earlier claims.

No apology forthcoming.

I did buy some this morning though, should be great stewing beef. 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Hilarious. You tell everyone you are so smart because you pay less for your meat then you scrub out the web address of www.expatfoodsthailand.com like it's a secret place that only you are clever enough to know and you will only tell it in a PM to people who are nice to you. So childish it is funny.

 

For those in Pattaya wanting to try this cheap steak (you will be dissapointed) but do not want delivery/find the website frustrating to navigate expatfoodsthailand operate a shopfront up the top of Soi Khao Talo (Darkside) called Siamburi's.

 

[KhunLA]

Problem with TH, is the consistency or lack of quality/rating of beef.  Pricing is just way too silly for some.

 

When in Udon Thani, use to get quality inexpensive tenderloins from Tops,   Other cuts at the time were krap.   Then CP/Central took over the mall & Tops, with major revamp & silly prices.

 

Also use to buy from Thai-French, and decent, but very inconsistent quality.

 

I rarely buy beef steaks now, though usually peek at them, and usually give them a pass.   If I want beef flavor now, it's burger.   

 

Rare occasions, if Gourmet Markets (Hua Hin) & 'You Hunt We Cook' has a good rib-eye (2 for 1), then I'll have them cook it up for me.   So far the only vendor that actually knows how to cook a steak, and always excellent.   If nothing look good, off to the food court/hall vendors for excellent Spicy Fruit Salad, and an excellent Chicken Wrap, or Quesadilla, for fraction of the cost, though not as satisfying.

[gomangosteen]

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Like I said, I have tried the cheap NZ Ribeye and it is poor quality. 

The clue there maybe that it was cheap.

NZ beef exports in 2022 $1.9 billion to China, $1.4 billion to USA, Thailand doesn't appear on any list I can find so guessing very low volume or forward from another country.

Just saying you may not have tried them all?

[josephbloggs]

13 minutes ago, gomangosteen said:

The clue there maybe that it was cheap.

NZ beef exports in 2022 $1.9 billion to China, $1.4 billion to USA, Thailand doesn't appear on any list I can find so guessing very low volume or forward from another country.

Just saying you may not have tried them all?

Yes, of course I haven't tried them all, and am not saying there is no good NZ beef out there - I am sure there is very good NZ beef out there just as there is excellent NZ lamb (although I prefer Aussie lamb personally) and I am sure you pay accordingly for it which is just fine. If I want a steak I am willing to pay for a good one. If I want lamb I will pay for high quality imported lamb. 

My comment was specifically addressed to the poster who made the ridiculous claim that his 102 baht NZ ribeye (that came from a secret place he won't tell anyone about even though it is expatfoodthailand.com) is the best most amazing meat..........which it isn't, it is nasty cheap rubbish (as the price correctly reflects).

 

There is nothing to be gained from buying the cheapest meat unless you plan on slow cooking it for hours in a stew.

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Also use to buy from Thai-French, and decent, but very inconsistent quality.

Agreed... the TF beef tends to be 50/50 hit & miss...   Kasetsart Uni beef is better IMO.

 

Neither for a classic steak though....  (depends what you call a steak) but I’m referring to single cut of meat on the plate.

 

That said: For TF or KU beef I had had good results with a very thick cut i.e. 4” thick cut (something like cote de boeuf / rib eye - i.e. with or without bone) and slow BBQ it after marinating it.

 

 

People are arguing about NZ beef... I’ve had very good results with NZ tenderloin on both Char BBQ and Panfried. 

 

 

I agree with those who go for Aussie Wagyu  - Grass or grained - its excellent beef (very consistent in quality) - its also very expensive in Thailand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Skipalongcassidy]

In Thailand where the quality of available beef is spotty at best... souz-vide cooking works well to both cook and tenderize.

[richard_smith237]

Just now, Skipalongcassidy said:

In Thailand where the quality of available beef is spotty at best... souz-vide cooking works well to both cook and tenderize.

Sweeping generalisation based on living in Nakhon nowhere ?????

 

Never walked into a Villa Supermakert ? Gormet Market ? Tops ?...  Any of the Top range butchers in Thailand ?

 

 

You can get good quality anything in Thailand.... BUT, you have to pay for it so people may not consider it value for money compared to the availability of the same product in their home nations. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Like I said, I have tried the cheap NZ Ribeye and it is poor quality. 
 

Hellaby wont be selling individual steaks for export in plain packaging, if they were it would be in Hellaby packaging, they have their logo printed on their vac packed products.

Obviously purchased in full cuts and then cut and packed individually locally..... who is doing this and printing the plain label ?

Maybe there is an ulterior reason why this local purchased import steak did not taste the same as the same brand steak in NZ !!

 

dont get me wrong though, cheap import meat is great for stews and I love me a stew !!

[KhunLA]

????

[KhunLA]

17 hours ago, DudleySquat said:

You people are all silly money wasters.  I buy New Zealand Rib Eye.  130b buys me about 280grams of steak. 

 

I know where to buy food here, and it's not always Tops or Lotus's or Villa Market.  My meat costs a hell of a lot less than what they charge, sometimes by half. 

 

Just heavily salt your steak and let it sit overnight.  Then let it warm to room temperature before heating a cast iron skillet and searing both sides properly. 

 

That's it.  Salt, pepper, and steak sauce, and you have a perfectly cooked steak. 

 

Silly people, keep wasting your money with the nag flesh sold at Tops. 

 

Not me. 

I actually edited (deleted) post you quoted as, close enough, and didn't want to add to the silliness .... BUT

 

... since you asked.