Steak

Many people will attest that there is nothing better than a good steak. Try this month's recipes and follow the guidelines for doneness to guarantee your steak is lip smacking good.

Recipes Courtesy Allrecipes.com

Dad's Steak Rub
Submitted by: CATHERINEFLORENCE
"The secret ingredient to Dad's super-delicious steaks is maple syrup."

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 30 Min
YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 beef steaks
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the grill for high heat.
Place the steaks in a bowl, and drizzle on both sides with maple syrup. Rub with garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place steaks on the grill, and cook 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade
Submitted by: Craig Jones
"I concocted this marinade on a lark and it turned out great. The flavors complement and do not overwhelm the natural taste of beef."

PREP TIME 30 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 1 Hr 10 Min
YIELD 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

2 (16 ounce) beef sirloin steaks
1/4 cup dark beer
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat grill for high heat.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the surface of the steaks, and place steaks in a large baking dish. In a bowl, mix together beer, teriyaki sauce, and brown sugar. Pour sauce over steaks, and let sit about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 the seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder; set aside for 10 minutes. Turn steaks over, sprinkle with remaining seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and continue marinating for 10 more minutes.
Remove steaks from marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook for several minutes.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks for 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. During the last few minutes of grilling, baste steaks with boiled marinade to enhance the flavor and ensure juiciness.

Ginger Steak
Submitted by: GORDONSTONE
"This simple recipe is one of my personal favorites. After lots of experimentation, it' perfect!"

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 20 Min
YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 (8 ounce) beef sirloin steaks, at least 3/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven's broiler.
In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, ginger, salt, pepper, basil, mustard and lemon juice until smooth. Place the steaks on a broiling pan, and pour 1/4 of the mixture over each one. Massage into the meat.
Broil the steaks for 5 minutes, then turn over and cook to your desired degree of doneness.

Steak Doneness
Experienced chefs can tell the doneness of a steak by simply feeling it- most of us have not acquired such a skill. Don't resort to cutting that steak though. Instead, use a good-quality, instant read thermometer to check the steak's internal temperature.

Black and Blue
Seared black on the outside with a cold, raw center (100°F).

Very Rare
Hot on the outside, raw on the inside (100°F).

Rare
Red, cool to warm center (120°F).

Medium Rare
Red, warm center (126°F).

Medium
Hot pink center (135°F).

Medium Well
Slight color, cooked throughout (145°F).

Well Done
No color Left (160°F).

Product Highlight:
Instant Read Thermometer
America's Test Kitchen tested several models and brands of instant read thermometers. They found the following model to give fast, accurate readings with a reasonable price tag.

CDN ProAccurate Quick Tip Digital Cooking Thermometer DTQ450, $17.95

Average Response Time: 10 seconds
Probe Length: 4.7 inches
Test Kitchchen Comments: "CDN won us over by meeting the testing criteria on all fronts. Quick 10-second readings put it only a step behind the test kitchen’s high-end favorite, the ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen."

This model is available for purchase at the following online retailers:
Cutlery and More
Chef's Resource
KitchenKapers.com

FYI
"Halal" beef has been certified to have been processed in a prescribed manner in accordance with Muslim dietary laws. While "kosher" beef has been certified to have been processed in a prescribed manner in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.

USDA Grades for Beef
There are eight quality grades for beef. Quality grades are based on the amount of marbling (flecks of fat within the lean), color, and maturity.

Prime grade is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking (i.e., roasting, broiling, and grilling).
Choice grade is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are, like Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and blade chuck, can also be cooked with dry heat, but be careful not to overcook them.
Select grade is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. Only the tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin) should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or cooked with moisture to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.
Standard and Commercial grades are frequently sold as ungraded or as "store brand" meat.
Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades - are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and processed products.

Did You Know?
Kobe beef comes from cattle of the Wagyu breed raised and fattened in the hills above Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. During the fattening period, the cattle are hand-fed (using high-energy feed, including beer and beer mash) and hand-massaged for tenderness and high fat content. This specialized care results in superior cuts of beef with a price tag to match ($80 per pound or more).