photography by Barry Wong |
Richard Chamberlain knows great steak. In addition to his local meat-friendly restaurant offerings—Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House and Chamberlain’s Fish Market Grill in Addison—he’s written a book on the subject (The Healthy Beef Cookbook) and is a chef consultant for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. We asked Chef Chamberlain for tips on how to make a perfect steak right at home:
Preparing: “You have to buy a good steak to have a good steak. Look for marbling in the beef. Go for a Black Angus choice—the highest end of choice—or a prime steak. For preparation, use either a kosher or sea salt, which gives a lot more flavor than iodized salt, and coarse, fresh-ground pepper.”
Cooking: “One of the big mistakes in cooking steak is that people don’t allow it to brown well enough. There’s a lot of flavor development in the browning of the protein. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat so it’s smoking slightly, then put your steak in the pan with a tiny bit of oil. Don’t turn the steak too quickly, and only turn it once. It’s okay to peek—lift the corner an inch or two to see how the browning is coming along—but if you turn it too much, the pan cools down and the browning process won’t complete. Rather than a using a fork to flip, which penetrates the meat and causes you to lose some of the juices, always use tongs. If the steak is extremely thick, finish it in the oven at 375 degrees. Then to really enhance the taste, sprinkle on a finishing salt from a specialty store.”
Serving: “When steak is cooked at a high temperature, all the juices run to the center. If you allow the meat to rest three to six minutes before serving, the juices can work their way back into the outer parts of the steak. Then when you slice it, you won’t lose all the moisture. How you slice a steak is important, too. If you cut with the grain, it’s going to be very chewy. If you cut against the grain, it will be nice and tender.”
A CUT ABOVE: Local butchers have the best meat around.
LOCATION | HISTORY | SPECIALTY | |
Central Market | 5750 E. Lovers Ln., 214-234-7000 (Multiple locations) | Founded in 1994; first Dallas-area location opened in 2004 | Dry-Aged Rib Eye ($34.99/lb). When it comes to cooking steak, the more marbling (small bits of fat scattered throughout), the better. |
David’s Meat Market | 4010 N. Jupiter Rd., 972-495-8315 | Open since 1982 | Choice and Prime corn-fed Iowa beef. Most popular is choice Rib Eye ($13.69/lb). |
Rudolph’s Market and Sausage Factory | 2924 Elm St., 214-741-1874 | Open since 1985 | Rudolph’s offers heavy-aged choice beef but is also famous for a variety of other meats including European- style sausages. |
Vongeerstem Butcher Shoppe | 3527 Oak Lawn Ave., 214-219-3700 | Opened July 2006 | Head butcher and co-owner Greg Geerts (along with equal owner and fiancee Cathy Tamez) sells only Certified Angus Beef. |
Vin Classic Wines | 5717 Legacy, Ste. 120, Plano, 469-241-8800 | Opened end of November 2006 | Allen Brothers, beef supplier to the great steakhouses across the country, sells a selection of the finest filets, strips, and bone-in ribeyes at Vin. It’s the first physical retail outlet in the U.S. for the renowned steak company. |