June 11, 2009

Beef and grilling tips for summer cookouts

RICHMOND—When you can’t tell the difference between a New York strip and a filet mignon, the person to turn to is your local butcher.

“Well, for the grill, you want to go pick out something that’s either from the loin or from the rib, they’ll be the best steaks for the grill,” said butcher Dan Perry at Whole Foods Market. “You want to look for a nice marble of fat inside of it. Your best marble steak is probably going to be a rib-eye.”

Perry said the most expensive cut is not necessarily the best for the grill. “A lot of people think that filet would be the best thing for the grill; it is very tender, but I find a rib-eye to be more tasty off the grill. ... A steak with a bone in it can also be very good on the grill, because the bone will give it more flavor.”

Perry also said to look for fat around the edges of the meat. The fat protects the meat from drying out during cooking and also adds flavor.

In the meat world, there are three grades: Select, Choice and Prime, with Prime being the best and most expensive. Meats are graded and priced according to the amount of marbling, or fat, throughout a cut. The more marbling, the fuller the flavor and the higher the cost.

“Select meat is not going to have that marble I talked about,” Perry said. “It’s going to be very lean throughout, so when it cooks it’s going to dry up a lot easier. So with the marble in it for Choice or higher, that fat will kind of melt down into the meat as you cook it, giving it a more tender, juicy flavor.”

If you want a leaner cut of meat, a marinade is a great way to keep the meat juicy.

“Marinades can be OK for stuff like London Broil, leaner stuff that’s a little more tough,” Perry explained, but I recommend just using a dry rub and getting the full flavor of the meat.”
Choosing the perfect cut is just half the challenge; the other half is grilling it up right.

“Keep it simple. Too much seasoning can ruin a perfectly good steak. They usually have enough flavor by themselves, so usually just salt and pepper and maybe a little bit of oil,” said Chef Matt Britt at Richmond’s Blackfinn Restaurant and Saloon.

When it comes to flipping your steak, Britt said, don’t overdo it. “You should only ever have to flip it twice,” he said. “Once you see the blood come up on the top of it, you flip it once, and it’ll cook through to whatever temperature you need it.”

Also, make sure meat is cooked thoroughly, and you can get that only when the grill is hot.
“You want to get the grill real hot so you can sear the outside of the steak on each side. That’ll hold in the moisture, so you want to make sure your grill is nice and hot, maybe like 400 degrees or better,” Perry said.

Contact Perry at 804-364-4050, Britt at 804-643-3466 or Veronica Rohrmoser, VFBF video intern, at 804-290-1145.