Rare Steak

Ok, so this is supposed to be a fun and somewhat serious post (hopefully nothing goes wrong).

I'm not a huge steak guy, so I've never cooked one before. Thought I'd try my hand at it tonight, and I think it turned out OK... I think. I defrosted a thick slab of steak, seared it on high heat for a bit, then put it on medium heat for a few minutes. Flipped both sides. Cut it in the middle to see if it was done, it wasn't quite yet. Gave it a few more minutes and it was red/pink, and kinda bloody.

Put it on the plate and took a few bites, but the inside wasn't "hot" like steaks usually are. Put it back on the pan for a few more minutes on medium heat, and the inside was getting medium rare. Tried a few more bites, but it still wasn't hot! I figured since it was no longer bloody, that it was pretty thoroughly cooked.

Here's the question: was it done??? Will I wake up in a few days barfing my guts out?

I'm pretty sure everything's ok, after all it was pretty tasty for the first try.

Maybe get a thermometer?

Put it on the grill.

I have had steaks where the outside was seared and brown while the inside was red and cool. I usually got with a 1 to 1 and 1/4 inch thick piece of prime rib eye steak and cook for ~3 minutes on each side (depending on heat) with one flip. I would recommend less flipping and taking the meat on and off the grill.

I don't think it should be a problem for you in terms of poisoning.

There is a lot of people that eat their steaks rare to medium rare. You will not get sick. Next time let it thaw out longer, or get the steak fresh and not frozen.

Some people eat raw or very rare beef all the time and love it. I would be very careful sourcing any raw beef I might eat, but don't worry about rare or medium rare. Steaks should be inherently much safer to eat rare than ground beef. For non-experts, I think the digital meat thermometer is crucial. You may have to calibrate the shown temperature to your preferred doneness, and the fact that the internal temperature of cooking meat rises about 10 degrees after you take it off the heat.

However, most charts show rare beef as about 130 degrees, which isn't cold if you don't wait too long before eating.

Depending on the quality of the steak I will have it either blue or medium rare


P.s I use to cook as a job so I know how to cook a steak

I prefer my steaks more on the well done side, so I tend to cook them on pretty low heat for a minimum of 1/2 hr, but my brother tends to cook on medium heat for about 1 minute at a time per side until the middle is just how he likes it. He says that the extra flipping helps prevent the cool middle because the meat is cooked more evenly.

i like mine rare.

Any bacteria will be on the outside of the steak not on the inside, this is why you shouldn't eat mince steak rare but it is fine to eat steak rare, mince has the bacteria spread throughout.
Norm

Norm said:

Any bacteria will be on the outside of the steak not on the inside, this is why you shouldn't eat mince steak rare but it is fine to eat steak rare, mince has the bacteria spread throughout.
Norm

Click to expand...

Ahh, gotcha. That makes sense.

I love steak, my best friend loves steak. Thing is, he loves it rare. . . very rare. But if the center isn't hot, he sends it back. Even very rare steaks should not be cool or cold in the center. If they are, they weren't properly de-frosted.

Any bacteria will be on the outside of the steak not on the inside, this is why you shouldn't eat mince steak rare but it is fine to eat steak rare, mince has the bacteria spread throughout.

Click to expand...

Norm beat me to it

If they are, they weren't properly de-frosted.

Click to expand...

Actually, it means it hasn't been rested properly.

When I used to work in a steak house - this is how we used to cook steak and we won many awards for doing it ;-) :-

1: Let the steak warm to room temp for about an 30mins after taking it out of the fridge.
2: Pat dry the steak with some kitchen towel.
3: Lightly season with salt and pepper.
4: Now, get the pan you want to cook the steak in hot but not smoking - just wipe the pan with a little oil to test.
5: Now for the cooking times for rare, medium etc (based on 1" thick steaks).

Rare: 1-2 minutes per side - rest for 6-8 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2.5 minutes per side - rest for 5 minutes
Medium: 3 minutes per side - rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 4.5 minutes per side - rest for 1 minute

7: REST YOUR STEAKS! Take the steak out of the pan and into a warm oven (no more than 100c), cover with foil and let them rest for the time in the above table. This is why if you order a medium steak and you get it in 15mins you should send it back - it's too quick! Resting is important for the flavours to develop and the fat to dissolve in the steak.

8: Serve with UNSERATED sharp knives.

I can't emphasise this enough - don't prod and poke your steaks and only turn them once! Fiddling with the steak lets the juices escape, meaning you'll have a tough, dry, chewy steak.

Restaurant tip - if you want a steak with NO pink at all, ask for it VERY well done or if you want to upset the chef ask for it black - a well done steak from a good restaurant will still be pink in the middle but no blood.

Mmm steak... drooool

I think amigafan2003 has the key there - rest your steak. If you cook it fast/hot and don't rest it, it will look OK on the outside but it will still be blue inside. Resting is even more important for Roast Beef joints.

Anyone got a waterproof keyboard? lol

If you start cooking, lets say, a Sirloin Steak (Bife de Chorizo as we call it) its better to unfreeze it first, otherwise you will end with overcooked outside and undercooked inside.
When I make them at home I do this:

- Use a heavy grill and preheat it for a couple of minutes, I use one similar to this: http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/7030/imgsmlaf181213009154.jpg
- After preheating put the steak over it and salt it
- When you start seeing blood coming out of the top side, its about time to flip it
- Wait for the other side to cook accordingly
- After finishing it, dont cut it for a couple of minutes, this allows all the juices to settle.

What I avoid at all times is to "butterfly" the steak, meaning slicing it in the middle and cooking it open like a butterfly, you end up with a dry piece of meat...

This is for home, but when I cook meat at the BBQ grill with charcoal, I leave it high enough for it to cook slowly for at least a couple of hours, this way the inner/intersticial natural grease of the meat dissolves and naturally tenderizes it.


Pablo A.K.A. "el parrillero"

MMMMMM.... STEAK.....

I never order a steak from a resturant. I like mine well done... but not blackened. So I have to cook it myself. Plus, my local meat market... a small place... has some great deals and some really good meat. Other places I went to wanted $18-$23 per pound of my prefered cut This place is much cheaper

The meat definately keeps cooking after it's off the heat. My father loved his steaks rare... really rare, and I don't remember him getting sick from it. You'll be ok.

Keep cooking steaks. And try all of the different cuts. After a while you'll figure out what you really like and how you like it best:twothumbs

I think that any steak lover should try to make their way to a place like Fogo de Chao (all you can eat Brazilian steakhouse) at least once in their life. It's a little spendy, but definitely a worthwhile experience.

Tekno_Cowboy said:

I think that any steak lover should try to make their way to a place like Fogo de Chao (all you can eat Brazilian steakhouse) at least once in their life. It's a little spendy, but definitely a worthwhile experience.

Click to expand...

Please tell us more about Fogo de Chao, I just checked out their website and my curiosity is piqued!

Well, the local Fogo is pretty ritzy, though I've never been to another one to compare. You go in and are seated. You then proceed to the salad bar, which is fancier than the Pizza Ranch salad bar I'm used to, and not by a little.

When you're done with the salad bar, your waiter takes your plate, and you move on to the main course. You are brought a new plate, and you let the chefs know you are ready for steak by flipping a coaster-looking thing to the green side.

The meat is prepared on spits, and brought out by the line chefs. IIRC they have over 10 kinds of steak, plus pork, lamb, and chicken. You can sample these at your leisure, and/or request something you'd like. You can request the meat done any way you like it, from almost mooing, to almost burnt. When you have enough meat, you flip the coaster again. You can flip-flop as much as you want.

After the steak, you can order desert. You really can't go wrong with any desert on the menu, they're all great.

Another nice thing to note is that they have a large beverage selection, especially the wine. I tried some 30 year old Scotch the last time I was there, and it was definitely worth the $30+ for the glass.

The normal price is about $50, which is cheap if you compare it by quantity to a place like Timber Lodge Steakhouse.

The Lunch price is about $27, and I know I can't even get full on $27 at most steak places, much less the over-the-top stuffed it gets me at Fogo.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves steak. :twothumbs

There's a Fogo a few miles away from my old neighborhood. I went there, once. Can't really comment on the food or service. Close family member took me there, despite my request to go to a restaurant I was familiar with. I wasn't driving, so they thought I wouldn't walk out once we got there. (Yeah, wrong assumption).

I think I'll go back, and give the place a fair shot. Steak is great, but not if you're in the mood for something else.