4 ms·

Why buy an expensive and tasty meat and put some sugary sauce on it? No offence intended, it's just that this baffles me. The only thing I would put on a steak

by iqanq 5y ago

Why buy an expensive and tasty meat and put some sugary sauce on it? No offence intended, it's just that this baffles me. The only thing I would put on a steak besides salt is black pepper if I feel feisty.

chrisseaton 5y ago
> Why buy an expensive and tasty meat and put some sugary sauce on it? Why does anyone combine flavours and use sauces and different elements of taste? I don't put ketchup on my steak either, but let's not pretend that the idea of sauces or combining sweet and savoury is somehow unfathomable.
- the_af 5y ago
  Agreed. However, effectively saying "I don't care about the meat, just drown it in sauce" is a different matter. The article is intended for those who do care about grilling good and flavorful steaks. With pork ribs I actually agree: I drown them in BBQ sauce and pretty much only care that they are tender. With steak and cow cuts... hey, I'm Argentinian, we care about our grilled meat [1], the thought of just not bothering about how much it's cooked personally offends me! [1] though not most restaurants. Given the importance beef cuts have in our diet, it's surprising most restaurants just don't care. They will either serve you meat so bloody the cow might as well still be alive, or something that is hard, chewy and not tender at all ("the sole of a shoe"). Honorable exceptions exist and tourists seem happy even in the worst restaurants, so what do I know?
  - ankaAr 5y ago
    Another argentinian here, 37 years old and after years to fight with matambre.., man.., no more fighting when you knows how to cook it... Im agree with fancy restaurants cooking meat without care about it. anyway, i think 33% is meat quality, 33% knowladge and 33% experience. 1% is the fernet or wine you are drinking while cooking.
tptacek 5y ago
Bearnaise, hollandaise, red wine reduction, roquefort cream, lemon + olive oil, salsa verde, green peppercorn, garlic butter, bordelaise, au poivre --- not saucing a steak is a wasted opportunity for deploying some of the world's great sauces.
- CAPSLOCKSSTUCK 5y ago
  Beautifully put.
- steak2 5y ago
  What's beautiful about a steak is that it transcends the collective human culinary craft. It's like this pure thing that prove god exists. All of those sauces, those creations of men, are more for making poorer quality steaks more palatable than elevating the best steaks. There is a reason restaurants that specialize in serving high quality steaks generally forgo the sauce.
  - tptacek 5y ago
    Go pull up a list of the top steak houses in NYC, or in Chicago, or in Los Angeles, and find me the steak house that doesn't have a steak au poivre, or a bunch of other sauce options. What you're saying about steak restaurants is just not true at all. Also, the best steaks that you're getting in steak houses are honestly pretty boring (at least, until you dry age them halfway to the point of rot) and if you think that a prime ribeye is the acme of cuisine, I really recommend you go out and find yourself some birria.
    - cthalupa 5y ago
      Minor nit about an offhand comment, but, to be fair, a proper dry aging setup really has minimal to no risk of actual rot. Sanitary conditions and good air circulation will let you go pretty much indefinitely without worry, though from what I've seen of 400-700 day dry ages, you're really not getting much left that's usable as steak.
buescher 5y ago
Me too, but you just didn't get the joke.
screye 5y ago
I am tired of people acting like their bang average pub steak has any semblance of an exquisite culinary experience. Yeah, don't sauce your A5 Wagyu or beauty marbled meat from a cow that lived like a queen. But, the 20$ filled mignon that grew up without getting shoulder massages is as mundane as any other 'decent cut of an animal'. That's not to say that I don't like a good simple steak, but there is nothing extraordinary about a grocery store cut of meat to warrant eating it with just salt and pepper all the time. Hell, at least goat, elk or salt water fish are gamey enough to have enough complex flavors going on by themselves. Steak is honestly, a little one dimensional. IMO, a medium rare, dry brined and cast iron seared fatty steak with some chimichurri on top is admittedly excellent. Also, complaining about a welldone steak not being as juicy as a medium rare steak is ridiculous. But if thats what they like, then making fun of people's culinary tastes because you have a specific classist hangup about your food is snooty and stupid.

by iqanq 5y ago

chrisseaton 5y ago

> Why buy an expensive and tasty meat and put some sugary sauce on it? Why does anyone combine flavours and use sauces and different elements of taste? I don't put ketchup on my steak either, but let's not pretend that the idea of sauces or combining sweet and savoury is somehow unfathomable.

the_af 5y ago
Agreed. However, effectively saying "I don't care about the meat, just drown it in sauce" is a different matter. The article is intended for those who do care about grilling good and flavorful steaks. With pork ribs I actually agree: I drown them in BBQ sauce and pretty much only care that they are tender. With steak and cow cuts... hey, I'm Argentinian, we care about our grilled meat [1], the thought of just not bothering about how much it's cooked personally offends me! [1] though not most restaurants. Given the importance beef cuts have in our diet, it's surprising most restaurants just don't care. They will either serve you meat so bloody the cow might as well still be alive, or something that is hard, chewy and not tender at all ("the sole of a shoe"). Honorable exceptions exist and tourists seem happy even in the worst restaurants, so what do I know?
- ankaAr 5y ago
  Another argentinian here, 37 years old and after years to fight with matambre.., man.., no more fighting when you knows how to cook it... Im agree with fancy restaurants cooking meat without care about it. anyway, i think 33% is meat quality, 33% knowladge and 33% experience. 1% is the fernet or wine you are drinking while cooking.

tptacek 5y ago

Bearnaise, hollandaise, red wine reduction, roquefort cream, lemon + olive oil, salsa verde, green peppercorn, garlic butter, bordelaise, au poivre --- not saucing a steak is a wasted opportunity for deploying some of the world's great sauces.

CAPSLOCKSSTUCK 5y ago
Beautifully put.
steak2 5y ago
What's beautiful about a steak is that it transcends the collective human culinary craft. It's like this pure thing that prove god exists. All of those sauces, those creations of men, are more for making poorer quality steaks more palatable than elevating the best steaks. There is a reason restaurants that specialize in serving high quality steaks generally forgo the sauce.
- tptacek 5y ago
  Go pull up a list of the top steak houses in NYC, or in Chicago, or in Los Angeles, and find me the steak house that doesn't have a steak au poivre, or a bunch of other sauce options. What you're saying about steak restaurants is just not true at all. Also, the best steaks that you're getting in steak houses are honestly pretty boring (at least, until you dry age them halfway to the point of rot) and if you think that a prime ribeye is the acme of cuisine, I really recommend you go out and find yourself some birria.
  - cthalupa 5y ago
    Minor nit about an offhand comment, but, to be fair, a proper dry aging setup really has minimal to no risk of actual rot. Sanitary conditions and good air circulation will let you go pretty much indefinitely without worry, though from what I've seen of 400-700 day dry ages, you're really not getting much left that's usable as steak.

buescher 5y ago

Me too, but you just didn't get the joke.

screye 5y ago

I am tired of people acting like their bang average pub steak has any semblance of an exquisite culinary experience. Yeah, don't sauce your A5 Wagyu or beauty marbled meat from a cow that lived like a queen. But, the 20$ filled mignon that grew up without getting shoulder massages is as mundane as any other 'decent cut of an animal'. That's not to say that I don't like a good simple steak, but there is nothing extraordinary about a grocery store cut of meat to warrant eating it with just salt and pepper all the time. Hell, at least goat, elk or salt water fish are gamey enough to have enough complex flavors going on by themselves. Steak is honestly, a little one dimensional. IMO, a medium rare, dry brined and cast iron seared fatty steak with some chimichurri on top is admittedly excellent. Also, complaining about a welldone steak not being as juicy as a medium rare steak is ridiculous. But if thats what they like, then making fun of people's culinary tastes because you have a specific classist hangup about your food is snooty and stupid.