Chris Cunningham Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Greetings all. It's late and I just got home from work, so it's dinner time. As I am grilling outside at midnight I was looking through my steak sauce options and was wondering who likes what on their steaks. My order of preference is Smith & Wolenskys steak sauce, followed by Heinz 57, then A1, then Maille Dijon mustard from France. I have just demolished a strip with a bit of each of these sauces and decided to share my favorites. Notwithstanding RTS's toppings which I love, I am just fishing to see other Rockwellians favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Favorite? Nothing, or perhaps a drizzle of olive oil. Make mine au poivre, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Plain grilled steak: Heinz 57 please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffC Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I like mine with mushrooms, sauteed in butter and Worchestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Just crushed black pepper and salt. Lots and lots and lots o' pepper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 A1, then Smith & Wollensky's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioesq Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Chimichurri. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wineitup Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Just crushed black pepper and salt. Lots and lots ands lots o' pepper. Amen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotteeM Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I enjoy lots of different things on steaks, including chimichurri, blue cheese, and Smith & Wollensky. But if there isn't any A1 in the house on steak night, it becomes an issue of national security for Mr. S, so I always keep an extra bottle in the pantry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Just crushed black pepper and salt. Lots and lots ands lots o' pepper. I quite agree. If you have to tart it up to eat it, why are you eating it? Should stand alone...a bit of salt, pepper and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 If you have to tart it up to eat it, why are you eating it? Should stand alone...a bit of salt, pepper and enjoy. I would not consider pepper tarting it up at all. A1 and such, that is a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilrus Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 1) Plain but well seasoned with salt, pepper and a rub of garlic 2) Chimichurri 3) Bernaise (plus you can dip your fries in it) Although in college, my #1, post *ahem* "party" snack was microwaved hot dogs dipped in 57 Sauce. Tube steaks, not steak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizH Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 HP sauce from England is pretty good, but If it is a higher quality steak l prefer a with bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I often use a rub that I make with Spanish smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, ground oregano, black pepper, and ancho chile powder. If the meat still needs a flavor boost, only one bottled sauce will do: Pickapeppa. Period, end of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 If you have to tart it up to eat it, why are you eating it? Should stand alone...a bit of salt, pepper and enjoy. Because I like it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shogun Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Â Because I like it that way.Unacceptable!! One of my personal favorites is my highly tarted-up red wine pan sauce with shallots, herbs, and a square of dark chocolate. Like a bird on Carnaby Street, inntit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioesq Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I often use a rub that I make with Spanish smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, ground oregano, black pepper, and ancho chile powder. That would make just about anything taste good. What ratios do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 The best steak I have ever had was a bisteca fiorentina at the now closed Di Vinus in Florence. Vescovino in Panzano was almost as good, if not as good. Both of these (and Sostanza in Florence) use beef from the white Chianinna (sp?) which is difficult to find even there. Di Vinus essentilly cut a Porterhouse steak two and one half to three inches thick and coated it in good olive oil then seared it on a very hot grill. After several minutes on each side it was then finished in an oven. Arugola was spread a half inch deep over a large wooden platter and the steak, brushed with more olive oil, laid on top of this. It was then cut three times diagonally to the bone and served with juice and olive oil oozing onto the arugula. Here I use Montreal steak seasoning and coat it with good olive oil for sixty minutes, then cook it over charcoal. With prime dry aged beef (Wegmans, Wagshal's, etc.) I believe I cook a steak as flavorful as anyone excepting Italy because I cannot get the beef. I've also used a white hot black cast iron skillet with Kosher salt but the smoke and my lack of an adequate exhaust essentially defeats this. Having said all this some friends insist that Argentina is better than Italy or Luger's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I often use a rub that I make with Spanish smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, ground oregano, black pepper, and ancho chile powder. That would make just about anything taste good. What ratios do you use? The spice rub is also really good on steamed new potatoes that have been sliced in half, drizzled with olive oil and then crisped in the oven or in a hot pan. As far as ratios go I don't really measure--mostly smoked paprika, then enough other ingredients added until it smells/tastes right to me. I mix enough to fit in a small spice jar, which will last a month or so, then I make more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I would not consider pepper tarting it up at all. A1 and such, that is a different story. actually, I quite agree with Porcupine. We use the same embellishments and avoid the others. A bit o'salt, a lot of pepper...no tarting it up for people who like the taste of a well cooked steak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 HP sauce from England is pretty good, but If it is a higher quality steak l prefer a with bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. exactly...a bit of salt, freshly ground pepper...and nothing is finer. Even makes ground beef taste good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendanc Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Not in any particular order 25 yr balsamic, like 10mL Perigordine This really over the top duck fat "bearnaise" in ATL Ugo Bing Olive Oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 actually, I quite agree with Porcupine. We use the same embellishments and avoid the others. A bit o'salt, a lot of pepper...no tarting it up for people who like the taste of a well cooked steak. So do you consider all condiments and sauces "tarting it up" or do you reserve that judgement only for steak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 So do you consider all condiments and sauces "tarting it up" or do you reserve that judgement only for steak? Hmmm!!! good question. I tend not to use anything on steak other than a bit of salt and pepper...(mentally pondering the list of foods eaten in his lifetime).....think I'm going to have to get back to you on this one. That's a big list of foods...I prefer my steaks uncondimented (sic?). There are too many other foods to catalog as to tarted or untarted up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 Top Notch Steak -Montreal seasoning & char Supermarket Steak -Sweet, thick, chewy red wine sauce -Blue cheese -Bearnaise sauce -Au poivre Ordered in no particular preference, although if it's a weeknight it's a good bet that I'm going with just the blue cheese. "Hmm, let's see, do I want to whisk an egg yolk in a double boiler until my arm falls off, spend the GDP of Botswana on ingredients for what ends up being a tablespoon of sauce, OR do I just want to sprinkle a few crumbles of roquefort on my steak? Hmm, indeed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcanuck Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 Top Notch Steak - salt and pepper, with charcoal smoke Supermarket Steak - port wine reduction - cognac and pepper sauce - crumbled blue cheese Completely Inedible Crap - HP Sauce. This stuff makes s**t on a stick taste pretty damn fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I agree with the salt & pepper crowd, but sometimes I like to tart things up a bit as well. On those occasions I make a marinade of Lea and Perrins, sherry vinegar, chopped garlic, a bit of ginger powder, dried orange peel, anchovy paste, and pepper (salt is added during cooking). I reserve some of the marinade for brushing on the meat while it grills. The result always draws raves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I quite agree. If you have to tart it up to eat it, why are you eating it? Should stand alone...a bit of salt, pepper and enjoy. oh, the (belatedly noted) irony -- someone with the handle "Escoffier" denounces efforts to tart things up. At any rate foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds and I'd look suspiciously at anyone who ate a lifetime's worth of steaks without mixing it up (quite) a bit. Same goes for the oyster fundamentalists, too. ETA: A shoutout for sauce marchand du vin, which uses chicken stock, mustard, shallots red wine. Also the Sauce Chez Busboy which involves beef stock, red wine, capers, and anchovies reduced to a thick, pungent, goo. And roast garlic-anchovy butter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 ETA: A shoutout for sauce marchand du vin, which uses chicken stock, mustard, shallots red wine.That's one of my favorite ways to make steak, though I think the recipe I use calls for beef stock . I sometimes will do a mushroom sauce. It depends on what I feel like and what else I'm making for the meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 oh, the (belatedly noted) irony -- someone with the handle "Escoffier" denounces efforts to tart things up. What are you talking about? Escoffier was renowned for the simplicity of his cuisine. ETA: A shoutout for sauce marchand du vin, which uses chicken stock, mustard, shallots red wine.Beef or brown veal stock. Unless you're mixing it up a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 A healthy hunk of compound butter while the steak is still hot. Often I'll just chop up whatever leftover herbage I have and mix it with the butter, roll it in parchment, and smoke... I mean throw it in the fridge to firm up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 A healthy hunk of compound butter while the steak is still hot. Often I'll just chop up whatever leftover herbage I have and mix it with the butter, roll it in parchment, and smoke... I mean throw it in the fridge to firm up. That is a nice method; I had almost forgotten about it. Most steaks you order in simple restaurants in Germany are served that way, with Kräuterbutter (café de paris butter), but you hardly ever see it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 At any rate foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds and I'd look suspiciously at anyone who ate a lifetime's worth of steaks without mixing it up (quite) a bit. Same goes for the oyster fundamentalists, too.I agree that there are many sauces/butters/dressings that can pair well with even a superb steak (béarnaise, bordelaise, plain butter, compound butter, olive oil and lemon juice, many others). However, I do not believe that there is anything you can buy in a bottle or jar at the supermarket that doesn't detract from a good steak. As to oysters, both the ketchup-and-horseradish "cocktail sauce" and sauce mignonette ruin them for me. A bit of lemon juice is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I agree that there are many sauces/butters/dressings that can pair well with even a superb steak (béarnaise, bordelaise, plain butter, compound butter, olive oil and lemon juice, many others). However, I do not believe that there is anything you can buy in a bottle or jar at the supermarket that doesn't detract from a good steak. As to oysters, both the ketchup-and-horseradish "cocktail sauce" and sauce mignonette ruin them for me. A bit of lemon juice is nice. I agree (though A1 I think is a respectable condiment). A good steak can take a good deal thrown at it, but good oysters are really best enjoyed in the nude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 As far as commercial steak sauce is concerned, there is only one in my refrigerator or pantry--Pik-a-peppa: thick, complex, a little bit spicy. Anytime I serve a piece of beef that needs a kick in the butt, flavor-wise, Pik-a-peppa comes to the rescue. What I am more likely to use on steak is my own, home-made spice rub which is a mixture of Spanish smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, ground oregano and ancho chile powder. Decent quality steak plus spice rub plus a little olive oil plus a hot charcoal fire=good crust, good steak, good eats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 A healthy hunk of compound butter while the steak is still hot. Often I'll just chop up whatever leftover herbage I have and mix it with the butter, roll it in parchment, and smoke... I mean throw it in the fridge to firm up.I found a recipe on Epicurious for a steak topping made of butter, shallots, blue cheese (Gorgonzola?), S&P. It made so much that I took to portioning it out and rolling it in plastic wrap and then freezing the packets in another container. It was simple to just pull out a packet and bring it to room temp whenever one of us brought home some steak for dinner. Gotta do this again and soon. It beats the Hell out of any bottled steak sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shogun Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Sauce composed of tomato, anchovy, peperoncino, black olives, and capers. That's how you tart up a steak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 As far as commercial steak sauce is concerned, there is only one in my refrigerator or pantry--Pik-a-peppa: thick, complex, a little bit spicy. Anytime I serve a piece of beef that needs a kick in the butt, flavor-wise, Pik-a-peppa comes to the rescue.I love that stuff. I always have a bottle on hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 The universal scorn for A-1 sauce led me to look it the ingredients and history. It includes tomato puree, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, salt, raisin paste, crushed orange puree, spices and herbs, dried garlic, and onion. It was first bottled in England in the late 19th century, and seems to have been part of a wave of condiments that echoed flavors (spicy, sweet, sour) found elsewhere in the British colonies. Worcestershire sauce came to be at around the same time. Most of the bottles steak sauces have very similar ingredients. Pickapeppa's got tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarinds, peppers and spices. HP's recipe is a secret but I'd bet someone $5 that it has the same combo of vinegar, tomato, fruit, and salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcanuck Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Most of the bottles steak sauces have very similar ingredients. Pickapeppa's got tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarinds, peppers and spices. HP's recipe is a secret but I'd bet someone $5 that it has the same combo of vinegar, tomato, fruit, and salt.Malt vinegar, tomatoes, molasses, spirit vinegar, glucose-fructose, sugar, dates, salt, rye, tamarind extract, soy sauce, spices, and onion extract. I love HP Sauce. I won't use it with a good piece of steak, but when I was a student and could only afford the lousy select grade stuff, HP was a great way to compensate for the lack of flavour. My favorite way to use HP Sauce is for dipping grilled cheese sandwiches and steak cut fries into. A-1 reminds me of diarrhea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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