As promised, our very own meat therapist scientist, Dr. Phil, answered some of the questions you asked us on Facebook and Twitter.
Austin writes to us on Facebook to ask …
Say it does rain again one of these days and I’m forced into the kitchen with my steak, what is the best way to get that fresh-off-the-grill taste when forced to cook my steak indoors? Is a grill pan the best choice?
Dr. Phil says: Great question, Austin! First and foremost, I reside in the upper Midwest and as a result I never let a little weather (i.e., thunderstorms, blazing humid heat, snowstorms, swarms of locusts, etc.) get in the way of my outdoor grilling. But in case you are forced indoors for some unforeseeable reason, there is still a way to get a great char on your steak. Some might recommend the broiler of your oven as a means, but as I have no idea how to even turn on our oven at home — let alone the broiler (I’m a grill guy, myself) — I like to recommend the use of a cast iron skillet that has a grill grid in it.
There are many types of cast iron pans. I have a Lodge Cast Iron skillet at home, and it puts those beautiful grill marks on my steak. Just a word of caution: be sure to use the exhaust fan, because there will be a bit of smoke from your steak if your pan is hot enough. (Although who doesn’t mind a house that smells of charred steak!)
Also, be sure to read the care and use recommendations of your cast iron skillets. You don’t want to wreck the seasoned surface of the pan and they’re not ideal on a glass cooktop. One other recommendation is to look into an indoor electric grill such as the Q series grills from Weber®.
Happy grilling, Austin — in any kind of weather!
Dr. Phil Bass is the man behind meat science at Certified Angus Beef LLC. Bottom line: this man knows meat. He’s a beef expert. Phil managed the meat plant at California Polytechnic State University while earning a master’s degree in animal science, and received a doctorate in meat science at Colorado State University. He loves the science behind the sizzle!
There is a cut of beef that Dr. Phil Bass showed Andrew Zimmern on an episode of Bizarre Food that I can”t find the name of. It was a muscle Dr.Phil Bass showed him down deep somewhere. He cut it out and cooked it for Zimmern and I forget the name of the cut, so that I can ask my butcher for it. He said it was so tough to get to that it usually ended up as ground meat. Can anyone help me with it?
Hi Bruce! The cut mentioned on the episode was the Denver Cut or serratus ventralis. Hope that helps!