On 12/11/2013 3:22 PM, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 13:45:45 -0800 (PST), Roy >
> wrote:
>
>> I have been cooking and consuming beefsteak all of my life but still
>> I don't seem to be able to match the flavor of steak from commercial
>> steak houses or restaurants. I've tried many of the common brands of
>> so-called steak spice but nothing quite works.
>>
>> Is there some "secret" ingredient or combination that works best?
>>
>> Maybe Squertzy has an opinion...if he perhaps has un-killfiled me.
>> Any other opinions out there would be appreciated as well.
>>
>
> You're probably over seasoning it. Have you tried using just salt and
> pepper? I sit in front of the open fire grill whenever I can and they
> don't season their meat at all. They take it out of the refrigerator
> and throw it onto the grate over the hottest part of the coals.
> That's all there is to it. The meat is so delicious that it doesn't
> need to be seasoned when it is served.
>
> You didn't say what method you use to cook your steak. When cooking
> in a pan, I dry the surface well and then rub a slight amount of oil
> all over it before seasoning. As an alternative method, hubby used to
> dot butter on the outside of steaks, which made it taste really good.
> In any case, make sure the pan is preheated well before you add the
> meat. Don't move the steak around and let it form a crust before you
> turn it. If you cook it over a fire, make sure the grates are hot
> (you might need to oil them if you're a clean freak) and the coals are
> just barely gray - still blazing hot. I like to put a cold steak over
> high heat because that's the way I can develop the crust I want and
> still keep the inside as rare as I want it to be. You can bet money
> that your favorite steak house uses the same method.
>
I'm not so sure on the cold steak aspect, I've always heard to bring it
to room temp, then sear.

But if it works, go for it.

Ditto on not moving it around - critical to crust development.