A Good Steak Sauce?

[stevo68]

G'day All,

Today whilst making myself a steak sandwich at home ( SWMBO was out so had to fend for myself ;)) used the Fountain Smoky BBQ that we have. Now its ok....but nothing spectacular. Now when I BBQ my steak I have a port sauce that I make plus a peppercorn one.

Now I could have my port sauce one anytime...but what else is there in terms of sauce from the bottle or any simple home made sauces/ gravies. I've bought a few what I thought were "gourmet" type sauces and not much chop and would be good to have a cuppla lined up in the fridge for days when I have to fend for myself :angel:,

Regards

Stevo

[EchiDna]

on a budget: 1/3 worchester, 1/3 dijon mustard, 1/3 tomato sauce, mix :)

[PAT303]

HP sauce. Pat

[The ho har's]

oohhh baby you had to fend yourself:p:p:twisted:


make one from scratch like I do.............cream....peppercorns fried off...bit of garlic doesn't go astray


Mrs ho har:angel:

[Sleepy]

Yeah mines very similar to Echidna.

White Crow, Mayo, Worster, Pepper, Mustard. (Experiment with quantities..)

Also have a very soft spot for HP Sauce. (And I'm not even a pommy:p)

[Hymie]

Maaate,
take the money you would spend on sauce and invest in a really nice cut of steak, I prefer Rib-eye with the bone on, sort of like a Jurassic Lamb chop.
Heat the Barby plate so that you can hold your hand just above it for about 4 seconds.
Cook the meat till the juice starts to rise and pool on top then turn and cook for an equal amount of time on the other side.
Resist the temptation to continually turn it.
When it's cooked to your liking take it off and rest it for a few minutes.
There's a trick to that as well, touch you first finger to your thumb, like an OK sign. Feel the meaty bit at the base of your thumb with your other first finger.
If your steak has that consistancy it is rare, index finger to thumb is medium, ring finger to thumb is well done, pinky to thumb is close to incinerated.

Enjoy!:):):):)

[Sprint]

depending on my mood, HP sauce, A1 steak sauce (handy to know a few yanks) or the steaks own juices

[Outlaw]

and check out a asian grocery shop... some great japanese ones i buy for something different

[Vern]

Maaate,
take the money you would spend on sauce and invest in a really nice cut of steak, I prefer Rib-eye with the bone on, sort of like a Jurassic Lamb chop.
Heat the Barby plate so that you can hold your hand just above it for about 4 seconds.
Cook the meat till the juice starts to rise and pool on top then turn and cook for an equal amount of time on the other side.
Resist the temptation to continually turn it.
When it's cooked to your liking take it off and rest it for a few minutes.
There's a trick to that as well, touch you first finger to your thumb, like an OK sign. Feel the meaty bit at the base of your thumb with your other first finger.
If your steak has that consistancy it is rare, index finger to thumb is medium, ring finger to thumb is well done, pinky to thumb is close to incinerated.

Enjoy!:):):):)X2:D
only sauce you need is worchester and cow blood:D (i like rare-medium rare)

[weeds]

X2:D
only sauce you need is worchester and cow blood:D (i like rare-medium rare)

yep same here

medium for me though

i hate char grilled steak..........it annoys me the amount of places that will not cook a steak on a hot plate or pan:twisted:

[stevo68]

Thanks for the tips etc. Maybe should clarify.....I only tend to get good cuts of meat from the butcher ie as Hymie has said...rib fillet on the bone is a favourite......and know how to cook a good medium rare steak :D. On occasions though when say budget is tighter and you get the 6 porterhouse on spesh at Coles or Woolies and cant be bothered making a sauce/ gravy....any decent ones to have handy. 9/10 times prefer a home made jobby, but if out at a picnic or like today...or with snags....a half decent sauce..So far HP will be on the list.

If Im bbqing a decent bit of steak I do have a penchant for a sauce/ gravy...so will jot down some of the suggestions and try them next time, thanks again all,

Regards

Stevo

[stevo68]

Yeah mines very similar to Echidna.

White Crow, Mayo, Worster, Pepper, Mustard. (Experiment with quantities..)

Also have a very soft spot for HP Sauce. (And I'm not even a pommy:p) Hey mate...what is White Crow??


Quote:
Originally Posted by stevo68 https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/768.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/66306-good-steak-sauce-post842909.html#post842909)
Thanks for the tips etc. Maybe should clarify.....I only tend to get good cuts of meat from the butcher ie as Hymie has said...rib fillet on the bone is a favourite......and know how to cook a good medium rare steak :D. On occasions though when say budget is tighter and you get the 6 porterhouse on spesh at Coles or Woolies and cant be bothered making a sauce/ gravy....any decent ones to have handy. 9/10 times prefer a home made jobby, but if out at a picnic or like today...or with snags....a half decent sauce..So far HP will be on the list.

If Im bbqing a decent bit of steak I do have a penchant for a sauce/ gravy...so will jot down some of the suggestions and try them next time, thanks again all,

Regards

Stevo

Steve.....

my heart bleeds for you.......really :angel: FFS NM, so you dont have the time of day for me...couldnt give a flying **** to be honest...always some snipy, smartass type comment. If you dont give a hoot about the thread...or in particular something I am discussing **** off...simple. Shove you angel look where the sun doesnt shine.............we have 7 people in our family...so what the **** is your point....are we not allowed to have 6 porterhouses for $10.00?????????????????? **** me,

Regards

Stevo

[Bigmark]

cant go past Hp or red wine,mushrooms and butter sauted.

[dobbo]

Steve.....

my heart bleeds for you.......really :angel:

Mine doesn't, we buy it in bulk at the markets. It's relatively cheap that way.

[stevo68]

Actually Stevo....my comment was merely to say that I felt for you having to eat $10 per kilo steak like probably 90% of the population of Australia, myself included.

I like Coles porterhouse steak :D I feel sorry that you feel its beneath you to eat it :DWhat a load of toss thats what you meant, Im may crap on at times, but I am not an idiot NM. Of late have bit my tongue at your little swipes...now couldnt give a ****. Also where abouts did I day it is beneath me??? Again coin your own conclusions. Anyone who knows a good cut of meat, knows it doesnt come from Coles or Woolies, it comes from the local butcher buying from the local farmer and hence why I would rather spend when I can an extra cuppla bucks a kilo to support my local butcher and farmer....plus get a bloody good steak.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Numpty's Missus https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/768.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/66306-good-steak-sauce-post842920.html#post842920)
Steve.....

my heart bleeds for you.......really :angel:

Mine doesn't, we buy it in bulk at the markets. It's relatively cheap that way. We try to get a cow done and share with mates, last time we got 50kilos of meat at an average of around $3-5 a kilo for all sorts of cuts....reminds me time to do another,

Regards

Stevo

[Disco_owner]

Steve;

I usually have some mushrooms left over in the fridge , slice and dice them,
boil a little bit of water in a small pot , throw in some gravy powder , in goes the mushroom with peppercorn , juice from a whole lime , 1 garlic clove thru the garlic crusher , mix it all together and let it simmer on stove for a while you have a nice souce for your stake.


mmmm ( insert pic of mouth drooling here )

[dobbo]

Hey mate...what is White Crow??

FFS NM, so you dont have the time of day for me...couldnt give a flying **** to be honest...always some snipy, smartass type comment. If you dont give a hoot about the thread...or in particular something I am discussing **** off...simple. Shove you angel look where the sun doesnt shine.............we have 7 people in our family...so what the **** is your point....are we not allowed to have 6 porterhouses for $10.00?????????????????? **** me,

Regards

Stevo


What a load of toss thats what you meant, Im may crap on at times, but I am not an idiot NM. Of late have bit my tongue at your little swipes...now couldnt give a ****. Also where abouts did I day it is beneath me??? Again coin your own conclusions. Anyone who knows a good cut of meat, knows it doesnt come from Coles or Woolies, it comes from the local butcher buying from the local farmer and hence why I would rather spend when I can an extra cuppla bucks a kilo to support my local butcher and farmer....plus get a bloody good steak.


We try to get a cow done and share with mates, last time we got 50kilos of meat at an average of around $3-5 a kilo for all sorts of cuts....reminds me time to do another,

Regards

Stevo




I got banned for a week for lesser remarks than this. How about toning it down a bit, us civilised folk are trying to enjoy the internet

[crump]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

lets just keep it about the sauce.

[djhampson]

Not quite on topic but tonight I got some Rib Fillet for $11 from Meat2Eat at Forest Lake (Brisbane South side), bloody beautiful bit of steak and while it might have been a fraction more expensive than the Coles or Woolies steak it was 100x better.

Oh yeah and had no sauce cause it was that good. :D

Meat2Eat is a great butcher if you around that part of Brisse.

[Disco_owner]

I got banned for a week for lesser remarks than this. How about toning it down a bit, us civilised folk are trying to enjoy the internet

:D:D:D:p

[cucinadio]

I got banned for a week for lesser remarks than this. How about toning it down a bit, us civilised folk are trying to enjoy the internet



mmmmmm let me see now...;) was it banana, banana, banana ;) seems to ring a bell :p


cheers:D

[Outlaw]

Must just be a GC thing Stevo :p

So tell me how are some of these sauces going to work on a steak sanga??? :D:D:D

For a nice normal sauce i used to make a ripper of a peppercorn brandy cream.. haven't made it in over 10 years though since becoming lactose intolerant.. think about time i give it a go again, along with a couple of these other suggestions ;)

[CraigE]

I prefer decent steak form a butcher. I think that comes from my time a s a Chef, where I could get decent cuts easily.
Having said that there are some not so good butchers and some good ones and I will support our local butcher as long as the meat is good because once Coles and Woolies take this market there will be no turning back. I still do buy cheaper cuts from Woolies, depending on what we are doing.
While a nice cut of meat is good, cheap cuts can be made almost as good with a bit of thought.
Biggest trick is to pick the best of what is there and then if cheap and nasty use a decent marinade.
There are tonnes around in the bottle or you can make your own easily. If you just want to tenderise some bicarb works well, but not too much.
I make marinades with what ever is lying around and a combination of sauces.
Usually as a base : crushed garlic, tomato sauce, past or puree, some sort of BBQ sauce, a bit of mustard or curry powder, usually chillies, soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcesershire sauce, etc etc for the sauces. Then add things like peppercors or even bourbon. Stock cubes are also good.
Even the bought marinades and sauces we usually use as a base and add bits and pieces.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I got banned for a week for lesser remarks than this. How about toning it down a bit, us civilised folk are trying to enjoy the internet

I can see why they are getting upset, after all, there is a lot at steak here :D :D :wasntme:

[crump]

I can see why they are getting upset, after all, there is a lot at steak here :D :D :wasntme:

:D:D:D:D

[cucinadio]

oh and by .....the way the only thing you need on a nice piece of meat (char grilled of course) is a good squeeze of fresh lemon and a nob of butter:D

[Aaron]

I see chefs posting and not reminding to season the meat before its cooked! Tsk. Dont let Huey convince you it will draw the moisture out :P

[Aaron]

Ohh, and sauce. A Few fresh (lightly crushed) pink pepper corns in the same pan you cooked the steak in, mushrooms - cook, garlic, deglase with brandy/wahtever (apart red wine) if the moisture from the mushrooms didnt do it, nob of unsalted butter and your done.

Oh yeah... you did cook that steak blue didnt you?



didnt you?

[solmanic]

Aaron you show-off!

...Interesting no-one has mentioned the good old Eta BBQ sauce in the quirky faux-basket plastic bottle. But only on cheap, flat BBQ steaks, sausages or with bacon & eggs - the "good" steak should not need any help if it's done right.

[Aaron]

lol... Is that the brown bottle one? I was only praising that stuff the otherday.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Oh yeah... you did cook that steak blue didnt you?



didnt you?


thats just wrong.
:o

[Sprint]

Oh yeah... you did cook that steak blue didnt you?


theres other ways to cook steak?

[Mick-Kelly]

knock its horns off, wipe its **** and send it in. :p:p

[Pedro_The_Swift]

theres other ways to cook steak?


knock its horns off, wipe its **** and send it in. :p:p


wrong wrong wrong.
I hope this fascination with blood is just an hereditary thing-- and not your answer to a tender steak--;)

[cucinadio]

wrong wrong wrong.
I hope this fascination with blood is just an hereditary thing-- and not your answer to a tender steak--;)



well some like leather :o and some like a nice steak :D :wasntme:

cheers

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Aaron you show-off!

...Interesting no-one has mentioned the good old Eta BBQ sauce in the quirky faux-basket plastic bottle. But only on cheap, flat BBQ steaks, sausages or with bacon & eggs - the "good" steak should not need any help if it's done right.

I remember that stuff! Classic!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/10/29.jpg

[Redback]

From Mark Olive of the Outback Cafe show

Desert Flakes (http://www.clubsonline.com.au/shop/index.cfm?fuseaction=Display_Product_Listing&CategoryID=219&orgid=1553&cfid=878630&cftoken=57613769&dts=28200739355)
Desert flakes, a spicy taste of the outback, is to be used as seasoning, in sauces and casseroles and sprinkled on bread, meat, vegetable and pasta dishes.
Ingredients; Dried saltbush leaves, desert raisins, lemon myrtle, mountain pepper, wattleseed, garlic and pepper.

Sprinkle this over the meat while cooking or make a sauce with it, tastes great.

Baz.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

nope.
the pink meat sold and SERVED in todays markets is a direct result of the need to cook QUICKLY,(and NEARLY guarantee an edible steak)
Total LACK of flavour in very young meat is the resultant byproduct.

This is not negotiable.
young meat = lack of flavour.

The "hit and miss" game of trying to (find?)eat a tender piece of properly aged meat is the perennial problem.
But one good one is worth ten plastic ones.

[Rosco]

.............
There's a trick to that as well, touch you first finger to your thumb, like an OK sign. Feel the meaty bit at the base of your thumb with your other first finger.
If your steak has that consistency it is rare, index finger to thumb is medium, ring finger to thumb is well done, pinky to thumb is close to incinerated.



Yep .. :thumbsup:. An old chef's trick that's well worth getting the hang of.
It's not all that tricky but when mastered, you'll serve up everyone's individual steak they way they like it.

Cheers

[stevo68]

Morning all, firstly there are some great sauces and tips.....mouth is salivating at 9.42am.....going to have to hit the butcher this arvo for a nice bit of steak.

Secondly, just want to apologise for my outburst...warranted or not....I've been on here for almost 3 yrs and only one other occasion have I let rip and it was for pretty much the same sort of thing...we all have our limitiations.....plus at that time of night the patches are wearing off ( yep almost 6 wks off the smokes). As far as I am concerned I have received an apology and responded in kind and as is done and dusted and happy to let sleeping dogs lie.

Now I realised every one has shared a sauce, so best share a couple of mine:

Red wine/ Port Sauce:

Good belt of either dependant on how many feeding. Then tomato sauce a good lug. A reasonable teaspoon of garlic, diced red onion, redcurrant jelly, a beef stock cube crushed, a cuppla bay leaves and let it reduce. When ready to eat meat, whip up some supreme gravox and water, then pour that in to thicken. Dont want t gluggy just a nice consistency. Sometimes I also throw in a cuppla pinches of sugar as well. Might take a few cracks at it to get it right, but just play around with the ingredients.

Pepper Sauce:

Green peppercorns from the supermarket, comes in its own juice. Chop up an onion, diced, then put the onions, drain peppercorns and keep juice to the side, put in peppercorns, a cuppla dashes of soy sauce, a cap of vinegar and quickly stir around until onions are translucent. then stir in peppercorn juice for some kapow, then add cream and stir and let it come to boil slightly then let simmer down, stirring all the while otherwise will burn. Chuck steak on plate, pour over sauce and voila :-).

Regards

Stevo

[EchiDna]

wrong wrong wrong.
I hope this fascination with blood is just an hereditary thing-- and not your answer to a tender steak--;)


never had steak tartare I gather Pedro? :D

I grew up eating leather - funny how these days my parents rave about my tender steaks - pity they can't see well enough to tell that it's still pink in the middle verses brown all the way through :wasntme:

I personally LOVE a nice thick (1.5 - 2 inches think) ribeye or porterhouse that is barely warm in the middle, bit of caramellisation on the outside, AKA "Bleu"....

Must try a good steak tartare next time I'm in Paris.... it's been too long :)

[stevo68]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/768.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/66306-good-steak-sauce-post843137.html#post843137)
wrong wrong wrong.
I hope this fascination with blood is just an hereditary thing-- and not your answer to a tender steak--;)


never had steak tartare I gather Pedro? :D

I grew up eating leather - funny how these days my parents rave about my tender steaks - pity they can't see well enough to tell that it's still pink in the middle verses brown all the way through :wasntme:

I personally LOVE a nice thick (1.5 - 2 inches think) ribeye or porterhouse that is barely warm in the middle, bit of caramellisation on the outside, AKA "Bleu"....

Must try a good steak tartare next time I'm in Paris.... it's been too long :)
Beef and Lamb should always be at least pink...SWMBO used to want hers well done ( seeing how her mum "murders" a good steak I can see why). I now refuse to cook it her way and she now prefers medium rare. Same with all the kids...no medium or well done in this household.

Also wont let other people cook my steak either...unless a restaurant :). Many, many years ago and old boss of mine had a bbq....to test the steak......he cut it:eek:. I couldnt get there quick enough to save my steak. I nicely explained the error of his ways and what the result was. Also japanese style beef, with a slight hit of heat with a bit of soy and wasabi...hmmm mmmmm.

Regards

Stevo

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Hey I dont mind if its pink, in the middle,, but when its bloody all the way through--:mad:
what the point of paying a chef when you could just eat at the butchers??
:p

[OGJON]

for me steak's gotta be well done & only cooked in white vinegar
I also cook chicken, lamb, turkey & fish in vinegar makes it nice & tender
I don't eat any other meats yuk they repulse me



I make my own bbq sauce
sweet chilli sauce, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, tomato, onion, splash of milk & apricots
then grab some mushrooms whole buttons are best chuck them in on the bbq pan for 1 minute then serve

[isuzurover]

wrong wrong wrong.
I hope this fascination with blood is just an hereditary thing-- and not your answer to a tender steak--;)

Not really to do with tenderness at all, just flavour and taste. But then if you like XXXX you worldn't know anything about that ;) :D :p :wasntme:

As for sauce, we usually use a good (thai/vietnamese) sweet chilli on our steak sandwiches/burgers. But most times I will just season/marinade the meat beforehand and won't use any sauce.

My usual marinade is garlic, red wine, paprika, crushed salt and pepper, and a bit of good olive oil.

EDIT:


nope.
the pink meat sold and SERVED in todays markets is a direct result of the need to cook QUICKLY,(and NEARLY guarantee an edible steak)
Total LACK of flavour in very young meat is the resultant byproduct.

This is not negotiable.
young meat = lack of flavour.

The "hit and miss" game of trying to (find?)eat a tender piece of properly aged meat is the perennial problem.
But one good one is worth ten plastic ones.

I agree, it is hard to go past aged (preferably grass-fed non-feedlot) beef.

However, I do enjoy a nice piece of veal now and again.

[djhampson]

But then if you like XXXX you worldn't know anything about that.


Dems fighting words!

[isuzurover]

Dems fighting words!

I'm a QLDer (originally) so I am allowed to say that :p

[The ho har's]

hey Stevo
ho har told me to add this


He would rather eat rissoles..home made of course.. or a good tasting snag than c**p steak. Good butcher down in beenleigh down near Maccas makes great snags and smokes his own hams and has good steak FYI



Mrs ho har:angel:

[stevo68]

Seems like we are getting some good sauces and tips here. Keen to try some of them out. When I get a momento...I will compile all the sauces into a one page format so people can print off as always good to have in the cupboard or on the fridge.

I agree with Ho Har, very much the same. Id rather have one good steak a week than crap ones a couple of times a week.

Regards

Stevo

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

ANDYS DANDY LANDY SAUCE

Start with some extra virgin diesel engine oil. Simmer in a sump over 200 k's at moderate revs until just browned. Add a dash of thickener (Nulon is a good start) and simmer for another 100k's.
Drain off 50% of the mix, take 3 tb spoons of uni butter, 2 tb spoons of swivel dribble and mix thoroughly.

With the original mix, run at high revs until it boils. (it will be considered successful when the mix resembles that of a metallic flake paint mix).

Remove sump and clean out all ingredients and place all mixtures in a bowl.
Allow to cool while cooking steak.
When steak is done, take cooled sauce mix, sniff, dry reach, run to the pantry and grab the first sauce you see.

The above recipe will ensure that ANY sauce will be better!!!! :D:p

[Hymie]

Reminds me of a recipe I saw for Barbecued European Carp.
Get BBQ hot and throw steak, chops and snags on.
Take 1 Carp about 15-20 meters away from BBQ.
Serve and eat meat in a fly free environment.

[CraigE]

I see chefs posting and not reminding to season the meat before its cooked! Tsk. Dont let Huey convince you it will draw the moisture out :P
I never season a steak as such, roasting meats yes but not a steak. It is not needed. We all eat way too much salt now. All a lot of salt does is hide the taste of what you are eating not enhance it. If I want to enhance it then I use a marinade or a good sauce. Usually steak with a good sweet chilli or Tabasco sauce.

[Aaron]

Seasoning with salt enhances flavour. Do a side by side comparison on equal cuts of meat with sea salt on one and see for yourself. I bet my shinbones the seasoned one will come out on top. If you can taste salt, you've gone to far. An example of salt enhancing flavour is many of your cured pork products.

We can choose to eat our salt wherever we want, but spending $45+ dollars (or any dollars) on a meal, you would want it to be pretty enhanced.

Marinades either mask flavours or add needed complexity, that’s their job. It’s not a marinades job to tenderise a product, If that’s the reason you are doing it, you are either buying crap, or the wrong cut for the job. Cooking tenderiser’s meat. If enzymes/acids breaking down your food floats your boat then that’s fine too I guess.

I’ve been sitting here for 5+ minutes trying to work out how to put this politely in a non-argumentative way, but I cant come up with the words. But this isn’t my objective - Both sweet chilli and Tabasco will mask the flavour of a rotting corpse.

For me there are two different types of sauces. Lubricant, and genius. If you buy a dish with a lubricant sauce, the food goes down easy, you enjoy it and feel content. Match a great dish with a genius sauce, and you will remember it like your first born.

I think perhaps you and I have different views on the meaning of "enhanced" Or its getting lost in text format.

Food and taste is such a personal thing though, so each to their own. Id like to here about anyone’s experience who does a side by side comparison on seasoned V non-season. Try it with seared scallops!

When in doubt Add MSG :P

[CraigE]

Seasoning with salt enhances flavour. Do a side by side comparison on equal cuts of meat with sea salt on one and see for yourself. I bet my shinbones the seasoned one will come out on top. If you can taste salt, you've gone to far. An example of salt enhancing flavour is many of your cured pork products.

We can choose to eat our salt wherever we want, but spending $45+ dollars (or any dollars) on a meal, you would want it to be pretty enhanced.

Marinades either mask flavours or add needed complexity, that’s their job. It’s not a marinades job to tenderise a product, If that’s the reason you are doing it, you are either buying crap, or the wrong cut for the job. Cooking tenderiser’s meat. If enzymes/acids breaking down your food floats your boat then that’s fine too I guess.

I’ve been sitting here for 5+ minutes trying to work out how to put this politely in a non-argumentative way, but I cant come up with the words. But this isn’t my objective - Both sweet chilli and Tabasco will mask the flavour of a rotting corpse.

For me there are two different types of sauces. Lubricant, and genius. If you buy a dish with a lubricant sauce, the food goes down easy, you enjoy it and feel content. Match a great dish with a genius sauce, and you will remember it like your first born.

I think perhaps you and I have different views on the meaning of "enhanced" Or its getting lost in text format.

Food and taste is such a personal thing though, so each to their own. Id like to here about anyone’s experience who does a side by side comparison on seasoned V non-season. Try it with seared scallops!

When in doubt Add MSG :P

Aaron,
Not being argumentative either but technically and traditionally salt is preservative not a spice. Marinades are traditionally used to enhance the flavour of meat and to tenderise, that is fact not fiction, any cookery dictionary (and yes I have a technical cookery dictionary) will show this. Hence why a meat is covered in a marindade for hours or even days. Why discard a cut of meat because it may be tough or a cheap cut. Cook it right and it can be a fantastic meal. Same with slow cooking or double cooking meat. I have cooked many cuts of meat that people have said was one of the best meals they have eaten and it may have been cheap steak or hogget. I do love a good quality prime rib, rib eye etc as well and would not desecrate that by using a marinade or smother with sauce.
I have no issue with people liking salt, it is your own choice and I do like salt on things like tomato, beetroot etc as I think in these areas enhances the taste.
Most foods salt actually masks the taste.
I grew up in a traditional Aussie family that had salt on everything and when I started cooking started to break away from this methodology, same with sugar. They both do have their place and use and do not get me wrong I do use both but in minimal amounts.
Once you have had unsalted food for a while and you go back and eat food cooked with salt it will almost make you nauseous. I now understand the real flavour of a steak and it is so much more flovoursome cooked without salt. At least that is what I think.
For roasted meats and cured meats as you have said it is absolutely neccessary.
Its like sugar with coffee. Once you are weened of the sugar you appreciate the flavour of coffee that you can not taste with sugar.
I love the flavour of chilli and if done right even using tabasco does not hide the flavour of meat but enahnces it, but I am a chilli lover and its not every ones cup of tea.
A marinade should change the complexion and flavour of a meat, that is its point.
A sauce should be a good accompaniment and not alter the flavour or complexity of the meat.
But hey we all have our individual thoughts and tastes.
This is what you are taught when doing a cooking apprenticeship.
I generally use salt as an accompaniment and people can decide if the want it or not, rather than being forced into having it cooked into the meat. If I use it in cooking it is in minimal amounts to give a subtle taste.
As for MSG, it was a short cut we were all taught to use for enhancing colour and flavour. Not any more, its a big no no. There are plenty of better ways to improve taste.
But at the end of the day each to their own and my parents still cook with salt and some things I can not just eat like that anymore.
Then there is the medical issues with too much salt. But thats another issue.
And to answer your question, yes I have done plenty of taste tests with and without salt and with high salt eaters and low salt eaters. Most actually could not tell the difference.
:D:D:D

[Aaron]

Alot of that sounds like words from my father. He also grew up where you put salt on your salt, than salt the salt on the salt. He is now the anti-salt.

Maybe its a generational thing. To prove this, Im going to go out on a limb and suggest you were taught to cut fruit (especially tomatoes) with a serrated edge knife. Its a statement out of left field I know, but its something Ive noticed with chefs that did their time 20 or so years ago. No amounts of discussion will get them to change their tool of choice.

As for your ideas on marinades, well... what can I say. I think we will have to agree to disagree

[tdi130dualcab]

Instead of a sauce, here is another way to prepare your steak.

coat the steak in a 50-50 mix of freshly ground coffee beans and cracked pepper before cooking.

cook as normal

exelect taste and no need for sauce

cheers

[Aaron]

How interesting. Ill be keen to try that. I hope its not just a g up :P

[29dinosaur]

Best steak is jersey meat ala natural. taken from one who grew up on a dairy farm. Always slaughtered our own.

[tdi130dualcab]

How interesting. Ill be keen to try that. I hope its not just a g up :P

This is for-real, Only tried it about a week ago for the first time, and done about 4 meals with since then.

Cheers

[cucinadio]

ok let me clear the air :D




I never season a steak as such, roasting meats yes but not a steak.

true !, only season a steak on the second turn, salt draws moisture (point in case roast pork crackle) :D




Seasoning with salt enhances flavor.

true!...he's not saying he doesn't season ....rather not as much !!!:D

but spending $45+ dollars (or any dollars) on a meal, you would want it to be pretty enhanced.

lf you spending $45 o a meal ;) its really not about the meal!!...its more about the chef and the fresh ingredients hes (or she) is using certainly not about as you say enhancing the food... but what the food has to offer (point in case ..some gorgeous coffin bay oysters ..or ..some succulent wagu from tassie!)...:D


Marinades either mask flavors or add needed complexity, that’s their job.

flavor is a bonus buy-product from a marinade..complexity is added buy other complementary foods...:D


It’s not a marinades job to tenderize a product,

false!!...a marinades primary purpose is to tenderize...:D



If that’s the reason you are doing it, you are either buying crap, or the wrong cut for the job. Cooking tenderizer’s meat.
If enzymes/acids breaking down your food floats your boat then that’s fine too I guess.

againe....there primary purpose..(point in case..cevish!!)..:D

For me there are two different types of sauces.
Lubricant, and genius. If you buy a dish with a lubricant sauce, the food goes down easy, you enjoy it and feel content. Match a great dish with a genius sauce, and you will remember it like your first born.


When in doubt Add MSG :P


:(;):(:D





Aaron,

[QUOTE]Not being argumentative either but technically and traditionally salt is preservative not a spice. Marinades are traditionally used to enhance the flavor of meat and to tenderize, that is fact not fiction,


true!!!:D but again there main purpose is to tenderise..:D


any cookery dictionary (and yes I have a technical cookery dictionary) will show this. Hence why a meat is covered in a marinade for hours or even days. Why discard a cut of meat because it may be tough or a cheap cut. Cook it right and it can be a fantastic meal. Same with slow cooking or double cooking meat. I have cooked many cuts of meat that people have said was one of the best meals they have eaten and it may have been cheap steak or hogget.
I do love a good quality prime rib, rib eye etc as well and would not desecrate that by using a marinade or smother with sauce.

true !!!! there no excuse for a sauce to be put on a steak in anyones laguage....it must always be set to the side ....:D

I have no issue with people liking salt, it is your own choice and I do like salt on things like tomato, beetroot etc as I think in these areas enhances the taste.
Most foods salt actually masks the taste.
I grew up in a traditional Aussie family that had salt on everything and when I started cooking started to break away from this methodology, same with sugar. They both do have their place and use and do not get me wrong I do use both but in minimal amounts.
Once you have had unsalted food for a while and you go back and eat food cooked with salt it will almost make you nauseous. I now understand the real flavor of a steak and it is so much more flavorsome cooked without salt. At least that is what I think.

For roasted meats and cured meats as you have said it is absolutely necessary.

depends... there are plenty of other methods to season meats and there not all salt or even pepper for that matter ...:D

Its like sugar with coffee. Once you are weened of the sugar you appreciate the flavor of coffee that you can not taste with sugar.
I love the flavor of chili and if done right even using Tabasco does not hide the flavor of meat but enhances it, but I am a chili lover and its not every ones cup of tea.

A marinade should change the complexion and flavour of a meat, that is its point.


true!!...:D


A sauce should be a good accompaniment and not alter the flavour or complexity of the meat.

true!!!!...:D


But hey we all have our individual thoughts and tastes.
This is what you are taught when doing a cooking apprenticeship.
I generally use salt as an accompaniment and people can decide if the want it or not, rather than being forced into having it cooked into the meat. If I use it in cooking it is in minimal amounts to give a subtle taste.
As for MSG, it was a short cut we were all taught to use for enhancing colour and flavour. Not any more, its a big no no. There are plenty of better ways to improve taste.
But at the end of the day each to their own and my parents still cook with salt and some things I can not just eat like that anymore.
Then there is the medical issues with too much salt. But thats another issue.
And to answer your question, yes I have done plenty of taste tests with and without salt and with high salt eaters and low salt eaters. Most actually could not tell the difference.
:D:D:D


Alot of that sounds like words from my father. He also grew up where you put salt on your salt, than salt the salt on the salt. He is now the anti-salt.

Maybe its a generational thing.
To prove this, Im going to go out on a limb and suggest you were taught to cut fruit (especially tomatoes) with a serrated edge knife.


WHF?????..........:confused:


Its a statement out of left field I know, but its something Ive noticed with chefs that did their time 20 or so years ago. No amounts of discussion will get them to change their tool of choice.


mate ideas change every day ...but established methods will always remain the basis of all ideas .....



As for your ideas on marinades, well... what can I say. I think we will have to agree to disagree


mmmm i feel a refresher course coming on .....:o:wasntme:

[Col.Coleman]

Well I think it is about time I chimed in.

My Qualifications.

I am a butcher. In fact, my old man is a butcher, my brother is a butcher.

I am not your new fangled carton butcher either. I did it old school. I also did 7 years at Teys Bros Beenleigh, and am also a Boner, Slicer and A grade slaughterman. After leaving here I went into portion control for restaurants such as the Breaky Creek, Norman Hotel just to name a few. I have also done time in supermarkets.

Currently I manage a restaurant in the glitter strip in Bulimba.

Our family has a dairy farm, and I have been around cattle as long as I have been breathing. I can go out into a paddock with you, choose a beast, knock it , skin it, dress it, quarter it, primal it, slice, mince, and prepare it, cook it and serve it to you.

As far as steak goes, we have progressed from range fed to lot grass fed to grain supplemented to intensive grain programs. Over the years in the search of tenderness for the too lazy to chew brigade, and the lack of fat for the health concious, steak has lost ALL it's flavour. not going into a cut by cut analasis of flavour verse tenderness debate, on the whole, most of the steak on offer today is pretty bland.

Hence the importance of the sauce. Any steak that is served to you with copious amounts of sauce generally needs it.

I eat Wagyu, and that is it. If I showed it too you before you ate it you would have a fit, as there is more white than red, but serve it up to you and you will wet your pants.

To cook steak
Get your steak to room temperature.
Season with salt and cracked pepper
Heat your grill or plate nice and hot, With Wagyu REAL HOT
place your steak presentation side down(the best looking side)
2 choices here
1 seal both sides and finish in the oven
2 cook using moisture loss method for desired result
remove and stand to limit blood loss when cutting
serve.


nope.
the pink meat sold and SERVED in todays markets is a direct result of the need to cook QUICKLY,(and NEARLY guarantee an edible steak)
Total LACK of flavour in very young meat is the resultant byproduct.

This is not negotiable.
young meat = lack of flavour.

The "hit and miss" game of trying to (find?)eat a tender piece of properly aged meat is the perennial problem.
But one good one is worth ten plastic ones.

Not entirely accurate but on the right track.

Aged meat does not refer to the age of the beast at slaughter, nor does age guarentee flavour or tenderness.

Young aged meat at slaughter is typically much tenderer than older aged meat. There are variables that can change this from beast to beast such as how stirred up at slaughter, electrical stimulation, hanging style, correct knocking and bleeding. But on the whole this is the case.

Diet has the biggest influence on flavour. Yes young cattle such as veal, and yearling generally have lighter coloured, more subtle flavour. Colour though can be influenced by breed type as well as the minerals in the water that the animal drinks. Generally, todays breeds are finished on a mimimum of 80-100 day grain. This is your consumer style steak.

All meat is graded in the meatworks, then sold on accordingly.

Aging meat refers to the length of time after slaughter to eating. The longer it is aged, the more tender it becomes as the lactic acid has the time to break down the muscle tissue. All meat from slaughter is decomposing, the longer it decomposes, the easier it is to chew. Vacuum packaging is a way of doing this while retaining freshness.

All the flavour in steak is in the fat, and moisture, not the muscle. Remove both of those 2 and you have a tastless, dry peice of leather.


Pepper Sauce:

Green peppercorns from the supermarket, comes in its own juice. Chop up an onion, diced, then put the onions, drain peppercorns and keep juice to the side, put in peppercorns, a cuppla dashes of soy sauce, a cap of vinegar and quickly stir around until onions are translucent. then stir in peppercorn juice for some kapow, then add cream and stir and let it come to boil slightly then let simmer down, stirring all the while otherwise will burn. Chuck steak on plate, pour over sauce and voila :-).

Regards

Stevo

Stevo,

Add these steps to your sauce.
Saute the onion and peppercorns with the juice in a little oil
Add brandy, flambe and cook off
Deglaze with white wine and reduce
add your cream, some stock(or the juice from your cooked steak) and reduce
liase a stick of cold butter through the sauce


Best steak is jersey meat ala natural. taken from one who grew up on a dairy farm. Always slaughtered our own.

You have got to be ****ting me.

Bring your piece of steak to the bbq, and I'll show you how. Might even let you try a bit of mine

CC

[Col.Coleman]

And on your bottled sauces

Fountains peppersteak sauce (if you can find it)

and

Byron Bay Chillies range of Jack Thompsons BBQ sauces

CC

[cucinadio]

Well I think it is about time I chimed in.

My Qualifications.

I am a butcher. In fact, my old man is a butcher, my brother is a butcher.

.
After leaving here I went into portion control for restaurants such as the [QUOTE]Breaky Creek, Norman Hotel just to name a few.

very credible :D




I eat Wagyu, and that is it. If I showed it too you before you ate it you would have a fit, as there is more white than red, but serve it up to you and you will wet your pants.


my 6yr old eats it off the board befor l can even lay it :D



To cook steak
Get your steak to room temperature.
Season with salt and cracked pepper
Heat your grill or plate nice and hot, With Wagyu REAL HOT
place your steak presentation side down(the best looking side)
2 choices here
1 seal both sides and finish in the oven
2 cook using moisture loss method for desired result
remove and stand to limit blood loss when cutting
serve.
Add brandy, flambe and cook off

Deglaze with white wine and reduce
add your cream, some stock(or the juice from your cooked steak) and reduce
liase a stick of cold butter through the sauce


simple !!! all it needs to be .......:BigThumb:

[CraigE]

I think one of the most important points you make is to bring the steak to room temperature before cooking. Too many people omit this and just put cold staek on the BBQ. If you put a cold steak on the BBQ it may appear cooked to medium on the outside but still be very rare on the inside. Actually had a discussion with the site chefs last night after they did this to a steak I ordered. Fortuanately I can enjoy a steak anywhere from rare to well done , but prefer medium.
I still personally disagree with seasoning a steak unless you are after a specific taste, but that is just my preference.
Did some nice portehouse the other night with Morton Bay Bug Tail meat and a creamy garlic sauce to accompany. Absolutely melted in your mouth. Any meat cooked correctly can taste acceptable, but some cuts are obviously better than others. It all depends on what you can afford. However I will not eat rump as it is crap.
:D:D:D

Well I think it is about time I chimed in.

My Qualifications.

I am a butcher. In fact, my old man is a butcher, my brother is a butcher.

I am not your new fangled carton butcher either. I did it old school. I also did 7 years at Teys Bros Beenleigh, and am also a Boner, Slicer and A grade slaughterman. After leaving here I went into portion control for restaurants such as the Breaky Creek, Norman Hotel just to name a few. I have also done time in supermarkets.

Currently I manage a restaurant in the glitter strip in Bulimba.

Our family has a dairy farm, and I have been around cattle as long as I have been breathing. I can go out into a paddock with you, choose a beast, knock it , skin it, dress it, quarter it, primal it, slice, mince, and prepare it, cook it and serve it to you.

As far as steak goes, we have progressed from range fed to lot grass fed to grain supplemented to intensive grain programs. Over the years in the search of tenderness for the too lazy to chew brigade, and the lack of fat for the health concious, steak has lost ALL it's flavour. not going into a cut by cut analasis of flavour verse tenderness debate, on the whole, most of the steak on offer today is pretty bland.

Hence the importance of the sauce. Any steak that is served to you with copious amounts of sauce generally needs it.

I eat Wagyu, and that is it. If I showed it too you before you ate it you would have a fit, as there is more white than red, but serve it up to you and you will wet your pants.

To cook steak
Get your steak to room temperature.
Season with salt and cracked pepper
Heat your grill or plate nice and hot, With Wagyu REAL HOT
place your steak presentation side down(the best looking side)
2 choices here
1 seal both sides and finish in the oven
2 cook using moisture loss method for desired result
remove and stand to limit blood loss when cutting
serve.



Not entirely accurate but on the right track.

Aged meat does not refer to the age of the beast at slaughter, nor does age guarentee flavour or tenderness.

Young aged meat at slaughter is typically much tenderer than older aged meat. There are variables that can change this from beast to beast such as how stirred up at slaughter, electrical stimulation, hanging style, correct knocking and bleeding. But on the whole this is the case.

Diet has the biggest influence on flavour. Yes young cattle such as veal, and yearling generally have lighter coloured, more subtle flavour. Colour though can be influenced by breed type as well as the minerals in the water that the animal drinks. Generally, todays breeds are finished on a mimimum of 80-100 day grain. This is your consumer style steak.

All meat is graded in the meatworks, then sold on accordingly.

Aging meat refers to the length of time after slaughter to eating. The longer it is aged, the more tender it becomes as the lactic acid has the time to break down the muscle tissue. All meat from slaughter is decomposing, the longer it decomposes, the easier it is to chew. Vacuum packaging is a way of doing this while retaining freshness.

All the flavour in steak is in the fat, and moisture, not the muscle. Remove both of those 2 and you have a tastless, dry peice of leather.



Stevo,

Add these steps to your sauce.
Saute the onion and peppercorns with the juice in a little oil
Add brandy, flambe and cook off
Deglaze with white wine and reduce
add your cream, some stock(or the juice from your cooked steak) and reduce
liase a stick of cold butter through the sauce



You have got to be ****ting me.

Bring your piece of steak to the bbq, and I'll show you how. Might even let you try a bit of mine

CC

[cucinadio]

However I will not eat rump as it is crap.:D:D:D


halalooya brother:D

[CraigE]

Alot of that sounds like words from my father. He also grew up where you put salt on your salt, than salt the salt on the salt. He is now the anti-salt.

Maybe its a generational thing. To prove this, Im going to go out on a limb and suggest you were taught to cut fruit (especially tomatoes) with a serrated edge knife. Its a statement out of left field I know, but its something Ive noticed with chefs that did their time 20 or so years ago. No amounts of discussion will get them to change their tool of choice.

As for your ideas on marinades, well... what can I say. I think we will have to agree to disagree
Aaron,
No I dont cut tomatoes with a serrated edge knife,:o but yes my father did:D:D. I use either a filleting knife or a small French Chefs knife with a razor sharp blade. But it depends on where you are and what knife is available. My knife set retails for about $2500 now days and I have had since I was 17 and should last my life time with only home use now.
You are completely wrong about my tools of choice. As something better comes along I am more than happy to try and change if it is better, but we all have our favourites. Same with cooking, methods and tecniques change and if there is a better way, then I am more than keen to learn.
As you are probablly aware I have not been a chef for some time, but basics dont change. mate, I have learnt better cooking methods off gnarly old fishermen or bush cooks, than some of the best chefs could teach me.
The purpose of a marinade is not my idea or opinion but one of the basic fundamentals for cookery for hundreds of years. You can disagree all you like and it is fine to have your interpretation of a marinade if it makes you happy, but do look up the meaning sometime. Most will quote a marinade as being a tenderiser and flavour enhancer in some description.
The following is a description straight out of a cookery dictionary

marinade
[MEHR-ih-nayd]
A seasoned liquid in which foods such as meat, fish and vegetables are soaked (marinated) in order to absorb flavor and, in some instances, to be tenderized. Most marinades contain an acid (lemon juice, vinegar or wine) and herbs or spices. The acid ingredient is especially important for tough cuts of meat because it serves as a tenderizer. Because most marinades contain acid ingredients, the marinating should be done in a glass, ceramic or stainless-steel container — never in aluminum.
At the end of the day who cares as long as it tastes good to your pallette and that is the crux, we all have different tastes. No one is wrong, it is just what you like.
Cheers
CraigE
:D:D:D:D

[Outlaw]

Add these steps to your sauce.
Saute the onion and peppercorns with the juice in a little oil
Add brandy, flambe and cook off
Deglaze with white wine and reduce
add your cream, some stock(or the juice from your cooked steak) and reduce
liase a stick of cold butter through the sauce

Hey that's my sauce :D

[cucinadio]

here you go steve check this out some really good things come out of the tradies mate

ChefTalk Cooking Forums (http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/)

cheers

[Col.Coleman]

Chefs talk more crap than land rover owners:D:D:D

CC

[CraigE]

Chefs talk more crap than land rover owners:D:D:D

CC

I thought all Chefs were LR owners, hence why so much crap gets talked about.:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[cucinadio]

Chefs talk more crap than land rover owners:D:D:D

CC


mate I'm getting the feeling we know each other somehow ......wouldnt be a friend of tony woods buy any chance ....:p

cheers

[Col.Coleman]

mate I'm getting the feeling we know each other somehow ......wouldnt be a friend of tony woods buy any chance ....:p

cheers

Mate I like the outdoors, but I am unfamiliar with that particular National Park.

I am not a chef per se, but I do talk alot of crap.:D

CC

[cucinadio]

Mate I like the outdoors, but I am unfamiliar with that particular National Park.

I am not a chef per se, but I do talk alot of crap.:D

CC


well your ok buy me than mate :D

cheers

[Sleepy]

Wow has this thread evolved from:
"What sauce do I grab to wack on a cheap cut in a steak sandwich" to
"What is the perfect steak and how do I cook it."

Yum. I'm havin steak tomorrow night!

Ligthtly season, medium rare, presentation side down ........



...bugger the sauce!:p:p

[The ho har's]

Wow has this thread evolved from:
"What sauce do I grab to wack on a cheap cut in a steak sandwich" to
"What is the perfect steak and how do I cook it."

Yum. I'm havin steak tomorrow night!

Ligthtly season, medium rare, presentation side down ........



...bugger the sauce!:p:p



X2


Mrs ho har:angel:

[Stuck]

Getting back to the main question. It's plain old Lancashire relish for me and what's this tomatoes and serrated knife caper all about.
Cheers,
Anthony.

[cucinadio]

Getting back to the main question. It's plain old Lancashire relish for me and what's this tomatoes and serrated knife caper all about.
Cheers,
Anthony.


let me just say this .....in the catering world its a little like

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2008/11/902.jpg

:D l knew id use this again sometime ...lool

[Corgie Carrier]

First of all I want to know where ya get the porterhouse steak for $10 a kg, down here we pay about $22/kg and in my current circumstances, I can only afford the blade or bbq steak from safeway/wollysand even that is $14.99/kg.:mad::mad:

So to improve the taste, I use McCormacks steak spice while cooking and don't worry about the sauce.

I miss living on a farm, we used to kill our own Angus and that was great steak.

AAHHHH!!! the good old days. :D:D:D

[300+]

Also wont let other people cook my steak either...unless a restaurant :). Many, many years ago and old boss of mine had a bbq....to test the steak......he cut it:eek:. I couldnt get there quick enough to save my steak. I nicely explained the error of his ways and what the result was.


OK, I'll ask.. What is wrong with that? I've been to fancy steak restaurants where there is a little cone cut out of the steak to show how thoroughly cooked it is.

Personally I could steak with a timer backed up with a thermometer, but I have cut them from time to time to verify...

Cheers, Steve

[Hymie]

I thought all Chefs were LR owners, hence why so much crap gets talked about.:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Ar least Chefs have apprentices to clean up their oil leaks!!!