Four Steps to Great Steak
A primer for grilling great steaks

Why are the steaks from a fancy steakhouse so much better than the ones you've been cooking at home? Is it the hefty price tag? Are they cooked on magic grills? Are the cattle raised in a health spa with massages, aromatherapy and yoga classes?

The steakhouses may not want you to know this, but the secret to a great steak is no mystery. With some basic understanding of the nature of steak, anyone can grill great steaks at home - and pocket the extra coin for your own spa vacation.

There are four fundamental elements to cooking great steaks: 1) The Cut of Steak, 2) Beef Grades, 3) Extended Aging and 4) Proper Cooking. Get all four of these figured out and you can enjoy steakhouse quality at home, for a fraction of the price.
Buon Appetito - Salùte!

1) The Cut of Steak
The best beefsteaks come from the loin and the rib. From the loin we get sirloins, T-bones, tenderloins and strip steaks. From the rib we get bone-in rib steaks or boneless rib eye steaks. All these cuts have a slightly different flavor, texture, and marbling level (the white lines of fat that streak the flesh.) They also vary in size, price and tenderness.

• Sirloin is one of beef's leanest cuts, it's lack of marbling makes this a good choice for the fat conscious cook; though it's slightly less juicy, tender and flavorful than other loin cuts. Large in size (from 1-2 pounds), moderate in price and usually boneless, sirloin steak is a tasty, budget-minded choice.
• Tenderloin or filet mignon is beef's most tender, and most expensive, cut. With its smaller size (6-10 oz.) and good marbling, tenderloin steaks are perfect for small eaters and special occasions.
• Strip Steaks are medium in size (8-14 oz.), boneless, well marbled, and easy to carve. Juicy, flavorful and tender, strip steaks are one of beef's most popular cuts.
• T-bone - On one side of the T-shaped bone is the tenderloin, and on the other, the strip steak - but the T-bone steak is more than simply the sum of its parts! Large in size (from 1-2 pounds), tender and juicy; the T-bone is a first-class steak.
• Rib Steak - With its abundant marbling, the rib steak is a juicy, tender and flavorful steak lover's dream! Rib steaks are medium in size (8-14 oz.) and available bone-in or boneless. Rib steaks from the 'large end' have the greatest marbling and are beef's most juicy and flavorful cuts.

2) Beef Grades
The United States Department of Agriculture inspects every beef carcass four different times to assure safety and good health. The Grading Inspection is designed to assess potential quality. Inspectors evaluate size, animal age, color and most importantly, fat marbling; then assign the appropriate USDA Grade.

• USDA Prime offers abundant marbling and the greatest potential to yield juicy and tender steaks. The most expensive grade and relatively rare, USDA Prime steaks are excellent for grilling. Prime beef is rare in the marketplace but our beef buyer does make special purchases when available - details in Tony's eNews.
• USDA Choice grade is also of high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. USDA Choice steaks represent a wide range of marbling levels from slight to abundant and are usually tender, juicy and flavorful.
• Top of Choice is a sub category representing the top few percent of USDA Choice beef with the most abundant marbling. Very close to Prime grade, Top of Choice beef is of very high quality and commands a premium price - this is our standard grade at Tony's.
• USDA Select has the lowest level of internal marbling and lacks the juiciness and flavor of higher graded beef. Only the most tender of USDA Select cuts should be cooked with dry heat. This is the least expensive grade of quality beef. Commonly available at chain stores, you'll never find 'USDA Select' at Tony's.
• Standard and Commercial grades are frequently sold as non-graded or as store brand meats.
• Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and processed products.
  * Learn more at the Food Safety and Inspection Services website

Note: Terms such as natural and organic are not grades of quality and have no bearing on taste, juiciness or tenderness. At Tony's all our beef, pork and chicken is natural - always has been, always will be!

3) Extended Aging
This is a process where large sections of beef are hung in a cooler for extended periods of time. During this aging process, the meat's own enzymes are the chief agents of change - increasing tenderness as flavor improves. Aging is rarely done these days since most markets and restaurants are more concerned about the price than quality. At Tony's, we always age our Top of Choice and Prime steaks 21-28 days to be sure you are getting the best! Aged beef exhibits visual clues that the savvy buyer can identify. While fresh cuts of beef are a very bright red, shiny and wet looking, aged cuts have a duller appearance, lacking that moist, wet shine on the surface. Some cuts will even have a dark edge, another visual indication of aging. Sorry, once steaks are cut, aging stops and spoilage begins, so you can't age beef in your refrigerator. There are two types of aging, wet and dry...

-Wet Aging is aging primal cuts while in a cryovac plastic wrapping which allows tenderness and flavor to develop without the extensive weight losses.
-Dry Aging is a process of hanging bone in primal cuts the old fashion way - unwrapped! While both dry and wet aging methods enhance tenderness and flavor, Dry Aging affects flavor to a greater degree. Unfortunately, dry aging causes significant weight lost to evaporation and the extensive additional trimming required. To our knowledge, Tony's is the only place in town (steakhouse or butcher shop) to offer the option of dry aged beef.

4) Proper Cooking

Use 'Dry' Heat
Dry heat from a grill is clearly the best way to cook quality beefsteaks. Even high quality beefsteaks don't turn out as well when cooked with moist heat; so braising, and pan sautéing is not recommended.

Hot, dry heat from a grill has a searing effect, which browns the surface while evaporating excess liquids. While this doesn't "seal in the juices" as commonly (and inaccurately) thought, the tasty brown crust adds wonderful flavor while the dry heat protects the steak's texture.

Allow Steaks to Rest
Once removed from the grill, a steak continues to cook, rising in internal temperature from 10 to 20 degrees. So if you remove your steak at, say 130 degrees, it can actually end up at 140-150 degrees in a matter of minutes.

Since we know meats continue to cook once removed from the grill, use this to your advantage. To serve a steak at medium rare to medium, remove it from the grill at approximately rare. Place on a plate, cover with foil or a clean towel, resting for five to ten minutes before slicing and serving. Resting also helps a steak maintain it's moisture, rather than draining when sliced.

Meat Thermometers
Quick read thermometers are an excellent tool for testing internal temperatures, but since a steak is thin and grills are hot, special care is suggested. Before testing temperature, move the steak away from high, direct heat. Then, make sure the probe's tip is directly in the center of the steak.

Since steaks continue to cook after grilling, they should be removed from the grill at a lower temperature and rested. Here are my recommendations…

Rare, remove at 115-125° F.
Med/Rare, remove at 125-135° F.
Medium -plus, remove at 140° F. -plus

Finger Poking to Perfection
Professional chefs usually rely on a practiced sense of feel to judge a steak's doneness. Try it; with practice you'll be able to judge a steak quickly and accurately. Poke the steak with your finger from time to time with a finger while it cooks; the more it done it is, the firmer it becomes.

Recipe for the Perfect Steak
I wish there were a magical number of minutes per side to a perfectly cooked steak every time, but there are far too many variables. Use the following as a guideline; with observation, adjustment and a little practice, you'll get consistently good results.

1. Season or marinate steak, cover and rest at room temperature for up to one hour.
2. Light gas grill or start a charcoal fire, allowing coals to cook until very hot and covered with ash. Carefully spread coals to create a fire that is hotter on one side of the grill than the other.
3. Place cooking grate over fire, heat well to sanitize, and then clean with a wire brush. For a smokier flavor, add soaked wood chips directly into coals. For a gas grill, wrap soaked wood chips in a bundle of pierced aluminum foil and place below cooking grate, directly over the hottest burner.
4. Immediately before adding meat on the grill, moisten the cooking grate with vegetable oil from a mister or oiled cloth.
5. Place steaks over direct heat and leave undisturbed until well browned on one side - from three to six minutes. If a crosshatch pattern is desired, rotate steaks one quarter turn halfway through initial browning time.
6. Once nicely browned on the first side, turn steaks over and reduce grill heat to approximately medium. (For a charcoal grill move to the side of your grill with lower heat or use the lid and reduce air vents to lower temperature.) Cook steaks for approximately six to ten minutes longer. Residual high heat will brown the second side, and lower temperatures allow the cook more flexibility in judging doneness.
7. If your grill flares up, move your steak to another part of the grill. It's best to let these fats burn off rather than snuffing them out.
8. Remove the steak from the grill slightly undercooked, place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil or a clean towel, resting for 5 to 10 minutes. This 'resting' will allow the steak to finish cooking and help maintain juices.

Griling Bison: Reduce grill temperatrure, and take care not to over cook - bison is a leaner meat and cooks more quickly than beef.