Before Cooking:
– We recommend thawing your meat in the refrigerator for best results. If you’re in a hurry, you can place the vacuum sealed package in cold water for a few minutes. Never use a microwave to thaw your meat!
– For leaner cuts such as a New York strip, sirloin, or flank steak, consider a marinade to accentuate the flavor and to enhance the moisture content. For safe handling, always marinate in the refrigerator.
Aging:
– Aging is important! Fresh or frozen, your steaks will benefit from spending some time in the refrigerator. Aging your steak will make a more tender and flavorful steak.
– To age your beef, place the vacuum sealed steak in the refrigerator for 14 days.
– Please only age the Middle Meat steaks like: Sirloin, New York Strips and Ribeyes. Ground beef does not need to be aged!
Preparing to cook:
– Grassfed beef cooks about 30 percent faster than grain fed beef. You can use always use thermometer to test for doneness. Practice care, as you can go from perfectly cooked to overdone in less than a minute.
– Meat continues to cook after you’ve removed it from its heating source, so remove your beef when it is 10 degrees LOWER than your desired temperature.
– Grassfed beef is ideal at rare to medium-rare temperatures. If you prefer your meat to be well done, consider cooking at low temperatures in a sauce to enhance the moisture the flavor. A slow cooker is ideal.
Cooking:
– Always use tongs or a spatula to turn your steak – a fork can puncture the meat, releasing moisture and flavor.
– Always preheat your grill, pan, or oven before cooking your beef! If you’re cooking on the stove top, a cast iron pan is ideal.
– If you’re cooking on the stove, sear the steak on both sides for 2-4 minutes until browned. Then, you can finish the steak in a 375 degree oven, or, reduce the heat to low and add some butter and garlic to finish.
– After you’ve finished cooking your steak, let it rest, covered, in a warm place for eight to ten minutes after removing it from heat. This will allow the juices redistribute; if you’ve ever cut into a steak and left a pool on the cutting board, it probably wasn’t rested long enough!
Tips:
– A generous coat of olive oil will do a great job to help sear your beef! After marinading, or before seasoning, apply a thin layer of olive oil all over your steak. This will aid in browning, as well as help prevent sticking.
– Cut against the “grain” of the meat for tender meat. For long muscle proteins, like the flank steak, you can see the direction of the muscles. Cut across, not with, and you’ll have a tender steak.