Cooking a Great Steak Isn’t (Just) About the Cooking

If you take a Moink steak out of the fridge, throw it on a hot grill, and serve it right away, it’ll probably turn out alright because Moink quality meat is so good it covers a multitude of cooking sins. BUT it won’t be the most amazing steak you have had in your entire life. Your efforts won’t make your friends oooh and ahhh and want to do a happy dance. And that would just be a missed opportunity.

Let me tell the one thing that will totally up your steak game, folks. It’s called PATIENCE.

cooking a great steak

Rookie MiSTEAKS

In my experience, people tend to make two major errors when cooking beef. First, they try to immediately cook cold steak. You want to let that steak come up to room temperature all the way through before you start to cook it. If your steak starts off fridge temperature in the middle, you’ll probably end up with something that’s perfect on the outside, but still cold on the inside. Or, you’ll cook it until it’s just right in the middle, but the outside will end up tough and chewy. We can’t have that, can we?

It’s all about planning ahead. Take your beef out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before you’re ready to start cooking. The thicker the steak, the longer you should leave it out. Just put it on the side while you prep the rest of your meal. This is also a great time to put marinades and other seasonings on it and let the flavors absorb. Now when you put your steak on the grill or in the pan, it’ll cook perfectly all the way through. And don’t worry, if you like your steak rare, you’ll still get that nice pink color inside, but it won’t be cold.

And I beg you, don’t even think about cooking steak from frozen or defrosting it in the microwave. I mean, it will be ok, it just won’t be OVER THE MOON delicious. And you know, we want to shoot for the moon and all that jazz, so thaw it slooooowly (in the fridge overnight), okay?

Now comes the hard part. When you’ve finished cooking your steak, don’t eat it right away! Yes, I know, you’re probably hungry, and it looks and smells so good, but it’s not done yet. To get it as tasty and juicy as possible, you have to give it a few minutes to rest. Just put it on a plate, and cover it with foil if you’re worried about it getting cold. Ten minutes is about right for most steaks.

cooking a great steak

Image by The Kitcheneer

Worth the Wait

Two important things are going to happen while your steak is resting. First, the inside will actually continue to warm up even though you’re not cooking it any more. When it comes off the grill, the outside is probably at about 200°F, and the inside is somewhere around 130°F. Ten minutes later, the inside will probably be closer to 140°F, giving you a much more even temperature, so you don’t get hot bits and cold bits. Again, if you like rare steak, don’t worry that it’s going to turn into a medium. It’ll still be rare, just warmer!

Second, the steak will retain a lot more of its juice as the muscle fibers relax. When you cut into it, all those yummy juices will stay in the meat instead of spilling out all over your plate. That’s the flavor and texture we all dream about!

Trust me, that little bit of patience will be well worth it. And the anticipation just adds to the whole experience.

If you haven’t tried our tender, juicy and delicious grass-fed and finished beef, you’re missing out! Get it delivered right to your door with a Moink box today!

We can’t wait to see what sorts of recipes you make with your Moink Box! Be sure to tag us @moinkbox or #GetMoinked so we can see your yummy creations. Enjoy!

 


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  • Letting the steaks warm up on the counter was a great idea. I couldn’t believe the difference that one step made in the texture and flavor. We always let them rest after cooking, but the new step, made a difference.
    We love our Rib eyes from MOINK!