Check out Episode 1 of Steak University TV as host Mark Kranenburg shows the average Joe how to cook a great boneless strip steak and baked potato in the comfort of your own home.
Video Transcript: Steak University Episode 1 – Boneless Strip & Baked Potato
Hi, I’m Mark Kranenburg, your host for Steak University TV, brought to you by Chicago Steak Company. Today we are going to kick off our first episode by unboxing these amazing products, and show you how to pan fry a steak to perfection. I’ll have you know that I’m not a chef. All I am is a hardworking guy that enjoys making amazing food.
Let’s get into this. You know what I love about Chicago Steak Company is that they actually ship the gourmet meats in an actual cooler. And when you look in here you’ll see the steaks and dry ice. Just don’t touch that dry ice! Take it out let it evaporate outside just to be safe.
So let’s crack these bad boys open. First we’ve got these strips steaks, boneless strips steaks, USDA wet-aged, prime beef. They look amazing, look at the marbling in these things. Next we’ve got filet mignon, and have a look at the marbling in these. They’re like the size of a baseball, unbelievable.
Last but not least we’ve got this last box here which contains the Chicago Steak Company seasoning. This is their signature spice and I’m telling you once you’ve tried it, you’ll never have anything else. A little grilling kit here where they’ve sent us a apron, keeping us looking good, you gotta love it. And then after we get hooked on these amazing steaks they’ve got the ordering catalog so we can hook ourselves up with more in the future.
So the proper prep for the steak is a fridge defrost. We take our steaks, 12-16 hours put them in the fridge, let them cool down naturally, not at an accelerated pace. So we’ve done that already, we’ve got them sitting here. Next thing, you cut the steaks open out of the package. Then you want to set them on your counter for 20-30 minutes so they can bloom and get to room temperature.
Now we’re at room temperature, they’ve been sitting for about 20 minutes. The key is to towel dry our steaks. Here’s a rule of thumb; spice your steaks 5 minutes before you go to cook the strip steak. If you spice them too early, you’re going to draw the moisture out of them, and then you’re going to take away from the juiciness, and that’s not what we’re looking for.
Now we’re going to take our Chicago Steak seasoning and we’re going to sprinkle it over the top, don’t worry about getting a little excess, because then what we do is when we flip it over, do the other side, we just mop that extra little bit up. Get it all taken care of, even the edges, that’s all flavor right there. I wish you guys could smell this, oh my goodness it’s going to be amazing.
The first thing you want to do is get that pan nice and hot. See how it’s smoking a little? That’s telling me that it’s just right, and ready to go. So, we pour our peanut oil, but you can use any oil you like, I like peanut oil. Always remember, see I’m grabbing my steak, and when I’m putting it in the pan, I’m putting it down away from me, so the grease doesn’t splatter up at me, it splatters away from me. Listen to that sizzle. There’s a lot of different methods you can use, the constant flip method, but for me I like to have a good crust, so what we’re doing is we’re doing 3 minutes on each side, we’re going to flip it, and you’re going to see, it’s going to give us a perfectly done, medium rare steak. So now it’s time to flip the steak. Remember, never use a fork. You never want to pierce your steak and let the juices out. I always like to use tongs, so that’s what I suggest for you to use as well.
See that crust right there? That’s a thing of beauty. Now we’re going to throw some butter in there, it gives it a really nutty flavor. Let that butter melt in there, and we’re going to grab a piece of garlic. Crush it and throw it right in that butter. Let the garlic cook in that butter.
So here’s the best part, you tip the pan towards yourself, let the butter come right to you, take it, and you baste the steak. Let all that delicious butter go right into that steak. I wish you guys could be here right now, it smells amazing. Now we’re going to rub that garlic on there a little bit. Now I’m just going to throw just a touch more of our seasoning on there just to freshen it up a little bit.
This is a key part to making your steak awesome, see that strip of fat on the side? Just cook it right into the butter. Just let all those yummy juices go straight through. Now I’m just going to grab my cooling rack. If you’ve got one of these, it’s the key to making a really good steak.
So this is how you finish strong; you take your steak, you put it on a cooling rack, and you let it sit there for 5-10 minutes. This way, what you’re doing is you’re letting those juices reabsorb into the meat. Okay, so while our steak is resting I thought we’d just throw in another extra for you; this is one of our twice baked potato recipes. Take that, pop your top off, grab a spoon, dig the inside of that out, try to leave a little crust in there, and peel the top out as well. What we’re going to do is we’re going to take this top and we’re going to put it right inside that potato just like that. So now as a next step we’re going to take our butter, we’re going to it throw in (be generous guys), a bit of milk, Chicago Steak Spices, and mash it all up. Get it all nice and smooth, a little chunky is good, though. Then we’re going to grab our skin, we’re going to scoop it in there and pile it nice and high, and all these chunky parts are sticking out on the outside, they’re going to turn nice an crispy brown, nicely charred, just the way we like it, and throw it in the oven.
That right there, is a thing of beauty. So that’s how you cook an amazing pan fried steak in a cast iron pan. Stay tuned for more ways to cook a steak in our upcoming episodes. We’re going to be diving into everything that Chicago Steak Company has to offer. I’m Mark, thanks for tuning in, don’t forget to subscribe, follow us on Twitter, like us of Facebook, and we’ll see you next time, right here, on Steak University TV.
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