steak temperature

Expert cooking Tips

• To trim steaks:  You will want to trim the thick band of fat down to pretty thin, about 1/8 to ¼-inch thick. The easiest way to do this is to look to the corner of the steak to find a chunk of fat and grab hold of it and use it like a tab and pull away from the steak. You can also slice the fat off with a sharp knife, taking care you don’t cut into the meat.  Don't worry about getting it too even.  
• *Harissa Butter:  If you need to make this recipe NOW without a trip to the grocery store, use pantry friendly butter, harissa and salt.  If you have the time, splurge on mint, chives and lemon zest to make it extraordinary. 
• Harissa paste:  is a hot chili paste made from spicy red chilies and often includes garlic, cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds. It is spicy, smoky, a bit tangy and earthy with more deep, complex flavor than just chili paste. Your grocery store may or may not carry harissa. This is the exact one I used for this recipe (from Amazon).  Check the label: authentic tasting harissa will not just contain chili peppers, garlic and olive oil but should also contain spices (cumin, caraway, cardamom) and hopefully lemon juice.  Also, make sure you are purchasing hot harissa and not sweet or mild.  If the brand doesn’t specifically say hot or mild, then it is likely hot.  If you need another reason to buy harissa, check out my favorite harissa chicken recipe.
• Sweet paprika:  is not the same as regular, smoked or hot paprika.  Sweet paprika is made of red bell peppers without any additional chili peppers and adds sweet, vibrant, warming notes to compliment the somewhat sour ground cumin and spicy harissa butter. You may be able to find it at your grocery store but more likely Amazon is the way to go.
• Variations:  you can use the cooking technique with any seasonings you like - just don't skip the salt and pepper.  For the skillet to oven, you can swap the harissa butter for 3 tablespoons room temperature butter and 3 smashed garlic cloves. Add them when the recipe calls for harissa butter.  You can also swap it for an herb compound butter made with butter, 1 tablespoon herbs such as any combo of chives, parsley, thyme, oregano etc., 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.
• Adjust serving size: use the up and down arrows next to the servings to increase or decrease the desired number of steaks and the ingredient measurements adjust accordingly.  
• Kosher salt: is a must for steaks because it aids in dry brining because its large texture doesn’t clump like table salt. I recommend Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt.  Table salt is twice as concentrated and will make the steak too salty.
• Use the correct oil:  it is important to use high smoking point oil such as vegetable oil. Do NOT use olive oil because it has a lower smoking point, which means that overheating will not only smoke you out but can adversely impact the flavor and produce low levels of harmful compounds due to the high antioxidant content in the oil.
• Use an instant read meat thermometer!  You can pick up an inexpensive instant read thermometer at the grocery store or Amazon, or I am obsessed with this digital probe thermometer – you will never overcook any protein again!  Instant read thermometers can be temperamental, but this digital probe thermometer retrieves temperature precisely to within ±1.8°f (±1°c )!
• Storage: steak should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days.  Steak can also be frozen in an airtight container with excess air squeezed out or vacuum-sealed to prevent freezer burn.  Frozen grilled steak is good for up to three months.
• Leftovers (if you are so lucky!):  leftovers are delicious in salads, pastas, wraps, etc. See the post for TONS of fun ideas to mix up how you serve this recipe.