Kitchen Technique: Respecting a Steak

~ At the beginning of our relationship, my husband’s preferred degree of doneness, was just shy of shoe leather.  My inner self screamed against the utter debasement of incinerating a perfectly good piece of beef.  Every time we had steak, I felt as if I should offer a prayer of apology to the cow who gave itself up, only to be disrespected in such an atrocious manner. 

After nearly 10 years, he is now comfortable with medium well and I picked up a few tricks along the way.  First and foremost, is the cut.  The rib-eye cut has the most superior marbling, which will help provide moisture and tenderness.  The marbling also contains an incredible amount of flavor.

The second step is simply ingenious; a sheer stroke of brilliance.  At most buffets, food is left out to be eaten, picked over, and then die.  The most pitiful are the carving meats, slowly dying under the heat lamps.  During an office holiday party catered by the renown Barking Frog Restaurant, I saw how the pros did it.  Beautifully roasted pieces of prime rib carved at rare to medium rare, and kept warm in a pan of succulent beef gravy infused with its own roasting juices.  As time passed, the buffet warmer slowly heated and cooked the meat.  Miraculously, the meat remained fantastically tender due to the gravy.

Witnessing this bit of innovation, completely changed how I cooked steak for my family.  This method also provided me a wonderful way of letting my little ones appreciate a fine steak, without any health concerns. 

Method:

1. Bring 1" thick rib-eye steak out from refrigerator at least 30-45min before cooking to let come to room temperature.
2. Season both sides of steak with McCormick's Grill Mates' mix (or salt and pepper).
3. In a cast iron pan, set on high heat.
4. Swirl in a pat of butter to coat surface evenly.
5. Place steak onto pan and do not move for 3-4min. This step is crucial to achieving a perfect crust.
6. Add another pat of butter onto surface of pan.
7. Turn steak and sear other side. Do not move for 4min.
8. Remove from pan and set on chop board. Let steak rest for 5min.
9. Using the same pan, reduce heat to medium.  Add half stick of butter.
10. Add in 1 tbsp tapioca starch or flour. Whisk in thoroughly. 
11. Add in 1 ½ tsp roasted beef base and whisk in thoroughly.
12. Whisk in 1 ¼ cup water. Add in a bit more water if it appears too dry.  
13. Taste and add in steak seasoning and/or salt if necessary.
14. Reduce heat to low.
15. Slice steak to preferred thickness. Add slices into pan with gravy.
16. Increase heat slightly and toss steak slices in gravy until cooked to desired degree of doneness; whether medium, medium well, or well done.