Beef Tips

TIPS FOR COOKING A GREAT STEAK

Let the steak come to room temperature. This is probably one of the most important steps as it will ensure that your steak cooks evenly as well as maintaining consistent grilling times. For a larger piece this could mean up to half an hour out of the fridge. Never cook an Eye Fillet (or anything else) from frozen! Never microwave to defrost! Eaglehawk Farms beef is vacuum packed so just submerge in cold water until thawed (in packaging) if you get caught short.
Season. Lightly season the steak with a good coarsely ground black pepper and a coarse sea or Kosher salt. Flip the steaks and repeat. A good cut of meat does not require marinade or excessive amounts of seasoning.
Give the grill time to get nice and hot. To test if the pan is hot drop a single drop of water on the pan. If it dances for a second before disappearing your pan is hot enough. Make sure you have your steak, a clean plate, a pat of butter and a pair of tongs ready. You will not get a chance to step away once you start.
Place the steak on the grill. Do not move, fiddle with or prod the steak! This will release the juices and we want the steak to be juicy, right? Allow the steak to sizzle away until blood begins to bead on the surface, another 5 minutes. Whatever you do don’t poke or play with the steak.
Turn over just once. Use tongs to turn the steaks after about 5 minutes (depending on thickness). Suggestion: drop a pat of butter on the top of the steak right in the middle. This butter will melt almost instantly and pour down over the steak giving it an extra rich, almost nutty flavor. Basically this butter will turn to a rich caramel.
Don’t let steak stay on the grill to reach the required stage or it will overcook. Meat continues cooking internally after you take it off the grill. A steak removed from the grill at the rare stage will be medium-rare by the time it’s served. A short rest allows the interior’s remaining blood and juices to flow from the center back toward the surfaces of the steak.
Rest. Remove to a plate, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for approximately 5 minutes (or about half the cooking time). This will allow the muscles to relax and the juices to distribute evenly.
Deglaze. If you have used a pan throw in some chopped shallots, a cup of red wine and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to make a sauce to pour over the steak. This is an incredible and simple sauce that really should not be over looked. Enjoy your steak, you’ve earnt it!

A simple way to check what stage your steak is cooked to

Hold your hand out in front of you and make a circle with your index finger and thumb. Apply a little pressure to the centre of the ball on the palm side of your thumb, it will feel very soft. If you cycle through each of your fingers you’ll get a somewhat safe measure of the cooking stages.

Rare: press together your index finger and your thumb and then feel the meaty part of your thumb.
Medium-rare: press together your middle finger and thumb and then feel the meaty part of your thumb.
Medium-rare: press together your ring finger and thumb and then feel the meaty part of your thumb.
Well-done: press together your little finger and then feel the meaty part of your thumb.

Remember that meat cooks after you take it off the heat so don’t cook “well done” to boot leather stage! Squeeze the raw piece before cooking to get a feel for raw!

Approximate cooking and resting times

Rare: cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side and rest for 3 minutes
Medium: cook for 5 minutes each side and rest for 4 minutes
Well Done: cook for 7 minutes each side and rest for 6 minutes

Note: These times are approximate and will change with thickness of beef.

A delicious and easy accompaniment for steak

2 tsp black peppercorns
Coarse salt & cracked black pepper
Splash of cooking oil
1 shallot
250gms mushrooms
½ cup red wine
1 tbsp flat parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp butter
coarsely sliced shallots and mushrooms

While resting your steak, deglaze the pan with red wine, scraping the meat bits off the pan. Boil until the wine has reduced down to 2 tablespoons and then pour into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same pan add 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté shallots on medium heat until translucent. Add the mushrooms and after they have released a bit of moisture add the herbs. If the mushrooms haven’t released much liquid you can add 1/4 cup of water.

Cook for a few minutes until all the vegetables are tender and then divide between plates, arranage the steaks on top and pour over the red wine sauce. Serve with crusty bread or chips for dipping.

TIPS FOR ROASTING BEEF

Don’t be concerned with a layer of fat on a roast. It provides not only basting juices but more importantly keeps the meat moist and succulent.
Bring meat to room temperature before cooking. If using Eye Fillet then tie the thin tail under the end of the whole to ensures even cooking of the whole piece especially if you like your beef rare.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C, and heat a large thick-bottomed roasting tray on the stove top. A fan-forced oven will cook the meat faster than a conventional oven
Rub the beef generously with salt, then add a little olive oil to the tray Heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sear the meat for a couple of minutes on all sides. (Salting the beef 24 to 36 hours in advance enhances flavor and texture.).
Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour a little water into the pan to stop juices burning in pan during cooking. If you have a meat thermometer insert it into the thickest part of the roast.
Baste with pan juices throughout cooking. As the water evaporates, add more to the pan.
Suggested roasting times per 500gms:
- Scotch fillet or porterhouse at 200C, 15-20 mins (rare), 20-25 mins (medium), 25-30 mins (well-done)
- Blade, topside, rump or round at 160C, 20-25 mins (rare), 25-30 mins (medium), 30-35 mins (well-done)
- Internal temperatures should be 55-60C (rare), 65-70C (medium), 75C (well-done).
Test the meat for the cooking stage by squeezing it gently with your tongs. The firmer the response the more cooked it is.
Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15-20minutes ,in a warm place loosely covered with foil. This allows the meat fibres to relax and the juices distribute evenly throughout the piece ensuring more flavour and tenderness.
Add the residual juices to your gravy – they will be delicious.
Carve meat across the grain with very sharp knives to ensure a clean result.

Roast with a twist

Add 2 peeled and halved onions and 1 bulb of garlic in the tray and place the beef on top. The vegetables will permeate the meat and flavour it. Crush 2 cloves of garlic over beef and rub in then roast.

Delicious gravy

For a yummy gravy remove most of the fat from your roasting tray and you should be left with caramelized onions and sticky beef goodness. Add 1 teaspoon of flour to the tray and mash everything together. Heat the tray on the stove top and when hot, add 1 and a half cups of red wine. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until your gravy is really tasty and coats back of a spoon. Add any juice from the beef and some water or stock to thin the gravy if you like.

STIR FRYING

The Oriental strips are cut the traditional Chinese way by our butchers. Have your wok or large frying pan very hot and cook the strips in small quantities very quickly in the oil of your choice. If you add too much to the wok at a time you will stew the beef and loose all the juices causing the strips to become tough and stringy. Add your oriental flavours Remove meat while doing the vegetable bit then toss all together. Healthy quick as a flash and yummy.

SLOW COOKING

Casseroles and stews? These are so easy! You open the cupboard, dive in the fridge and freezer, mix everything together and simmer for a while.

Browning the pieces of beef is optional but it adds more flavour. These cuts are often are the most underestimated as they are most flavoursome. They just take more time to cook, therefore takes some planning on the part of the chef. While simmering check the pot to ensure that liquid has not completely evaporated. If so add more.

Its okay to use water, although liquid other than water will add more flavour to your dish. Cooking can take place either in the oven or on the stove. Stir occasionally, adding vegetables in the last half of the cooking. The trusty old crock pot has found it’s way back into favour with the rise and rise of slow food.

FREEZING AND RE-FREEZING

Freezing meat does not kill bacteria but it will prevent further growth. Heat destroys bacteria.

It’s not recommended to re-freeze defrosted meat. It’s best cooked first as the quality will be less desirable. As meat has a lot of moisture trapped within the fibres the refreezing will create ice crystals which will rupture and cause the meat to bleed when defrosted. It is important to defrost carefully.

The meat will dry out if raw meat is frozen more than once.