Cooking the perfect steak - man card on the table

Go buy some prime steaks at Calandro's. That's usually my go to.

Costco
Sous vide

1.5 inch think prime tenderloin. Ask them to be trimmed, they will cut off the “neck” and you filet will look like how they do it at a restaurant.

Little bit of salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 20min at 300°.

Then put them in a piping hot skillet with melted butter 3 min each side.

Your reverse seared steak will be delicious

Pat your meat dry before beginning anything. Wet meat won't get that good crunchy crust because it'll steam off when it hits the high fire instead of searing. Step 1 is always to take some paper towels and dry off your wet steaks. If you know a day ahead that you'll be cooking, I'm a big fan of seasoning them after that, then laying them out uncovered in a single layer on a cooling rack set in a sheet pan and putting them in the bottom of your fridge overnight. Fridges are incredibly dry environments and the cooling rack will let air circulate around them to evaporate away any surface moisture. Also, salting them before setting them in the fridge to dry is basically a dry brine.

If you're cooking directly over a grill, from raw: meat thermometer. Some people here will shite all over this for a steak, but you stick the tip of that thermometer right in the center of the steak and when it hits 2-3 degrees below the doneness you're shooting for, pull the steak and let it coast up to what you want. Don't use time, feel, the phases of the moon, number of cricket chirps, etc. to tell you when the steak is done. When a good meat thermometer beeps for the temperature you're aiming for, it's done. Over time, as you cook the same cut of meat on the same grill with the same heat over and over, you'll learn how your setup cooks and will then be able to cook your steak over your grill with your favorite charcoal to a perfect doneness by counting how many times a frog croaks on a May night. Until then: thermometer.

High heat will get the good sear that you want. Put it on the fire and leave it the hell alone to develop the crust you want before flipping it to crust up the other side. Better a good sear on one side than a shitty sear on both sides because you couldn't leave it alone and flipped it so much that neither side got enough heat to crust really good. Once both sides are good and crusted up, then you can flip more often to keep your crust from becoming charcoal, but even then, handle the meat as little as possible. (insert porn joke here)

As for seasoning, I'm in the "salt the hell out of it, grind some pepper, and call it done" camp. I prefer the taste of a well seasoned piece of beef as opposed to a well spiced piece of beef. I like the taste of beef. (insert second porn joke here)

ETA: Or, if you're Gaston, just unwrap it and start eating.

This is what I do... Liberally salt the steaks around 6 hours ahead and let steaks rest uncovered in fridge for 5 hours. Pull them out and let them get to room temp the last hour. Next, get your seasoned cast iron pre heated to medium hot. Add a bit of neutral oil and drop steaks for around 4 min. Flip when nice sear develops. Then grind black pepper over seared portion. You want internal temp around 125 degrees, so in that last min before pulling off, add a couple of tablespoons of unsalted butter and spoon over the top till ready to pull. 8 min total cook time should get you near mid rare. Rest covered in tented foil at least 5 min before cutting.

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Sous vide

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I’ve decided that with Sous vide I can get the perfect 8.5 every time.

With reverse sear I can hit 9.5-9.8 but also risk a 6.5-7.

First, buy prime meat. It costs more (not that much more) and the difference it notable. Second, I only cook on a charcoal grill, with roughly the same amount of charcoal so I know how hot my fire is. Third, I only use salt, pepper and Tony's. Fourth, I season and let the meat sit on the counter for about an hour to get to room temperature. Fifth, if I cook a filet (about 2 inches thick), I know that it takes 5 minutes on each side. I set my timer and flip after the first 5 minutes and then take off at 10 minutes. Sixth, I put the filet on a plate on my island, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. The filet will continue to cook under the foil and will become extremely juicy. Then, eat. If I cook a 1 inch filet or a ribeye, I adjust my cooking times (probably 3 1/2 minutes each side). I like my steaks medium rare. My wife likes hers medium rare plus. I might put her steak on a minute or two earlier so I can take them both off at the same time. Lastly, buy a really good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoy. I think steaks on a charcoal grill taste best.

Clearly you jest!! 135F is way too done!!

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Clearly you jest!! 135F is way too done!!

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It just depends on your preference. If I cook a ribeye I like to cook it to medium-rare, if I’m eating filet I can go more to rare. What temperature do you cook to?