How To Choose & Cook The Perfect Steak For You

Does The Perfect Steak Exist?

There is no such thing as the perfect steak. Your perfect steak won’t be the same as someone else’s, so let’s establish what you are looking for in a steak.

Here at OVM, we sell only the best local, grass-fed, free-range, dry-aged beef around. We offer a wide variety of steaks from something higher-end that is perfect for your grilling party or something a little cheaper that is high in flavour perfect for any weekday meal. So let’s talk steaks!

TERROIR

By definition, Terroir is “the set of all environmental factors that affect a crop’s epigenetic qualities, unique environment contexts and farming practices, when the crop is grown in a specific habitat.” This is usually used in reference to grape-growing for making wine, but it applies to meat also. Where an animal is raised, the food it eats, the temperature, and conditions, all have a bearing on the quality, taste, and texture of the meat.

Tenderness = Fillet

Size and tenderness = Striploin

Juiciness and Tenderness = Rib Eye

Size and Flavour = Rump/Sirloin

All of the above = T-Bone or Porterhouse

Cooking For Flavour

If you are the sort of person who will only eat steak well-done, try this method at least once. Cook a steak to medium, let it rest for 5 minutes, season and taste. Forget that there is any pink meat, concentrate on the taste. If you give it a fair try you will never go back to well-done again.

Cooking Method

1. Bring steaks to room temperature for bout half an hour. Heat your griddle or frying pan until smoking hot over very high heat.
2. Brush the steak with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper just before cooking.
3. Don’t griddle/fry more than two steaks at a time, and keep them spaced well apart. If you add more than two steaks to the pan at once, the temperature will drop and the steak will steam, rather than fry.
4. Don’t turn the steaks until the required time is up, then turn them over and cook on the other side.
5. Let the steak rest for about 5-10 minutes (in tinfoil) before serving, to allow the juices that have been drawn to the surface to relax back into the meat.

*These timings are based on cooking our 10oz striploin steak that’s about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cooking times will vary depending on the type and thickness of the steak, and how hot your pan is.*

Cooking Times

• Blue: 1 minute each side
• Rare: 1½ minutes each side
• Medium rare: 2 minutes each side
• Medium: 2¼ minutes each side
• Medium-well done: 2½ – 3 minutes each side.

What To Put On Your Steak?

For our amazing OVM steaks, salt and pepper should be enough, you don’t want to mask the amazing true beef taste. You could go down the road of a nice pepper sauce to accompany the steak but as mentioned, if your steak comes from OVM, salt and pepper are all you will need!

We hope this steak selecting / cooking guide helps!