Cooking For Engineers

[Soonerdave]

If you prefer your steak cooked any more than medium rare, you don't belong on this site and should consider buying your beef from Wal Mart then getting a sex change operation.

[David]

It is a huge responsibility being at the very top of the food chain. If we don't eat cattle, then I'm concerned that they might start eating us.

Try this on a Porterhouse: Order it 1.75" thick, and tell the butcher to leave 0.25" rim of fat on it. Toss it on a very hot charcoal grill close to the coals. After a few minutes it will catch on fire (a good thing), so move it around so it doesn't stick to grill. Flip it, allowing it to flame up on side 2 for 5 minutes. Most of the fat will be burned off by now, so continue to cook 5 more minutes on side two at a cooler temperature. Flip back to side 1 until done (3-5 minutes). Serve with a big, bold cab. I call this "chared, medium rare." Worth dying for.

It's okay to bark as you eat the bone.

[Guest]

I’m a fan of grilled steak; fillets or ribeye. Season each side with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Stack the steaks with a thinly sliced onion between each and place in plastic wrap or bag; let sit for a couple hours prior to cooking. Usually on the counter to bring to room temperature. Remove steaks, discard the onion and cook.

I also remember my father cooking steak in a cast iron skillet. Heating the pan on high, covering the bottom of the hot pan with a thin layer of salt, and searing both sides of the steak. Cut the heat off, add a couple pats of butter, leaving the steak in the pan with the butter for a few minutes to finish and serve. It is still the best pan cooked steak I have eaten.

[Guest]

Good recipe for the t-bone/porterhouse. Here's a twist to the mushrooms for those you don't care about cholesterol/calories. After the mushrooms have started giving off some steam, instead of using broth and cream, try using a few more tablespoons of butter/margarine. While the addition is melting, put in a healthy teaspoon of garlic salt/powder/cloves. Add more garlic to taste. If you make enough, you can add them to your baked potatoes as well.

[Jopie]

Always freeze your steak and put them on frozen, then make sure the lighter fluid is still burning when you put on the steaks, make sure that flames are surrounding the steak like a snowball headed for hell! (use more lighter fluid if necessary.

At least that is how my dad use to make them.....yummie!

[GaryProtein]

[carnivore]

Do prime, dry aged steaks cook faster than choice supermarket steaks? I like to grill steaks (rib-eyes are my favorite) over very high heat, starting at room temp with kosher salt and cracked pepper, turning once, tolerating flames and going for a med rare Pittsburgh char. Tried that with prime, dry aged steaks and they charred very fast, shrunk in size considerably and cooked past med rare quickly. Comments?

[Dilbert]

...dry aged steaks

that's the key - dry aging will result in 10%+ loss of weight - all moisture - the meat is indeed "drier" than fresh-fresh and will cook differently.

try a lower temp / less fierce heat source - start them low - let the heat warm it up (for Pittsburgh style, not so long . . .) then at the end - after you have them at the melt in your mouth stage - blast it to get the char taste / crisp outside.

[southchill@bellsouth.net]

I have been trying to duplicate the taste when I order an ouback t bone, I came close with melted butter, lemon and garlic, could anyone offer suggestions in the outback taste????? thanks frustrated

[yogachicken]

I only had a 3/4" cut and was worried so: salted it, sprayed with olive oil then smeared with melted butter. Put on highest heat for 35 seconds each side, then moved to lowest heat 2 min each side, let rest under foil 5. Inside was med rare (nice pink color) and tasted great. I might next time leave longer a little in the high heat for more char, and less on the low.. any thoughts?

[NoEatingTheFlesh]

MEAT IS MURDER! Thou shalt not kill...its in the bible. God brought us fruits and vegetables for use to eat...cause thats what our digestive system can handle. Karma will come to haunt you.

Visit your local slaughter house and see the process before the meat goes onto the shelves. See how its living...how they treat them..how their killed...how they are skinned alive and slices up. Meat is nothing more that rotting flesh...gods creature.

[Liz Cook]

Because I had just bought some t-bone steak, I checked the internet for some good grilling recipes. I read your article and all of the comments and decided to use your advice, along with a little from some who have written in.

I let the t-bone stay out of the fridg for an hour. Then I salted and peppered it and added some garlic powder. I pressed the spices into both sides of the meat. After heating my gas grill on high, I seared the meat for two minutes per side and then turned down the heat between medium and low. We continued cooking the steaks for about 7 minutes per side.

Because the meat was about 3/4 to one inch in thickness it came out close to well-done. Despite of it being a little too done (We like it a little pink inside), it was absolutely delicious. I sauteed muschroom and onions in canola oil and some worchestershire sauce and served it over the steak. YUMMEE!

It was so good that I ran to the grocery store this morning and bought some more t-bone and some sirloin too. I can hardly wait for the next barbecue day!

[Guest]

Way back up the page someone asked where the name "Porterhouse" originated.

In the early 1900 there was a swank hotel in Denver Colorado, called the Porterhouse. Their chef made the generously cut T-Bone into a legend. He hung the oversized loin racks in the cool box till it formed a slightly moldy coating, then cut the steaks from the rack, trimmed the coating off and flame broiled them to order. My father contracted his team and wagon to deliver beef from the slaughter housees to the hotels in 1927 - 28 till the depression stalled out the flush times. He used to brag that "There was no other steak worth cooking except a "Porterhouse T-Bone".

[blowinizzy]

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! Everyone is talking about the porterhouse steak when you should be talking about the mushrooms that you made to go along with the steak!!!! They are the best tasting I have ever had!! Thanks for the recipe.

[Sally]

I have been reading through these posts and I think it is hysterical that nobody has bothered to respond back to the two or three individuals who, due to their personal beliefs, should probably not be in this site. It's fine that you are against the techniques used to slaughter beef, so am I, but I enjoy a nice steak and that is what this forum is about. With that said, I would just like to add that turning a steak too often, in my opinion, does make them tougher. I spray my grill with PAM Cooking Spray to prevent sticking and it works very well. I've used a variety of marinades but have found that some minced garlic, and a nice steak rub or Lawry's Season Salt and Ground Peppercorns is just as tasty and quicker. I never poke my meat as it tends to let the juices run out. I also get it to room temperature before placing on the grill. Searing your steaks on high heat for a couple of minutes on each side and then moving to the low side of the grill for the remainder of the cooking time, turning only once, is the best way to go. Thanks to all for the great information. Get Grillin'!