Chef Beware! Ensure tongs are washed at 82°C or above each time they are used to turn a steak to avoid cross contamination.
Steaks can be trimmed before or after cooking. The latter option adds a little more flavour
When cooking ‘Bleu’, seal all six sides
The internal temperature of cooked steak is another indication of its ‘doneness’
Steak tastes great flame-grilled on the barbecue
Steak secrets
Which Cut - Right steak for your customers guide
Steak remains one of Britain’s most popular dishes. The following guidelines will help to ensure you serve excellent steaks to your customers. Your first step is to specify the best - when buying steaks, either fillet, sirloin, T-bone or the less well known cuts, insist on Scotch Beef.
The trim specification you make to your butcher is important. The top right picture shows the same steak before and after trimming. The trimmed steak becomes more expensive per kilo, but will look more appetising when served.
It is important to ensure that all sides of any steak are sealed/subjected to sufficient heat to reduce to a safe level or kill harmful bacteriaThe best way to cook great steak is on a chargrill, pre-heated to a high temperature, (this may take 30 minutes). Quality Meat Scotland recommends
the following 3 steps to great steak success:
1. Lightly coat the steak with oil before placing on a grill at a 45º angle
2. Allow the meat to cook until the desired amount of browning occurs on the char marks, then rotate 45º to create a criss-cross effect on that side of the steak
3. Turn the meat and repeat step 2 until the steak has been cooked to customer requirements. Remove, drain excess oil (should be minimal) dress the plate and get it on the pass
Which cut?
Steak offers a good deal of flexibility in terms of size, flavour, depth and tenderness. The following guide will help in choosing the right steak for your customers, your style of cuisine and your pocket:
|
Cut |
Where from |
Cooked steak characteristic |
|
Hindquarter |
|
|
|
Fillet |
Loin |
Lean and tender, light in flavour |
|
Porter house |
From rump end of loin |
Large steak, very flavoursome, variation in tenderness |
|
Rump |
Rump or hip |
Very flavoursome, fat on outer edge, variation in tenderness |
|
Sirloin |
Loin |
Tender and full flavoured, good marbling on steak, fat on outer edge |
|
T-bone |
Lower end of the sirloin and fillet |
Large T-shaped bone, combination of textures and flavours |
|
Tournedos |
Fillet from the loin |
Lean and tender, light in flavour, fine textured |
|
Forequarter |
|
|
|
Rib-eye |
From the fore-rib/wing rib |
High marbling content, tender and full flavoured |
|
Chuck steak |
From the shoulder/chuck |
High marbling content, multi-muscled cut. Best suited to slow moist cooking. Tender and flavoursome |
|
Rib cutlets |
From the fore-rib/wing rib |
High marbling content, tender and full flavoured, contains rib bone |
|
LMC slices (part seamed) |
Shoulder/top/thick rib |
Very lean, fine textured, best suited to slow moist cooking |
|
LMC (fully seamed) |
Shoulder/top/thick rib |
Best suited for sandwiches. Flash fry, very lean, fine textured |
|
Feather steaks (part seamed) |
Shoulder/top of blade |
Best suited to slow moist cooking, tender and flavoursome |
|
Feather steaks (fully seamed) |
Shoulder/top of blade |
Best suited to slow moist cooking, tender and flavoursome |
|
Blade steaks |
Shoulder/top of blade |
Slow moist cooking results in tender meat |
|
Under blade steaks |
Shoulder/under blade |
Very lean, fine textured |
|
Brisket steaks |
Breast/flank |
Very lean and coarse grained. Light in flavour |
|
Brisket steak blocks |
Breast/flank |
Very lean and coarse grained. Light in flavour |
|
Shin/shank boneless |
Fore leg |
Very flavoursome, coarse texture, very high in collagen that gelatinises |
|
Shin/shank bone-in (Osso Bucco) |
Fore leg |
Very flavoursome, coarse texture, very high in collagen that gelatinises |
Rare steak safety guidance
A much debated industry theory suggests that rare steak is not safe – although the surface is cooked, the inside is not and so cannot be fit for consumption. A study was commissioned at The University of Nottingham by the Meat and Livestock Commission in November 2003 to investigate whether steak could be cooked rare because the cooking procedure killed all vegetative cells on the meat surface. After significant testing, it was concluded that if recommended handling and cooking practices are followed and hygiene levels are respected, there is no risk involved in consumption of rare steak.
Source: University of Nottingham, November 2003
‘Doneness’
There are six traditionally accepted cooking specifications for steak. The photographs show what each of these specifications should look like internally:
1 Bleu
There must be careful consideration and strict hygiene assessments given to steaks that are to be cooked so lightly. The meat should be seared and sealed on each of its six sides. The meat should be totally raw internally. To touch, it should feel like a raw piece of meat.
Internal temperature: 10-29°C
2 Rare
Ensure that each of the six sides has an equal quantity of cooking and the temperature is kept above 175°C. The steak should have a 5-8mm depth of fully cooked meat around the exterior and a raw interior. To touch, the steak will feel slight resistance and then totally raw.
Internal temperature: 30-51°C
3 Medium Rare
Cook this as for the rare steak but it may be advantageous to finish the cooking in an oven to avoid over cooking one of the sides. The meat should be considerably more cooked than the rare steak but have a very pink/reddish colour and be very moist. To touch, the meat will be slightly resistant with some “give” in the middle.
Internal temperature: from 57°C to 63°C
4 Medium
This can be cooked in the same way to the rare. The look of the steak will be less pink in the middle and should be moist, but have less colour. To touch, the steak will resist but still have a small amount of ‘give’.
Internal temperature: 63-68°C
5 Medium Well
This steak should look cooked through with no hint of colour and a slight dryness around the exterior. The middle should still have a little moisture. To touch, it should be firm.
Internal temperature: 72-77°C
6 Well Done
The steak should look fully cooked and have no pinkness whatsoever. The meat colour should be shaded quite grey on the interior. To touch, it will be very firm.
Internal temperature: 77°C or above
These measurements should be used as a guide only.
NOTE: The core temperature of the steak will depend on the temperature before cooking (e.g. straight from fridge)
Printable Version of this chart
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