Steak 101

I am a vegetarian and have been since college.  This was a choice based on simple preference, not on ethics or health.  Meat just really does not appeal to me. The same cannot be said of my family members.  I live in a houseful of carnivores.

I did not do much cooking growing up, and by the time I started doing real cooking (not just heating, microwaving, or thawing), I was a vegetarian, so I never learned how to actually prepare any type of meat.  My husband, on the other hand, makes great steak (I admit–I have tasted it, and it is good), and the kids LOVE it when he prepares it, especially on the grill.

It was time for me to learn this basic life skill–how to season and grill a steak.  My husband, our resident expert, was very happy to teach me! (I had a very handsome instructor for my intro to grilling steak!)  For many of you, preparing steak may be a very commonplace activity. I, on the other hand, had never tried it before. (One of the perks of preparing vegetarian meals is that I don’t have to worry about making anyone ill if I don’t fully cook something.)  All in all, it was really quite easy. Although I “watched” more than “did,” it did not seem as though there was much that needed hands-on experience to learn.

My husband picked up some steak on sale at the local Jewel ($6.99/pound–good price!).  There was nothing fancy in regards to seasoning it. We just used a relatively liberal sprinkling of Accent, Himalayan pink salt (the only reason we used this salt as opposed to regular salt was that it was right in front of us as we prepared the meat), black pepper, granulated garlic, and sugar.  (The sugar is not in the photo because my husband initially forgot about it and then added it when the steaks were on the grill.) The steaks were seasoned on one side while in the kitchen, and then the other side was seasoned once they were on the grill.

The grill was brushed with a wire brush (in one direction)(you always want to make sure that there are no rogue metal bristles left behind as those can be very dangerous if they get into the food and are ingested), oiled (we use a spray bottle filled with olive oil to spray the grill grates), and then the steaks were placed over the grates after turning on the burners.   The flame tamers on our grill are not in great shape and in need of replacing. Saying that, we had to keep a close watch on the food to make sure that it was not overcooked (I think that one of my husband’s biggest fears is overcooking steak). Per my resident expert, we started on high heat to sear the steaks; then we adjusted the heat as needed. The steaks were placed on the grill, seasoned side down, and then additional seasoning was added to the top surface. After approximately 5 minutes, they were flipped.   Another 5 minutes later, they were flipped again. This was done two more times for a few minutes each time. (My husband really enjoys getting the crosshatch grill marks on the steak. : ) ) The time can be adjusted based on the thickness of the steak and how well cooked you want it. (My husband’s target is medium-rare.) That’s it! I was pleased at how simple it seemed. (For me, it was a big deal.)

The meat was (not surprisingly) a success! I may actually someday prepare steak for my kids (assuming that they promise to eat the vegetable and grain side dishes as well). Only time will tell!  Here is the million dollar question–which will I prepare first: steak or the delicious vegan lasagna a friend taught me to make a few months ago?

In case anyone is wondering, the steak was NOT all consumed at one meal. There was plenty left over (my husband had the chance to use his favorite kitchen gadget, the vacuum sealer), and this was ready to be enjoyed with other future meals.

Happy grilling!