Three Meat De-Lux! Comment Answered.

Some posts ago I was left a comment regarding the best way to cook a large rib eye steak.
The following are a few thoughts I feel might help:

This is what I know:First of all you need to choose a good peice of meat. A good butcher should be happy to cut a steak directly off the beast for you. Ask for Black Angus, other breeds are inferior in quality, as such they should only be sold to New Zealand. Quality beef should be hung to allow the flavor and texture to improve, five weeks is about right. Look for flesh that has some fat interlaced within the muscle, this is called marbleing and should not be confused with sinue or tendon within the flesh. If unsure ask your butcher. Don't buy beef that to to bright in colour as this will be to fresh. Look for deep dark red, this is a sign of propperly aged beef.Now the cut... Some cuts are far more suited to grilling on the BBQ than others. Osso Bucco for instance is delicious, but needs to be cooked long and slow in liquid, otherwise it will be like eating a pair of work boots. T-bone on the other hand needs to be cooked quickly over high heat, if not the result will be dry and stringy.

Preperation and cooking.... Good cuts of beef to cook on the grill like Rump, Rib eye, or T-bone are almost allways cut to thin by butchers. This is because the customer thinks they are getting a better deal because they have more steaks for the same price. At a minimum Rump, Rib eye, or T-bone for the grill should be 5cm (2 in) thick. (This is why you have to ask the butcher to cut steaks for you).First allow the meat to come up to room temperature, so take it out of the fridge about half an hour or so before you are read to cook it. Now it's time to start preheating your grill, you need to get the barby as hot as it will go, so give it a good eight minutes on high. While this is happening prep your steak. Place your peice of meat on a non porous surface. (Not a wooden chopping board). If you have to use a wooden choping bord place a peice of foil over the top. The reason for this is because wood will take up the juices within the meat makeing is dry and horrible. Season well with salt and pepper. (Fresh cracked pepper, and quality salt flakes like Muldern salt, Murry river pink salt, Celtic sea salt). Work the seasoning into the meat with your hands. Finnish off by drizzleing a small amount of olive oil over boath sides of the steak. Now you are ready to cook.By now your grill should be smokeing hot and ready to receve your steak. ( I am assumeing you have a peice of 5 cm thick peice of well aged Black Angus Rib eye). Useing tongs, place the meat onto the grill. Expect to see alot of smoke. Leave for 3 minutes. Carefuly turn the steak over. Reduce the heat to low and place the cover over the grill, if you don't have one use a foil tent. leave for a further 3 minutes. Remove the cover and test for doneness. To do this press the middle of the steak with your tongs. ( Don't ever cut the meat. Ever...) As a guide if you touch your thumb and index finger together, and press the fleshy part of the ball of your hand. This will have the same feel (spring back) as a rare cooked steak. For medium cooked, touch your thumb and middle finger. For well done, touch your thumb and ring finger. After cooking, remove the steak from the grill and place on a plate and cover the whole thing with foil. Allow the meat to rest for about six minutes. This will allow the muscle fibers to relax and take up the juices, thus greatly improveing the texture and taste. If someone asks you to cook there steak as well to very well done, tell them to piss off to someone elses BBQ. Would you skull a bottle of fine wine? No. It would be a waste of good wine. Same with good steak, don't over cook it. Treat it kindly. The worlds best chefs will all say. "Good beef should be eatin rare so as not to detract from the delicate and subtle flavors". If your guests wont eat rare steak, don't serve it to them. Give them a supermarket sausage instead.