In the land of my front display window, there are many delights. There are hills of oxtails and valleys of bacon. There are the plains of lamb, which isn’t very plain at all; there are also the towers of pork chops, sometimes at such a precarious heights I wonder when they’ll topple onto the pork roasts. Across from the tower of pork, over the plains of lamb, there are the fields of beefsteaks. Muscled and fatty at the same time, the steaks are kings of the land. They are the items window shoppers drool over most. Sometimes I feel like the onlookers are pressed up against the glass as if the sidewalk was a car that just slammed on its brakes, sending passersby careening into the windshield of the steak section of my window. It’s quite funny, actually, from our side of the fence, so to speak.
Now, if someone actually comes in to take one of those steaks home with them (you know the drill – “I’m going to open this bottle of red wine here and let’s just see what happens, steak-y baby”) they usually have a few noble questions first. Here are the most frequently asked questions about our steak selection; I’ll try to answer them all.
Q. Can I get a steak?
A. Yes. Yes you can.
Q. What kind of steaks do you have there?
A. We carry quite a few cuts. Almost always we have ribeyes, striploins, tenderloins, top sirloins, and bone-in rib steak. Sometimes we have the forty day aged côtes de bœuf or the porterhouse. We also have a special few not-so-popular-but-super-tasty cuts we always want people to try. They rotate between flank, bavette, hanger (or onglet, which is what I’ll call it when the hanger isn’t selling so well), skirt, and flat-iron. Then we usually have the peppercorn-marinated eye of round steaks. And that selection will be bumped up when I get whole grass fed beef in, as then I’ll do all of the leg steak cuts (sirloin tips, inside rounds, etc.) as well as the few shoulder steak cuts (blades, cross ribs). Does that help, sir?
Q. I want something super tender, what should I get?
A. Tenderloin or flat-iron. Tenderloin is also sometimes called the filet mignon, or “dainty slice”, if you don’t speak French. I don’t recommend asking a butcher for a dainty slice, though. The flat-iron is a cut from the shoulder that comes a close second to tenderloin’s tenderness. It was super fashionable on restaurant menus in Toronto a few years back due to it’s relatively low price, great flavour, and said tenderness. Highly recommended.
Q. I like my steaks to have a bit of fat, whaddya got?
A. Take a ribeye. Or a bone-in rib chop if you’re hungry. For the record, the staff and I played the “what’s your favourite meal” game at the cottage last year and a charred bone in rib steak with a big rich southern Rhône wine was my answer. Absolutely genius on God’s part, there.
Q. Why is that steak not as red as that one??
A. Oh, that would be my old friend myoglobin up to his old tricks again. Myoglobin is a purplish-red protein in the muscle of the beef. When a steak is cut from the whole muscle and exposed to oxygen, the surface of the steak turns into bright, somewhat cherry red oxymyoglobin (are you following, kids?). In most supermarkets, the steak is kept on trays and wrapped in a special plastic that allows in just enough oxygen to keep the steak looking cherry red for few days. Our steaks are kept exposed to the air all the time, so they turn from this bright colour to a darker, deeper purple colour after a day or so. Now the steak is in the metamyoglobin stage, and will still be excellent to eat. The darker, drier steaks are mistaken for being not good and fresh. But I assure you they are delicious. In fact, I have quite a few customers who want the oldest, blackest steak I can give them. And believe me, they know what they’re talking about.
Q. How do I cook the steak?
A. Here is a foolproof method. Get a heavy-bottomed pan – cast iron is best but heavy stainless steel will do just fine – and put it on a medium high heat. 3 o’clock on your stovetop dial. Put your steak on a plate and salt it liberally. I mean, pretend it’s snowing on that bad boy. Do the same thing with freshly ground pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the steak and rub in over each side. When the pan is hot, and it will be if you’ve left it alone on the heat for five minutes at least, place the steak in the pan and let it sizzle. Leave it alone and don’t poke, prod or push it around. Depending on the thickness you’ll need to flip it over to its other side. With a 1” thick ribeye I’ll turn it after about five minutes. If you’re unsure, ask at the butcher’s; they should know. Let the steak sizzle for the same amount of time as the first side. Take the steak out of the pan and place it on a clean plate to rest for five minutes. Don’t cut into it to see if it’s done. Basically the only way you could have screwed it up is if it’s burnt shoe-leather. Otherwise even a well-done steak can be enjoyable. You won’t get the “feel” for internal cooking temperatures until you’ve cooked hundreds of steaks, so let’s just say practice makes perfect. Now the steak is ready to eat, which leads me to the last question.
Q. What should I eat it with?
A. Big red wine. A friend or lover. And a smile. As humans, we are privileged to be able to experience such enjoyment, so savour it. I don’t care if you’re listening to Edith Piaf by candlelight or watching The Bachelor in your underwear. Just don’t eat it while driving. That’s dangerous. Just trust me on that one.
I hope I was able to answer your questions, sir. Oh what’s that, you’d like pork instead? What do we have in pork? Serious? Well, let me tell you…