Another idea that needs a little work

Jeepster47

Had company over this afternoon for steak.  My wife and I love medium rare, but the company likes medium ... "medium plus a little" was the explanation.

Okay, no big problem ... I'll just pull our steaks a little early and leave their steaks on a little longer.  However, the missus came home with some steaks cut a little thicker than the others.  That's when I got to thinking. If I put all the steaks on at the same time, the thinner steaks will hit a higher internal temp than the thicker steaks as time goes by.  That sounds like a plan, company gets the thinner steaks and we get the thicker ones.  If luck is with me they'll all go on at the same time and come off at the same time and all will be cooked 10 degrees short of final temp.  So, a temp probe in one of the thinner steaks and another in one of the thicker steaks.  Watched the temps rise as time on the grill went by ... close ... very close ... might make it ... damn, didn't make it ... had to pull the thinner steaks about three minutes before the thick steaks.

So, it does look like you could put all steaks on at the same time, pull them all off at the same time, and have them cooked to specs.  Just have to fine tune the thicknesses ... oh yes, and talk the butcher into the scheme.  The one real plus was that I didn't need to keep track of how each steak was cooked ... thin was medium and thick was medium rare.

Crazy?  Good idea?

DoubleEgger

If you find a way that works, go with it. I don't think I could give my guests a thinner steak than I'm eating though. 

Sea2Ski

I use that method all the time when it is just the wife and I, and/or my or parents are over, because they just do not eat as much meat as I do. Beyond that, I am with DoubleEgger. I would feel like I am being cheap. 

Jeepster47

Good point on the image of looking cheap.

There was way too much steak for the four of us ... one extra steak as it turns out.  It was served family style with an explanation of how it was cooked and why it was cooked that way.  Said that it gave the opportunity to choose the piece that's cooked exactly like they wanted it.  Comfortable enough with these friends that I never gave it a thought.

One interesting outcome was that my buddy's second piece came from the medium rare pile.  I've never seen him order that at any of the restaurants we've visited.  Might have a late in life convert ... we'll see.

And yes, the left over steak was cooked medium ... damn.

Jeremiah

I always end up with hot/ not as hot spots in the egg. Likely from different size pieces of lump.  I just put either the thicker what ever over the hot spots, and the thinner or if they're all the same, the rarer to be ones over the not so hot spots. 

pgprescott

Very frustrating at times. Many restaurants use this strategy as well. This is why I always try to get the thickest cut steak available or have them cut 2". I figure I have a much better time of achieving rare- mid rare with the thicker cuts. I think many people are brain washed into ordering steaks a certain way without ever really knowing the differences personally. Oh well, sounds like you had good food and good times. You just ended up with someone else's intended good food!

Carolina Q

Tom, sounds like sous vide is the answer...

"Can you cook steaks to different levels of doneness at the same time?

You would not cook them at the same time, but there are simple tricks to prepare different levels of doneness.

Method 1: Cook all steaks in the water bath to medium-rare, then, when finishing the steaks in the skillet or on the grill, simply leave the medium steak on for a bit longer. Method 2: Cook the two steaks sequentially – the medium steak in a 140°F/60°C a day or one hour beforehand, then lower the temperature to 138°F/59°C and add the medium rare steak for another hour. Both cook to perfection. The medium steak will not overcook since it is only being held until ready to serve. After the medium-rare steak is cooked to perfection, sear them quickly for flavor and appearance in a hot skillet or on a grill."

http://polyscienceculinary.com/blogs/resources/17216327-sous-vide-faq#TIME

Jeepster47

Oh no you don't ... you usually are pushing me to minimize my cooking stuff.  And now, you want me to dive into purchasing another cooking tool.  I'm really resisting the sous vide experience.

Thanks for the feedback though ... Method 2 is an interesting approach.  Just backwards from what you'd do on the grill.  The medium rare temps should be 130°F/54°C though ... yes?

HeavyG

Carolina Q said:

Tom, sounds like sous vide is the answer...

"Can you cook steaks to different levels of doneness at the same time?

You would not cook them at the same time, but there are simple tricks to prepare different levels of doneness.

Method 1: Cook all steaks in the water bath to medium-rare, then, when finishing the steaks in the skillet or on the grill, simply leave the medium steak on for a bit longer. Method 2: Cook the two steaks sequentially – the medium steak in a 140°F/60°C a day or one hour beforehand, then lower the temperature to 138°F/59°C and add the medium rare steak for another hour. Both cook to perfection. The medium steak will not overcook since it is only being held until ready to serve. After the medium-rare steak is cooked to perfection, sear them quickly for flavor and appearance in a hot skillet or on a grill."

http://polyscienceculinary.com/blogs/resources/17216327-sous-vide-faq#TIME

Sous vide is pretty much how I cook all our steaks anymore as my wife doesn't like them as red as I do.

I don't bother with the two different temp water baths (tho I might have to try that sometime) - hers just gets seared a bit longer.

Carolina Q

I don't have a sous vide device, but I want one. I have used a cooler and hot water for an hour, then seared in a CI pan. Just to test it out. Great steaks!

Jeepster47

Carolina Q said:

I don't have a sous vide device, but I want one. I have used a cooler and hot water for an hour, then seared in a CI pan. Just to test it out. Great steaks!

Whew ... there for awhile I thought I'd lost my less-is-better benchmark ... don't scare me like that.

I will try the poor man's sous vide idea when the missus is away.  It's a hard concept to get my arms around ... cooking in a 130 degree water bath ... even in a sealed pouch.  Somehow that flies in the face of my mental image of needing flames lapping around the edge of a steak for it to be truly cooked.  Obviously don't need a 130+/- 0.1 degree water bath, so it's worth a try.

HeavyG

The cooler method works fine for something like a steak that you'll only be cooking for a couple of hours or so and then throw on the grill for a quick sear. The temp range for a certain type of doneness doesn't really require a really tight tolerance for a short cook. Here's a handy chart:

http://www.sousvidesupreme.com/en-us/sousvide_cookingtemperatures.htm

The benefit of having an immersion circulator is the  ability to "set and forget". That allows me to set the temp, pull a couple pouches from the freezer, plop them in the water, and then go play golf. When I'm back home they are done!

I've never done it but a friend of mine routinely cooks beef ribs sous vide for a couple of days (not sure if he has ever gone the whole three days that the Modernist Cuisine calls for). Would be a bit tricky to try and maintain the temp in a cooler manually.

Carolina Q

Yeah, I wasn't trying to imply that the cooler was the answer. This was for a steak and I was at home the whole time and added some hot water from time to time. Plus it was only for an hour or so.

Check it out... http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/video-how-to-cook-your-steak-sous-vide-in-a-cooler.html

NPHuskerFL

I have 2 Thermapens (one for work and one for home). I still prefer the feel method for steaks.