How Do You Like Your Steak?

[gnarlygninja]

Do you remember the name of the ketchup? Was it maybe curry ketchup? That stuff is great.

Hela Gewürzkethcup Schaschlik, I mistakenly grabbed it from a German market meaning to get the curry one. It's very good with meat, I'm not a huge fan of it on fries.

 

[Vael]

I've become a fan of Sous-Vide for steak preparation, then a very quick char on a cast iron pan. I can get a solid medium-rare/rare steak consistently.

 

[gnarlygninja]

I'll go with sous vide over reverse sear 90% of the time because I hate having the oven on for a big chunk of the year, and the latter has diminishing returns if the steak is too thin.

 

[Parmandur]

I've become a fan of Sous-Vide for steak preparation, then a very quick char on a cast iron pan. I can get a solid medium-rare/rare steak consistently.

Bringing sous-vide into the conversation...that is one way to cook a steak to well-done while retaining the desirable juiciness and tenderness of a more rare steak.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

You wouldn't, because it is against the fashion, which says that liking steak rare is more "sophisticated". Admitting liking well-done meats would be a signal that you are boorish or uncultured, which few celebrities are going to do. Calling it a "sin" is a similar signal, marking it an offense against "good taste", as defined by... well, food snobs (sorry, Scribe).

I don't think it's a case of not caring for a well-done being a fashion, or putting on airs. When you cook the meat to that point, you are objectively making it tough to chew (through protein denaturation) and cooking off the fat which is providing a lot of the flavour that you'll find in a rarer steak. It's science!

But judging people for what they like... ehhh. If you like a well-done steak with ketchup, have at it! So yes, someone who refers to well-done steaks as a 'crime against food', or a 'sin'... that's a ponce.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Honestly, I don't eat steak very often, but when I do, I prefer them in the Pittsburgh to medium-rare range. Sometimes I'll buy a cheaper/tougher cut, like a round or flank. Medium-rare with that kind of cut is not a pleasant chew, so for those I'll first marinade overnight with something that'll help break down the muscle fibers: might have a base of apple cider or red wine vinegar, maybe lemon juice. I used to boil my ribs for an hour in pineapple juice before putting them on the bbq... that's a great tenderiser as well.

 

[Blue]

Medium-rare is preferred. I prefer Rare to Medium, but won't go down to bleu or black & blue.

If I need to eat it well done, I want sauce or gravy even if it's just A1 or a pan gravy. For any cook piled high with mushrooms makes me happy. Horseradish is also quite yummy, especially with prime rib.

 

[ART!]

I will literally get physically sick unless it's well done. I didn't have the enzymes or whatever to digest beef that isn't thoroughly cooked all the way through. No pink. Anywhere.

 

[Umbran]

I don't think it's a case of not caring for a well-done being a fashion, or putting on airs.

When folks refer to it as a "sin", they are definitely putting on airs.
And this isn't just about the one "well done" state. Please do not oversimplify the issue.

When you cook the meat to that point, you are objectively making it tough to chew

Human teeth and digestive system, aren't made for raw meat either. Cooking is pre-digestion, and as a species we rely on it for nutrition and calories.

(through protein denaturation) and cooking off the fat which is providing a lot of the flavour that you'll find in a rarer steak. It's science!

Really.
You're actually going to try to give an aesthetic position legitimacy by calling it "science"?
Putting. On. Airs.

 

[Desdichado]

Oh, do I have opinions. I like steak medium well. Butterfly cut, so it's more likely to be cooked and not have a cool middle. I often like it with A-1, although I honestly like it better with sauteed mushrooms and drawn garlic butter on top. While I don't have any problem with people who like their steak on the rare side, I feel nothing but absolute contempt and lack of any patience for steak snobs who insist that it's the only way to eat steak and anyone who does it differently is "doing it wrong." I tend to dislike pushy know-it-alls in all walks of life, but for some reason steak-snobbery is a particular pet peeve of mine.