Pat LaFrieda is an old-school do-it-yourselfer, a formidable trait that bleeds into his cooking. He is precise and foolproof in his methodology. Rule number one? A good steak, as any cook worth their salt might contest, is already so rich in flavor that very little needs to be done in the way of preparation and seasoning. Other tidbits? High heat is essential. A thermometer, unless your very vocation is grilling steaks day-in, day-out, is a very good idea. Have a resting rack ready. And for the sake of all things good and decent in the wide, wonderful world of meat: Do not jab your steak with a fork to judge whether it's cooked to your liking.
There's a lot more of a gray area between the crust and the core on this filet, and none of the golden-brown caramelization that happens with fattier cuts. All in all, I'd be a fool to say that I wasn't pleased with this deftly cooked and presented banquet, but one could argue that you might achieve the same results with a skillet on a stove.
We've sat down with LaFrieda multiple times to discuss, among other things, the finer points of meat preparation and grilling. We like to think we've gleaned a thing or two. Ever the students, here's what we've learned from the meat man himself.
Seasoning
The age-old salamander or overhead grill (or broiler) - possibly named after old folklore around dragons and lizards wielding fire, but who knows - is the very reason your steak crust and fish skin seem so impossibly crispy when you dine out. And at last, 1,500-degree Fahrenheit heat is safely available to the home cook at a (relatively) affordable price. Yes, there have been other iterations of the consumer-scaled salamander (or "sally", for short), but everything I've found has either been too small or too expensive (I'm talking over $2,000).
The Otto Wilde OFB grill comes more or less assembled, which you may take for an exceptional luxury if you've ever had to assemble a large propane grill before. Just make sure you find the small brass adapter piece as you're unboxing. You'll need this to attach the hose for your propane tank.
Otherwise, all you really have to do is place the top unit on top (no fastening required) and slide in the cast iron grate (the company also offers a stainless steel grate, if you prefer)
Preheating the Otto Wilde takes all of three minutes. Reminder: This thing gets up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is most certainly a temperature that no part of the human body should ever encounter. Go ahead and try this at home, but keep the kids and pets away, and don't leave it unattended.
One of my favorite things about this grill is the drip tray, which not only helps keep your food from drying out (just like a smoker) but also makes cleanup a cinch. Just let the grill cool down and pull the tray out to wash it (it's dishwasher safe).
Some meat enthusiasts believe in bringing a steak up to room temperature before tossing it on the grill. Now, as a meat purveyor, Pat LaFrieda is not exactly encouraged by the FDA to invite the associated bacteria to the party, but he claims it's pointless to leave a steak out. How do you prepare the perfect medium-rare steak? "Straight from the fridge at 38 degrees [Fahrenheit], douse it in salt." If you're cooking with an overhead oven, "Lower the grate down from heat (on high), and cook it for about three minutes on each side, if you're cooking, say, a 1.5-inch porterhouse. Once finished, pepper it." Some say that peppering your steak ahead of cooking will cause it to burn and impart a bitter taste.
Searing
Love or hate the tomahawk steak, you can't deny that this is a thing of beauty. While the Otto Wilde will handle a lean cut like a filet, it prefers something with a formidable fat content, like a ribeye, or this tomahawk steak. That's how you get an evenly sealed, crispy, golden crust like you see above.
As for guesstimating the doneness of your steak? Probably not the best move for most of us. "This whole thing about 'If you touch it and it feels like your cheek,' I never got that," LaFrieda says. "Stick a thermometer in the center where it's toughest and where the bone is. If it's 125 [degrees Fahrenheit], I'm taking it out. If you rest it for more than 2 minutes, then it's going to continue to cook through."
And when you pull that steak out? Get it on a resting rack. "You don't want the meat to rest in its own juices. Whatever's going to fall, let it fall." Otherwise, he tells us, "You're now steaming the steak again - what we've worked so hard to do, and now we're going to lose it. Let it sit for two minutes on the rack, then make sure you cut into it and stop the heating process."
Slicing
"Slice it at 2 minutes and the cooking procedure ends. The moment you cut through a steak, the resting period is over. No juices get redistributed through the product. The exterior temperatures are equaling the interior temperatures. That's just physics. This gets you a nice sear and one solid color throughout." As for the right knife? A meat slicing knife works, but LaFrieda prefers a butcher's knife to get the job done. Pat's brand of choice is Victorinox.
Serving
Once you've sliced your steak, or let it rest as long as you'd like, it's time to add fresh-ground pepper, if you want it. Then there's really only one question left: To use sauce, or not to use sauce? "I love sauces, LaFrieda says. "They bring a different dimension to something that I've eaten most likely plain for most of my life."
His favorite sauces? "Mine. It's a little sweet, and it's got a lot of reduced balsamic and sautéed Vidalia onions, which you can use as a marinade. If you just use it for steaks, a little bit goes a long way because it has that potency of the balsamic and the sweet Vidalia. My whole life I've been eating steak au poivre from Raoul's."
(Editor's note: Unfortunately, we can't find or buy Raoul's Steak au Poivre recipe, but we're working to send Owen deep undercover into Raoul's in SoHo to obtain this highly coveted recipe for all the world to share. In the meantime, Pat's sauce, as well as this 1950s recipe from Epicurious, should do.)
On reheating leftovers
If you're going to have leftovers, "Make sure the meat is very rare, to begin with," LaFrieda implores. "If you're going to make a whole fillet and you know you'll only eat a few slices, make sure you refrigerate the rarest parts so when you reheat it, it's not overcooked. And keep it out of the microwave for crying out loud. Stovetop."
And there you have it.
For more meat tips, read Pat LaFrieda's Meat: Everything You Need to Know, and check out his list of the 8 grilling tools he cannot live without.
Related video: Steak pot pie beats chicken any day [via Delish]
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