Steak Thread

Not sure it belongs in the Steak Thread. But since I already gave a kosher rec, I should mention there has been a renaissance of sorts in Kosher BBQ. I know it sounds crazy. But for someone who didn’t always keep kosher, some of these places can compete with the best in the South. Seriously! If you don’t mind not mixing with any milk products, give it a shot.

Best one is Izzy’s BBQ Addiction in Crown Heights.

ETA. Reminds me of Japanese whiskey. How a group got obsessed with a type of food/drink and spent ridiculous R&D and time on making their product the best. Well that’s NY Jews and BBQ at the moment. Check it out.

One of the absolute uniqunesses of growing up Jewish as a first or second generation American in NY in the 60s-80s is that you grow up with a complete misunderstanding of what brisket is.

Verily, I was a man of 30 years before I realized that brisket needs to be cooked for many hours, should be easier to chew than shoe leather and is actually delicious, not horrible.
 
Ever since my wife suggested I cook my steak in her cast iron skillet, I can’t find a steak in a restaurant that tastes as good as the ones I make at home. I know, that sounds kinda crazy.

Here is my process:

I buy a dry aged strip steak (for me, it’s easiest to find one at Whole Foods).

-take the meat out of the refrigerator 2 hours prior to cooking. I do not marinate the steak.

-pre-heat oven to 500

-once oven is pre-heated, I put my empty cast iron skillet in the oven for about 5 min. Do not put butter in the pan.

-open the windows in your house and turn oven fan on high

-turn your stovetop burner on High.

-take skillet out of oven and put it on your burner. Hit each side of your steak with desired amount of salt/pepper and throw the steak in the skillet.

-I like my meat medium rare (at most) so I do 2 minutes and 10 seconds on the stovetop.

-flip the steak and throw it in your oven (which is still on 500) for another 2 and a half minutes

Remove steak and tent it in foil for 5 minutes. Put some high quality butter on top of the steak before tenting it.

I usually eat my steak with carmelized sweet onions and a baked potato.

I’ve prepared a non-dry aged steak using this process and the results were far different. It didn’t taste nearly as good.
 
Ever since my wife suggested I cook my steak in her cast iron skillet, I can’t find a steak in a restaurant that tastes as good as the ones I make at home. I know, that sounds kinda crazy.

Here is my process:

I buy a dry aged strip steak (for me, it’s easiest to find one at Whole Foods).

-take the meat out of the refrigerator 2 hours prior to cooking. I do not marinate the steak.

-pre-heat oven to 500

-once oven is pre-heated, I put my empty cast iron skillet in the oven for about 5 min. Do not put butter in the pan.

-open the windows in your house and turn oven fan on high

-turn your stovetop burner on High.

-take skillet out of oven and put it on your burner. Hit each side of your steak with desired amount of salt/pepper and throw the steak in the skillet.

-I like my meat medium rare (at most) so I do 2 minutes and 10 seconds on the stovetop.

-flip the steak and throw it in your oven (which is still on 500) for another 2 and a half minutes

Remove steak and tent it in foil for 5 minutes. Put some high quality butter on top of the steak before tenting it.

I usually eat my steak with carmelized sweet onions and a baked potato.

I’ve prepared a non-dry aged steak using this process and the results were far different. It didn’t taste nearly as good.
I’m assuming you also cover your smoke detectors prior? Fan & open window doesn’t cut it in my kitchen as the searing can make a ton of smoke.
 
I personal have a fan that I point directly at my smoke detector to keep the smoke away from it. Its the only thing i find that works
Just take mine down until finished. An olive oil/butter combo can only get so hot before the smoke takes over, and it’s usually a few minutes more of cooking before being finished which leaves a heavy fog
 
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I’m assuming you also cover your smoke detectors prior? Fan & open window doesn’t cut it in my kitchen as the searing can make a ton of smoke.

My smoke detectors have never gone on. I’ve DEFINITELY thought they were going to go on but nope.

For anyone that doesn’t own a cast iron skillet......

I put sea salt in it after the skillet cools down. This helps soak up the residue in the pan. You can’t throw a cast iron skillet in the sink and start scrubbing it.

After you clean out the pan (the next morning for example, you need to put a small amount of oil in the pan before storing it.
 
Just take mine down until finished. An olive oil/butter combo can only get so hot before the smoke takes over, and it’s usually a few minutes more of cooking before being finished which leaves a heavy fog

I don’t use any olive oil or butter during the cooking process.

Butter goes on while the steak rests.