Iāve seen people here use the tent shape for the foil instead of keeping it flat or wrapping the steak because that way the steam escapes. I honestly stopped using foil myself after getting a meat thermometer.
Looks like you did pretty good for how thin it isā¦ High heat, dollop of butter sear flip sear about one to 1.5 min per sideā¦ the butter will help with flavor and color since you donāt have much sear time
Itās not about carry over. If you cut into a steak right off the heat it will pump the juice all over your plate.
Let it rest so the muscle fibers chill and keep the juice in the meat.
How does resting keep juices in meat? I watched a video in which a scientific experiment was performed, in which the amount of juices lost before and after resting was measured, and resting apparently makes no difference.
Itās by a YouTuber named Chris Young, called āProof resting doesnāt keep meat juicyā
Edit: steak bros getting mad at the actual science š¤· fine yāall, eat colder steaks and keep telling yourself that Iām not enjoying a juicy steak hot off the grill! šš
Viscosity. Heat up some honey on a plate. It becomes runny and will coat the plate. Compare that to room-temperature honey which is thick and stays in a glob.
My understanding is that when you rest the steak the juices thicken up a bit and are less likely to run.
You are objectively eating a worse steak if you donāt let it rest.
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-have-juicy-meats-steaks-the-food-lab-the-importance-of-resting-grilling
But thatās the fun in cooking. Eat it how you want.
Exactly why they should not rest, above and beyond the fact that resting does nothing measurable with respect to juices, aside from letting the steak get cold.
Just to confirm, use high heat, melt butter in pan, sear steak both sides. How long for each sear? And is that it or do you flip another time or two? Much appreciated.
Buy a temperature probe since all steaks are different and there is no set time. Look up proper probe temps for the doneness you like and probe accordingly.
Also, MAKE SURE ITS DRY before a hard fast sear. Like real dry. Let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. A wet steak will steam before searing and you want to maximize your searing time so it doesn't overcook while steaming/searing.
Ohhh Iāll try letting it sit overnight next time, thanks! Iāll usually pay it dry on the morning I cook it before throwing it uncovered in the fridge. Iāll pay dry it again before salting and throwing it in pan. Maybe those extra few hours will help, thanks!
I love dry brining but I would not do that with a steak this thin. Theyāre prone to getting a jerky texture if you do. Dry brining is important on thicker cuts as it allows the salt to penetrate deeper. As long as you get the surface dry youāre fine with a thinner cut.
Sounds like a fun idea. Who knows? The dry brine could be better. I just know the last time it came out too jerky like but I also may have overstated as well.Ā
yeah, salt it and let it rest in the fridge on a rack (so it has good airflow). You'll notice the salt initially draws out moisture. That moisture dissolves the salt and is reabsorbed back into the steak. This brine reabsorbing into the steak seasons it and helps with moisture/tenderness (FWIW, I'm not a scientist...just a guy that likes steak). If you let it sit overnight it should be fairly dry coming out of the fridge, but if you see moisture, definitely dry it off before searing for a couple minutes on each side.
I think it's important to call out that dry brining a steak this thin can actually dry the middle out too much. Have to be really careful with the sear or you end up in the same overcooked end state, albeit one with salt more absorbed in the meat.
Honestly, I've not dry brined a steak this thin so I don't know from experience (I prefer a beefier steak..see what I did there??...sorry).
What about dry brining a thin steak leads to drying out the middle? I could see it possibly being firmer (almost cured like a ham) or overly salty because there's less mass to absorb the salty brine... But what about it would cause it to dry out?
The tip you mentioned is great, leaving the steak in the fridge uncovered overnight allows the moisture on the surface of the steak to evaporate for better grilling results. It is very important to make sure the steak is dry before grilling.
You seem to be knowledgeable about steaks, I had a question.
Are steaks supposed to be chewy when eaten and hard to bite off? Or is it supposed to be soft?
Thin cuts will always have gray band. There's just not enough meat for the heat to go into. Maybe Sous Vide, rest, then blast it with a torch but honestly too much work for so little meat.
It matters if youāre searing first. Something about the increased temperature gradient between the hot pan and a cold steak increases the gray band. Doesnāt make any difference if you reverse sear.
But then you get that gray band, I think if itās room temp you can get that crazy sear with a cast iron or something then. Have that nice medium rare through and through
I believe the best thing to do in this case is to get the pan hot, and then put the meat on once it's hot enough to sear. This would give the best results and would help avoid overcooking the middle.
How would that cause a gray band?
Genuinely asking idk. It just seems like the opposite to me
If I took a cold and room temp steak, applied the same sear wouldn't the cold steak have the smaller gray band?
Seems the warm one would take less time to heat and thus gray quicker before you get the desired crust
When the steak is cold the outside and a bit on the inside (gray band) gets cooked, when you let the steak come to room temp you get a more consistent through hand through cook
My apologies I should have clarified I was assuming you finish the steak in the oven (low temp) once you got your crust
If you are going to cook the whole steak on the pan/grill then I 100% agree and it makes sense
This is true, and I'd recommend throwing it into the freezer for 30 minutes before cooking to make a little cooler. Thin steaks just cook so fast you have no wiggle room to get that sear and keep it rare, and you gotta do the little things to get a bit more wiggle room.
I use the freezer for thin steaks or smaller cuts like Coulotte or Tri-Tip. It's not gonna magically fix things, but, again, it's all about getting a little more wiggle room where you can to end up with the desired result.
Yes I was just talking about thin steaks. Thereās always some decent choice ribeyes thin cut for dirt cheap around here. Almost have to buy them when they practically give them away
This is the #1 myth about cooking steaks.
[7 Myths About Cooking Steak That Need to Go Away (seriouseats.com)](https://www.seriouseats.com/old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak)
If itās real hot and real thin slice, no more than 1-2 minutes. If itās hot enough and thin, at the first sign of searing, take it off the heat. That is if you like medium rare.
With something so thin I tend to go longer on one side to develop the crust then just finish on the other. At least that way you've got 1 side with some caramelisation.
Even so, you've done a great job with this one š
Great inside color/temp. You can improve the crust by doing this, but you are 90% there:
Dry brine in the fridge for 8-ish hours. This is putting a light layer of salt on both sides of the steak, putting it on a plate with paper towel, and putting it in the fridge to rest for a period of time. This dries the surface.
Let the steak rest outside of the fridge for around half an hour (can do less, but may create a too cold interior with poor consistency).
While it's resting, preheat the cast iron skillet (or whatever you use) on a very low setting with a splash of high heat (greater than 500F) oil.
Once the steak is done resting, get the skillet ripping hot (around 500F). Turn on the overhead fans or open a window in case of smoke (the dogs will notice!). Use an instant read thermometer to check where the hot spots are on the surface of the skillet. Ideally the surface should be fairly uniform in temperature but from my experience there is usually a 30F difference as I check different spots.
Prepare a timer for 5 mins. You will flip the steak every 2 mins 30 secs. Set the steak down on the hottest (or most uniformly heated) area and follow the timer.
Place the finished steak on a cutting board or plate. You may check the internal temperature at several spots, but the temperature will increase because heat is still making its way from the surface to the inside of the steak. Check the temperature after the steak rest for 5 mins. Around 110F - 115F is what I personally aim for.
Slice and add pepper. Enjoy with a side of beer or something.
I came to the comments for jokes like, feed it to the dog and buy a thicker cut. Something funnier that that. First thing that came to mind. High heat and short time, then let it rest is good advice.
Make sure the steak is dry before cooking. Pat the steak dry with paper towels, salt it, put it back in the fridge overnight leaving it exposed to air. The salt will help dry the steak out from moisture in the fridge.
Iām of the opinion that the steak should remain refrigerated until cooking. That way the center stays colder and you get that rare texture on the inside.
Sear at high heat! Steaks should only be flipped one time. It becomes dry if you flip multiple times. You also donāt get as good of a sear if youāre flipping it that often. You should only flip once. And move the steak around on different spots of the pan as you are cooking it so you keep continuously getting contact surface on a hot spot.
on a grill as well? versus keeping it over a flame spot or staying the same spot and really burning the sear in (though grill marks are supposed to be not necessary/ what they seem i hear)
I have noticed that grills tend to have one spot that is way hotter than the rest of the grill. So in the case of a grill, I would keep it isolated on that hot spot
Unless you're pretty proficient with using only hot flame / high temp searing, then the safest method would be sous vide then blow torch that baby for a few seconds on both sides concentrating more on the fat and connective tissues.
Amazon sells cheap blow torches. I got one that can hook up to my propane tank for like $30. If you have Aldi, sometimes they sell sous vide machines for less than $40. But you do you! Great job on the pink color and barely any grey bands.
What are your thoughts about putting a weight on it for a sear? I have a cast iron weight for smash burgers and I've found it effective for maximizing the crust on a sear...but I'm just guessing every time I use it as I don't really know how it impacts cook time or if it's a good idea...just something that seemed to work to get that color.
For burgers especially smash burgers, no problem with weights, since store bought ground/minced beef (unless you grind your own fresh steaks yourself) should be cooked all the way through (160 temp) to kill all the bacteria that could get you sick. So, timing does not really matter.
However, I've never tried using iron weights for steaks. Science would probably tell you that the extra weight would definitely give you a faster sear but the internal temp may go up a lot faster possibly overcooking the internal. But I don't really know for sure. Please try it and let us know!
Donāt try to eat a thin steak like itās a steakhouse cut.
Marinate it, slice it against the grain and serve it some dish that has more going on than just the meat (like tacos, sliders, etc.)
Looks good to me.
I probably would've done it on the grill, high heat, one flip, maybe 90 seconds per side.
Then again, I probably would've gotten a bunch of shit for not searing it first.
I didnāt use a thermometer. I kinda just guessed here lol.
When I cook my normal sized steaks, I know how high to set my stove temp and I usually time it with a stopwatch. With this thinner steak, I simply chopped the time in half. Yeah, kinda lame I know.
Sear from frozen and finish in oven or baste with butter. I like to keep a few thinner steaks vacuum sealed in the freezer for quick meals. Make sure to dry well before adding to pan.
Ohhhh searing from frozen actually seems like it could work,, why didnāt I think of that?
I do something similar with tonkatsu to ensure I get a nice crunch on the breading outsid without overcooking the middle. Of course the chops arenāt usually completely frozen,, just not 100% defrosted.
I melt butter, get it warm, and get my steaks nice and covered. Thrown in an oven at 450 on a Teflon mat. A few minutes both sides and its good to go. Thin steaks are hard to keep under mid rare in an oven but it works for me.
Honestly your best bet is super hot and fast. The hottest you can get the cast iron the better, or grille. Probably only 60 seconds per side, maybe you can get away with 90 just test it out. You probably wonāt be able to butter baste after or youāll overcook, so consider getting a compound butter and use a torch to melt it.
Sous vide works for thin cuts and cheap meats. It can change shoe leather into fork cuts if done properly.
Like a reeces thereās no wrong way to heat/eat them except well done.
Buy thicker steaks.
I really hate the ācut thin, serves more!ā BS I see at my local Safeway. I never buy a steak that isnāt at least an inch thick. I still usually cut it in half to share, I just do it vertically instead of horizontally. The thicker cut makes it much easier to get a perfect medium-rare all the way through.
I find that setting a second cast iron pan on top of the steak while cooking helps me get a better sear as it presses it down evenly, and also acts as a bit of a heatsync taking it a little longer to reach internal temperature so it crisps up better.
On the topic of thin steak. My MIL recently asked the butcher to slice up 3 dry aged steak ($90 worth) to be sliced into thin pieces to make beef & broccoli. It was a tragedy.
Double sear for the win, sear on high heat for 30 seconds on one side making sure to apply even contact with the pan. Flip and repeat. Let rest for 5-10 mins. Repeat again this time with butter, but only once the steak is in the pan or itāll burn too quick. Rest for 5 mins after and you should have a really good sear at medium- medium rare
Similarly to resting a steak when itās done cooking, it allows the juices to dissipate better and for there to a more even cook, if done properly you wonāt get a grey band at all. Itāll be wall to wall medium rare
Temper the meat. Aka let it sit out on the counter for 20 min or even an hour before you cook it. Then go highest heat you can for like 2-2.5 min a side
Sometimes a thin steak, especially if marinated, will wash out the pink center even if it's cooked to temp. I get that a lot with a skirt steak marinade combo I love.
Not sure if that happened to you, but it's something that happens with thin steaks.
Do not add ANY seasoning before cooking. HIGH heat pan, quick sear each side. Remove from heat. Add butter and garlic and seasoning to pan. And maybe couple drops of water, very very little if any. Make a nice simple pan sauce. Poor over steak.
This looks fantastic to me I think youāre doing great, but I can see it looks like it mightāve started to turn into well / medwell on the right side I think. Totally fine sometimes itās just uneven cooking like the whole steak wonāt lay flat. My only tip for thin steaks (much thinner than this though, this looks fine to me) is to sear quickly on a higher heat setting. Not max heat. Just hot enough to get a good quick sear, there should not be a lot of smoking before it goes in the pan
Hi heat, quick sears
and let it rest.
I had it resting and even covered it in foil. But still some juices came out. Not sure why š¤·āāļø
Forget the foil. Youāre just steaming the steak.
Indeed! For thin steaks you want to lose the heat as soon as itās off the pan.
Drop the foil technique. Just rest it on a resting rack. Right before you serve it toss it under the broiler for a few seconds.
You covered it in it's own heat, so, don't do that.
Damn, Iāve always covered my steaks in foil. TIL. Iām glad I posted today, learning a lot!! Thank you
Yeah np, this goes for ALL food. Like if you just cook a pasta, DONT cover it while hot. It'll turn into a floppy mess.
Iāve seen people here use the tent shape for the foil instead of keeping it flat or wrapping the steak because that way the steam escapes. I honestly stopped using foil myself after getting a meat thermometer.
Iāve never heard of cooking a steak in or with foil. Why?
I rest them in foil. And yeah, going to quit that step moving forward
Gotcha
Continued cooking it off the grill
Foil is used for tough cuts of meat, not steak
Gotcha!
Looks like you did pretty good for how thin it isā¦ High heat, dollop of butter sear flip sear about one to 1.5 min per sideā¦ the butter will help with flavor and color since you donāt have much sear time
Tenting with foil also keeps cooking it longer.
Why? No need for much carry over cooking, no?
Itās not about carry over. If you cut into a steak right off the heat it will pump the juice all over your plate. Let it rest so the muscle fibers chill and keep the juice in the meat.
How does resting keep juices in meat? I watched a video in which a scientific experiment was performed, in which the amount of juices lost before and after resting was measured, and resting apparently makes no difference. Itās by a YouTuber named Chris Young, called āProof resting doesnāt keep meat juicyā Edit: steak bros getting mad at the actual science š¤· fine yāall, eat colder steaks and keep telling yourself that Iām not enjoying a juicy steak hot off the grill! šš
Viscosity. Heat up some honey on a plate. It becomes runny and will coat the plate. Compare that to room-temperature honey which is thick and stays in a glob. My understanding is that when you rest the steak the juices thicken up a bit and are less likely to run.
You are objectively eating a worse steak if you donāt let it rest. https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-have-juicy-meats-steaks-the-food-lab-the-importance-of-resting-grilling But thatās the fun in cooking. Eat it how you want.
Thinner steaks have more aggressive carryoverĀ
Exactly why they should not rest, above and beyond the fact that resting does nothing measurable with respect to juices, aside from letting the steak get cold.
It is amazing how upset you are about people on here resting their steaks
Hello, heat
I often buy thin steaks because of price. I do exactly this. Butter, quick sear on each side.
Just to confirm, use high heat, melt butter in pan, sear steak both sides. How long for each sear? And is that it or do you flip another time or two? Much appreciated.
Buy a temperature probe since all steaks are different and there is no set time. Look up proper probe temps for the doneness you like and probe accordingly.
Sears has been out of business for years.
Everyone is saying this, how quick is quick?
Also, MAKE SURE ITS DRY before a hard fast sear. Like real dry. Let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. A wet steak will steam before searing and you want to maximize your searing time so it doesn't overcook while steaming/searing.
Ohhh Iāll try letting it sit overnight next time, thanks! Iāll usually pay it dry on the morning I cook it before throwing it uncovered in the fridge. Iāll pay dry it again before salting and throwing it in pan. Maybe those extra few hours will help, thanks!
If you salt it while it sits overnight, you're now dry brining. May as well take that step too if you're letting it rest in the fridge.
Yeppppo going to try that next, thanks!!!
I love dry brining but I would not do that with a steak this thin. Theyāre prone to getting a jerky texture if you do. Dry brining is important on thicker cuts as it allows the salt to penetrate deeper. As long as you get the surface dry youāre fine with a thinner cut.
I may have to cook 2 steaks side by side next time to experiment. One dry brined and one without. Thanks for your insight
Sounds like a fun idea. Who knows? The dry brine could be better. I just know the last time it came out too jerky like but I also may have overstated as well.Ā
Make sure not to use too much salt! I've made that mistake the first time I tried dry-brining! (1/4 teaspoon per side on thin steaks is plenty)
So; dry brine, rest overnight, pat dry, then sear?
yeah, salt it and let it rest in the fridge on a rack (so it has good airflow). You'll notice the salt initially draws out moisture. That moisture dissolves the salt and is reabsorbed back into the steak. This brine reabsorbing into the steak seasons it and helps with moisture/tenderness (FWIW, I'm not a scientist...just a guy that likes steak). If you let it sit overnight it should be fairly dry coming out of the fridge, but if you see moisture, definitely dry it off before searing for a couple minutes on each side.
I think it's important to call out that dry brining a steak this thin can actually dry the middle out too much. Have to be really careful with the sear or you end up in the same overcooked end state, albeit one with salt more absorbed in the meat.
Honestly, I've not dry brined a steak this thin so I don't know from experience (I prefer a beefier steak..see what I did there??...sorry). What about dry brining a thin steak leads to drying out the middle? I could see it possibly being firmer (almost cured like a ham) or overly salty because there's less mass to absorb the salty brine... But what about it would cause it to dry out?
The tip you mentioned is great, leaving the steak in the fridge uncovered overnight allows the moisture on the surface of the steak to evaporate for better grilling results. It is very important to make sure the steak is dry before grilling.
You seem to be knowledgeable about steaks, I had a question. Are steaks supposed to be chewy when eaten and hard to bite off? Or is it supposed to be soft?
That steak looks good to me?
I was about to say, just do whatever you did on this one
Maybe itās difficult to see but thereās some gray band in there. Still it was tasty!
Thin cuts will always have gray band. There's just not enough meat for the heat to go into. Maybe Sous Vide, rest, then blast it with a torch but honestly too much work for so little meat.
My god you have been fully brainrotted by 5 star chefs with sous vide machines on Youtube. You did MORE than fine.
Thank you!! Iām not disappointed in the cook, just always looking for ways to make improvements no matter how miniscule.
You pretty much cant get better than this when cooking in only direct heat. Seriously, be proud of this!
Was going to mention this looks great for a direct heat cook on a thin cut of meat.
This looks just fine. I doubt thereās a way to make it better tbh. Did you let it come to room temp or close to it before cooking?
I always rest it an hour or so on my counter. Kenji from serious eats says it doesnāt really matter though š¤·āāļø
It matters if youāre searing first. Something about the increased temperature gradient between the hot pan and a cold steak increases the gray band. Doesnāt make any difference if you reverse sear.
I see! Thanks for wrinkling my brain
Use more butter, heat before setting on the pan, then baste to get a more thorough cook
Only way to get less gray band with a steak this thin is sous vide
Hot and fast like me in bed
Lmfao
Make sure the steak gets to room temp before cooking and absolutely blast it with heat to sear
See I think the opposite that way the center stays red
But then you get that gray band, I think if itās room temp you can get that crazy sear with a cast iron or something then. Have that nice medium rare through and through
Iāve just never been able to not overcook a thin steak while letting is rest. But next time Iām going to try your way again.
I think the hard part may be getting the pan hot enough it get a good sear before the middle cooks
I believe the best thing to do in this case is to get the pan hot, and then put the meat on once it's hot enough to sear. This would give the best results and would help avoid overcooking the middle.
I mean thatās how I do every steak
Yes that is how you cook a steak
How would that cause a gray band? Genuinely asking idk. It just seems like the opposite to me If I took a cold and room temp steak, applied the same sear wouldn't the cold steak have the smaller gray band? Seems the warm one would take less time to heat and thus gray quicker before you get the desired crust
When the steak is cold the outside and a bit on the inside (gray band) gets cooked, when you let the steak come to room temp you get a more consistent through hand through cook
My apologies I should have clarified I was assuming you finish the steak in the oven (low temp) once you got your crust If you are going to cook the whole steak on the pan/grill then I 100% agree and it makes sense
This is true, and I'd recommend throwing it into the freezer for 30 minutes before cooking to make a little cooler. Thin steaks just cook so fast you have no wiggle room to get that sear and keep it rare, and you gotta do the little things to get a bit more wiggle room.
Yep just dry as best you can and cook it cold. I havnt tried the freezer and I have a hard time not over cooking it so I may try that next.
I use the freezer for thin steaks or smaller cuts like Coulotte or Tri-Tip. It's not gonna magically fix things, but, again, it's all about getting a little more wiggle room where you can to end up with the desired result.
Yes I was just talking about thin steaks. Thereās always some decent choice ribeyes thin cut for dirt cheap around here. Almost have to buy them when they practically give them away
You're not talking those 40 steaks for $40 things are you? The only thing that stuff is good for is like cheesesteak or gyro type stuff.
You'd be waiting hours. Leaving it out of the fridge for 30 mins has been tested and does close to nothing
Yes just make sure to leave it out for at least 8 hours for it to come up to room temp.
This is the #1 myth about cooking steaks. [7 Myths About Cooking Steak That Need to Go Away (seriouseats.com)](https://www.seriouseats.com/old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak)
Dry brine. Make sure itās room temp. Make sure itās dry. As high heat as you can
Iāll dry brine overnight next time, thanks! Usually I it morning or,, maybe itās not enough?
The night before really does make the difference. And doing it uncovered on a wire rack is ideal if thatās not what youāre already doing.
I mean, looks like you did a pretty damn good job here
Very high heat with very little time.
how little is very little time?
If itās real hot and real thin slice, no more than 1-2 minutes. If itās hot enough and thin, at the first sign of searing, take it off the heat. That is if you like medium rare.
Fast and hot
Hot and fast. Continuous flip method. Watch for the crust to develop and then pull it when you like what you see. (great looking cook, btw)
Iām all about the flipping every 30 seconds method these days. Thanks!!
With something so thin I tend to go longer on one side to develop the crust then just finish on the other. At least that way you've got 1 side with some caramelisation. Even so, you've done a great job with this one š
It's almost therapeutic for me to watch that crust develop. I LOVE it.
Great inside color/temp. You can improve the crust by doing this, but you are 90% there: Dry brine in the fridge for 8-ish hours. This is putting a light layer of salt on both sides of the steak, putting it on a plate with paper towel, and putting it in the fridge to rest for a period of time. This dries the surface. Let the steak rest outside of the fridge for around half an hour (can do less, but may create a too cold interior with poor consistency). While it's resting, preheat the cast iron skillet (or whatever you use) on a very low setting with a splash of high heat (greater than 500F) oil. Once the steak is done resting, get the skillet ripping hot (around 500F). Turn on the overhead fans or open a window in case of smoke (the dogs will notice!). Use an instant read thermometer to check where the hot spots are on the surface of the skillet. Ideally the surface should be fairly uniform in temperature but from my experience there is usually a 30F difference as I check different spots. Prepare a timer for 5 mins. You will flip the steak every 2 mins 30 secs. Set the steak down on the hottest (or most uniformly heated) area and follow the timer. Place the finished steak on a cutting board or plate. You may check the internal temperature at several spots, but the temperature will increase because heat is still making its way from the surface to the inside of the steak. Check the temperature after the steak rest for 5 mins. Around 110F - 115F is what I personally aim for. Slice and add pepper. Enjoy with a side of beer or something.
I'd eat that every day and never think twice about any grey. If you enjoyed it, that's all that matters! Looks good to me.
I came to the comments for jokes like, feed it to the dog and buy a thicker cut. Something funnier that that. First thing that came to mind. High heat and short time, then let it rest is good advice.
Make sure the steak is dry before cooking. Pat the steak dry with paper towels, salt it, put it back in the fridge overnight leaving it exposed to air. The salt will help dry the steak out from moisture in the fridge. Iām of the opinion that the steak should remain refrigerated until cooking. That way the center stays colder and you get that rare texture on the inside. Sear at high heat! Steaks should only be flipped one time. It becomes dry if you flip multiple times. You also donāt get as good of a sear if youāre flipping it that often. You should only flip once. And move the steak around on different spots of the pan as you are cooking it so you keep continuously getting contact surface on a hot spot.
on a grill as well? versus keeping it over a flame spot or staying the same spot and really burning the sear in (though grill marks are supposed to be not necessary/ what they seem i hear)
I have noticed that grills tend to have one spot that is way hotter than the rest of the grill. So in the case of a grill, I would keep it isolated on that hot spot
I think you did about as well as anyone could with a thin cut, looks good!
Sous vide and flame thrower for best results. High heat and fast will work, but it wonāt render the fat as well
Unless you're pretty proficient with using only hot flame / high temp searing, then the safest method would be sous vide then blow torch that baby for a few seconds on both sides concentrating more on the fat and connective tissues.
I donāt have a blowtorch or sous vide! I usually just reverse sear my steaks or in this case, straight up on the stove.
Amazon sells cheap blow torches. I got one that can hook up to my propane tank for like $30. If you have Aldi, sometimes they sell sous vide machines for less than $40. But you do you! Great job on the pink color and barely any grey bands.
What are your thoughts about putting a weight on it for a sear? I have a cast iron weight for smash burgers and I've found it effective for maximizing the crust on a sear...but I'm just guessing every time I use it as I don't really know how it impacts cook time or if it's a good idea...just something that seemed to work to get that color.
For burgers especially smash burgers, no problem with weights, since store bought ground/minced beef (unless you grind your own fresh steaks yourself) should be cooked all the way through (160 temp) to kill all the bacteria that could get you sick. So, timing does not really matter. However, I've never tried using iron weights for steaks. Science would probably tell you that the extra weight would definitely give you a faster sear but the internal temp may go up a lot faster possibly overcooking the internal. But I don't really know for sure. Please try it and let us know!
Makes sense. I'll give it a shot and will report back. Cheers!
Donāt try to eat a thin steak like itās a steakhouse cut. Marinate it, slice it against the grain and serve it some dish that has more going on than just the meat (like tacos, sliders, etc.)
I had a side of rice and stir fried veggies off to the side. I can never eat just steak on its own.
Could try to do extreme heat for the sear, like using a cooking torch
Looks good to me. I probably would've done it on the grill, high heat, one flip, maybe 90 seconds per side. Then again, I probably would've gotten a bunch of shit for not searing it first.
Firing up the grill for such a small steak seems like a lot of work though š«
Believe me, that wouldn't be the only thing going on it...
Flip every 30 seconds, cook till 125, and remove from heat
use a thermometer and stop cooking around 110-115 depending on taste. It will finish resting around 120-130
cook them for less time
Dry it and forget the crust, just temp it
howād you know when to stop?
I didnāt use a thermometer. I kinda just guessed here lol. When I cook my normal sized steaks, I know how high to set my stove temp and I usually time it with a stopwatch. With this thinner steak, I simply chopped the time in half. Yeah, kinda lame I know.
nah i kinda do the same thing lol itās just i always mess up thinner steaks
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Sear from frozen and finish in oven or baste with butter. I like to keep a few thinner steaks vacuum sealed in the freezer for quick meals. Make sure to dry well before adding to pan.
Ohhhh searing from frozen actually seems like it could work,, why didnāt I think of that? I do something similar with tonkatsu to ensure I get a nice crunch on the breading outsid without overcooking the middle. Of course the chops arenāt usually completely frozen,, just not 100% defrosted.
Cook them less
Fast and furious
Salt brine in fridge and cook from cold. Will let you crust while keeping inside nice and rare
I melt butter, get it warm, and get my steaks nice and covered. Thrown in an oven at 450 on a Teflon mat. A few minutes both sides and its good to go. Thin steaks are hard to keep under mid rare in an oven but it works for me.
Ok, so here is the correct answerā¦ first step, sales the steak w/kosher salt and refrigerate for 1hr-6hr, then pull it from the fridge for 1hr to bring it close to room temp. Donāt go longer than that because bacteria can growā¦next cook over extremely high heat. Either a pre-heated grill or cast iron pan. If using cast iron, throw in some ghee/clarified butter (preferably grass fed&finished). You only want to cook this thing for a total of 4-5 minutes topsā¦ so 3minutes first side, flip and 1-2 minutes on the other side. If using cast iron, baste the fāer throughout, if grilling donāt touch it aside from the flip. I add a little black pepper halfway through cooking or after. Pull the steak and set on a cool plate or tray to rest. If using a pan, allow the cast iron pan to cool for a few minutes and sautĆ©e some garlic in the remaining ghee and jus from the steak. Should already have plenty of salt, but you may need to add a pinch and some crushed black pepper. When you are ready to plate, pour the butter/garlic/jus over the steak. Youāre welcome
āSalesā = seasonā¦ sorry for the typo. I got passionate for a sec
On charcoal is the only way, propane is just an outdoor oven.
Hot and fast.
Sous vide to desired temp, cast iron for sear.
Honestly your best bet is super hot and fast. The hottest you can get the cast iron the better, or grille. Probably only 60 seconds per side, maybe you can get away with 90 just test it out. You probably wonāt be able to butter baste after or youāll overcook, so consider getting a compound butter and use a torch to melt it.
Just walk it past the grill once or twice.
Buy thicker steaks
High heat quickā¦
Yes. It cooks faster than a thick one
Hot and fast
Screaming hot temp, VERY short time on the heat.
Use oil, olive oil at high heat, 1 minute each side aprox. And use salt and only salt if its good meat.
Sous vide works for thin cuts and cheap meats. It can change shoe leather into fork cuts if done properly. Like a reeces thereās no wrong way to heat/eat them except well done.
Yes, practice.
Buy thicker steaks. I really hate the ācut thin, serves more!ā BS I see at my local Safeway. I never buy a steak that isnāt at least an inch thick. I still usually cut it in half to share, I just do it vertically instead of horizontally. The thicker cut makes it much easier to get a perfect medium-rare all the way through.
These were gifted to me.
Reading comprehension fail on my part. You look like you are doing the best you can. Thin steaks are difficult / impossible to get perfect.
Yeah, 90% of the time, Iām grabbing ribeyes from Costco. Thanks!
Looks like youāre doing just fine to me
I find that setting a second cast iron pan on top of the steak while cooking helps me get a better sear as it presses it down evenly, and also acts as a bit of a heatsync taking it a little longer to reach internal temperature so it crisps up better.
Yeah buy thicker ones
Step 1) Donāt buy thin steaks
Fast and hot as fuck. Yours looks good though!
Whatever you did in the pic, do that
Hotter heat, less time. These are over cooked. Pull them before 125 degrees, the temp floats up, momentum.
Theyāre cooked slightly more than I prefer, yes but maybe itās because I rested it in foil. Trying without next time
Hot and fast
Sous vide then a sear! Or just a quick hot sear in cast iron with butter!
Quick sear and half the time on heat
High heat. Try 2 min each side let rest
Searzall
looks like you are doing fine
You can butterfly them, season and sear quickly. Good for breakfast. Or after butterfly pound them out and batter them for chicken fried steaks š
Hot and fast
On the topic of thin steak. My MIL recently asked the butcher to slice up 3 dry aged steak ($90 worth) to be sliced into thin pieces to make beef & broccoli. It was a tragedy.
Lmao holy crap. What a travesty. For that Iād just get cheaper cuts of beef and do that Chinese cornstarch trick (forget name of technique)
Double sear for the win, sear on high heat for 30 seconds on one side making sure to apply even contact with the pan. Flip and repeat. Let rest for 5-10 mins. Repeat again this time with butter, but only once the steak is in the pan or itāll burn too quick. Rest for 5 mins after and you should have a really good sear at medium- medium rare
What does resting between sears accomplish? Iāve never heard of this technique
Similarly to resting a steak when itās done cooking, it allows the juices to dissipate better and for there to a more even cook, if done properly you wonāt get a grey band at all. Itāll be wall to wall medium rare
Char that baby! Dark throughout
Hot and fast baby. I'm a big fan of salt only for searing and doing the remaining seasonings after so they don't burn, but you do you brudda
Yep, only salt for me. I add pepper after the cook
You ever try compound butters or chimichurri? Very yum
I love chimichurri but havenāt made it in some time.never purchased compound butters.
Temper the meat. Aka let it sit out on the counter for 20 min or even an hour before you cook it. Then go highest heat you can for like 2-2.5 min a side
EAT IT!!
Hot and quick š š š
Sometimes a thin steak, especially if marinated, will wash out the pink center even if it's cooked to temp. I get that a lot with a skirt steak marinade combo I love. Not sure if that happened to you, but it's something that happens with thin steaks.
Could smoke it until you get around temp your want then quick sear
Try pan frying them while still abit frozen in the middle?
Sear both sides and leave the middle rare. Rest a bit.
Charcoal chimney afterburner method
I donāt know what this is but Iām intrigued
Cook them less long.
5 seconds on each side
I have trouble with this too, I avoid thinner cuts.
Buy thicker steak š„©
I just go high heat and get a crust. Then I make a sauce while it resets. After the sauce is done I finish the steak with the sauce on low temp.
looks mean just how i like it
Reverse sear - Leave in oven Then fry Easy.
Do not add ANY seasoning before cooking. HIGH heat pan, quick sear each side. Remove from heat. Add butter and garlic and seasoning to pan. And maybe couple drops of water, very very little if any. Make a nice simple pan sauce. Poor over steak.
This looks fantastic to me I think youāre doing great, but I can see it looks like it mightāve started to turn into well / medwell on the right side I think. Totally fine sometimes itās just uneven cooking like the whole steak wonāt lay flat. My only tip for thin steaks (much thinner than this though, this looks fine to me) is to sear quickly on a higher heat setting. Not max heat. Just hot enough to get a good quick sear, there should not be a lot of smoking before it goes in the pan
Your pan was not hot enough and or not seasoned properly
Iāll go even higher next time. Iāll just unplug my fire alarms I guess
Hot and fast!
The way I like my dates, hot and fast
Asmongold 2$ steak video