It’s perfectly legal to serve hot dogs and hamburgers at any tailgate party — if you’re a Philistine. If you want to show some pre-kickoff class, spend a little money and lay on the quality beef.
Guest Editor Chef Bob Gallagher from Tony Roma’s is ready to make sure you don’t let that you don’t let your meat loaf with a prime recipe for steak.
Related: Guest Editor Chef Bob Gallagher
First of all, selecting the proper hunk of meat is all important. If possible visit a proper butcher specializing in fresh, well-cut steaks. You can’t always trust what’s sealed under cellophane in a grocery store.
Now that you have your meat in hand (…Stop giggling. Grow up. There’s a chef around here…), we can turn to Chef Bob for how to prepare that steak and send your tailgating party over the goal line.
Mastering the Perfect Steak
Prep:
- Blot each side of the steak with a paper towel and season with Kosher or course sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Clean and oil the grill grates to prevent sticking.
Cook:
- Invest in a meat thermometer and grill your steaks to 135 F (medium rare) or 145 F (medium).
- Remove the steak at 10 F below the desired temperature because it will continue to cook while it rests.
Top Tip: never insert pressure on meat while cooking it! This squeezes all the juices out and results in a dry product.
Serve:
- Add a final brush of melted butter over the finished products to add richness.
- Cut the steak against the grain to achieve more tender pieces.
