For oil I would use either bacon fat, ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil. Those are the most stable at high temps and healthiest. Save your bacon fat in a jar when you make bacon and store it in the fridge. If you sautée your bacon with Serranos or Jalapanos you end up with something pretty awesome to cook with.

Does Bacon Fat muddle the flavour of the Steak?

I find Bacon Fat is best for things which are blank or subtle in flavour like starches and some vegetables. But the flavour profile from Fatty beef IMO is superior to some rendered pork fat. Beef Tallow IMO is way more complex then rendered Bacon fat in flavour, id rather use that.

In my opinion it doesn't really happen if you are cooking a thick steak (you don't really need to use that much of it), but beef tallow is good especially if you can get grassfed.

That said I always do my steaks on my Weber gas grill and they come out great. I know purists write off gas grills but I get superb results.

How do feel about using a cast iron grill pan verses a regular flat Teflon pan?

(11-11-2012 09:32 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  How do feel about using a cast iron grill pan verses a regular flat Teflon pan?

You definitely don't want to be cooking at these high temperatures in a Teflon pan. Teflon or nonstick pans are good for about two things:

1) Eggs
2) Fish

If you don't have a castiron and don't want one, you could go for a stainless steel or aluminum pan, but quality is really important. I like Vollrath. Stuff's not cheap (it's cheaper than All-Clad) but it lasts a lifetime with good care.

As for bacon, I wouldn't use it for cooking meat, but properly rendered pork fat is a very good fat to use for some applications, especially baking and pastry. I would use bacon fat for cornbread or buttermilk biscuits.

The Dude should use Ponzu:

   

Aloha!

(11-11-2012 09:37 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

(11-11-2012 09:32 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  How do feel about using a cast iron grill pan verses a regular flat Teflon pan?

You definitely don't want to be cooking at these high temperatures in a Teflon pan. Teflon or nonstick pans are good for about two things:

1) Eggs
2) Fish

If you don't have a castiron and don't want one, you could go for a stainless steel or aluminum pan, but quality is really important. I like Vollrath. Stuff's not cheap (it's cheaper than All-Clad) but it lasts a lifetime with good care.

As for bacon, I wouldn't use it for cooking meat, but properly rendered pork fat is a very good fat to use for some applications, especially baking and pastry. I would use bacon fat for cornbread or buttermilk biscuits.

I'm a one pot one pan type of guy.
I may have to invest in a nice stainless pan to cook up my steaks and pork chops after your recommendation.

Hmm, well personally I can't think of anything that wouldn't be improved by adding bacon to it.

(11-11-2012 09:38 PM)Kona Wrote:  The Dude should use Ponzu:



Aloha!

Kona do you use that as a marinade or a steak sauce? Looks interesting. I'll see if my local Korean market has it.

(11-11-2012 10:52 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

(11-11-2012 09:38 PM)Kona Wrote:  The Dude should use Ponzu:



Aloha!

Kona do you use that as a marinade or a steak sauce? Looks interesting. I'll see if my local Korean market has it.

You can marinate with it or just pour it all over your steak whilst cooking.

If you are going to some Asian stores you should get Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce. You will get addicted to it. I'm grilling crap today, and I put kajiki in zip locks filled with mae ploy and this shit is delicious. You can put it on an steak too. It's great.

It looks like this:
   

Or if you are a real motherfucker it looks like this:
   

Marinate, pour it right on there, eat with it, whatever you got to do. This stuff is good.

Aloha!

Kona's recommendation of the sweet chili sauce is no joke--put it on anything and you take your food to another level.

Great thread thedude--this is the best way to cook steak. A few things to add from working in the line:

You want your butter at room temp so that it melts faster and evenly. If you are cooking a piece of meat that is thicker than the meaty part of your hand, make sure you baste and turn the meat in the pan in a clockwise direction.

As mentioned, adding herbs, garlic, and other aromatics to your fat will bring more flavor to your steaks.

A cake tesser is also a good investment for checking doneness. Simply stick it into the center of your steak, take it out and drag it across your chin. You can determine the doneness based on how hot the tesser is when it hits your chin. Cake tessers are also a staple in pastry.

Use the pan drippings to make a sauce. If there is any fawn (brown bits) left over in your pan, add red wine, scrape the bits with a wooden spoon, and let the wine reduce. Simple and sexy.

(11-11-2012 11:46 PM)La Familia Wrote:  Kona's recommendation of the sweet chili sauce is no joke--put it on anything and you take your food to another level.

Great thread thedude--this is the best way to cook steak. A few things to add from working in the line:

You want your butter at room temp so that it melts faster and evenly. If you are cooking a piece of meat that is thicker than the meaty part of your hand, make sure you baste and turn the meat in the pan in a clockwise direction.

As mentioned, adding herbs, garlic, and other aromatics to your fat will bring more flavor to your steaks.

A cake tesser is also a good investment for checking doneness. Simply stick it into the center of your steak, take it out and drag it across your chin. You can determine the doneness based on how hot the tesser is when it hits your chin. Cake tessers are also a staple in pastry.

Use the pan drippings to make a sauce. If there is any fawn (brown bits) left over in your pan, add red wine, scrape the bits with a wooden spoon, and let the wine reduce. Simple and sexy.

I'm inclined to believe from your usage of "cake tesser" and "fawn" that you're a fine dining cook somewhere in the south.

For most folks a cake tester isn't too practical. I've used em at a couple Michelin starred restaurants but I'd still recommend a digital instant read thermometer instead.

I make my own ponzu, dried katsuoboshi and all, but typically for raw fish preparations, however I can see using it in marinated steak applications like skirt steak or hangar steak. Japanese cooking you got ponzu, korean you got gochujang, chinese you got siu haau, any of these would work well with what I call "marinade cuts". I wouldn't use them with a high quality ribeye though.

I like mae ploy for dipping sauces, esp homemade spring rolls. At some point I need to drop some more recipes...grilled pork and shrimp wrapped with veggies, mint, thai basil, cilantro, in rice paper dipped in mae ploy and fish sauce...that shit is the jam.

I tried out thedude's technique tonight. Here's my datasheet on thedude's steak technique.

I loved this post and would love to see you do some more of these thedude! You obviously know your shit. I'm ALL about some cooking game, whether wining and dining a lady or kicking it solo with a glass of wine, some jazz, and/or a DVD.

A wise man once told me: "Every day's a holiday, and every meal's a feast."

Eat and fuck like you're going to die someday, Gents - cause that's exactly what's happening.

(11-12-2012 05:48 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  I loved this post and would love to see you do some more of these thedude! You obviously know your shit. I'm ALL about some cooking game, whether wining and dining a lady or kicking it solo with a glass of wine, some jazz, and/or a DVD.

A wise man once told me: "Every day's a holiday, and every meal's a feast."

Eat and fuck like you're going to die someday, Gents - cause that's exactly what's happening.

Thanks, I'd be happy to. I could post some pretty elaborate shit here that we do at the restaurant but I think you guys would prefer simple stuff, done well. I find most cooks, professional or home, could use a few pointers with the basics anyway.

Any requests?

(11-12-2012 08:57 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  Any requests?

How about how to make a marinated pussy bowl (on a bed of rice) like this?

[attachment=8688]

(11-12-2012 08:57 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  I find most cooks, professional or home, could use a few pointers with the basics anyway.

Any requests?

This would be a solid website niche, by the way - quick and easy (yet tasty and classy) cooking for bachelors. Jusy sayin'....

No requests on my part, but I'll throw something out there if I think of it. A nice, lite pasta always seems to be a hit when cooking for guests.

(11-12-2012 09:06 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  This would be a solid website niche, by the way - quick and easy (yet tasty and classy) cooking for bachelors. Jusy sayin'....

http://cooktobang.com/

(11-12-2012 09:08 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(11-12-2012 09:06 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  This would be a solid website niche, by the way - quick and easy (yet tasty and classy) cooking for bachelors. Jusy sayin'....

http://cooktobang.com/

Sure - everything's been done. As soon as I thought it I assumed there were websites like that out there. Doesn't mean there isn't still a lot of potential in it for the right person.

I have some requests.
Baked salmon
Mashed potatoes(something more than plain)
Some kinda salad(Caesar is my fav)
Any kinda dish with feta cheese(your choice)
Some kinda liquor and coffee recipe and dessert(I like raspberries)

checked out that cooktobang website. Great layout and pretty damn funny, but the recipes and methods are totally wack.

Parlay I'll start coming up with some material here...

(11-12-2012 09:39 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  Parlay I'll start coming up with some material here...

I'm excited to see what you come up with

http://thugkitchen.com/

(11-12-2012 09:53 PM)Tigre Wrote:  http://thugkitchen.com/

Never heard of that site 'til just now but it did give me an idea. Picture (from site)

Tried it out just then, and even basted with Butter at the end, but I couldn't find any Garlic. Next time I guess.


Seems to look pretty well done in the pic 'cause of the shitty lighting, but in reality it's more like