# How do you like your steak???



## The Gabba Goul

I like mine just barely cooked...if it doesnt bleed when you cut into it...what's the point???


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## Laxplayer

Medium rare for me.


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## Wayfarer

Let's set the palette. A 2" thick steak, that has been aged in 54 degrees for two weeks. The moisture content is nice and concentrated. Take that cut and give me 1/4" of cooked meat with the rest of the interior pink and you have it for me at a steak house.

When I BBQ, I have a digital probe and have it set for 140, a perfect medium rare. Or for indoors I'll sear it off in a heavy pan on high then under the broiler for about five minutes a side.

Can you tell I take this seriously?


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## The Gabba Goul

Wayfarer said:


> Can you tell I take this seriously?


aaaah yes...but are you a ribeye man or a porterhouse man???


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## Laxplayer

ribeye


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## CCabot

Ribeye, Medium-Rare.


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## jcusey

Wayfarer said:


> When I BBQ, I have a digital probe and have it set for 140, a perfect medium rare. Or for indoors I'll sear it off in a heavy pan on high then under the broiler for about five minutes a side.


By "BBQ", I take it you actually mean "outdoor grilling", not smoking the meat at a relatively low temperature for an ungodly amount of time, which, as any Southerner would know, is what barbecue actually is. :icon_smile_wink: And who would want to barbecue a steak?

Your indoor method is very similar to mine, except I just crank the oven up to 450 or 500 instead of using the broiler. Consistently excellent results, and almost trivially easy.

(And medium rare for me unless it's a really crappy piece of meat, in which case I'll go for medium.)


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## Wayfarer

jcusey, yup, I actually meant grilling (high heat vs. low and slow). Check out the BBQ thread and see if we match up on BBQ too 

GG, the answer is rib eye, bone in.


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## yachtie

Laxplayer said:


> Medium rare for me.


+1 :icon_smile_big: Ribeye or t-bone


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## iammatt

ribeye rare plus


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## The Gabba Goul

hmmmm...guess I'm the only porterhouse fan out there huh???


oh and it still has to be cool in the middle...I love it that way...


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## iammatt

The Gabba Goul said:


> hmmmm...guess I'm the only porterhouse fan out there huh???
> 
> oh and it still has to be cool in the middle...I love it that way...


I would rather not have to eat a filet. A double cut New York is nice though.


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## The Gabba Goul

iammatt said:


> I would rather not have to eat a filet. A double cut New York is nice though.


I like the filet because it has like zero fat...infact that's my big beef (pun intended) with the ribeye...I know that the marbling is a good thing...but I find that sometimes they are just too fatty...


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## iammatt

when cooked just perfectly there is nothing like biting in to a crispy, juicy piece of fat on a ribeye.


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## Mark from Plano

Filet. A "pure" medium rare. Cool red center. Less done can be forgiven, more well done cannot.


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## jbmcb

My preferences:

Prime Rib: A local micro-chain called Big Buck Brewery used to make an absolutely killer 14oz prime rib for $12. Their quality has since tanked, so now Mountain Jack's is the go-to spot for reasonably priced prime rib. 

Fillet: My favorite was a local spot called Larco's for a long time, they've been dethroned by Ruth's Chris. Man they can make a fillet. 

Ribeye: Grilled by myself on a Webber kettle, Green Egg lump charcoal, Jack Daniels smoking chips. A bit of salt and pepper. Maybe a bit of Lea and Perrins smoked on right before I pull them off. I use a digital probe sometimes, but the Big Green Egg stuff burns so reliably I can usually just time it. 

Skirt Steak: Can be tricky, I like Alton Brown's method, seared for a couple of minutes right on the coals. Comes out fantastic.


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## Laxplayer

jbmcb said:


> My preferences:
> 
> *Prime Rib: A local micro-chain called Big Buck Brewery used to make an absolutely killer 14oz prime rib for $12. Their quality has since tanked, so now Mountain Jack's is the go-to spot for reasonably priced prime rib. *
> 
> Fillet: My favorite was a local spot called Larco's for a long time, they've been dethroned by Ruth's Chris. Man they can make a fillet.
> 
> Ribeye: Grilled by myself on a Webber kettle, Green Egg lump charcoal, Jack Daniels smoking chips. A bit of salt and pepper. Maybe a bit of Lea and Perrins smoked on right before I pull them off. I use a digital probe sometimes, but the Big Green Egg stuff burns so reliably I can usually just time it.
> 
> Skirt Steak: Can be tricky, I like Alton Brown's method, seared for a couple of minutes right on the coals. Comes out fantastic.


I love prime rib. I enjoy mine with a bit of horseradish.


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## bwep

NY strip medium preceded by a caesar salad....I do like the Kona strip at Capital, but most ofte prefer a plain and simple strip that's sizzling and medium. Damn.


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## samblau

How do I like my steak = Big

JK....a little....I actually found that I cannot eat much red meat after I lost a lot of weight. When I do though it must be of exceptional quality.....I can't stand processed lunch meats or sub-standard chain restaurant steaks (although despite my presence in Brooklyn, the land of Peter Luger's, the Outback used to be acceptable)

favorites...Peter Luger porterhouse medium rare....i usually don't go with the masses but I must say this is at the top. Mark Joseph off Peck's slip downtown...amazing....Del Frisco's across from Radio City, was expecting a rip-off but loved it! Sparks is awesome on occasion, 2 awesome trips (filets) and 1 eh considering the price. Smith and Wollensky was OK and the most expensive, I won't dismiss bc I think I ordered wrong thing. Biggest dissapointment was Old Homestead. really enjoyed strip house, sides left a little to be desired though but porterhouse (available as special only) was presented beautifully, very little fat which may not appeal to some but very tasty. I ordered off bar menu at Keens but they still treated us nicely even though tab was "only" $100 for 1 app two steak sandwhiches and some beer. Once went to a place called "pen and pencil" in amish country that was real good. Grill 23 in Boston was very classy. 

Favorite style "Cowboy Steak" they used to make at a place out on Long Island that was marinated in tequilla and lime. Filet if cooked properly and seasoned a little is good, nice NY strip always good too but will not turn down a nice rib-eye. Long story short, its all about the quality, and for me, usually naked, no sauce, no butter etc. I even like my asparagus/spinach plain steamed which always gets a look from the waiter.


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## Untilted

very rare.


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## medwards

It depends on the cut of meat and the way it is to be prepared...but medium rare is my most usual approach.


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## vwguy

Most often Medium.

Brian


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## Spence

It really depends on the cut.

My favorite is a 2-3" thick bone in rib steak, rubbed with salt/pepper/olive oil and cooked true med-rare over very high heat. It needs to be cooked enough for the interior fat to melt though, too rare and it's not right.

The meat along the bone here is just an amazing thing. Crusty and dark along the edges and so tender inside. I usually slice it and dress with some super Tuscan olive oil, a bit of real 12 year balsamic and a few grains of sea salt.

At a local small grocery store that has very good quality choice, this means about a 20-24 dollar piece of meat that will easily feed three. Compared to individual strips or other cuts it's a very good value as well.

-spence


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## Albert

In general, medium. Except if it's an exceptionally good cut. Otherwise, it just gets messy...


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## JeffT

I like a 2-3" rib-eye bone in marinated in low sodium soy, a whole stick of melted butter, Monterey steak seasoning, garlic salt and sesame seeds. Cook over very high heat for a charcoal outside and medium rare inside.

I put the steaks in a pan, poke a lot of holes into each one with a fork, melt a stick of salted butter in a glass and pour it over the steaks, then flood them with low sodium soy, season and sit in a pan in the fridge for a few hours. Cook over high heat until the outside is chared on both sides

I make this often and everyone I have served raves it is the best steak they have ever tasted


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## Karl89

Black and Blue, Cajun Ribeye at Wollensky's Grill in New York. Best steak year after year.

Karl


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## maxnharry

For cooked steak, medium rare is the way for me, but I also must profess a love for steak tartare. my mother would make it on nights that my dad was away on business travel and to this day will try it whenever it appears on a menu. some of the best that i've had was in budapest


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## SoutherWinds

I agree it depends on the cup, but for most I go with medium rare.


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## Acct2000

It's funny. I actually like steak tartare and sushi, but when meat is cooked, I like it done thoroughly. I know this is more than what the great chefs advise, but it's what I like, I guess.


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## eagle2250

Ahh...you guys are a bunch of sissies in the way you eat your beef. Each time I take a bite out of my steak, I have to caution the handler to get a good grip on the leadline first! (winks) Seriously, rare is good!


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## Teacher

New York strip, thick, cooked _HOTTER THAN BLAZES_ so as to produce a good, crisp crust and still just cook the moo out of it. Naturally, the best ones are procured from the local butcher's and cooked perfectly on my charcoal grill.

Now, skirt steak and flap meat (also sold as fajita meat) are very different. They are quite coarse in texture, but they are pretty tender. I like them closer to medium rare/medium, then sliced THIN and served over a salad with blue cheese dressing OR along with wild rice pilaf (goes well with the texture of the meat) and some sort of roasted vegetable (grilled asparagus sounds good right about now )


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## JeffT

Has anyone here purchased beef from Costco? The filet mignon I purchased there was labeled choice and tasted like top prime. Truly outstanding.


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## The Gabba Goul

my best friend in the whole world is a butcher/sausage maker by trade...he knows alot about meat...and it's funny...because he told me that some of the best meat you can buy (in a regular store and not like a specialty place or whatever) is from Costco...and all the locations (at least out here) have the same distributor, so it's consistantly good...


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## spielerman

*Costco Meat*

Here in Boise, other than buying your own cow (hit or miss still), Costco is the way to go, alwayss good and can get your money back if less than satisfied.

The other recommdation is that if you go to a chop shop, don't go past medium rare. The best steaks are always reserved for the customers who ask for rare or medium rare. A bad cut of new york or rib eye tastes the same once past medium- like crap, in my humble opinion.

Also, there is nothing like slow true BBQ (low and slow) prime rib. It is fantastic. The only problem is that it is cost prohibitive for me to invite friends over and sample. I do not have the budget like many of the high rollers on this thread to let friends pound $100 worth of beef in less than 20 minutes.

Greg


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## DocHolliday

Teacher said:


> New York strip, thick, cooked _HOTTER THAN BLAZES_ so as to produce a good, crisp crust and still just cook the moo out of it. Naturally, the best ones are procured from the local butcher's and cooked perfectly on my charcoal grill.


Thank you. Too often restaurants/home cooks live in mortal fear of serving up "overcooked" steak, and so it ends up being more bland than if it _were_ overcooked. I want flavor contrast!


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## Tom Bell-Drier

prefered cut Fillet - medium.

although I am fond of steak tartare ( raw ground steak) if prepared correctly , with onions capers and seasoning , egg to bind and worcester sauce.


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## Teacher

DocHolliday said:


> Thank you. Too often restaurants/home cooks live in mortal fear of serving up "overcooked" steak, and so it ends up being more bland than if it _were_ overcooked. I want flavor contrast!


That is so very true. When I was a line chef many lifetimes ago (well, at least it seems that way), I had to teach many grill cooks how to do rare steaks. _"What?? Cook it on the *hot* part? But...they want it *rare*!"_ Grmblgrmblembrmbgrmbl....:devil:


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## Thecountofcount

I like it done exactly the Luger way - but I detest the Luger behaviour (grumpy waiters, no credit cards, the lot). Better to be served by some grumpy Easter European teenage girl in her gap year in SW1.


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## TMMKC

Laxplayer said:


> Medium rare for me.


Same for me...a little "moo" left in the cow ain't a bad thing!:icon_smile_big:


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## rgrossicone

*Steak lovers in NYC area*

there is a restaurant in Elizabeth NJ named _Valenca. _Its a portuguese place that has great seafood, but if famous for their "Filet on a stone". For 24.99, you get two honking chunks of filet RAW, on a platter holding a hot stone. You get garlic butter, spicy olive oil, and lemon and season then cook your meat one slice at a time exactly to your liking. Not for the faintest of heart or for those with smoke fears, but this may be one of the best steak dinners I have ever had. Its on Monroe St in Elizabeth, just outside of Newark Liberty...yum, yum, yum.

AND, next door they have a liquor store that sells great tasty Portuguese wines most under $10...


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## Thecountofcount

Sounds nice. Unfortunately, Newark is not really ever to be found on my iterinary.


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## JayJay

I'm not much of a steak guy but when I have it, it's got to be rare.


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## Laxplayer

Here's where steak comes from, kids. :icon_smile_big:


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## haruki

medium rare.


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## haruki

JeffT said:


> I like a 2-3" rib-eye bone in marinated in low sodium soy, a whole stick of melted butter, Monterey steak seasoning, garlic salt and sesame seeds. Cook over very high heat for a charcoal outside and medium rare inside.
> 
> I put the steaks in a pan, poke a lot of holes into each one with a fork, melt a stick of salted butter in a glass and pour it over the steaks, then flood them with low sodium soy, season and sit in a pan in the fridge for a few hours. Cook over high heat until the outside is chared on both sides
> 
> I make this often and everyone I have served raves it is the best steak they have ever tasted


Sounds great! I'll give it a try.


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## rgrossicone

Laxplayer said:


> Here's where steak comes from, kids. :icon_smile_big:


After that clip, I clicked to watch an actual slaughter house video (I don't know why...just curious after teaching "The Jungle" to my eigth graders) and have to wonder why the prcess is what it is. Surely in a day in age we live in these animals could be slaughtered in a more humane way. Or would that have an effect on the way the meat comes out? By no means am I a hypocrite, I will never stop eating meat, but does anyone out there know why something more humane for the cattle isn't available? I hope its not all about bottom line...


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## Laxplayer

rgrossicone said:


> After that clip, I clicked to watch an actual slaughter house video (I don't know why...just curious after teaching "The Jungle" to my eigth graders) and have to wonder why the prcess is what it is. Surely in a day in age we live in these animals could be slaughtered in a more humane way. Or would that have an effect on the way the meat comes out? By no means am I a hypocrite, I will never stop eating meat, but does anyone out there know why something more humane for the cattle isn't available? I hope its not all about bottom line...


I posted that link because that scene in the movie always makes me laugh. It's just so ridiculous.


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## XdryMartini

Rare!!! :deadhorse-a:


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## Rossini

The following is better with good rib-eye, medium-rare: https://www.channel4.com/food/recip...h-a-rocket-and-parmesan-salad-recipe_p_1.html

Alternatively, if serving with aji and rice, for example, I prefer fillet and cooked to medium.

However, fillet is better rare with roquefort sauce but if doing a white wine-shallot-butter sauce then medium again seems more suitable.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that, for me, it depends on the recipe.


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## damon54

I consider anything cooked for an extended period smoking, not barbecueing.

A smoked Ribeye is damn good & if you ever get stuck at DFW airport I would recommend a trip to the Hard 8 for a sample. They will grab it off of one of the pit smokers & cut as much or as little as you would like.


As for serious steaks I go medium rare & usually order bone in. People that order a small filet drive me crazy. For what is about the price of a burger you could make someone at your table or your pet very happy.

Not currently a member their due to no close location but Costco meat is excellent.

A charred exterior may contain carcinogens. I would not make a lifelong habit of it.


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## capitalart

Ribeye, Medium Rare not too much so i can taste the blood.:icon_smile:


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## JDJ

I weep for the man who does not enjoy his steak at least medium rare.


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## JerseyJohn

+1 for the ribeye - my favorite cut. Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, olive oil and a pinch of sugar on each side. Indoors, a smoking hot dry cast iron pan. Outdoors, a hot grill sprayed with non-stick spray before lighting. With regular supermarket 3/4" steaks, 4 minutes on one side, three on the other for med. rare. For thick cut, same thing, but put the pan in a 400 degree oven for 2-5 minutes (or move to the cooler side of the grill) until I see 115 on an instant-read thermometer. Cover with foil for 1 minute. Yum!:aportnoy:


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## brokencycle

Medium rare for me, except I am a fan of tenderloins and prime rib mostly. I'll go ribeye if need be.


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## AdamsSutherland

Ribeye is definitely my "go-to". I'm not a big strip fan, but I've had some good ones. Prime rib is definitely up there too.

olive oil, black pepper, a little bit of sea salt are the foundation for any great steak imho.


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## Spence

I think the rib steak needs to be cooked a bit more to let the fat melt as there is a lot of it 

If I'm in a prime house, the strip is my thing...but as I just had my cholesterol done I'm running as far away from red meat as I can...at least for the moment.

There's a fantastic (and simple) dry rub in Mario Batali's Babo cookbook for a thick cut of ribeye. I can post it if anyone wants.

-spence


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## damon54

I would like to give Marios recipe a try. Does not look like he shys away from an occasional steak.


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## laufer

The Gabba Goul said:


> I like mine just barely cooked...if it doesnt bleed when you cut into it...what's the point???


:thumbs-up: Right on.


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## StickPig

Medium-rare filet or NY Strip.


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## cdcro

mooing for the chewing


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## Cordovan

I just found this thread and how to skip 2/3 of it till here. I was salivating too much. No joke - when I pass cows on the highway, I see dinner and get close to drooling. Pretty sick, I know - but I love cow.

Cordovan


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## damon54

Had a filet experince I most definitely did not like.
Should have sent it back but did not since I knew the owner who was in close proximity on a beyond busy day.

10 oz filet that was badly charred on the outside, could have lived with the interior rareness but the combo ruined my meal.


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## capitalart

Went to Costco and purchased some USDA ribeye steak, medium rare with a baked potatoe. It was delicious:icon_smile_big:


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## dragon

medium rare


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## Mr. H

damon54 said:


> Had a filet experince I most definitely did not like.
> Should have sent it back but did not since I knew the owner who was in close proximity on a beyond busy day.
> 
> 10 oz filet that was badly charred on the outside, could have lived with the interior rareness but the combo ruined my meal.


Sounds to me like you were inadvertently served someone's "Pittsburgh rare" order.

As for me, medium rare is just fine. I like a filet medium rare with sauce bernaise. I'm also partial to a medium rare strip steak, usually without sauce. A properly marbled strip will usually provide all the flavor that's necessary (for me anyway). That said, the strip I was served at the Vegas outpost of craftsteak was served with some sort of unbelievable pan reduction. The steak was most certainly flavorful enough on its own, hence my consumption of an entire loaf of bread in order to have my fill of that sauce!!!


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## summerflood

Question from a steak novice soon to be back in New York for a few weeks: I can't remember seeing "New York strip" on the menu at a steak house, but I have seen "New York sirloin" - is it the same thing?


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## Don'tPanic

Beef - rare or medium rare with salt and pepper only. Grew up on home raised beef and was taught not to hide the flavor of a well aged steak with sauces and excessive seasoning
Bison, elk, venison - rare, maybe blue (cold and bloody in the middle), again salt and pepper, but perhaps a sauce with these
I do know some folks from home (Kansas) that like 'em blue, or more crudely: "Wipe it's a** and knock off the horns"


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## AgentX

I ate at Peter Luger last week. 

Generally, I like nearly raw on the inside with some charring on the outside. MMMM.

Except that I had some incredible raw Ethiopian beef dish last night, too.


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## p.o.t.u.s

Medium. No more, no less.


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## baloogafish

I once had a steak that was done "extra" well done - was worse than eating beef jerky.


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## chainsaw4130

Medium Rare. What about the porterhouse? A nice combination of strip and tenderloin.


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## Rossini

summerflood said:


> Question from a steak novice soon to be back in New York for a few weeks: I can't remember seeing "New York strip" on the menu at a steak house, but I have seen "New York sirloin" - is it the same thing?


I presume "New York Strip" is Striploin, which is a T-Bone without the bone - it's a more expensive cut than Sirloin.


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## Tonyp

NY strip with the bone. Also called a Del Monico. Medium. Kosher salt and a little olove oil before going on the grill. 4 minutes per side is medium.


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## JerseyJohn

summerflood said:


> Question from a steak novice soon to be back in New York for a few weeks: I can't remember seeing "New York strip" on the menu at a steak house, but I have seen "New York sirloin" - is it the same thing?


No. A strip steak is the bigger half of a T-Bone. It's had the tenderloin removed (i.e., it's a "7 bone"). Sirloin is a different - and cheaper - part of the cow (although actually the T-bone and the sirloin are separated by the thickness of a knife blade). Technically, a NY strip is one of the first few steaks off the back of the loin, usually cut thicker - basically a half of a porterhouse. But there's no guarantee that's what you'll get - some places call any strip steak a "NY strip". I think the "Kansas City strip" is the same thing.


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## playdohh22

I like mine to be rare like this -










LOL, just kidding. Medium rare for me.


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## LeonS

Medium rare


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## jazzy1

Spence said:


> I think the rib steak needs to be cooked a bit more to let the fat melt as there is a lot of it
> 
> If I'm in a prime house, the strip is my thing...but as I just had my cholesterol done I'm running as far away from red meat as I can...at least for the moment.
> 
> There's a fantastic (and simple) dry rub in Mario Batali's Babo cookbook for a thick cut of ribeye. I can post it if anyone wants.
> 
> -spence


Please post. I would love to try it.


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## trentblase

Extra crispy on the outside, pink but bacteria-free on on inside.


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## cowboyjack

Black and blue.

Get a murderously hot glowing red cast iron skillet or real mesquite charcoal grill, sear that outside to a tasty crust and the center should reach that precise moment when the protein helix just denatures enough to move past raw.


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## Gurdon

*Nearly raw*

Generally I prefer steaks barely cooked, blue. Well marbled prime beef, or ribeyes, cooked to just melt the fat are ok for an occasional change.

The night before my first trip to Paris in 1984 a friend told me to ask for my steak bleu, which I did. When it arrived still cold in the middle I knew I was home. I was told recently that the French reference to the color blue was to the ink of the inspection stamp as it appears on the fat of the meat. Apparently the color goes away if the meat is cooked past a blood rare state.

My current low cholesterol steak meal is a filet mignon seared in a very hot high sided iron skillet into which I've sprinkled salt. I take the steak out and stir fry fresh spinach with olive oil and garlic. The entire process takes less than ten minutes.

Glad Gabba and I agree about important things.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## Pulledpork

Bleu.


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## Gurdon

Pulledpork said:


> Bleu.


Thank you. I almost put sp? in my post. I can't spell in English either. (I sometimes even manage to not get it right in Spanish or German, languages which I studied years ago and which are phonetic in their spelling.)

Regards,
Gurdon


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## welldressedfellow

Medium,with sauteed vegetables.


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## Victor123

Medium well, this way its soft but still cooked.


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## jbmcb

I've got a few good pan steak recipes. My favorite technique is from Alton Brown, I think. You set the oven to 500F, warm it up with the skillet inside. When it's ready to go, you coat the steak with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then sear it on a high burner in the pan for a minute per side, then two to three minutes per side in the oven. The steak comes out amazingly juicy and perfectly cooked, but you can only do a couple at a time. 

His flank steak recipe is also great, and the skirt steak fajita recipe is fun to pull off - you cook the steaks right on the coals to sear the juices in.


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## Rilian

Medium rare. I like a little pink.


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## CrackedCrab

medium rare plus
That's an option at Fleming's, and some other places, just a bit more done than m. r. because in my experience kitchens tend to the rarer side


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## El Captain

Medium rare, lately I have been enjoying skirt steak and just lov that cut.


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## deandbn

Medium Rare Fillet. Must be pink in the centre.


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## JohnRov

Rare. The more you cook a protein the tougher it gets.


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## TheGuyIsBack

medium well ostrich steaks for me..having those tonight..magnificent lean steak


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## ksinc

It depends on the cut:

Filet with bearnaise; medium rare.
Filet with anything else; medium.

Ribeye; medium well.


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