How do you like your steak cooked?
At The Steakist, we are passionate about serving the best cut of meat cooked just right so each can be eaten at it’s delicious best. All our beef is matured for at least 28 days so that flavour and tenderness are optimised.
Some customers ask if they should get their steak done rare, medium or well done and what all the fuss is about. To be fair, most chefs will avoid eating any steak well done. That said, everyone has their own preference. This blog aims to help you make your choice.
As a general rule, fattier cuts need to be cooked for longer to become succulent. Tougher cuts also need to be cooked for longer to become tender. Lean cuts, on the other hand, risk becoming tough if they are overcooked because the cooking heat causes the muscle fibres to contract, squeezing out the natural juices of the meat (this is why Chefs allow meat to rest when it comes off the heat as it relaxes again before eating even if that means it cools a bit).
Each steak we sell is different because it comes from a different muscle and every muscle and some muscles work harder than others. As a general rule muscles that work the hardest tend to be tougher with a slightly stronger flavour. Muscles that work less hard are more tender with a milder flavour. In general, the best cuts for steak come from the back of the animal and the rump. But there are some notable exceptions!
At The Steakist, our specially commissioned Robata grill is super hot which means steaks can be charred on the outside for excellent flavour whilst still allowing the centre to remain rare. The Robata has different levels of grill height above the intense heat of the fire pit which allows us to cook more slowly when needed, having the best of both worlds.
Sirloin Steak is our signature dish. It is a brilliant balance of tender and tasty. Best eaten rare to medium. We do not recommend well done.
Fillet steak is very lean and comes from perhaps the ‘laziest’ muscle in the whole animal. Fillet steaks are super tender with no fat. We recommend ordering a fillet as rare as you can go. Well done results in a little less flavour and the steak can become tougher to eat. The Steakist strongly recommends not having fillet well done.
The Rib Eye Steak comes from the fore ribs, a harder working part of the animal where there is more fat, so lots of flavour but sometimes a little gristle. Ribeyes are extremely popular because they have a great flavour and texture but if you order it rare then the fat and gristle will not get a chance to render down and flavour the meat. We recommend that you order a a ribeye medium and if you like your steaks well done, this is the one for you. We strongly recommend not having ribeye cooked rare.
Rump Steak sold in supermarkets is often 3 muscles in one. The challenge here is that each muscle behaves slightly differently so at the Steakist, we separate each muscle and remove all fat and gristle. This creates 3 different steaks, Picanha (pronounced pik-an-ya), Bistro, and prime rump.
The Prime rump is cut into our large 12oz rump steaks. No fat, no gristle just lots of flavour. These steaks are delicious and best eaten rare or medium. We do not recommend well done.
The Bistro is covered with cracked pepper and very gently cooked before adding it to our amazing grill. Best eaten rare or medium but can be eaten well done.
The Picanha is a favourite in South America and widely used for BBQ. We use this cut for our Sunday lunch. It’s best rare or medium but can be eaten well done.
You can view our main A La Carte menu here
