Cooking the perfect steak is something of an art form that intimidates some cooks and challenges others. The perfect steak isn’t about the perfect cook — it all begins with the prep work. Depending on which you buy, and there are plenty of good cuts of steak to choose from, you might get a piece with a thick layer of fat that needs to be trimmed.
Whether you buy your meat at the grocery store or the neighborhood butcher, you may get your meat already perfectly pre-trimmed. If not, you’ll want to do it yourself. Generally, the rule is to keep the outer fat layer at about an eighth of an inch. Any less than that and you are running the risk of a dry, tough steak, and any more will be difficult to render down while the steak cooks, leaving you or your guests with an unpleasant, inedible piece of fat to deal with.
Fat is a normal part of beef. It is found marbled throughout the meat and often in a thick layer around the outside of a steak. The right amount of fat can be delicious when rendered well, caramelizing on the outside and oozing into the muscle fibers as it cooks, adding flavor and moisture to the meat. When it is too thick, it can be hard and challenging to render effectively and even pose a fire hazard on the grill.
Don’t let an overly enthusiastic trimming ruin your meal
Over-trimming the fat on a steak is a problem, but don’t let it ruin your meal. There are some easy tricks you can employ to help you fix the problem and save dinner. The drawback of an overly trimmed steak is that the meat will likely be dry and tough, so tenderize it a bit to help it along.
Start with using a meat mallet or bladed tenderizer to help break down the dense tissues of the meat so you can get more liquid through the meat while cooking it. Once you’ve got the meat prepped, marinate the meat in a liquid that contains an acidic component, like white vinegar, citrus juice, wine, or even yogurt, to help to soften and break down the proteins and connective tissues.
If you don’t have any acidic ingredients to soak your meat in, try an unexpected but effective hack and soak it in some sparkling water as a tenderizer substitute, which is mildly acidic in its own right. This trick will get your steak nice and tender without altering the flavor profile of any seasoning you plan to use, unlike a vinegar- or citrus-based marinade.
