As you likely know, grass fed and raised beef has a much lower fat content, many fewer calories and many more nutrients than feedlot corn-fed beef. The fat comes from grass rather than corn, which makes it significantly healthier.
Here are some great instructions for how to prepare a great grass fed steak in Arizona. We can promise it’ll be a delicious meal!
1. Make sure the steak is at room temperature before you start to cook it. You should set out the steak on your counter for about an hour before you begin cooking. At the beginning of the 60 minutes, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each side. If you choose to marinate your steaks, you should do this before bringing them to room temperature.
2. After about 50 minutes, begin preheating either a stainless steel or cast iron skillet to medium heat. It should be hot enough for a drop of water to quickly evaporate. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
3. After the 60 minutes has elapsed, rinse the salt off the steak. At this time, you can add additional seasonings if you wish, and use a jaccard to penetrate the steak on each side. This reduces the amount of time it takes to cook, and allows any marinades you’ve put on to better seep into the meat.
4. Add a bit of fat to the bottom of the pre-heated pan. You can use lard, bacon fat, butter, coconut oil or cooking oil.
5. Begin frying the steak in the pan, spending about 90 to 120 seconds on each side before flipping.
6. Once you have completed the pan frying stage, put about a half tablespoon on top of the steak, and then place the pan in the oven. Do not transfer the steak to a different pan before putting it into the oven; the same one is preferred.
7. At this point you have a little bit of flexibility in terms of how you are going to cook your steak. If you like rare steaks, cook to 120 degrees. Then, medium rare, medium, medium well and well done will be 125 degrees, 130 degrees, 135 degrees and 140 degrees, respectively.
8. After your steak has completely finished cooking, let it rest while covered for about eight to 10 minutes before you cut into it. This lets the juices fully penetrate, giving the steak a richer flavor and making it much easier to cut and eat.
Remember, with grass-fed beef, you never want to run the risk of overcooking. You really should cook it no more than medium; otherwise, the meat is going to be far too tough. You can also use a meat tenderizer at the early phases, if you wish, to help soften the meat even more before cooking. This is not required, and is simply meant to tenderize tougher steaks. Finally, if you have frozen your steak at any point, you should make sure it is completely thawed before the 60-minute process begins.
For more information about cooking the perfect grass fed steak in Arizona, contact Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co. today.