Show Us Your Meat, and We'll Show You Ours

[SlimKlim]

Ok, so I'm planning to give my girlfriend some of my meat for valentines day. I think we've decided to go with some filets unless someone can recommend something better that I'll be able to get in Harrisonburg. I was thinking of trying a searing method but it'll be my first attempt at it. I'm going to pick up one of those thermometers but what's the best way to do this. I want a piece of meat that melts in your mouth.

Here's the kicker, she's lactose intolerant so butter is out although I love a good butter seared steak

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Ok I've been honing this shit in for a while. I gotchoo. I usually do filet with this method too, that's definitely the cut you want to go with for the "make your meat melt in her mouth" experience we're all going after. In addition to the thermometer you're gonna want a good thick bottom cast iron skillet, which I'm sure you already have. Also, make sure the probe of the thermometer can withstand high heats, or at least wrap the cord in aluminum foil (it's what I've been doing and it's ok so far).

Getchoo some filets, I usually get thicker ones that are ~1.5in or even thicker. Doesn't really matter because that remote thermometer has your back.

Take them out of the fridge 45-60min before you're going to cook them and throw them on the counter. You want your meat to warm up so it cooks more evenly.

There's a big debate on salting at this stage, some say you definitely want to salt them before you cook them. Others say the salt pulls the moisture out of the meat, so you shouldn't do it. More people say you should do it, but you should do it when you first take them out of the fridge, so the moisture that comes out of the meat has time to soak back in before searing. I dunno. I usually just sprinkle a little on and throw em in the fuckin' pan, that debate is too heady for me. The one thing I have learned is you DO NOT want to put garlic and pepper on these babies before you cook them, you'll just burn the shit out of it when it hits the pan. No bueno.

So anyway, your steaks have been out for a while and you're ready to cook. Preheat the oven to 475 or 500 (I do 475 because the maximum temperature on the dial of the stove skeeves me out for some reason). The cast iron pan is heavy enough to warp your oven rack so the best course of action is to remove any drip tray so you can set the pan right on the bottom of the stove. Also, heat up the skillet on High or Med-High heat (We have a gas stove that will fuse atoms so I back it off a bit) until it's REALLY hot. It's ok if it's smoking a bit.

Add just enough canola or veggie or grapeseed oil (anything with a high smoking point, olive oil will 100% set off your smoke detector) to get a thin coat on the pan, then drop the steaks in and sear each side for around 60 seconds. You're just putting the char on it now, not cooking them. Tongs are handy to get a sear on the edges.

Once you've got a sear on 'em, throw them in the oven and set a timer for 5-6 minutes. Pull them back out, flip them, and stick the probe of your thermometer in one of 'em. No timer necessary now, just watch the display of the thermometer and wait for your desired temperature.

I like it medium rare, so I'll pull them out of the oven around 127-8*, then tent it in aluminum foil for 8-10 minutes and let them rest, which results in a rareish medium rare, because it'll continue to cook a little bit as it rests, adjust according to your preferences.

I've been doing the pan-sear oven finish thing for about 3 years. Lauren's birthday was the first time I used the thermometer and it was some next level shit, best steak I've ever made in my entire life. I legitimately cut it with a fork. The beauty of the thermometer is it makes you stop screwing with it and just let it cook in peace, so all those delicious juices stay inside the steak instead of ending up in the pan. She'll love your meat so much she might cry when she puts it in her mouth.