Help Me Cook A Steak

jwc6160

Admission: I just think steak is OK. I’ve had great steaks prepared perfectly by great chefs, and....I think it’s fine. I’d honestly rather have a great burger. My other issue is that my wife requires her steak to be cooked perfectly. And.....it has to be a filet. Needless to say, we don’t have steaks that often. That is perfectly fine by both of us but I will occasionally think it’s a good idea to fire up the egg and make steaks. I over cook them every.....single.... time. Tonight I had awesome bacon wrapped asparagus, delicious twice baked potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms all ready. 4 perfect filets on a hot egg and I was ready. I had a smaller one for the kids that I planned on going med well and two for the wife and I. Every damn recipe says put on a hot grill for 6 or so minutes per side for medium rare. I’ve decided this is **** or maybe it isn’t. Since I so I’m terrible at this I plan on using my thermo pop. Pull at just over 150 and rest. The problem is, this takes well over 6 minutes per side. Like way longer. In my head I am worried so I pull them off the flame and to the side and keep checking the temp. Still not there after several more minutes. Check and check and check and finally at 155. Rest a few and they are **** fried. I knew it based on the time it took but since I’m not good at all with the feel test and I didn’t want to cut and check filets, I went with temp. Again, well done if I’m being generous. My first thought is my thermo pop is jacked, but I cook chicken all the time and use it and it is perfect. Same with pork. So why can’t I cook a steak?

bikesAndBBQ

155 is considered well done I think. Factor in carry over and I would imagine they are overdone. Look up the reverse sear method. Go by temp and not time. 

lousubcap

155 is way too high as mentioned above.  First up, to help, what is the final steak result your wife (aka SWMBO) likes in terms of raw, rare etc?  With that you can source the target cook temp.  Then recognize the carry-over effect and nail it.  Make sure your thermopop is calibrated and always go with the temp for steaks and other hot and fast cooks.

Low and slow is the whole "feel" game but that's not for the here and now.  FWIW-

mahenryak

First, 155 seems more like a hamburger temp. (160F) than a steak.  Way to done for most folks.  I'm assuming you don't have a sous vide setup, right?  I ask because if these are thick filet's then you can manage the cook with a lot more precision.  If not, maybe consider a reverse sear method if the steaks are thick.  Cook at 250 and pull at 130-ish and then let them rest while heating up the grill to finish them off with a good sear, say no more than 90 seconds per side.  

Edit:
If you do a reverse sear then allow an extra hour cooking time in your planning.

jwc6160

I get what you all are saying but just google “internal temp for filet” and every site says pull at 155 and that 160 is medium. If I could do it by feel I wouldn’t have this problem. If it says medium is 155, what am I supposed to do?

shtgunal3

Pull at 135-140. Let sit for 5 minutes b4 cutting

bikesAndBBQ

jwc6160 said:

I get what you all are saying but just google “internal temp for filet” and every site says pull at 155 and that 160 is medium. If I could do it by feel I wouldn’t have this problem. If it says medium is 155, what am I supposed to do?

Whatever you are reading is saying the legally safe temperature which probably is 160.  The feel test is tricky for steaks. I just use an instant read. I like the rare side of medium rare. I pull at 130 and sometimes the high 120s depending on my cook method. Amazingribs.com will help you a lot with temperatures and techniques. 

Mattman3969

Does your wife go by color or texture?  

This is is a pretty good representation of steak temps

thetrim

I'm a 125 tops kinda guy

jwc6160

bikesAndBBQ said:

show previous quotes

jwc6160 said:

I get what you all are saying but just google “internal temp for filet” and every site says pull at 155 and that 160 is medium. If I could do it by feel I wouldn’t have this problem. If it says medium is 155, what am I supposed to do?

Whatever you are reading is saying the legally safe temperature which probably is 160.  The feel test is tricky for steaks. I just use an instant read. I like the rare side of medium rare. I pull at 130 and sometimes the high 120s depending on my cook method. Amazingribs.com will help you a lot with temperatures and techniques. 

I think you are right. I’m sure that is the “safe” temp and not the delicious temp. Thanks everyone. When I cook another steak in 2 years, I’ll prob not remember any of this and burn it again. 

jtcBoynton

132° +- 1° is my goal.  It’s the best combination of tender and juicy. 

For thicker steaks (over 1.5”), use a two temp cook.  Either reverse sear or traditional sear.  Use a good thermometer to measure internal temp - the touch method is difficult to master.

Don’t wait two years.  If you like hamburger you will like a properly cooked steak.  

tenpenny_05

get a super thick steak and do a reverse sear as stated above. I made a believer out of my wife who never had a decent steak until after we were married.
Filets are OK, but ribeyes are great. You could try a KC strip that tends to have less intramuscular fat which may be more appealing for somebody who typically likes filets.

SmokeyLopey

I cook filets at 400°, direct with the grate in the standard position, for seven mins/side. Don't take temp, but slightly pink on inside. Sorry can't find picture right now. Made one two weeks ago using Espresso Salt and was one of the best I've had in a while.

StillH2OEgger

I never cooked a perfect steak before discovering this site and now it's almost automatic. A thermometer eliminates any guesswork (Plan for some carryover cooking, but 130 degrees is good final target).

drumdudeguy

My best success is 425 direct at the felt line for thick steaks.

hoosier_egger

I'll help.

Throw the filet in the garbage and buy a ribeye 😎

ryantt

I like to cook them this way!!!   

And they turn out this way. Finished temp was 129-132 in most spots. 

Dawgtired

I haven’t read the whole thread, but my family usually raves about my steak. I think a couple of key things are, first dry brine your steak. Salt it very well about an hour + before it hits the grill. I think the worst thing you can do is salt it 15-30 mins prior to the cook. If you are short on time, don’t salt it until it’s ready to go. Then I add a salt free rub just prior to cooking. I do a reverse sear. I cook it raised, indirect, until it reaches about 122-125. Then I take it off, open the vents until it reaches 600 or so, and sear it about 2 mins per side depending on how thick the steak is. Don’t forget to sear the fat on the sides also. Key here is to leave the dome open. If you don’t, the radiant heat will continue to cook the steak. After that I let it rest a few minutes, even though I’ve been told you don’t really need to do that with a RS. 

Theophan

@jwc6160: several things:

• People like different things.  I've you've never had a steak you like, then maybe you just don't like steak, and it won't matter how you cook it.  I'm not going to waste my time grilling food I don't like!
• However, along the same line, different people like steak cooked differently.  I like mine not raw, but very, very pink, and seared darkly on the outside.  Some people genuinely like medium well or even well done. When I've been to really fancy steak places, many years ago, and asked for medium-rare, the center was always raw.  I liked it anyway, but it wasn't what I prefer.  Maybe you've never had a steak cooked the way you might actually like it.
• Use your own observations!  You went "by the book" on temperature, and you didn't like the result.  So... don't do it that way next time!  For a filet, I'd strongly recommend a reverse sear, which, as others have explained, means cooking it very, very slowly at a low temperature until it reaches the internal temp you want, and if you've found medium-well overdone for you, I agree with others above, try 122°, maybe.  Then take them OUT, crank the fire up to at least 600°-650°, and then put them back for a minute a side.  I close the dome because it keeps the fire regulated, but it won't make a lot of difference either way -- they'll only be in there a minute each side.  THEN decide what you like and what you don't like about the steak, and adjust how you cook it next time to suit YOUR taste.
• And please consider seriously what others lightly suggested above:  Maybe try a different kind of steak.  Filet is lusciously soft, but there's very little flavor, and it's my least favorite kind of steak.  I much prefer a strip steak or a ribeye.  Strip steak is much chewier, but there's SO much more flavor!  There's no reason to keep grilling filets if you never LIKE filets!  (Well, if that's all your wife wants, grill one for her...)

Webass

If you want that perfectly cooked steak for your wife, I'd invest in a sous vide.  It'll provide the same result for every steak every time with no guess work.  And, you'll find you'll use it for lots of other cooking.  I've started doing burgers with mine and they come out really well.  I sear everything after the SV bath.  

westernbbq

New york 1" to 1.5" thick
CI grid.  Dome temp 650F

Take out of fridge let sit for 45 mins.  Salt both sides

Put on grill, 90 secs totate 90 degrees, wait 90 secs. Flip.  90 seconds rotate then 90 seconds remove.   Wait 10 mins then comsume

Rare to med rare perfection
Anything beyond medium is pot roast
If you have need for med, use sv method or reverse sear....and reduce the 90 seconds to 45

TEXASBGE2018

I would say disregard the grill and try salting the steak, pan searing in cast iron on the stovetop for a minute or so per side. Then basting in melted butter with a little thyme and garlic. Finish in the oven at 400 degrees till internal temp is around 125-130 for ribeyes and strips and 135-140 for filets. Remove from oven and Sprinkle a little fresh cracked pepper and Let sit for 10min or so.

 

GoldenQ

I agree with Texas BGE    or you could cook it on egg or other grill to about 130-135 then put in hot CI skillet on stove to sear both sides--If doing on grill keep grill to a medium temp so all steak is about same temp and turn frequently for even temp

xfire_ATX

I just cooked a giant tomahawk Sunday for the Mrs and I.  Took my time for a nice reverse sear, went temp got to 125 I pulled them and covered them.  Opened up the stops got egg to 600 and dropped them back on.  Pulled off at 138 center temp thinking perfect medium well but alas it was closer to Medium Rare/ Rare.  Dont get me wrong I thought it tasted great but the wife was like "ummm thats why to pink".