OT- Best Steak Ever

FSM-Meatball · May 2011

I just had the best steak of my life.

I ate at Macelleria in NYC, meat Packing District. Its an Italian steakhouse.

Large Bone in Ribeye, dry aged around 30 days. The steak had a really nice, dark crust. Almost a bark like I get on Pork shoulders. The crust was slightly salty without tasing burnt and the meat was just amazing.

Highly Recommended if you are in NYC.

Scottborasjr · May 2011

Glad you enjoyed it, but if you haven't had your best steak ever yet, you haven't figured out your egg or your butcher.

Kew_el_steve · May 2011

Man...don't mean to be negative.
I just Googled that place. Seems like 2.5 stars is being kind. Looks like you may have lucked out, big time. People are criticizing both the food AND the service.

I have the best steaks of my life every time off my LBGE...Ribeye using nothing more than S&P and a mesquite split. B)

Jupiter Jim · May 2011

FSM-Meatball,
Thanks for posting some may not like it but it is a fact, that one can get the best ever steak not cooked on an EGG.
A month ago I had to cook some steaks at my sisters on an old single burner gas grill and the burner was on it's last legs with lost of hot spots. I had my doubts for sure. She had them soaking in Dales steak sauce when i got there, right after I put them on the grill my BIL gave me a small bowl of creamy looking sauce and told me to put some on after I turned them. I stuck a finger in it and tasted it, it was good so I decided that all staeks would get some. I had no way to measure the internal temp so I went with the old poke with a finger to see how soft they were and pulled them when I felt like they were med rare.
Well everyone raved about them and I got a few best steak ever coments. I'm not going to let my head swell up too much but I did good and also got lucky as well. All of the people have had steaks cooked on my eggs!
On the way home KayNOcook my better half and I had quite a little chat about how well that old gasser did and we were scratching our heads a little.
We are still going to keep our fleet of EGG'S.
Jupiter Jim

HungryMan · May 2011

Taste is a personal think. If he thinks it's the "best steak ever". It was for him.

FSM-Meatball · May 2011

Ok, I didn't mean to stir up controversy.. I do love my egg, but have only had it for 5 months so I am still working on my technique. I have been making great steaks on the egg and I'm sure I will eventually make the perfect steak but I'm not there yet.

The thing I really loved about the steak was the amazing crust. It was dark and crunchy almost like the bark you get on a slow cooked pork shoulder. It has a salty flavor that really worked with the dry aged beef. I have never had that kind of crust on any other steak.

Keep in mind this is in NYC and is competing with a lot of other restaurants as well as the general service expectations of New Yorkers. I am a lot less judgmental. The service was good and I would eat there again.

Fidel · May 2011

You got nothing to apologize for. You like what you like.

I'll say that 99% of the time I can cook a better steak at home, but by far the best steak I ever had was in a steakhouse in Charleston, SC. I've eaten in just about any "famous" steak house in the US you can name and can make a better steak on my own, but sometimes you get one that is just absolutely sublime. It may be the luck of the draw, it may be that you enjoy it so much because the seasoning or prep was a touch different and there is just something about it you can't replicate, or it may be that they age it/cook it/accompany it differently than you do at home.

Whatever the case, since you likes that steak so much you might try some research and find out what that place did and try to replicate it at home. Good luck.

LDD · May 2011

Fidel wrote:

...
Whatever the case, since you likes that steak so much you might try some research and find out what that place did and try to replicate it at home. Good luck.

+1

that's what i do as soon as I get home from a great meal out.

I love steaks off the BGE as much as the next guy/gal. but the best steak I ever had was 6 years ago at a little in in wakefield, quebec. It may have the details that surrounded the meal, but that steak still stands out 6 years later

Fidel · May 2011

Sometimes I find that the quality or quantity (or both) of wine and scotch surrounding the steak has a certain level of influence over my memory of the meal.

SoCalWJS · May 2011

Sounds like the crust was the key for you - have you ever tried Char-Crust?
Also, you might want to try "cave-man" style or learn to cook down in the flame with a Spider and small cast iron grid setup.

LDD · May 2011

I think most will agree with that (-_^)

civil eggineer · May 2011

I started using a technique learned from an article that was posted on this forum. Sorry, can't remember who orignally posted it:

Cover one side of steak liberally with kosher salt before cooking. Allow it to sit with the salt on it for 1 hour per inch of meat thickness. Before cooking, wash the salt completely off under running water and thouroughly dry both sides of the steak. The salt pulls moisture out of the meat and tenderizes it. Sounds kinda weird but I have had excellent results using this method. Might impart a slight salty flavor to the meat so easy on any additional salt based seasoning.

Little Steven · May 2011

Tim,

I do the same but leave the salt on for several hours. A lot of restaurants do their's overnight.

Steve

Dimple's Mom · May 2011

Just curious - why would you want to pull moisture out of the steak? Isn't having it moist a goal?

My two best steaks (they were equally amazing) were at One Fifth Avenue in New York and at Washington Grill in the Napa Valley (maybe in Yountville, I can't remember). They were both filets. They were both over 25 years ago. I only order filets because whenever I order any other kind, I get gristly and fatty. I have the worst luck ever buying or ordering meat!

civil eggineer · May 2011

I believe it is similar to aging a steak where there is also a lot of moisture loss. Losing moisture intensifies the flavor in the meat. The salt also helps speed up the breakdown of fibrous tissue. The side of the steak that had the salt almost appears to already have been cooked.

Dimple's Mom · May 2011

Interesting. I'll have to give it a try. Does it work equally well on all cuts of steaks?

SoCalWJS · May 2011

I remember reading that same post - I've tried it a couple of times - pretty good, but I've got other seasonings that I like better. :whistle:

I remember the reasoning behind the technique being similar to brining. Has to do with Osmosis. Initially, it draws the moisture out the meat, but then the salt ratio of the moisture outside the meat increases and causes the salt to be carried back in, along with the moisture previously drawn out (something like that - science ain't my strong point). Adds flavor (salt) and moisture.

I would imagine you could overdo it pretty easily. I think the ratio was 15 minutes of the salt on the steak for every 1/4 inch of thickness of the cut. Don't remember anything about specific cuts of meat to use/not use.

LDD · May 2011

SoCalWJS wrote:

I remember reading that same post - I've tried it a couple of times - pretty good, but I've got other seasonings that I like better. :whistle:

I remember the reasoning behind the technique being similar to brining. Has to do with Osmosis. Initially, it draws the moisture out the meat, but then the salt ratio of the moisture outside the meat increases and causes the salt to be carried back in, along with the moisture previously drawn out (something like that - science ain't my strong point). Adds flavor (salt) and moisture.

I would imagine you could overdo it pretty easily. I think the ratio was 15 minutes of the salt on the steak for every 1/4 inch of thickness of the cut. Don't remember anything about specific cuts of meat to use/not use.

I saw them use this technique on America's Test Kitchen once, using and eye of round roast. salt draws out the liquid. seasons it and then gets drawn back in.

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