There are few things that are as satisfying as cutting into a perfectly prepared steak. It is an experience that appeals to all of the senses; feeling the weight of a porterhouse as you rub it with salt, the sound of the cut cooking on the grill and the aroma that comes with it, the beautiful color as it sits on the plate and finally, the mouth-watering first bite.
For steak enthusiasts, we are in peak grilling season, and luckily for anyone in the area, there’s a top-notch butcher in your backyard at The Butcher’s Block in Long Branch.
We leaned on Pat Gaughran, director of operations at The Butcher’s Block, for some tips to make your at-home steak experience sizzle.
HOW TO BUY A STEAK
“We’re looking to make sure that the meat has that bright, red color," Gaughran said, adding that it’s also important to look at the color of the fat. For something like Wagyu or a ribeye, you want marbling that is even and fat content that is“pure white and not turning gray or yellow.”
CHOICE CUTS
According to Gaughran, based on what sells in the restaurant, customers gravitate toward ribeye, porterhouse and filet mignon. When you're cooking at home, ribeye and porterhouse are good on the grill. "For a ribeye, you want one that’s kind of equal or more meat. Some of them are super-fatty," Gaughran suggests. If you're looking for something with less fat content, look toward a strip or flank steak.
SEASONING 101
"We just stick to kosher salt. Don’t have to get too crazy or advanced," Gaughran says, joking that going overboard with seasoning is "like having too many toppings on your pizza." If you're going to use an oil, go with something with a high smoke point (like avocado or canola oil) and avoid extra-virgin olive oil. For a piece of meat that might be a little tougher and in need of some TLC, like a London broil, marinating is the way to go.
COOKING DOS AND DON'TS
At The Butcher's Block, the steaks are cooked over an open wood flame, but not everyone has a setup like that at home. So for the gas or charcoal griller, there are a few things to note.
- A meat thermometer is a good item to add to your suite of kitchen tools, especially if you are cooking a thicker cut of meat (think a 1-1/2 or 2-inch strip.
- If you're cooking a porterhouse, keep it together (don't take the filet and strip off the bone). "A lot of the flavor comes from the bone and keeping it on there," Gaughran says.
- Get the grill up to temperature before you start cooking and let your steak warm up a little; don't go right from the refrigerator to the fire. "Keep one side nice and hot and the other medium-high. Put the cuts right down and get 2-minutes a side on hot to get that char and then move them over," Gaughran says." Eight to ten minutes could be good total time for cuts like those."
- One of the biggest success factors is to let your cooked steak rest. "Let the juices sit in there so it’s not all running out," Gaughran says.
The Butcher's Block is located at 235 West Ave. in Long Branch and online at www.thebutchersblocknj.com/pages/the-block-shop
When cooking a porterhouse, keep it all together. A lot of the flavor comes from the bone and keeping it on there. If you’re cooking a bone-in steak, monitor the temperature closely.