A perfect steak is a tasty centerpiece for an impressive meal. The ideal steak is a balance between the grade of beef and how you cook it. Getting the balance right ensures a tender and juicy steak on the inside and browned and flavorful on the outside.
Grades of Beef
According to the USDA, they grade beef two ways: quality grades for tenderness, juiciness, and flavor; yield grades for the amount of usable lean meat on the carcass.
- Prime beef is of the highest quality produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling (the amount of fat interspersed with lean meat), typically sold in high-end restaurants and hotels.
- Choice beef is high-quality but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, flavorful, and suitable for dry-heat cooking.
- Select beef is very uniform in quality and typically leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but it may lack some of the higher grades’ juiciness and flavor because it has less marbling.
Tips for Success
- Salt is the best seasoning to bring out the flavor of the beef. Salt the meat anywhere between 30 minutes and six hours and leave on a plate uncovered in the refrigerator. Regular table salt works, but it’s not optimal. Instead, try sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, or kosher salt for best results.
- Bring to Room Temperature. Allow your meat to rest on a plate at room temperature (70° – 75°F) for about 45 minutes before cooking. This allows the browning process or Maillard reaction (a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor) to happen more quickly when the meat hits the pan, griddle, or grill.
- Dry. Make sure the steak is extremely dry before cooking, which helps to achieve a beautiful brown crust that looks and tastes delicious.