WINNERS ANNOUNCED!! Favourite cut of beef? Weekend comp

[Deeg]

Rob asked for a cigar with the beef - so how about a wagyu beef cigar? 

Living where I do, it hardly seems like I could choose something other than Kobe Beef.  Kobe Beef, for the record, is Wagyu beef - it's just the small percentage of it raised in Kobe under very specific terms and conditions.  Within the Kobe beef system the grades are A, B and C, with A5 being the highest.  I'm a ribeye guy, and that's an A5 ribeye (stock photo - I could never afford such a thing in my home). 

My issue with such beef, though, is twofold - one, it's ludicrously expensive even in Kobe.  I have on rare occasions gone for the lunch special and gotten 80g or so at a local restaurant, and you get the full experience - the cow's pedigree, the elaborate presentation et al.  It's a great experience and the beef is good, but it's so incredibly marbled that the experience is quite unlike eating conventional beef for me.  That's my other issue with top-end Kobe - it's actually too marbled and tender to be my absolute favorite.  It's delicious but so rich you don't really need more than a few bites, and has almost no chew to it.

When I actually want to cook a steak or even eat a nice meal out, I'll look for non-Kobe Wagyu beef.  Domestic beef is still expensive but if it doesn't have the Kobe tag on it a lot less so, and some of it is phenomenal too.  We get a lot of Australian beef here too actually, and American too, and some of it is great.  But a really good Japanese Wagyu, nicely marbled but not obscenely so, is a rare treat.  This time of year I cook it over the stove in a mix of olive oil and butter, medium-rare always, with maybe some onions and garlic lightly sautéd in the same pan.

As for what I'm drinking with it, normally I love bourbon with steak - it's one of the few food items I like to pair with bourbon, which I normally prefer solo - and Pinot Noir or beer are also great.  But right now I'm on a kick for Nakao Junmai Nigori sake from Hiroshima.  It's cloudy unfiltered sake, of the type most sake was before it became popular in the West.  Rich, creamy, sweet-sour - a perfect compliment for rich foods.  

 

 

[BoliDan]

Y'all with your ridiculously fancy cuts. And I'm sitting here cooking a skirt steak. That's just too embarrassing post.

[Lomey]

My favorite is ribeye. I'm originally from a small town in South East Kansas and they raise great beef down there. Every year we go down a get a 1/4 of a cow (plenty for just the wife and I). We know a guy that has a small grass fed herd and will butcher just a couple a few times a year. We always get our pick of the one we want. Awesome beef. Very tender and flavorful. I can hardly eat store bought beef, it's just damn near tasteless.

This is from last Sunday. Honestly I usually like a stronger NC after a great steak. That will probably change as I transition into mostly CCs now.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[rcarlson]

On 1/16/2020 at 6:26 PM, xelzh said:

A Kobe beef that I had in Japan. They even showed the birth certificate of the cow and it even had a name! The fat and flavours were sick and it melted instantly like butter in my mouth. The only seasoning needed was salt and pepper. Even an old man with no teeth can bite it through easily. 

 

 

What is the date of birth and name?  With such formality it seems proper respects are owed -- well, beyond those that you gave. 

When she arrives in Valhalla does she graze with the poor bastards I picked up at COSTCO?  

So many questions . . .  

[Akela3rd]

My wife works Sundays so I have the day to myself. I go shopping on the Saturday morning and pick up a ribeye from Tupper Brothers butchers at the end of my road and a loaf of Italian wholemeal from the bakers. Almost every Sunday for lunch I have a rare ribeye, heavily seasoned with salt and ground black pepper with a dry fried egg on top. Small piece of Italian wholemeal bread and butter to soak up the juices.

There'll be no photo unfortunately as I'm out tomorrow and won't be at home for lunch.

 

Sent from 47171 Lempo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Homer]

My favourite is T-bone steak with blue cheese butter and cherry coke. I ordered the same thing in Gorat`s steak house Omaha Nebraska. Mr Warren Buffet eats there every day and he allways eats T-bone steak and drinks cherry coke!

[rcarlson]

1 hour ago, Homer said:

My favourite is T-bone steak with blue cheese butter and cherry coke. I ordered the same thing in Gorat`s steak house Omaha Nebraska. Mr Warren Buffet eats there every day and he allways eats T-bone steak and drinks cherry coke!

Ha.

 

[Viva Vegas]

I love a 16 oz T Bone well done

[The Squiggler]

I don't know if it's my favorite cut, but the one I find myself buying the most (cliche, I know) is tenderloin.  I seared this one in a pan and then butter braised it until med-rare:

smothered in green peppercorn cream sauce and served with potatoes au gratin and steamed vegetables with salted butter.  Simple enough, but delicious.

I love to cook for a crowd, but sometimes the meals you make for yourself are the tastiest.  I could drink that sauce by the pint ?

[Chucko8]

Sometimes just a simple Aussie grain fed Angus strip lion steak on the BBQ suffices

[slowsmoke]

I celebrate the entire catalog, but If I had to pick one cut, it would be the ribeye cap steak.  It is what we cook the most.  A ribeye has two parts, the "eye" part attached to the rib, and the "cap" part around the outside.  The cap is generally much more tender, and I think also has deeper beef flavor.  I first found the cap portions separately at a butcher by one of our old homes, but more recently, Costco has been selling them as two cap portions tied together in a sort of pin-wheel steak.  They are just USDA Prime, no birth certificate or stories, but they are incredible.

I apply a light coat of a season salt (a locally made blend similar to Lawrys) a few hours before the grill (or more if I have time).  We have cooked them every way possible, flat top, smoker, sous vide, cast iron, and our favorite is plain old charcoal on a Weber kettle.  I start them on direct heat, for 3-4 mins each side to get a decent sear, then move them off to indirect heat, and check temp every few minutes with a Thermapen.  When they hit about 110DF, I cut the string and pull them apart, and move them back on direct heat, moving them around frequently.  I run them up to about 135DF, which is higher than I do with other cuts, but these will take it.  As they come off the grill, I give a light coat of fresh cracked pepper, and let rest 10-15 minutes.

Did four of them tonight (and a random New York that was in the freezer).  The pics don't do it justice.  They cook pretty quickly, so a MMC was the perfect companion outside in the cold.  And a good red on the table.

[Wailbait]

8 hours ago, slowsmoke said:

I celebrate the entire catalog, but If I had to pick one cut, it would be the ribeye cap steak.  It is what we cook the most.  A ribeye has two parts, the "eye" part attached to the rib, and the "cap" part around the outside.  The cap is generally much more tender, and I think also has deeper beef flavor.  I first found the cap portions separately at a butcher by one of our old homes, but more recently, Costco has been selling them as two cap portions tied together in a sort of pin-wheel steak.  They are just USDA Prime, no birth certificate or stories, but they are incredible.

I apply a light coat of a season salt (a locally made blend similar to Lawrys) a few hours before the grill (or more if I have time).  We have cooked them every way possible, flat top, smoker, sous vide, cast iron, and our favorite is plain old charcoal on a Weber kettle.  I start them on direct heat, for 3-4 mins each side to get a decent sear, then move them off to indirect heat, and check temp every few minutes with a Thermapen.  When they hit about 110DF, I cut the string and pull them apart, and move them back on direct heat, moving them around frequently.  I run them up to about 135DF, which is higher than I do with other cuts, but these will take it.  As they come off the grill, I give a light coat of fresh cracked pepper, and let rest 10-15 minutes.

Did four of them tonight (and a random New York that was in the freezer).  The pics don't do it justice.  They cook pretty quickly, so a MMC was the perfect companion outside in the cold.  And a good red on the table.

This is amazing to hear.  Costco used to offer the deckle but stopped doing it!  It’s truly the greatest steak ever.  I’m so glad there’s still a Costco that does it.  I only selfishly the ones near me still did.  

[Wookie]

On 1/17/2020 at 11:27 PM, BoliDan said:

Y'all with your ridiculously fancy cuts. And I'm sitting here cooking a skirt steak. That's just too embarrassing post.

I'll take a skirt steak with chimichurri or marchand de Vin sauce anyday over most other cuts....perfect amount of fat while still retaining a proper chew. 

[slowsmoke]

1 hour ago, Wailbait said:

This is amazing to hear.  Costco used to offer the deckle but stopped doing it!  It’s truly the greatest steak ever.  I’m so glad there’s still a Costco that does it.  I only selfishly the ones near me still did.  

Yep, a friend who lives about an hour from me told me a while back that his local Costco stopped carrying it. But it still appears regularly in ours.  I will say, after years of top notch quality, we have recently had a few that were sub par. Just a few though. Last night’s were ‘cracking’ 

[Tstew75]

On 1/18/2020 at 9:17 AM, rcarlson said:

Ha.

 

I love this scene. Crazy great film too.

[Astar20]

Here in Cali we have a special cut called the tri tip you may have heard of it ( Santa Maria style tri tip) it's a cheap cut but if done right in a quick sear then slow cooked its great! Beefy flavor like Cali version of a brisket! I love em and great reason to cook em as my titans are playing! And my cigar is a Ramon Allones Gigantes! With some bourbon to compliment! Happy Sunday everyone! 

 

And here we have the finished product medium on the inside

[JY0]

Prime Hanger Steak from Lobel’s in NYC. I use a bit of seasoned salt and do 3 1/2 minutes on each side at 700F on a Big Geen Egg. On New Years we enjoyed it with mashed cauliflower with fresh black truffles and caramelized onions.
 

 

 

[Bram Smoker]

Arkansas Black Angus - Grass fed, grain finished. Rib-eye is THE cut for these cow. Cook in a skillet on high with S&P. Before (walking on the street by the farm) and after shots.

[tdlfoto]

One day while out running errands with my 14 year old son he expresses a real hankering for steak.  It's snowing however so I'm not grilling.  Popped into the butcher and bought two nice Rib-eye steak and discovered how lovely a skillet steak can be....seriously, the crust?!!  Prep time is 1 Old Fashioned and pairs well with a nice California CabSauv.  I hotboxed the garage with a lovely RASS afterward, and my son was most satisfied.  Tranquillo.

[dangolf18]

On 1/17/2020 at 10:25 AM, MrGinger said:

WOW!  Please send a pallet or two my way.  I can't imagine getting it that cheap.  Especially for fillet.  Here in Vancouver it is $375/kg for A5 Striploin!!  

 

My two favourites are bone in ribeye or a fillet.

I think wholesale for A5 Miyazaki in the states is around 100 USD per pound...I can't believe it's so cheap in Australia. 

[PointFivePast]

So many great cuts that I hope one day to grace my table. Alas, mine is a sad tale of an apartment dwelling carnivore whose only grill is a communal contraption filled with rusty grates, broken knobs, and a plumbed in gas line that defies all operational logic. Oh and it’s winter in the northern hemisphere so it’s really freaking cold out there! ?

 

I’ll order fancy at a restaurant or eat some smoked tri-tip at a buddy’s place but at home my favorite cut is a flat iron or a Denver steak... whatever my butcher has a better deal on. Thin cuts like these fry up quick in my cast iron skillet meaning less meat smoke to fill my apartment and make it reek in to the next morning. Preferred preparation is simple: leave out for an hour to bring meat up near room temp, salt and pepper the steak, throw some olive oil in the skillet on medium plus heat, then slap a steak in there with four minutes on each side. Perfect every time. Something about the olive oil really brings out the buttery quality of beef fat without actually using butter... very odd. Tonight’s was served up with a Greek-ish salad and some baguette pieces.

As for a beverage I do a dry January every year so I use my standard substitute of tart cherry juice. You’ve got to get some that is actually tart but when you do it does a decent job of providing acid to counter the fat all while tasting vaguely like the world’s worst red blend. Sort of bitter, acidic, fruit cocktail which could also describe some of the worst wines I’ve ever had... February can’t come soon enough!

 

[sho671]

All time favorite is Japanese Wagyu Ribeye, but only have access to it a few times a year. Ended up grabbing other cuts this weekend.

First up was a t-bone:

Then a Dry-aged Prime NY Strip:

Both were seasoned with salt and pepper, pan seared in a cast-iron skillet and basted with garlic and herb butter. As they should be, they were only cooked to a point where a good vet can bring it back.

Honorable mention goes out to the Tomahawk Bone-In Ribeye. Saw them in the display case as I was picking up the other steaks and they reminded me of the one I had at the Ruth's Chris in Honolulu. Maybe next time.

[superman0234]

Favorite cut of beef I've had was the Porter House at Peter Lugers in NY for my birthday, about 10 years ago.  I've heard they've gone downhill since then, but this was just sublime.  The first truly high end steak I've had and it was a very memorable experience.

As far as home cooking, I go the range from sirloins to Porterhouse to Prime Rib to Brisket.  Smoked, grilled, cast iron.  Just recently picked up a sous vide from Aldi, so I'll be giving that a shot at some point!

[superman0234]

27 minutes ago, FrancisK7 said:

Looks like you went at the right time. The NYT reviewed Luger last October and gave it a scathing 0 star review: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/peter-luger-review-pete-wells.html

The best part: 

 

LOL brutal ?

I actually liked the sliced tomatoes ?

[anjimj]

Tomahawk steak salt and pepper medium rare. Followed by a BBF and a glass of port wine.