Want Not Just Good a Truly GREAT Steak?

Here’s how.

Ready to get started? Then roll up your sleeves – things are about to heat up.

Step #1 Choose the Right Meat. This is by far the most important step. Grilling the perfect steak starts with the right Beef. Even the greatest chefs can’t turn dog food into delicacy. When choosing your steak, use Canadian ratings: And remember, you are very unlikely to find top quality beef on any supermarket counter. You want a really “Good Steak”? Then pay the price; purchase your meat from a meat store that specialises in nothing but top quality meats.

Understanding Canadian Beef Grades

Canadian beef is absolutely unrivaled in culinary circles; therefore much of it goes for export; which  now with such emphasis put on FREE TRADE is one reason it is often so extremely difficult to buy good beef in Canada. The care and attention taken by Canadian cattle farmers has raised their status to world leaders in the field. With such high quality, it can be confusing to try and sort out the different qualities of beef. The following is a handy guide to explain the Canadian beef grades and what they mean to you.

More than 85% of beef raised in Canada falls under the high quality classifications ranging from A to Prime. The beef in these grades is youthful and has a firm bright red rib-eye with 2 mm or more of fat. Marbling is the only category that differentiates the four high quality grades and is defined as the quality of fat distribution throughout the cut of beef.

PRIME

Prime-grade beef features abundant marbling, its red meat laced with an even distribution of fat. The presence of this fat means a more tender and juicy cut of beef that should cook well in all conditions. Only 2% of graded beef is given Prime grade.

AAA

Unlike Prime, AAA-grade beef has only small amounts of visible marbling. Yet like Prime, the AAA grade is a very high quality category that will provide a juicy, tender cut of beef that is resilient In a Variety of Cooking Methods. Up To 50% Of Graded Canadian beef reaches AAA quality and status.

AA

With only a slight amount of marbling, AA-grade beef is a slight step down from AAA-graded beef. Still, 45% of graded beef falls under the AA heading and it still can provide an excellent cooking and dining experience.

A

The lowest of the four high quality grades, A-grade beef only consists of 3% of graded beef in Canada. Obviously still considered adequate enough to be listed as high quality, A-grade beef should be cooked a little more carefully for best results due to the less evenly distributed fat.

While beef-grade labels make it clear to the naked eye, the actual differences in quality are usually only discernible by a practiced grader or butcher.

HOW TO COOK YOUR STEAK –Cut is a matter of personal preference…only

Some people like theirs blue while others don’t want to see any pink in their meat. But what are the perfect timings to cook steak the way you like it?

If you are unsure, it's best to speak to your butcher as they will be able to give you the best advice based on the thickness and cut of meat.

The cooking times below are for a 2cm thick sirloin steak. While this thickness is, realistically, far too thin, if you are truly wanting a better than “Good” steak; this is unfortunately the thickness you are most likely to find; even in specialty meat stores –unless you ask for them custom cut. For thin steaks such as these the hotter the cooking temperature the better—many “top “ Steak houses now have broilers that can reach 1,800º F (most consumer grills max out around 500-600° F) and a high-quality dry-aging lockers  for the meat. Season your steak, room temperature steak, well with kosher salt—no pepper. Pepper of course burns when meat is placed on the broiler. Steak also toughens with cooking time. When you turn the steak much of this salt will fall off. You are therefore able to season your steak well on the second side, without having to worry about drawing all the juices out or about the steak becoming too salty.

Medium Rare is generally considered as the ideal Cooking time

Blue: 1 minute each side. The steak should be just warm and fell spongy under your fingertips. Meat should still be dark in colour

Rare: 1.5 minutes per side. Dark red with some juice. There will be some resistance when you press the meat but it should still feel soft and bouncy

Medium rare: 2 minutes per side. Pink meat, with pink juice. Springy, soft and spongy.

Medium: 2.5 minutes per side. Your meat will be mostly cooked with only pink in the middle. The steak will feel firm.

Well-done: 4 to 5 minutes. There will be hardly any pink and the meat should have a bouncy, firm feel. 
Always "Finish" your steak (on, or, under, the Broiler; with butter). ~~Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan.