February 22, 201610 yr The Finger Test to Check the Doneness of Meat | SimplyRecipes.com I have sent steaks back for failing the touch test without ever cutting into it. As soon as it gives a little push back, it is perfect. Mushy or firm? Nope...
February 22, 201610 yr I can't give you a complete answer as all cuts of meat cook different, plus I don't know how hot you run your grill. But say if you run the grill in the 500 degree range, I imagine you would want to lean towards 5 minutes per side if you want a high medium rare to medium temperature. The internal temp your looking for would be around 138-140 degrees for upper medium rare to medium. Everything cooks a bit different though and people cook at different temps, not to mention most grill thermometers are not accurate at all. In general I use the touch test to tell when the steak is at the temp I want. For instance, I've found that a 2 1/2 inch thick filet from a local meat market almost always cooks a perfect medium rare in 7 minutes at around 700 degrees. But if I am cooking another cut of beef the times seem to vary and I can't cook it at that high of a temp without charring it, so in turn it actually takes longer to cook, even if its not as thick of a cut of meat. Thanks for the tip! I did the 5 minutes on each side for the wife (medium rare) and 6 minutes a side for me (medium). Steaks came out a nice medium, probably closer to medium rare IMO. Probably take a minute off next time for a solid medium rare, but they were fantastic.
February 22, 201610 yr Thanks for the tip! I did the 5 minutes on each side for the wife (medium rare) and 6 minutes a side for me (medium). Steaks came out a nice medium, probably closer to medium rare IMO. Probably take a minute off next time for a solid medium rare, but they were fantastic. I always will purchase a couple steaks that are thicker than the others for those medium, or medium plus folks in the family. The timing works out great to achieve med rare...and allows the steaks to come off the grill/skillet at the same time!
February 22, 201610 yr Cooked for NY strips last night...yummmmmmm! Grill was pretty hot and got them a little more done than I would like, left them on a little too long before I flipped them, got them more towards medium, but they were delicious. Fresh cracked pepper and Leggs steak seasoning, nice char on the outside. Had bought some ribeyes but the girls got into them Saturday night. Went to the fridge Sunday afternoon to heat one of the leftovers up, and they were all gone! I was pretty ticked off. Had not planned to grill the NY strips last night but went ahead since I was in the mood for steak.
February 22, 201610 yr What's everyone's favorite cut? When we're out somewhere, it's filet for me, but when I'm grilling them myself, I'm not too picky. I typically look for what I think appears to be the best bang for my buck.
February 22, 201610 yr Favorite cut is a porterhouse with a decent size filet side. Although probably the highest fat cut, a rib-eye is pretty high on list as well.
February 22, 201610 yr What's everyone's favorite cut? When we're out somewhere, it's filet for me, but when I'm grilling them myself, I'm not too picky. I typically look for what I think appears to be the best bang for my buck. Had a rib eye once at Smith and Wolisnski because the server said it was the best tasting cut. I needed a chain saw to get thru it, so I never have ordered one since. Went to Strips for the longest time. Now it is strictly a filet.
February 22, 201610 yr What's everyone's favorite cut? When we're out somewhere, it's filet for me, but when I'm grilling them myself, I'm not too picky. I typically look for what I think appears to be the best bang for my buck. My favorite is a filet. It's really hard to cook a bad filet, even if you miss your ideal temp it's still going to be tender. A thick cut ribeye would be a close second though. A Christmas tradition for us is a whole rib roast (Prime Rib) and it is excellent as well. One of my favorites to cook actually as I get to make a day out of it and have the whole family over for dinner.
February 22, 201610 yr What's everyone's favorite cut? When we're out somewhere, it's filet for me, but when I'm grilling them myself, I'm not too picky. I typically look for what I think appears to be the best bang for my buck. Hard to beat a porterhouse, that's probably my fav...though I don't get them too often. Enjoy a T-bone as well, but a good thick ribeye is awfully good too.
February 22, 201610 yr Had a rib eye once at Smith and Wolisnski because the server said it was the best tasting cut. I needed a chain saw to get thru it, so I never have ordered one since. Went to Strips for the longest time. Now it is strictly a filet. Man, must have been a bad cut of meat. A good ribeye is tender and full of flavor. And being that I'm sure you probably paid $80.00+ for your meal there, I hope you got something to replace it or your money back. That's a lot of money to spend on a bad meal.
February 22, 201610 yr Man, must have been a bad cut of meat. A good ribeye is tender and full of flavor. And being that I'm sure you probably paid $80.00+ for your meal there, I hope you got something to replace it or your money back. That's a lot of money to spend on a bad meal. That's what I was thinking. Ribeye's are a fatty cut of meat, but there usually isn't much if any grizzle and the fat should cook down nicely like butter lol. A nice thick cut ribeye should turn out about as tender as a filet. Even though filet's are my favorite, a 2+ inch thick ribeye is generally what I buy from the meat market and I've never been let down. I've never been to Smith and Wolisnki's but yeah if someone if paying that much for a meal the meat better be excellent, especially if the waiter recommended it. I guess that goes to show you can get a bad cut of meat even at the places that are known to have the best. I am surprised that the chef that prepared it didn't notice that it was likely full of grizzle before grilling it and just toss it out though.
February 22, 201610 yr Thanks for the tip! I did the 5 minutes on each side for the wife (medium rare) and 6 minutes a side for me (medium). Steaks came out a nice medium, probably closer to medium rare IMO. Probably take a minute off next time for a solid medium rare, but they were fantastic. Yeah you could try a minute less next time if you want them a little more rare. That 138-140 internal temp range is on the high side of medium rare, so I went with that since you mentioned medium rare-medium. The low end of medium rare is 130, which is where I like mine and it would need about a minute to minute and a half ( on average) less time. If you do want to drop a minute off next time, take that minute off after the flip if you are not searing your steaks prior to grilling. I completely forgot to mention that before and it doesn't make a huge difference, but it can cause the second side to cook a little more than the first, especially if it's not a thick steak. Another thing and I think someone else mentioned it, is that if you get a thicker cut of steak it's much easier to nail the medium rare temp. I won't turn any steak down, but I lean toward 2+ inch thick cuts when I'm looking to buy one myself in case I get distracted for a minute or two while grilling them I don't completely overcook them.
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