undercooking a heavily marbled rib-eye or expensive
Japanese-style Wagyu steak is just as much of a crime as
overcooking it.
In an impromptu blindfolded tasting I held at a dinner
party, I found that even most self-proclaimed rare steak
lovers actually preferred the texture and flavor of medium-
rare (130°F) or even medium steaks (140°F) when they
couldn’t see the color of the meat they were eating. Try it
out, and see what you think.
One more thing: cooking sous-vide is ideal for cheaper
“butcher’s cuts” of beef. The expensive steak house cuts—
New York strip, rib-eye, porterhouse, T-bone, and filet
(tenderloin)—have historically been prized for their extreme
tenderness, not particularly for their flavor. But more
flavorful cuts like hanger, blade, or flatiron steak are much
more difficult to cook correctly—even a tad over- or
undercooked, and you’re left with a tough, stringy, chewy
mess. Cooked properly, though, these can be every bit as
tender as the more expensive cuts, and with more flavor to
boot!
That’s why those cuts are commonly referred to as
“butcher" or “chef” cuts—chefs and butchers love them
because they are cheap and, with proper preparation,
delicious. With a sous-vide setup, anyone can properly cook
these tricky cuts. Like most fatty cuts of beef, these are at
their best when cooked to medium-rare or medium. Do you
want to pay $7 per pound for a hanger steak that is just as
tender as and tastes much better than a $16-per-pound strip
steak? Yes, please!
nandana
(Nandana)
#1