STEAKS!!!!!!!

[ld111134]

Buying beef at the local farmers market. Buying from the same source as a few of the better restaurants in town. Not paying restaurant prices but better than retailers or even Costco. Getting locally raised grass fed beef, lamb, goat, chicken, and fresh farm eggs .
Getting greens from a farm a few miles from our house. Impressive quality. Best arugula I've ever had.
So many local options, had to try several farms to find best products. qualities vary

Chris,

Go to Local Foods on Willow off of Elston (near the Hideout). Their butcher shop (called “The Butcher and Larder”) sources whole carcasses from local farms and breaks them down themselves (often creating cuts that are more common to European butchery). The beef is sustainably raised and very, very high qualify. However, it isn’t graded - the reason being is that the producers pay for grading, and it isn’t worth it if the product is going to be sold to artisanal butchers who themselves are the guarantor of quality.

Lou

Butcher & Larder – Local Foods

localfoods.com

 

[Despos]

Good to know, will check them out. Thank you!

 

[TheFoo]

After cooking up wagyu New York strips the past several times, I switched to a dry-aged USDA Prime ribeye from Lobel’s. Stupid price at $70+ per pound—I assume it’s for the name, but wanted to give them a try.

Just shy of two inches thick and a decently high cap-to-center ratio, but obviously not nearly as marbled as what we’re used to:

The sear was acceptable but not as good as what I’ve been getting on the wagyus.

Two or so millimeters of gradient and then otherwise evenly dark pink throughout. I’ve done better, but I would consider this exceptional if it had been served to me at a good steakhouse.

But, wow, the taste! The best umami funk I’ve ever experienced on a dry-aged steak. Chewing on the cap, the flavor could almost pass for shellfish. Plus, despite less visible raw marbling than in the wagyu steaks, the meat was maybe only the slightest bit less tender. Very, very close.

Not sure what the magic pixie dust is here, but this steak definitely punched way above its specs on paper and was the best tasting beef I’ve had in recent memory. I guess Lobel’s does count for something after all.

 

[Omega Male]

Looks great. Given the recent exchanges about reverse sear, what method did you choose to employ? I'm personally also in the camp of not needing a super pronounced crust on my steaks -- there's something to be said for a more evenly "roasted" presentation.

 

[TheFoo]

Looks great. Given the recent exchanges about reverse sear, what method did you choose to employ? I'm personally also in the camp of not needing a super pronounced crust on my steaks -- there's something to be said for a more evenly "roasted" presentation.

Thanks! I did the traditional method: sear first, followed by oven finish at low temperature. It works too well and too consistently for me to want to change things up for a theoretical and marginal improvement.

 

[Lizard23]

As I have mentioned before, much like greed, sometimes gradient is good.

i agree that looks great and am a fan of dry aged for all of the reasons you mention. Non dry aged meat just tastes too one dimensional to me.

out of curiosity, did you dry brine / let the meat develop a pellicle in the fridge prior to cooking? Regardless of method, that would help improve the crust, with the added benefit that it will develop faster, thus further minimizing gradient. Plus its a better way to season a thick cut.

 

[TheFoo]

As I have mentioned before, much like greed, sometimes gradient is good.

i agree that looks great and am a fan of dry aged for all of the reasons you mention. Non dry aged meat just tastes too one dimensional to me.

out of curiosity, did you dry brine / let the meat develop a pellicle in the fridge prior to cooking? Regardless of method, that would help improve the crust, with the added benefit that it will develop faster, thus further minimizing gradient. Plus its a better way to season a thick cut.

No brine, but I do let the steak sit open air in the fridge for 24-48 hours to dry out a bit.

 

[Lizard23]

Try it with some salt during the drying out period… i would be curious to see what you think. i usually dont go more than 24-48 for a 2 inch thick steak because the salt can eventually change the texture of the meat.

 

[TheFoo]

Try it with some salt during the drying out period… i would be curious to see what you think. i usually dont go more than 24-48 for a 2 inch thick steak because the salt can eventually change the texture of the meat.

I do that on the wagyus. I thought might not be necessary with dry-aged steak?

 

[Lizard23]

I do that on the wagyus. I thought might not be necessary with dry-aged steak?

i find it always helps.

 

[Omega Male]

i find it always helps.

Meathead agrees. Says always dry brine steaks, time guided by thickness. 1 inch -- 1 to 2 hours. 2 inches -- 4 to 6 hours. 3 inches -- 12 to 16 hours.

 

[edinatlanta]

3 inches -- 12 to 16 hours.

Some of us...nvm not gonna finish it.

 

[hpreston]

Some of us...nvm not gonna finish it.

Pretty sure your supposed to call a doctor if it lasts longer than four hours

 

[te0o]

The good old Wangus on display. Didn't have time to properly dry brine which affected the (lack of) crust a little. Still very very good. Reverse seared, oven then cast iron, final temp 57C/135F.

Re gradient - impossible to fully avoid if you're using a cast iron pan. After all, you're slapping the steak down on a hot ass surface for a minute on each side. Massively dependent on the type of meat too, how aged it is, how much oil is in the pan, etc.

 

[TheFoo]

The good old Wangus on display. Didn't have time to properly dry brine which affected the (lack of) crust a little. Still very very good. Reverse seared, oven then cast iron, final temp 57C/135F.

View attachment 1794283
View attachment 1794284
View attachment 1794285

Re gradient - impossible to fully avoid if you're using a cast iron pan. After all, you're slapping the steak down on a hot ass surface for a minute on each side. Massively dependent on the type of meat too, how aged it is, how much oil is in the pan, etc.

Looks great, but what if you say is true about the cast iron pan and reverse sear, why reverse sear?