Steak 101

I bought my first electric skillet and cooked two steaks recently. I did
them in olive oil and hickory barbeque sauce. They tasted great, but they
were really tough. The skillet came with instructions to cook steak for 10
minutes per side at 300 degrees. I suspect I over cooked them. Also, these
were low priced cuts of meat. The name was "round" something.

Did I overcook them?

Do I need to pay for expensive cuts for them to be tender?

Would it help, if I soaked them in acid, like vinegar, for a day or two
before cooking?

Round steak is generally pretty tough, top round is more tender than bottom
round. I look for sales on rib steaks or T-Bones or Porterhouse. They
usually go on sale for about $4.98 a pound. I like mine rare so cook them
in a hot pan so they brown on the outside but stay red/pink in the middle, I
think 300 is probably too low but don't measure the temp as I do mine on the
gas stove in a cast iron pan. You can buy tenderizers that have enzymes
that break down the tough fibers.

In m,
Cubit stated
| I bought my first electric skillet and cooked two steaks recently. I
| did them in olive oil and hickory barbeque sauce. They tasted great,
| but they were really tough. The skillet came with instructions to
| cook steak for 10 minutes per side at 300 degrees. I suspect I over
| cooked them. Also, these were low priced cuts of meat. The name was
| "round" something.
|
| Did I overcook them?
|
| Do I need to pay for expensive cuts for them to be tender?
|
| Would it help, if I soaked them in acid, like vinegar, for a day or
| two before cooking?

round steak is a tougher cut of meat, and does wonderfully cook slow
and low!

--
rosie
http://costofwar.com/








"Cubit" wrote in message
m...
: I bought my first electric skillet and cooked two steaks recently.
I did
: them in olive oil and hickory barbeque sauce. They tasted great,
but they
: were really tough. The skillet came with instructions to cook
steak for 10
: minutes per side at 300 degrees. I suspect I over cooked them.
Also, these
: were low priced cuts of meat. The name was "round" something.
:
: Did I overcook them?
:
: Do I need to pay for expensive cuts for them to be tender?
:
: Would it help, if I soaked them in acid, like vinegar, for a day
or two
: before cooking?
:
:

"FOB" wrote in message news:jxDBc.26924

:....................... I look for sales on rib steaks or T-Bones
or Porterhouse. They
: usually go on sale for about $4.98 a pound.


on sale for only $4.98 a pound ?
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

"Cubit" wrote in message
I bought my first electric skillet and cooked two steaks recently. I did
them in olive oil and hickory barbeque sauce. They tasted great, but they
were really tough. The skillet came with instructions to cook steak for
10
minutes per side at 300 degrees. I suspect I over cooked them. Also,
these
were low priced cuts of meat. The name was "round" something.

Did I overcook them?

Do I need to pay for expensive cuts for them to be tender?

Would it help, if I soaked them in acid, like vinegar, for a day or two
before cooking?

The kind of steak you bought was not the grilling kind. Round steak is great
slow cooked for baked steak, swiss steak or any other slow cooked beefsteak
recipe. You can use it to stir-fry too if you slice it very thinly and
marinate it. I like to use a marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, salt,
pepper and basil. Marinate overnite.

Yes, usually the more tender cuts of beef for steak grilling are more
expensive. Here are a few sites to help you cook it right

Cookie

http://www.askthemeatman.com/beef_st...rent_names.htm

http://www.foodsubs.com/MeatBeefRibs.html

http://www.txbeef.org/cooking_it_right.php3

In article ,
"Cubit" wrote:

I bought my first electric skillet and cooked two steaks recently. I did
them in olive oil and hickory barbeque sauce. They tasted great, but they
were really tough. The skillet came with instructions to cook steak for 10
minutes per side at 300 degrees. I suspect I over cooked them. Also, these
were low priced cuts of meat. The name was "round" something.

Did I overcook them?

Do I need to pay for expensive cuts for them to be tender?

I wouldn't use an electric skillet. I'd use a cast iron skillet on a
gas burner (if you have it). Electric cooking devices cycle the heat
off and on. For a good steak you need quick HOT heat. A broiler will
do if you can't put a heavy metal pan on a blazing hot burner and get it
smoking hot.

Once you've got that smoking hot (ungreased) cast iron pan, toss on the
steak, and judge when to turn it based on how it feels to the touch.
Poke the pad of your thumb on the palm of your hand for comparison.
When your hand is relaxed, that's what the steak will feel like when
it's rare. The general rule for cooking meat is 10 minutes to the inch.
I like my steaks at least pink inside, so I cut that in half. And
remember that's for both sides added together. So an inch thick steak
I'll cook for 2-2.5 minutes per side on a blazing hot pan, poking it
with my finger to tell if I should go longer or shorter on time.

You'll need to experiment a bit before you get the heat/timing right.

About cuts. Look for fat marbling the interior of the meat. I like
shell sirloin a lot. I also like sirloin tip strips, but I rely totally
on feel for cooking those and don't watch the clock. Chuck steak is for
braising, not grilling, so, after a quick sear, cook it up really slowly
on low heat with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and the like.

I don't pay an arm and a leg for a steak. I wait for the sales. I've
never cooked a rib eye or porterhouse or any of those. Gimme my
sirloin, and I'm a happy camper.

Priscilla

Detroit.

In ,
rosie read and post stated
| "FOB" wrote in message news:jxDBc.26924
|
| :....................... I look for sales on rib steaks or T-Bones
| or Porterhouse. They
|| usually go on sale for about $4.98 a pound.
|
|
| on sale for only $4.98 a pound ?
| WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
|

Did I overcook them?

Do I need to pay for expensive cuts for them to be tender?

Would it help, if I soaked them in acid, like vinegar, for a day or two
before cooking?

As others have said, basically, the tougher the meat, the slower the fire.
I'll put a brisket on a smoker with mesquite blocks about eight at night,
and look for it to be done in the morning.

Marinating in an acid base overnight will help, too. Not sure about
vinegar. I use a concoction containing orange and lemon juice, since the
flavor WILL be in the meat.

"Ignoramus1628" wrote in message
...
How does it taste after smoking? I own a grill with a smoker tray,
never tried smoking anything in it. Brisket sells for about $2.40 per
pound around here, I thought that it was worth trying if I knew how to
do it.

It comes out wonderful after about 14 hours on a slow fire. I soak the
mesquite blocks for about an hour in water before firing them so they'll
burn real slow, and then fill a water tray to keep the meat moist. Mesquite
gives the meat a unique mild and kind of sweet flavor. But a brisket has to
be done SLOW, or you'll burn more calories chewing than what you get eating.

For the final fixings, in the morning I slice up the meat, and put it in a
pan to cover with a sauce I make, and put that in the oven for about an hour
at 300. Recipe for the sauce is as follows:
---------------
1 cups Worcestershire Sauce
2 cup Steak Sauce (Lea & Perrins)
1 cup beer
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
½ cup medium picante sauce
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp. concentrated lemon juice
2 tbsp. Creole seasoning
2 beef bullion cubes

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered on stove for no
more than thirty minutes.

This comes out kind of thin, so if you want mix about 1 tbsp cornstarch with
1/4 cup water to form a paste and stir it in the sauce.
-------------------------
I know the sauce isn't low carb, but I developed it about twenty years ago.

FOB wrote:

gas stove in a cast iron pan. You can buy tenderizers that have enzymes
that break down the tough fibers.

Is that what they use at Baker's Square? Their steak is just terrible.