I have only cooked steak once in my lifetime and that was a few days ago. The steak was too tough. Someone told me to get meat tenderizer so I did that. Does anyone have any further advice on this?

As with any meat let it rest. Medium rare is the only way a steak should ever be cooked.

Boy howdy, do I! There's only one steak, ribeye, and inch and a half is the perfect thickness. Season the meat, brining it works best. Heat a tablespoon or two of Crisco until it just starts to smoke and put the steak in the pan at full blast for two minutes. Pull it off the heat for one minute and the steak should have deglazed itself from the bottom of the pan. Flip, give the other side two minutes on full blast, take it off the heat so it deglazes, and remove from pan. Wrap in foil for eight minutes rest. Voila!

Agreed with Abby... Medium Rare...

Pan sear it both sides (locks the juices in) then Oven or grill for a short time - varies depending on cut... check it on the inside often, looking for pale brown to pinky red in the middle or about 55C to 60C internal temp with thermometer probe, then stand for 10 to 15mins (personally I wrap in aluminium foil for 10 mins)

Good luck.

L Katy 

I always grill my steaks.

If I happened to pick up some cheap tough grocery store steaks I work them over with one of these first:



Thats a Jaccard meat tenderizer and it makes cheap tough steaks tender. If you bought quality steaks you can skip this step.

I then season the steak with salt & pepper and Famous Dave's Steak and Burger seasoning and let it sit for 10 minutes while I start the grill.

I don't try tricks like charring both sides to seal in juices - I just set a medium heat and flip the steak a couple of times to get even cooking on both sides, judging from the grill marks.

My personal choice is to shoot for just a tad more than medium. If the thumb method doesn't work for you pick up a digital meat thermometer to gauge doneness. I let the steak sit for a few minutes after it comes off the grill to keep the juices from coming out.

I also cook potatoes on the grill and they come out perfect every time. Take your potato and wash it and stick holes in it with a fork. If it's a very large potato (we call them fraken potatoes in my family LOL....) microwave it for 7 minutes, otherwise do 6 minutes. Put the hot potato on a piece of foil, douse it with veggie oil and salt, and wrap it up in foil. Put the potato on the top rack of the grill while the steak is cooking and rotate it a couple of times during cooking. Have a cup of water handy in case fire flares up from any oil that leaks out of the foil.

OK, now i'm hungry 

Ok have to chime on this one I cooked professionally for about 8 years cooking steaks on a BBQ/broiler. As for the ribeye I agree good cut especially if pan searing it.

Biggest thing to make sure the steak is not tough is its grade to start off with AAA is the best grade but if not AA isn't to bad either.

Do not look for the reddest (Bright cherry red means its fresh to fresh and could be tougher) steak that is a sign of its not aged enough and not enough fat that being said if it has more fat in the meat part then meat that's not great either. For dry heat cooking not in pan that is I agree rare to medium is the best but any can be done tender. Season well sear it well before you flip it nice dark marks not burnt but nice marks look for some browning. Flip and sear other side really well the steak will either be rare or medium rare at that stage the more heat the more rare and quicker it will cook. If you want it done more sear the first side really well then the other then move to a medium heat or even a cooler heat to cook slower. By searing you keep the juices in and keep it tender. Try not to flip too much as this lets the juices seep out. Fyi for pork chops flipping is actually better not sure why but it is.

I didn't include timing due to depends how you like it done but just play with it you will get how you like it when just be patient. Also to check doneness can pierce it and look at the color of juice coming out do that when close to keep the most juices in of course.

What should be obvious from our replies is that no matter what your technique is, the rest period is important.

Hugs, Devlyn

Everyone has their own opinion on how to do steak, this is mine. I tried to tl;dr it as much as possible, there are tons of little tricks and tips I've accumulated over time.

Prime rib roast is easier, but spendy. You just throw it in the oven for a while then turn the oven off and let it continue cooking/cooling until dinner time. Don't have the time per pound memorized as I only do it once a year for Christmas. Google it if you want, I think everyone does it pretty much the same way.

Otherwise, here's how to cook a regular ol' steak (preferably ribeye!) that's better than anything you'll get from pretty much anywhere but the $$$$$ steakhouses that get ridiculously good meats

slab o' meat of uniform thickness, grill only, no pans >:/
500 degrees preheat (a bit less if it's a really thick cut, and add more cook time), scrape grate with wire brush, re-heat to and maintain 500 degrees for duration of cook
meat should be dry on the outside so it sears rather than steams, and room temperature if possible
don't season with anything that contains salt until immediately before cooking or it draws the juices out
keep lid closed unless flipping
flip once at 3-5 minutes depending on thickness and desired doneness(use stopwatch to turn this art into science fairly quickly)
put on different area of the grill when you flip it so it sears the new side properly
use tongs, don't pierce it
if the steak is sticking to the grate it's not ready to flip yet, it will release unless there's something wrong with the grate
cook on other side for the same amount of time as the first side, unless you estimated cooking time poorly
remove from grill, salt to taste, eat

Anything more than medium-rare and you start losing a lot of flavor and tenderness. That said even cooking a steak to perfection it can still be tough as shoe leather, depends on the cow and if the steak was frozen multiple times or for too long. Try not to freeze a steak for more than about a month. Also, if you're gonna use steak sauce or cook it well done just get a sirloin and cook it in a pan cause you already gave up, no offense :p

Because I'm a pedant, I want to add that searing does not seal the juices in. It can feel like it does when you're eating it, but that's just the contrast between the crispy outside and the juicy inside. It overall leaves less moisture in the meat.

HOWEVER, you should still absolutely sear (or broil) steak because the Maillard effect is a wonderful thing. This may be of use for you. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat/

Also steak is amaaazing with caramelized onions and potatoes just puttin' that out there. I usually do it with flank steak because it's cheap but easily improved upon.

Very simple.

1) A good steak cut (and of good quality), seasoned well.
2) Very hot Grill (or a pan)
3) 4 minutes each side (For roughly medium rare).  Adjust as needed.
4) Rest

Do not cook steak coming straight from the fridge. Let it cool down to room temperature first. Pat it dry with a napkin and add salt and pepper. Add olive oil and warm up the pan is it is hot enough to sear the meat. Do not pierce the meet and give it a few minutes on each side. Depending on the thickness. The thicker the better to prevent it from over cooking. When cooked to your liking, transfer to a plate and let rest for about 5 minutes before eating it.

Quote from: Abby Claire on June 02, 2015, 08:24:47 PM
As with any meat let it rest. Medium rare is the only way a steak should ever be cooked.

Yes, I love medium rare steaks.

I love steak. In order to recreate the expensive places, I buy thick steaks. Set the oven at 350. Preheat a pan. Put some oil in. Sear each side for 30 seconds to one minute. Put in oven for 10 minutes (in the pan).

For best results, season and marinate appropriately prior to for 24 hours.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on June 02, 2015, 08:26:45 PM
Boy howdy, do I! There's only one steak, ribeye, and inch and a half is the perfect thickness. Season the meat, brining it works best. Heat a tablespoon or two of Crisco until it just starts to smoke and put the steak in the pan at full blast for two minutes. Pull it off the heat for one minute and the steak should have deglazed itself from the bottom of the pan. Flip, give the other side two minutes on full blast, take it off the heat so it deglazes, and remove from pan. Wrap in foil for eight minutes rest. Voila!

Well Devlyn Marie - who'd have thunk it? You must be my long lost sister or something! That steak looks delish!

Only a couple of things wrong with your technique in my opinion girl Olive oil - and only cook it for a minute each side... what can I say budding surgeon here - I like my meat still raw inside!

Haha, it was delicious! If I ever cook you a steak, one minute per side it is. The customer is always right! 

Hugs, Devlyn

I use chimichurri as a sauce/marinade. I prefer rib eye, but this actually works really well ,with less expensive cuts of meat, like flank steak or skirt steak.
The chimichurri is made from:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon oregano
6 cloves  minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
fresh lemon juice from 1/4 lemon or less
for about 11/2-2lb steak

I use the same method as Aussies use when cooking Galah.  Put the Galah in the pan along side a brick. When the brick is tender, throw out the Galah and eat the brick.

Works every time!

I will add that if you are pan frying a steak, make sure not to have the heat to high, a medium setting is perfect.

The best result I've had with a steak is with the char broil tru infrared grill. It is very hot but doesn't expose your steak to naked flame. So it's very juicy.

I use the McCormick marinades and let it marinate overnight. In a pinch I will use salad dressing.

Tonight we're doing it Argentine style.  Tenderloin with Argentine rub, chimichurri, grilled veggies, caesar salad from scratch, homemade bread and roasted potatoes.  It seems our Italian parsley in the garden just went crazy and we need to use it up in the chimichurri.

Rub: garlic, kosher salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, parsley, onion powder, ground red pepper, oregano.

Let steaks come to room temp, apply rub to both sides, grill to med. rare (or your liking).  Put rub on veggies as well and grill on metal vegetable tray brushed with olive oil.  Tonight it's onion, red bell pepper and zucchini...

I think I'll try Rachel89's chimichurri recipe out tonight.  It sounds awesome.