My father grew up very poor, and one of his life goals was to be able to eat steak whenever he wanted to (a goal he achieved!). So, as you might guess, there was a lot of grilling going on at my house when I was growing up. But over the years my love of beef has waned, and I am at the point now were cranking up the grill for steaks is a pretty rare occurrence.
But I was at Rouses a few weeks back and was looking over their selection of beef. I saw dry aged beef and USDA Prime, Select and Choice. I asked the butcher which was the best and he said that by far the Prime was the best. He said the dry aged beef had a more intense beef flavor, and the prime was not as intense, but very tender. I know that at the top of the list is Japanese A5 Wagyu, but a small fillet will cost you well over $100 (without shipping) if you order via Amazon, and if you order it at a fine dining restaurant, the price will be well above $150. Wagyu is pricy to say the least (but remember you get what you pay for!)
When I do serve grilled steaks to guests it is in small portions, I am not going to serve poor quality beef, and the good stuff is just too expensive for an individual steak of everyone. But being as good as great beef is, along with a good side, it is more than enough.
Hands down, the best way to cook a good steak is over a hardwood fire that has burned down to glowing embers. If you put the meat on too soon, the fire is likely to flair up and will burn the steak in just a matter of seconds, so, be patient, and get it right. Hard wood charcoal is good, but not great, regular charcoal is a poor choice, and cooking over a gas fire is just not an option for me.
Seasoning a steak before grilling is a very important step. Good beef does not require much help, but a few tweaks will help. I always start with a little Dale’s Steak Seasoning, a little Tony’s and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Please make sure the steak is at room temperature before grilling, and under no circumstances use a fork to puncture a steak to turn it over, the juices will run out and your steak will be dry!
There is an endless list of good sides to serve with a grilled steak, but hands down are French fries. They ae even better if you follow the Anthny Bourdain recipe of frying them at a low temp until done, removing and draining, and just before serving drop them back into very hot oil for just a minute or two to crisp.
The last thing I do before serving a steak is to drizzle it with garlic butter (using the best butter I can afford, of course), and if you are smart enough to served toasted French bread with the steak, its perfect for dipping in the butter and steak juices.