Former Bills to Open High End Steakhouse in Buffalo

[bobbobbob]

I've heard that Ponderosa serves a mean steak, but I usually just get the steak sandwiches at 7-11. They'll heat them up for you!

[BarleyNY]

Why?

When a steak cooks several things can happen. The muscle fibrils tighten up which expels liquid. Fat and other connective tissue can also break down. At rare there is no chance for any fat rendering and the muscle is nearly raw. The muscle fibrils haven't had a chance to tighten up and have almost all of their liquid. The result is that they'll give the steak a slippery, wet, chewy texture. If it's a fatty cut there'll also be a waxy texture. Tenderloin is really the only cut that can handle rare.

 

At medium rare the steak will still be red, but there will be some tightening of the muscle fibrils and expulsion of some liquid. That allows the fibrils to be easily cut when bitten rather than slip and slosh past each other like with a rare steak. That result is a very tender texture. Pretty much any steak can turns out well cooked medium rare.

 

Tougher, fattier steaks like hangar or skirt do well up to medium. The color goes to rosy pink, the fibrils tighten further and there is more liquid lost, but the fatty marbling breaks down more. That adds richness, flavor and liquid to the meat.

 

At medium well pretty much any steak takes on a grainy or cottony texture. Some of the fattiest cuts can fair decently, but most will be pretty dried out and tough. At well done the steak is pretty much leather.

 

Personally I can't eat a rare steak. The texture makes me retch. Due to the inconsistency in cooking at most places I would order medium for fear of an undercooked medium rare piece of meat. The best steakhouses are reliable, but I wasn't eating many meals at places like that. Now, medium rare is the only way I eat a steak - mostly at home. If I eat out and don't trust the place to nail the steak I'll get something else.

 

Higher temps do have their place though. I cook my steaks at 130, but brisket is another story. I always smoke it for 2 hours first. I've done the point at 176 for 24-36 hours before searing. The result was some great pulled brisket tacos. Still very moist and not overcooked at all. I've done flats for 48 hours at 130 and 140. The 130 was pinkish red and cut with a butter knife. The 140 was very light pink/brownish and cut with the side of the fork. I actually liked that one better as it was incredibly tender.

Find a local farm and buy a grass fed cow--best value ever.

I've had highlanders, angus, limousin, and a few others, and the beef is phenomenal quality.

The price is astonishingly low, especially if you take the organs, bones, and tallow like I do.

Thanks. We've been talking about getting a 1/4 or splitting a 1/2 with friends. I've been researching farms that do that.

[Corp000085]

Kennedy's Cove on Main Street in Clarence is phenomenal. No frills atmosphere with amazing steaks.

My next door neighbor growing up. Literally, next door neighbor. Palermos was great right next to kennedys too

[Augie]

I've had few steaks out that are as good as what I can make myself at home.

THANKS! I cook a lot and have seared steaks in cast iron then finished in the oven since going to a cooking class/dinner led by a Ruth's Chris chef. The problem is you can easily get distracted and miss on the timing. It can be perfect, or you can be off a bit (or a lot). This has some serious promise for a lot of things. We do far more fish than beef, but from what I've read so far it's a great option there too. I've already looked up the store near us, so time to make some room in the kitchen. My wife's silly bread making phase didn't last long..... Hurts when you find out you have gluten issues.

 

I'm sure the models vary, but what kind of capacity do they have. How many steaks can you do at once? We like to entertain a lot, and I often get distracted with the people and the wine. Anything to make it easier and foolproof when I'm playing the fool.

Edited June 11, 2016 by Augie

[GG]

with or without ketchup?

 

Why not pickle juice?

[thebandit27]

When a steak cooks several things can happen. The muscle fibrils tighten up which expels liquid. Fat and other connective tissue can also break down. At rare there is no chance for any fat rendering and the muscle is nearly raw. The muscle fibrils haven't had a chance to tighten up and have almost all of their liquid. The result is that they'll give the steak a slippery, wet, chewy texture. If it's a fatty cut there'll also be a waxy texture. Tenderloin is really the only cut that can handle rare.

 

At medium rare the steak will still be red, but there will be some tightening of the muscle fibrils and expulsion of some liquid. That allows the fibrils to be easily cut when bitten rather than slip and slosh past each other like with a rare steak. That result is a very tender texture. Pretty much any steak can turns out well cooked medium rare.

 

Tougher, fattier steaks like hangar or skirt do well up to medium. The color goes to rosy pink, the fibrils tighten further and there is more liquid lost, but the fatty marbling breaks down more. That adds richness, flavor and liquid to the meat.

 

At medium well pretty much any steak takes on a grainy or cottony texture. Some of the fattiest cuts can fair decently, but most will be pretty dried out and tough. At well done the steak is pretty much leather.

 

Personally I can't eat a rare steak. The texture makes me retch. Due to the inconsistency in cooking at most places I would order medium for fear of an undercooked medium rare piece of meat. The best steakhouses are reliable, but I wasn't eating many meals at places like that. Now, medium rare is the only way I eat a steak - mostly at home. If I eat out and don't trust the place to nail the steak I'll get something else.

 

Higher temps do have their place though. I cook my steaks at 130, but brisket is another story. I always smoke it for 2 hours first. I've done the point at 176 for 24-36 hours before searing. The result was some great pulled brisket tacos. Still very moist and not overcooked at all. I've done flats for 48 hours at 130 and 140. The 130 was pinkish red and cut with a butter knife. The 140 was very light pink/brownish and cut with the side of the fork. I actually liked that one better as it was incredibly tender.

 

Thanks. We've been talking about getting a 1/4 or splitting a 1/2 with friends. I've been researching farms that do that.

If you live in WNY and want some recommendations feel free to PM me

[3rdand12]

I've had few steaks out that are as good as what I can make myself at home. The best steakhouse I've been to is St. Elmo's in Indianapolis. Great cuts of beef that are cooked beautifully. I've not been to Black & Blue, but would like to try it sometime. The wife and I used to hit Jo Jo's regularly for drinks and snacking before it closed, but never made it next door.

 

So here's what I recommend for a perfect medium rare steak. Buy a sous vide set up. I have the Anova immersion device and cook in a cambro that I notched out a hole in the lid for the Anova. I usually make filet mignon or other tenderloin steaks. Thicker is better so I try to get pieces in the 1.5" range. I season, bag and cook for 1 hour at 130F. Meanwhile I get my charcoal grill as hot as it can go with the coals right up against the grate. When the steaks come out I pat them dry and put a little bit of fat (butter) on them and quickly sear them on the open grill. About 1-2 min per side. Keep them moving and flip as needed. The point here is to get a crust, but not cook them any more. The higher the heat the better. No need to rest with the sous vide so plate immediately on pre warmed dishes or serving dish.

 

You can also use a blazing hot pan instead of a charcoal grill. I do that sometimes, but I'd warn against using a gas grill. Even the infrared things don't work. Gas grills just don't get hot enough so getting a decent crust takes too long and the steaks cook. I tried it once and they came out med/medwell. Never again. If you use a pan don't try to cheat by putting oil or butter in it instead of on the meat. At the high heat needed it'll jump and spatter out. Put it on the meat. And open your windows and turn on your vent full blast. I routinely set off my smoke detectors when I pan sear. You can speed up and dial in the crusting process with a Searzall topped torch, but it isn't necessary. I usually use one for the pan, but not the grill.

You Sir, are appear to have the Steak situation well in hand , perhaps you have your Masters Degree ?

 

Spot on.

It's an art form , preparing your own steak that is. After 40 years or so i am pleased when slicing the result of my learning to create a fantastic steak.

 

One of the great joys in life.

Honest BBq and cold beers.

oh yeah. and Family. almost forgot.

 

You guys are way too fussy. Here's my method:

1. remove Steak-umms from freezer.
2. season with salt.
3. place in microwave until meat boils
4. place meat between two slices of Wonder bread and savor the goodness.

 

as long as it satisfies your culinary desires and makes you happy. Or fills the gullet

 

: )

 

Ketchup? Of course not. What are you, an animal?

LOL'd

thanks for the chuckle

who else gets their steak well done? crispier the better!

OMG.

and you call yourself aristocrat?!

 

Well done is a little too dry for me, but I'll admit I'm pretty sick and tired of being told that if I don't eat my steaks bloody I don't know what good steak is.

My Pops ate steak tarter.

freaked me out

 

Just like with hot sauce, IPAs and so many other things sometimes people take things too far for the wrong reasons. Medium rare is generally considered the best way to eat a steak, especially the leaner cuts. Fattier steaks can be better at medium and extremely tough, fatty, collagen heavy cuts of beef can require even higher temperatures be broken down properly. A filet mignon and a brisket point might both be beef, but they are very different things and need to be handled very differently. Also with traditional cooking methods it's difficult to get a steak properly cooked throughout. That often leads to a "medium rare" steak being nearly raw in the middle or way overcooked except in a narrow center band. That's where the sous vide comes in. It'll cook the steak perfectly every time. I wasn't a medium rare fan until I started using one. Now I love it that way.

i officially defer to his high ness the Earl Of Barley. Master of his meats!

But i have to agree. medium rare for the strip, t bone and Porter house.

Delmonico can take some more high heat.

Crisp the fat, baby !

Tournedos at the Inn on Broadway serves dry age. Bone in ribeye is the way to go.

I recently got an Anova and have been doing sous vide steak. I seal my steaks with a pat of butter in the bag, cook 1 hour at 123 - 125 and then finish in cast iron. I just wish I could get the sear I want in an apartment without setting off every smoke detector in the building.

 

Last night I ate sous vide 65 degree eggs for the hell of it. Best kitchen gadget I own.

Never had a bone in rib eye ?

how could this have happened to me ? or NOT happened as the case may be. aarrgghh

[YoloinOhio]

What the eff is sous vide! I had an elk burger the other day so I kind of fit in to this thread :/

[eball]

When a steak cooks several things can happen. The muscle fibrils tighten up which expels liquid. Fat and other connective tissue can also break down. At rare there is no chance for any fat rendering and the muscle is nearly raw. The muscle fibrils haven't had a chance to tighten up and have almost all of their liquid. The result is that they'll give the steak a slippery, wet, chewy texture. If it's a fatty cut there'll also be a waxy texture. Tenderloin is really the only cut that can handle rare.

 

At medium rare the steak will still be red, but there will be some tightening of the muscle fibrils and expulsion of some liquid. That allows the fibrils to be easily cut when bitten rather than slip and slosh past each other like with a rare steak. That result is a very tender texture. Pretty much any steak can turns out well cooked medium rare.

 

Tougher, fattier steaks like hangar or skirt do well up to medium. The color goes to rosy pink, the fibrils tighten further and there is more liquid lost, but the fatty marbling breaks down more. That adds richness, flavor and liquid to the meat.

 

At medium well pretty much any steak takes on a grainy or cottony texture. Some of the fattiest cuts can fair decently, but most will be pretty dried out and tough. At well done the steak is pretty much leather.

 

Personally I can't eat a rare steak. The texture makes me retch. Due to the inconsistency in cooking at most places I would order medium for fear of an undercooked medium rare piece of meat. The best steakhouses are reliable, but I wasn't eating many meals at places like that. Now, medium rare is the only way I eat a steak - mostly at home. If I eat out and don't trust the place to nail the steak I'll get something else.

 

Higher temps do have their place though. I cook my steaks at 130, but brisket is another story. I always smoke it for 2 hours first. I've done the point at 176 for 24-36 hours before searing. The result was some great pulled brisket tacos. Still very moist and not overcooked at all. I've done flats for 48 hours at 130 and 140. The 130 was pinkish red and cut with a butter knife. The 140 was very light pink/brownish and cut with the side of the fork. I actually liked that one better as it was incredibly tender.

 

 

Thanks!

[3rdand12]

What the eff is sous vide! I had an elk burger the other day so I kind of fit in to this thread :/

lucky to me , a couple years ago. One of my Elder friends shared some Elk he had shot on one of his hunting trips.

 

I was quite thankful.

 

But burgers are the line in the sand. we have already drifted far enough.

 

I probably do not even have the proper attire for this establishment any ways

[Bakin]

 

Restaurants like Sizzler sell comparatively cheap steaks.

 

Texas Roadhouse provides better quality steaks but is still not high end.

 

Places like Ruth Chris are high end.

 

Btw, I think someone said the new steakhouse will sell Wagyu beef which is wonderful stuff. But most "Kobe" and "Wagyu" steak sold in the US is fake. It's actually "American Kobe" or something like that and often a lesser quality.

Correct. Sizzler and Ponderosa are the cheap places but no one ACTUALLY wants to go there.

Grill your own 100 times out of 100.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

who else gets their steak well done? crispier the better!

 

Blasphemy!!! Medium Rare only

[BarleyNY]

(

What the eff is sous vide! I had an elk burger the other day so I kind of fit in to this thread :/

It translates to "under vacuum". It's a method of cooking where the food is sealed in bags with no air and cooked in a water bath. The equipment is very precise - to a 1/10th of a degree - and once up to temp the variation is only a small fraction of a degree if you use a lid. Mine doesn't vary by more than 1/10th of a degree.

 

THANKS! I cook a lot and have seared steaks in cast iron then finished in the oven since going to a cooking class/dinner led by a Ruth's Chris chef. The problem is you can easily get distracted and miss on the timing. It can be perfect, or you can be off a bit (or a lot). This has some serious promise for a lot of things. We do far more fish than beef, but from what I've read so far it's a great option there too. I've already looked up the store near us, so time to make some room in the kitchen. My wife's silly bread making phase didn't last long..... Hurts when you find out you have gluten issues.

I'm sure the models vary, but what kind of capacity do they have. How many steaks can you do at once? We like to entertain a lot, and I often get distracted with the people and the wine. Anything to make it easier and foolproof when I'm playing the fool.

Precision is one advantage of sous vide cooking, but the biggest is that the target you're hitting moves very slowly. It's tough to mess up. You have to "sear in the rear" with sous vide though. You'll lose the crust if you sear first. It's funny. I was in a similar spot as you. I started smoking meats and charcoal grilling and found that I was using slow cook methods that are designed to emulate sous vide cooking. Amazingribs.com has a lot of good info for techniques and recipes for grilling and smoking. They actually refer to one method as "redneck sous vide". After doing that a few times I finally decided to just get a real one, which is way easier.

 

Some of the cookers are full units with a bin built in and some are immersion types that you can put in a variety of vessels. I have an immersion. If I ever get a second one it'll be a complete unit. The complete unit is nice for general use, but if you are limited by the bin size. For the immersion I found that a pot isn't great because lid coverage is important. Plus I want to see what's happening inside. I almost always use a cambro with a lid I notched. If I had to do a huge batch of something I'd probably sacrifice a big styrofoam or igloo beer cooler (I've seen several people say they've done this and it's worked well). The most I packed into my cambro was about 7 pounds of burgers. Space was more the issue than the machine. It did fine. Water circulation was good although I did have to use a rib rack to keep them separated. I've had no issue with a half dozen good sized steaks and it could easily handle twice that for a dinner party. I like the cambro because I can store the Anova, torch and my notes in it. It travels easily that way.

 

Here's a link that I learned a lot from (and plagiarized a bit to answer the steak doneness question). Great site in general too:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak.html

Edited June 11, 2016 by BarleyNY

[3rdand12]

( It translates to "under vacuum". It's a method of cooking where the food is sealed in bags with no air and cooked in a water bath. The equipment is very precise - to a 1/10th of a degree - and once up to temp the variation is only a small fraction of a degree if you use a lid. Mine doesn't vary by more than 1/10th of a degree.

 

Precision is one advantage of sous vide cooking, but the biggest is that the target you're hitting moves very slowly. It's tough to mess up. You have to "sear in the rear" with sous vide though. You'll lose the crust if you sear first. It's funny. I was in a similar spot as you. I started smoking meats and charcoal grilling and found that I was using slow cook methods that are designed to emulate sous vide cooking. Amazingribs.com has a lot of good info for techniques and recipes for grilling and smoking. They actually refer to one method as "redneck sous vide". After doing that a few times I finally decided to just get a real one, which is way easier.

 

Some of the cookers are full units with a bin built in and some are immersion types that you can put in a variety of vessels. I have an immersion. If I ever get a second one it'll be a complete unit. The complete unit is nice for general use, but if you are limited by the bin size. For the immersion I found that a pot isn't great because lid coverage is important. Plus I want to see what's happening inside. I almost always use a cambro with a lid I notched. If I had to do a huge batch of something I'd probably sacrifice a big styrofoam or igloo beer cooler (I've seen several people say they've done this and it's worked well). The most I packed into my cambro was about 7 pounds of burgers. Space was more the issue than the machine. It did fine. Water circulation was good although I did have to use a rib rack to keep them separated. I've had no issue with a half dozen good sized steaks and it could easily handle twice that for a dinner party. I like the cambro because I can store the Anova, torch and my notes in it. It travels easily that way.

 

Here's a link that I learned a lot from (and plagiarized a bit to answer the steak doneness question). Great site in general too:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-steak.html

I used amazingribs as a resource for my first home brined Corned beef. You will see me in the comments. They are super helpful folks.

 

Sous vide sounds too easy.

[NoSaint]

I used amazingribs as a resource for my first home brined Corned beef. You will see me in the comments. They are super helpful folks.

 

Sous vide sounds too easy.

Too easy might be an understatement. I feel like I'm gaming the system when I get compliments on my cooking with it.

 

Smoking and the like at least feels hard earned success.

 

But if THAT is the big flaw, I can't complain too much

[gobillsinytown]

How can you tell the difference between a Bills' message board and any other NFL team's message board?

 

The fans aren't just fans. They're also grilling masters through years of tailgate trial and effort.

Edited June 11, 2016 by gobillsinytown

[BarleyNY]

Too easy might be an understatement. I feel like I'm gaming the system when I get compliments on my cooking with it.

Smoking and the like at least feels hard earned success.

But if THAT is the big flaw, I can't complain too much

I totally agree. I can't tell you how often I've been sitting around, having a few pre dinner drinks with friends and realize I forgot to do something. The sous vide takes the biggest issue of potentially screwing up the entree off the table. And it's hands off for the vast majority of time so I can do other stuff until I'm ready to sear and serve.

[3rdand12]

Too easy might be an understatement. I feel like I'm gaming the system when I get compliments on my cooking with it.

 

Smoking and the like at least feels hard earned success.

 

But if THAT is the big flaw, I can't complain too much

If i was trying to please guests i think i would strive for a better and more consistent method.

 

I like the the ritual of the Grill.

How can you tell the difference between a Bills' message board and any other NFL team's message board?

 

The fans aren't just fans. They're also grilling masters through years of tailgate trial and effort.

[Augie]

I totally agree. I can't tell you how often I've been sitting around, having a few pre dinner drinks with friends and realize I forgot to do something. The sous vide takes the biggest issue of potentially screwing up the entree off the table. And it's hands off for the vast majority of time so I can do other stuff until I'm ready to sear and serve.

Sold! Not long ago we had 10-12 people over and were doing tenderloin AND grilled shell-on prawns (which required full attention). Too many things going on (including my wine glass) and some of the steaks went a bit too far.I just ordered my Anova. Looking forward to my new toy!

[NoSaint]

Sold! Not long ago we had 10-12 people over and were doing tenderloin AND grilled shell-on prawns (which required full attention). Too many things going on (including my wine glass) and some of the steaks went a bit too far.I just ordered my Anova. Looking forward to my new toy!

At this rate we might need a fresh cooking thread over in off the wall