Where is the best steak (and why)

Hunt anything said:

I cringe when I spend good hard earned money on a good piece of beef and someone asks for well done!

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Yeah, but that's my wife! Have to admit when it is done right the first time well done without charcoaling it "Chicago" style, it has a good taste. Singes the fat a bit more which I also like. Personally I go with medium to medium rare.

mdwest said:

Sous Vide completely changed my steak game. It also completely changed my venison game. You'll never have a better venison roast than one thats been prepared with a sous vide.

We've got an old school butcher about 15-20 minutes away over in plano that keeps exceptional beef and cuts to order. When I want a truly special meal, thats where I go.

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There are some mighty pretty steaks in the butcher shop inside Kuby's German restaurant. They must be good, because they have been selling them for decades.

Tanks said:

One thing that complements Sous Vide is a 1500F salamander oven for searing for the perfect maillard reaction.

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Is that somewhat a broiling concept?

Unfortunately, I’m not the Pablo mentioned in several posts, but I do grill a pretty tasty steak!
Perini’s in Buffalo Gap, TX is the absolute best steak I’ve ever forked in my mouth. It’s a few minutes south of Abilene and doesn’t look like much, but is world class. Tom Perini cooked for Bush Jr’s inauguration and has traveled all over the world serving steaks and giving lessons.
2nd would be the NY strip at Bohanan’s in downtown San Antonio. Classy place with an exceptional bar.
Honorable mentions include Del Frisco’s in Fort Worth and The Skyroom above Binion’s in Las Vegas.

I typically prefer my own steaks I cook to most restaurants anymore unless it’s a dry aged steak. A ribeye with the bone still on it is my go to and I’ll smoke it at 200 degrees until it hits 110 internal temp. Then I take them off to rest for 15 mins and reverse sear them on the grill at 550 degrees until they hit 130 internal temp. Then again I think everything tastes better with a little smoke on it.

I’m usually disappointed when I order a steak out, I’m usually never disappointed when I cook one at home though. I actually just had leftovers from a tri tip I made last night. Just salt, pepper and garlic powder let it sit on the counter for a couple hours before I cooked then reverse seared it.
I’ve had good steaks at a small steakhouse in Reno then the next time I went it was unimpressive. I will have to try some of the places you guys have mentioned though!

mdwest said:

The only canada beef Ive eaten has been in Toronto and Windsor on various trips. I dont think I ate anything but seafood and chicken (that I recall) on trips to Vancouver. I have to admit the steakhouse we visited in Toronto (cant remember the name) was exceptional though.

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You likely had Ontario beef, which is fine, but no different than what you get in the USA. If you want the best steak in NA, for my money you have to go to western Canada and get barley finished beef. To my mind, the best steak in western Canada is the ribeye at Caesar’s in Calgary. I have dined in fine restaurants all over the world. I’ve never had a better steak.

Tanks said:

Did you say Sous Vide? Below is Brazilian Picanha cut.
View attachment 773938

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Sous Vide feels like cheating it’s so easy. (More Time consuming) but even, consistent temp through the entire piece.

Steve White, the Sous Vide method does not brown the meat. So leaving some cook time after pulling from the bag. It needs to be browned. What’s nice is the rest time with a “Meater” thermometer and the sous vide method is a known instead of guessing. That is usually where steaks are ruined. The total cook time and not knowing the proper rest time.

An outdoor Air fryer is also like cheating.

BlueFlyer said:

So where do you recommend?

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My place .

Altitude sickness said:

Sous Vide feels like cheating it’s so easy. (More Time consuming) but even, consistent temp through the entire piece.

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Yep. The tenderloin pic I posted above was pre-seared, cooled in an ice bath (so it wouldn't keep on cooking), then Sous Vide and finally post-seared in a cast iron skillet.

The salamander oven I got later on is great as at 1500F it literally takes 60 seconds to sear. For those interested, the Chinese knock-off is called "Big Horn Outdoors" and is < $200 on Amazon instead of the $1,390 one I linked above, but is made in the USA. I buy USA products when I can.

The oven sounds like a great idea. I love cast iron searing. But it’s messy.

Lawry's in Beverly Hills has the California Cut plate at $65. It's a beautiful prime rib and the bread, salad, mashed potatoes, and yorkshire pudding are all included. Most steakhouses are ala carte with the sides which makes them get expensive fast.

Altitude sickness said:

The oven sounds like a great idea. I love cast iron searing. But it’s messy.

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My cast iron skillet and I have been banned from the kitchen due to the smoke, splatter etc..

We have cabinets full of high end (reasonably) pots, pans, skillets, etc.... but have almost completely converted to cast iron over the last year or so.

My wife has one of her grandmothers skillets thats got to be at least 75 years old thats probably the most used/favorite and I managed to pick up a few really nice pieces of cast iron cookware at an auction maybe 8 months ago for pennies that have been awesome. Theyre what we use probably 7 out of 10 meals..

Certainly requires more time and maintenance to clean up, store properly, etc..

But nothing else cooks like cast iron..

WAB said:

You likely had Ontario beef, which is fine, but no different than what you get in the USA. If you want the best steak in NA, for my money you have to go to western Canada and get barley finished beef. To my mind, the best steak in western Canada is the ribeye at Caesar’s in Calgary. I have dined in fine restaurants all over the world. I’ve never had a better steak.

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I also have to say that bistecca alla fiorentina is an amazing dish. The estate we hunted on in Italy was an important breeder of chianina cattle, the oldest breed of cattle in the world, and the only acceptable meat for this dish. Although I’ve had it in fine restaurants in Florence, having it prepared over an open fire on the estate was over the top.

From a local butcher, so it's whatever cut you like, and you know precisely what it does NOT contain (pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, etc. that loves to bioconcentrate in fatty tissues.) Also, cooked at home however you like. As a lifelong (now recovering) carnivore, I have lost my luster for such commercial things as it can result in quite the health scare (in my case removing 2 lb of GIT gone wrong from too much consumption of the aforementioned.) Now, it's ALL local-confirmed clean food! Sausages? Uncured (no nitrates/nitrites/pickling salts, etc.) America has too many great steak places to name just one. And NYC isn't the place to get the best steak (as it's traveled quite a ways to get there!) Local butcher in Ag country or your neighbor (beef) farmer. As I live in a big Ag state, we are blessed with the greatest steaks nearly everywhere! Robert's Shebeen in the Caprivi serves a mean Eland tenderloin and Tafel pints. IF your steak requires sauce (A-1 or other commercial nonsense) it's not a good steak (or not cooked properly.) Bordelaise, Bearnaise, or other special butter-Ok! Salt, pepper and (organic) butter is best-a la Ruth's Chris. There's a place near Pocono Raceway where the drivers stay and eat (a resort-that also has some good gun shows!) Louie's Prime. Fantastic. Different breeds and finishing methods can make or break a steak, but Restauranteurs/Chefs must have that figured out to stay in business!

I am partial to my own beef , cooked by my wife at home. After 27 years she’s about got a steak right.

Los Arcos in T or C, NM of all places is excellent. Been there since 1970. Bobby Middleton, same owner.
Binions in Las Vegas
Del Friscos in Las Vegas
Cattlemans in El Paso
Lots of good ones!

I prefer steaks cooked at home. The Bighorn sear oven has made making steaks at home easy and the best steaks I’ve ever had. I’ve done them many ways including on the smokers and then reverse searing, over wood, over charcoal, on the Weber gas grill. But the Bighorn sear oven hits 1500 degrees in minutes and gives a crispy sear in a medium rare ribeye in about 4 minutes.

Slaton said:

I prefer steaks cooked at home.

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Agreed
I cook over Mally Root charcoal - intense heat and a smokey flavour.
1 inch thick steak, 5min the first side, 4 min the second side then rest. = nice and bloody in the middle.