A beefsteak is a flat cut of beef, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. Beefsteaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized (cf. cube steak).
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Regional variations
Australia
In Australia, beefsteak is referred to as just 'steak' and can be purchased uncooked in supermarkets, butchers and some smallgood shops. It is sold cooked as a meal in almost every pub, bistro or restaurant specialising in modern Australian food, and is ranked based on the quality and the cut. Most venues will usually have between 5 and 7 different cuts of steak on their own menu and serve it medium rare by default. A steak is normally accompanied by a choice of sauces and a choice of either chips (thick french fries) or jacket potato. A complementary choice of side salad or steamed vegetables is also commonly offered.
Balkan region
In the Balkan region, steak is often rubbed with mustard and pepper, and marinated in vinegar and vegetable oil for up to a week. It is then fried in butter, and a slice of toast is then used to soak up the pan drippings. The steak is served on the toast and topped with optional fried egg and a sprig of parsley.
France
In France, steak is usually served with French fries or 'pommes frites' as they are referred to in French. The combination is known as 'steak-frites.' Vegetables are not normally served with steak in this manner, but a green salad may follow or (more commonly) be served at the same time. This is also the case in Argentina.
Italy
In Italy, steak was not widely eaten until after World War II because the relatively rugged countryside does not readily accommodate the space and resource demands of large herds of cattle. Some areas of Piedmont and Tuscany, however, were renowned for the quality of their beef. Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a well-known specialty of Florence; it is typically served with just a salad. From the 1960s onward, economic gains allowed more Italians to afford a red meat diet.
Philippines
Bistek is a Mexican/Filipino dish of pieces of salted and peppered sirloin, usually flattened with a meat tenderizing tool, covered in bread crumbs and fried. The dish is usually served in tortillas as a taco. In the Philippines, bistek Tagalog, a specialty of the Tagalog region, is typically made with onions and strips of sirloin beef slowly cooked in soy sauce and calamansi juice.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, steak is typically served with chips (or french fries), fried mushrooms and a fried tomato. Other vegetables such as peas or a green salad can also be served. English mustard and ketchup are condiments sometimes used. The country has a long history of beef eating and was once known for its beef and beef cooking methods, earning the English the nickname "Les Rosbif" from the French.
United States
In the United States, a restaurant that specializes in beefsteaks is known as a steakhouse, and typical steak dinner consists of a steak, optionally topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms, with a starchy side dish; usually baked or mashed potatoes, or thick cut french fries known as steak fries. Chili, rice, pasta, or beans are also common sides. A side salad or a small serving of cooked vegetables often accompanies the meat and side, with corn on the cob, green beans, creamed spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, and onion rings being popular. A well-known accompaniment to steak is shrimp or a cooked lobster tail, a combination often called "surf and turf" or "reef and beef" and "pier and steer". Rounding out an American steak dinner is some sort of bread, usually a dinner roll.
Special steak knives are provided, which are usually serrated, though straight blades also work; they also often have wooden handles. Prepared condiments known as steak sauces are generally on the table in steakhouses. Tenderized round or sirloin steaks, breaded, and pan-fried or deep-fried, are called chicken fried or country fried steaks, respectively. Thinly sliced ribeye or other tender cuts, cooked on a hot griddle and shredded slightly, and served on Italian style rolls are called Philly steaks, named after Philadelphia, the city in which they became famous.
How To Cook The Perfect Sirloin Tip Roast Video
Special beef designations
USDA beef grades
Degree of cooking
The amount of time a steak is cooked is based upon personal preference; shorter cooking times retain more juice, whereas longer steak cooking times result in drier, tougher meat but reduce concerns about disease. A vocabulary has evolved to describe the degree to which a steak is cooked. The following terms are in order from least cooked to most cooked:
- Raw (French: cru)-- Uncooked. Used in dishes like steak tartare, carpaccio, gored gored, tiger meat and kitfo.
- Seared, Blue rare or very rare (French: bleu)-- Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is usually cool and barely cooked. The steak will be red on the inside and barely warmed. Sometimes asked for as "blood rare" or "bloody as hell". In the United States and United Kingdom, this is sometimes jokingly asked for "still mooing", suggesting the meat is to be so rare that the animal is practically still alive. In the United States, this is also sometimes referred to as 'Black and Blue' or 'Pittsburgh Rare'. In Germany this is also known as "English Style or bloody". It is common for chefs to place the steak in an oven to warm the inside of the steak. This method generally means 'blue' steaks take longer to prepare than any other steak degree, as these require additional warming time prior to cooking.
- Rare (French: saignant)-- (52 °C (126 °F) core temperature) The outside is grey-brown, and the middle of the steak is fully red and slightly warm.
- Medium rare (French: entre saignant et à point)-- (55 °C (131 °F) core temperature) The steak will have a reddish-pink center. This is the standard degree of cooking at most steakhouses, unless specified otherwise.
- Medium (French: à point, anglais) - (63 °C (145 °F) core temperature) The middle of the steak is hot and fully pink surrounding the center. The outside is grey-brown.
- Medium well done (French: demi-anglais, entre à point et bien cuit)-- (68 °C (154 °F) core temperature) The meat is lightly pink surrounding the center.
- Well done (French: bien cuit) - (73 °C (163 °F) and above core temperature) The meat is grey-brown in the center and slightly charred. In parts of England this is known as "German style".
- Overcooked (French: trop cuit) - (much more than 90 °C (194 °F) core temperature) The meat is blackened throughout and slightly crispy.
A style exists in some parts of North America called "Chicago". A Chicago-style steak is cooked to the desired level and then quickly charred. The diner orders it by asking for the style followed by the doneness (e.g. "Chicago-style rare"). A steak ordered "Pittsburgh rare" is rare or very rare on the inside and charred on the outside. In Pittsburgh, this style is referred to as "black and blue" (black or "sooty" on the outside, and blue rare on the inside).
Types of beefsteaks
Several other foods are called "steak" without actually being steaks:
Source of the article : Wikipedia
EmoticonEmoticon