I love steak, it's RED meat. I like mine just a little warmer than raw.
Whenever I go to a restaurant when the server asks how I want it done I look her in the eye and say "Ma'am, I really don't want it cooked. Bring it out alive and I'll kill it myself with my Spyderco knife".
They say "so you want it rare?" I say "just brown it a bit on both sides".
They always assure me it will be done. Happened again at very well known place the other night. Came out medium at best.
I understand they are afraid I'll get sick and sue them (I wouldn't) but it's never even CLOSE to rare.

We live is a Nanny society.
Jim

Jim,

I rarely order steak in a restaurant as my wife tells me I "grill um" better than anyone.

The last $30+ something steak I ordered cured me from doing that again...

For what you spend on steak in a restaurant you can get a really really fine steak from a good butcher shop, and making it rare is pretty easy at home. I rarely eat steak in restaurants any more.

It's really only ground meat most places (should have) an issue with cooking temps. Instead of the dramatic speech on killing it yourself, wiping it's "nose" & trotting it by the campfire, just burning the hair off it etc. Just order it black and blue, they will know what that means (an industry standard, sorta) & is pretty rare. Overcooked is overcooked. Tell the waiter/waitress you are fussy about your steaks & will not hesitate to send it back (politely). I've seen some chefs refuse to cook steaks too rare, or too well done. Maybe in Texas you can get one Hannibal Lector style. As a former waiter I saw a chef plate up a totally uncooked steak for a fussy customer & bring it to him in person, LOL. I'd be leery about eating something after sending it back more than once.

The best steaks I've ever ate are the ones I cook myself on the charcoal grill. Restaurant steaks are good some places but never as good as you can fix it yourself at the house.

__________________
M&P15,9MM,M66,22-A,Glock 30SF

A man after my own heart. I tell them to just light a match under the cow. I once had a chef come out to my table in a Kansas City restaurant to see the guy who ordered the rare steak, he also believed it's the only way to eat a steak and almost nobody orders them that way.
Call it Pittsburgh or Black and Blue or just plane rare, it's what's for dinner.

__________________
Back to back World War Champs.

Go to France... Ask for it "bleu" (blue).

It's still twitching.

My wife also likes steak rare, just a mild sunburn on it. I like mine to look like if came off the cow that started the Chicago fire.

In general when I go out it's to get something I can't make better myself. I feel like I wasted my time & money when I leave saying, "I could have made that better". NOW I want a steak at 8am, thanks. A chile omelette will have to do.

I'm with the cook it yourself guys. There's 2 things I won't eat at restaurants, pork and red meat. When I'm at a cookout, people set me up in front of the grill(charcoal preferred) and bring me beer and meat. There's no, how do you like it cooked? If you don't like meat cooked right, you're not gonna like my meat. And if anyone asks for ketchup, they'll get smacked upside the head with a heavy duty stainless steel spatula.

__________________
Keep on Chooglin'

I order mine "black a nd blue" or Pittsburg style.
Both mean charred on the outside, COLD, as in raw, on the inside.
It usually comes out right. I've only had to send a few back over the years.

Comrad, thankya!
Once again, i have learned a valuable somethin'. I've never heard the term Pittsburg for warm and bloody, but I'm gonna try it next time somebody is payin the tab.
....very important to remain teachable.....

__________________
Halfway and one more step

Maybe you need to go to a better class of restaurant.

I have never eaten steak in a restaurant I prefer to eat them at home. I also like mine well done.

That's what I'm talking about.
I'd accept either of those first 2, though in all honesty, they're pushing overcooked for me.

When I was a young Marine ( mean but no longer mean ) the boys from Texas laughed at the way us NY boys ate are steak. They said if it aint still walking it overdone. Changed my way of eating steak. Still th best I can do is medium rare.

Some of the better steakhouses can do a better steak (sometimes) for a few reasons: they can get a better grade of beef, better fed/butchered, they have more experience, a refridge system at more ideal temp & humidity than we have for aging, a better cooking system than we have. Some cook certain cuts at super high temps we can't duplicate. Kingsford type black charcoal brickettes, lighter fluid, propane etc, taste like a petroleum product to me. A good quality real wood (hickory & apple my choice) chip/coals in a weber or green egg can give some extremely hot temps & good flavor, but a few seconds either way can make a big difference, & don't worry about losing some eyebrow & arm hair.

Ya know? That don't make no sense....

Medium rare to medium for me. <note the period

I want what I WANT to eat - You eat it your way but DO NOT try to impose your tastes on me (or anyone else for that matter).
B - You'll need a new spatula if I ask for ketchup (I wouldn't though)

OTOH - I'd be happy to have a beer (well, not *a*) with ya

__________________
In dog years I'm dead.

Think over cooked steak is bad-try overcooked prime rib. My sister in law was cooking it for Christmas and told me that she cooks it until the thermometer reads 160
She also cooks without salt
I wanted to tell her to pull it out when it reads 135 and by the time she slices it, it will have cooked to 145 and will be perfect but the wife poked me in the side and gave me the death stare.
Even the fat was overdone A beautiful 5 rib roast-totally destroyed and my wife would not even let me ask for the salt. My shoe would have tasted better.

__________________
Forum consigliere

Caj,
A roast like that holds up pretty well in the crab trap, but thats all it's good for.

__________________
Halfway and one more step

Overcooked meat is actually worse than undercooked. You can't fix overcooked.

__________________
Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Knock the horns off, and drag it trough the fire....Umm GOOD

Medium well at the minimum. Well done if I do it myself.

I spent the last week in Chicago and one stop was dinner at Gene & Georghetti's. A medium-well T bone that was fork tender. One of the top 5 I've ever eaten.

__________________
James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I prefer medium and normally I get it no problem. We go out with my son and his wife about once a month.

She is a graduate of CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and is real hard to please. She orders rare, most times even tells the waiter to just run a flashlight over it a few times.

Only gets what she wants about 50% of the time. She does not make an issue unless its way over done for her, but would be much happier to get what she wants!

__________________
14 S&W Revs none with locks!

aint no need to moan....cook that meat at home....

__________________
There's nowt so queer as folk

the best steak I ever had was in a small steak house in the middle of nowhere California, It was near the back gate at Vandenberg AFB. I had a 2 inch thick New York Strip steak, that had been aged 9 days at 38 degrees with 50 % humidity, cooked over a bed of mesquite coals, cooked 3 minutes on each side with a nice char. it came on warm and purple red center. Served with a baked potato, brown beans and a green salad with green goddess dressing and a bottle of Merlot. The ride to my truck in the wheel barrel was free. I felt like a stuffed maggot. Cost me $21.00 plus tip my wife had the fresh Tuna steak.

__________________
Carpriver.

I too prefer my steak on my charcoal grill. I like my steak med but my wife and daughter want it WELL done. Luckily, I have a Thermapen super fast thermometer and I can go by internal temps. My wife and daughter's go to 160-170 degrees and mine to 140-145 degrees. This usually gets its right.

I've started order med rare at restaurants since it normally ends up at med or med well. Seems this tendency to overcook is fairly recent. Definitely some concerns with ground meat and chicken.

I too prefer the steaks I cook myself on the charcoal grill. It's about 0 degrees here in Iowa with a lot of snow on the ground. That won't stop me.
But sometimes you have to eat at a restaurant. When I go out with Missus Fan she gets hers medium. I use the "I'll kill it myself" speech... and also get it medium. The other night I was out with a female client. She also likes hers very rare. It was at Applebees. Not exactly a steak place, but a good restaurant. The steak was medium. Happens all the time at Texas Roadhouse. I actually talked to the the manager about it one time and he ASSURED me I could get it to my liking. Never happens.

I used to get them cooked the way I want them.
Sorry, Caj, but your Barrister friends have ruined everything.
Jim

I grew up eating steak well done & didn't know any better. My Dad will go medium well, but prefers well done. Back in the nineties I went to a little rib & steak joint across the street from the dealership I worked at with one of the techs. When we ordered our steaks, he ordered rare & I ordered medium well. He just shook his head & asked me if I had ever ordered a rare steak, & I said no. He suggested trying it rare, & if I didn't like it I could always send it back to broil it a bit more. That's what I did & I've been hooked every since. There are a couple of steak houses here in OKC that take you at your word when you ask for rare, & they don't argue with you about it.

__________________
Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I dont know, you guys are brave eating raw stuff. I got sicker than a dog after trying medium rare once. The best I can do is pink but no bleeding. I had a bad episode with fish too-which is why ill never eat another. I dont like crispy meat by any means--cept for Bacon that is--but Roast and such--better not be. I cant stand burnt eggs either.

This is a subject near and dear to my heart!

I agree with those above that never/rarely order steak in a restaurant. I cook 'em better than anywhere I can buy them and let somebody else cook 'em. If they don't come out right (but they always do ) then I got nobody but myself to blame.

Most people over trim, over season and over cook steaks. The flavor of the meat should be the star of the show not all the hot spices and sloppy sauces. I swear one day I'm gonna see some one put ketchup on a steak and I'm gonna walk over to his table and knock a knot on his head.

Beef gets it's flavor from two sources; fat and blood. If you cut away all the fat and cook away all the blood what you have left is basically cardboard. With the price of beef these days it is past stupid to buy a nice steak and ruin it. If you don't like steak then leave it for those that do and order yourself a nice piece of fish.

I don't often order a steak in a restaurant but when I do and they ask me how I want it cooked I say: "Cripple it, shave it, wipes it's bee-hind scorch it on both sides for 3 seconds and run it out here. When I stick my fork in it I better hear a moo." That usually gets me a smile and sometimes I actually get a rare steak!

BTW for the benefit those in the Houston Texas area I'd like to let y'all in on a little secret.

Texas Roadhouse

Not fancy and not expensive. But you can get a nice fillet in there that you can cut with your fork it's so tender. And they will cook it the way you like it...the first time. Great side dishes too and the beer is VERY cold. On those rare times when I do eat steak out that is where I go.

__________________
Real men love cats!

Jim, you are the customer and have every right to expect your meal cooked the way you asked them to cook it. So if that happens again, send the overcooked steak back. The staff may not be pleased with you, so what. If they had done things properly the first time everything would have been OK.

Ringo, Have you tried Chicken sushi? Fabulous.

__________________
Halfway and one more step

At the Texarkana Texas Roadhouse, they don't have a problem getting your steak right. In fact, I've ordered a med-rare and got one that was very rare. Usually they get it right. You can tell, because they're packed every evening. They fill up way faster than the Longhorn, right next door. I like them both. I can cook my steak the way I like it, but dang, I will overcook burgers every time.

__________________
Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I just can't bring myself to ruin a good steak by over cooking it. If some one wants it cooked more feel free to throw it on the grill yourself, it's groovy.
I actually wouldn't resort to violence, it was just fun to say. I just ask that ya try it first before dowsing it with sauces. I custom make my own spice mix and they differ depending what kinda meat I'm cookin'. When I'm invited to do the grillin' people know just how the meat's gonna get cooked.

__________________
Keep on Chooglin'

I like my hamburgers rare as well and I know that's a no no with ground meat so I will grind my own. Buy whatever is on sale and grind it myself.
They've leaned down pork so much that it doesn't taste like anything. It has absolutely NO marbling in it anymore. The ribeye is my favorite. I'll get one an inch and a half thick , cook it over a pit, take the ring for myself and give the eye to my wife. Then I'll eat what she doesn't. Everyone is happy.
(except the dog) I liked to killed my wife one time when she cut away the ring on her rib eye and before I could say anything fed it to the dog
Angus gets bones-he don't get the fat.

__________________
Forum consigliere

I've never had much trouble getting a good rare steak. My only gripe when it comes to steaks is folks who drown it in sauce. That's probably a whole nother thread though

As a recently retired chef of forty years, I agree with the posters saying "black and Blue" or Pittsburg (blast furnace to grill the outside, inside cold). There is certainly a doneness level beneath rare and that sounds like what you want. And yes, I cook mine at home and use use a very hot cast iron skillet.

I have got to the point when trying out a steak outside of the places I know I ask the waitress one question: Does your cook know Pittsburgh rare? If she even slightly stumbles on the answer...order the fish.

Also, if you find yourself perusing the menu, and the Prime Rib looks tasty, if the waitress asks you how you want it cooked....order the fish.

I like my burgers rare too. Missus Fan gets ill lookin' at them.

I have a great recipe for burgers. I make little bitty ones, well done for the females in the family. For my son and I, I make ones that weigh about a pound each. Mix in garlic salt, Lipton beefy onion soup mix, Famous Dave's Steak Rub and Italian dressing. Cook them on the grill, but just barely. Then I bring 'em in and have Missus Fan dip them in onion ring batter....and deep fat fry 'em.
Then put lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, cheese, ranch dressing and, of course, bacon on it. It's a heart attack on a plate, but DANG it's good.
We call 'em "Toot Burgers". You don't wanna be around me a few hours later.

I'm a member of the YMCA, so I can get away with that stuff.
Jim

I agree with a lot of you. I can do steaks better than many restaurants. So when I eat at a restaurant, its very infrequent that I order a steak.

Hey... if you're going rare... go all the way with French steak tartare.

It throws in a raw egg so you roll the botulism dice big time.

I used to eat my steak medium to medium well and salted it a lot to get some taste. Then one night in a dive bar owned by a HS classmate (this was in my pre-sober days) I was persuaded to try a good steak cooked rare- I was hooked . The best steak I have ever eaten was in Ruston La, can't remember the name of the place but it's on the south side of the interstate kinda by itself a non-descript place. I ordered a filet medium rare, it came properly seared on the outside warm and bloody on the inside the chef had lightly seasoned it with something unknown to me whatever it was it was just enough to tickle the taste buds and not overpower the beef......................superb. Maybe Caj or another of our southern members knows the name of the place.

In Iowa I have found Outback to be the most consistent at cooking my steak as I order it.

P&R Fan..if you find yourself in the Des Moines area I recommend The Latin King on the Eastside (family owned ) or the Radish in Grimes (owned by a transplanted east coast chef who knows how to cook meat and treat customers)

I' just the opposite on hamburger I like it cooked clear through.
Jim in Iowa

Jim,
I get to Des Moines quite often. The Iowa Association of Private Investigators holds their training seminars in Urbandale every July, and I try to make it to racquetball tournaments, also in Urbandale twice a year. I always take Missus Fan along, and we HAVE to go to the Machine Shed. That place is awesome. It is impossible to leave there hungry.
Another place we have tried in Des Moines is Johnny's Italian Steak House. The Steak Sinatra is fantastic. About 2" thick with crab, shrimp and lobster sauce, and they actually bring it rare!
I'm gettin' hungry just thinkin' about this stuff.
Jim

Aren't you supposed to be bodyguardin' some widowed female?


Jim in Iowa

No, no, no, I haven't provided Bodyguard service to Thong Woman for a couple years. (I did, but she was just skeered for a short time).
I am waiting for her to call me right now though to do surveillance.
Jim

I don't often order a steak in a restaurant but when I do and they ask me how I want it cooked I say: "Cripple it, shave it, wipes it's bee-hind scorch it on both sides for 3 seconds and run it out here. When I stick my fork in it I better hear a moo." That usually gets me a smile and sometimes I actually get a rare steak!

BTW for the benefit those in the Houston Texas area I'd like to let y'all in on a little secret.

Texas Roadhouse

Not fancy and not expensive. But you can get a nice fillet in there that you can cut with your fork it's so tender. And they will cook it the way you like it...the first time. Great side dishes too and the beer is VERY cold. On those rare times when I do eat steak out that is where I go.[/QUOTE]

Also try Fajita Willies. I aint never had a bad meal there.

Looks like canned cat food.

I never even heard of it? I guess I might try it as long as it does NOT, look like boudin.
PS, it aint raw is it?

I always order steak rare'er then I actually want. You can always make it "done'er". You can't repair overcooked. If I ever reach for "steak sauce" you know the steak was overcooked, or just really really baaad.