Steaks on the grill..YES!

With summer definitely  here meals done on the grill are much more frequent. And any kind of steak done on the grill just seems to taste better.  Now we have had good steaks, that are juicy and tender and usually cooked to a med. rare doneness...and not so good steaks invariably cooked well done. So our personal preference is to cook steaks quickly and only til med rare on a fairly high heat.  Remember the steak should be allowed to 'rest' once done, and it will cook a bit more, much like a roast.  

But how to really get a good steak? First of all, grade is very important.  There are 3 traditional grades of beef which are from lowest to highest: select, choice, and prime.( * note: Black Angus beef is a certain kind of beef and usually a choice beef grade) Price is usually an indicator of the grade.  Be suspicious of steaks at a low price point and 'called' choice'. Choice is the most common and tends to be the preferred grade level of most consumers. 'Select' graded beef offers a better price but will be a much tougher meat, so marinating it etc will be beneficial. Prime is more expensive but should offer a very tender meat. Of course there is always the famed 'Kobe Beef' which is the Rolls Royce of beef and quite expensive.

Here is a hint on how to tell the difference. ..The 'prettier' or more lean bright red the steak the more likely it is select grade. When buying a steak remember steak cuts need marbling to be tender! Check out the picture of the T-Bone steak and how it is marbled. 

No matter which kind of steak or grade you choose, flavor of a steak is equally important. Seasoning and marinades are great for adding flavor. 

Meatcutters know and love beef steaks. So they tend to be fussy about what they use. Here is our absolute favorite way to season steaks( and beef roasts and it makes amazing Prime Rib too) Enjoy!

Seasoning for Steaks ( Beef roasts & Prime Rib Roast)

1/2 C. Dales Marinade

1/4 C. Italian dressing ( any kind)

3-4 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning

That's it! Talk about easy.

Mix Dales marinade with Italian dressing. and brush on steaks . If doing several steaks could increase amount and just marinate  in a bag for a few hours. Once marinade is brushed on steak,  rub with the Montreals Steak seasoning . Here you control the amount of seasoning  you want to use. Some people like at lot and almost blacken the meat with seasoning, others just use it instead of salt & pepper. Go easy the first time you use it to see what you may prefer.

*Regarding Dales Marinade, we find it is a strong marinade that can overwhelm the flavor of the meat. So when we 'cut' it by adding Italian dressing to it, (which helps to add moisture and tenderize the meat), it smoothed out this marinades flavor nicely.  We suggest marinating at least an hour, but you can marinate for several. Montreals steak seasoning  is a wonderful product that literally has all the seasoningin it. . No salt or pepper is needed. Rubbing the seasoning  on and letting meat rest before cooking helps add  flavor to the meat as well. Remember, the longer the seasoning sits on the meat the more intense the flavor

And what is OUR favorite steak? Delmonicos, also called rib eye. At Nitsches Meats & Deli the top selling steak is the N.Y. Strip steak with Delmonicos a close second.  At Nitsches Meats & Deli we  find many customers  also like the Porterhouse steaks as this cut offers a NY strip AND Tenderloin combination.( btw... it is a rule that the wife/ girlfriend etc gets the Tenderloin portion!) The T-Bone steak is very similar just offers a smaller 'tenderloin' portion. 

Visit Nitsches Meats & Deli website for more information: www.gomeat.net