# USDA Prime Beef & You



## mise_en_place (Mar 11, 2017)

I have certain opinions on what to do with excellent Prime beef (aged or not). If you don't live in America or are unfamiliar with the USDA designation "Prime", think wagyu or Kobe beef (granted good wagyu and _real_ Kobe exceed Prime-grade marbling).

Salt and black pepper is all that's necessary to showcase the flavor of the most highly desired cuts from top quality beef-- especially if dry aged for 28+ days, right? What say you? Is it sacrilege to marinate a ribeye or put a heavy spice rub on a NY strip?

Feel free to discuss tenderloin/filet, but the bovine psoas never did much for me.


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## WildBoar (Mar 11, 2017)

I personally do not see a need to marinate a Prime steak, but I never say no to some Spicy Montreal seasoning. That said, I scored a Prime NY Strip at Giant a few weeks back (they NEVER have Prime -- i don't know what was gong on), and did a slow ovenroast to `118 deg F followed by a good pan sear on each side, and only used salt on the steak.

..and it was frickin' awesome!


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## TheCaptain (Mar 11, 2017)

Personally I think tenderloin is a waste of money in terms of flavor. If I want beef, I want BEEF!

Better cuts of prime should be able to stand on their own. The marbling, if cooked right, should render enough to keep the meat moist and succulent. Salt and pepper are all that I need. Mayyybee a bit of garlic powder.

Great, now I want beef...


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## panda (Mar 11, 2017)

good beef is good beef, if someone wants it marinated/rubbed why the hell not?? even overcooked prime ribeye still tastes great.

this stuff is quite good: https://www.evergladesseasoning.com/collections/everglades-all-purpose-seasoning


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## mise_en_place (Mar 11, 2017)

4 minutes per side in a cast iron pan, then 1 minute more per side while butter basting.

...thinking about selling that Marko suji, so let me know if you're interested haha.





Temped at 126°F when I pulled it off the heat. I shoot for 127° and hope for a little carryover. I don't like my ribeye anywhere over 131°.


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## mise_en_place (Mar 11, 2017)

panda said:


> good beef is good beef, if someone wants it marinated/rubbed why the hell not?? even overcooked prime ribeye still tastes great.
> 
> this stuff is quite good: https://www.evergladesseasoning.com/collections/everglades-all-purpose-seasoning



Sure. I like my good beef prepared simply. I don't mind if other people have differing opinions. I especially understand the restaurant chef's need to "spice things up" by adding various seasonings to excellent beef.


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## Framingchisel (Mar 11, 2017)

+1 to Montreal Steak Spice, but then again, I live in Montreal.


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## Nemo (Mar 12, 2017)

A local guy farms full blood wagyu. He has a local butcher outlet. Some very nice meat, especially when dry aged for a cople of months. For steaks I usually just salt and grill. Larger slabs of beef get slow roasted in a warm oven at around 70 celcius. The wagyu cheeks make for a fantastic winter stew.


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## DamageInc (Mar 12, 2017)

If I have really nice piece of beef, for example the 800g wagyu piece I made a few days ago, I only use salt and pepper on the meat, but I baste with butter, thyme, and garlic.

For any other seasonings, I stick to a sauce, either a bearnaise, a red wine reduction, balsamic reduction, bordelaise, etc. That way I can control the amount of "seasoning" on each bite of steak with how much sauce is dipped on.

Also, for super marbled pieces, I don't sous vide. Just fry on carbon steel/cast iron.


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## Jovidah (Mar 12, 2017)

Same here when I'm feeling fancy... salt & pepper beforehand, baste with butter, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Best results when you toss out the oil before you add the butter, makes for extremely yummy butter. I could almost lick that stuff out of the pan.


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## daveb (Mar 12, 2017)

S&P. Coarsely ground. The Egg will be sizzling 2nite.


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## Mucho Bocho (Mar 12, 2017)

Jovidah said:


> Same here when I'm feeling fancy... salt & pepper beforehand, baste with butter, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Best results when you toss out the oil before you add the butter, makes for extremely yummy butter. I could almost lick that stuff out of the pan.



Ah good tip J about removing cooked oil before adding butter.


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## ynot1985 (Mar 12, 2017)

I had Kobe beef when I was in Kobe.. Yep salt and pepper is all you'll need


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## boomchakabowwow (Mar 13, 2017)

i'm not a super fan of tenderloin. i find it kinda lacks that beef flavor punch..like say, a hunk of skirt steak.

i just do S&P. maybe finish with some EVOO and a squeeze of lemon if i'm feeling fancy.

that steak pictured is not the tenderloin, right?


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## mise_en_place (Mar 13, 2017)

boomchakabowwow said:


> i'm not a super fan of tenderloin. i find it kinda lacks that beef flavor punch..like say, a hunk of skirt steak.
> 
> i just do S&P. maybe finish with some EVOO and a squeeze of lemon if i'm feeling fancy.
> 
> that steak pictured is not the tenderloin, right?



It's ribeye


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## DeepCSweede (Mar 13, 2017)

We buy whole prime ribeyes from Costco and I break them down into about 12-14 steaks that are about an inch plus. We either do just S&P or a sweet and spicy coffee rub that I came up with before going on the grill. Costco whole prime briskets are cheap too, so I have a few of them too. Waiting to see if we get a new house before pulling the trigger on a smoker or egg, so they are still in the freezer. Will probably corn one of them one of these days.


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2017)

spinalis dorsi


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## mise_en_place (Mar 13, 2017)

DeepCSweede said:


> We buy whole prime ribeyes from Costco and I break them down into about 12-14 steaks that are about an inch plus. We either do just S&P or a sweet and spicy coffee rub that I came up with before going on the grill. Costco whole prime briskets are cheap too, so I have a few of them too. Waiting to see if we get a new house before pulling the trigger on a smoker or egg, so they are still in the freezer. Will probably corn one of them one of these days.



If I had prime brisket I'd be tempted to throw that into a hamburger mix. What are you going to do with it?


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## mise_en_place (Mar 13, 2017)

bkultra said:


> spinalis dorsi
> 
> View attachment 34861



Did you trim that yourself or find somewhere that just sells the cap?

By the way, hands down my favorite single muscle on the cow.


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## TheCaptain (Mar 13, 2017)

DeepCSweede said:


> We buy whole prime ribeyes from Costco and I break them down into about 12-14 steaks that are about an inch plus. We either do just S&P or a sweet and spicy coffee rub that I came up with before going on the grill. Costco whole prime briskets are cheap too, so I have a few of them too. Waiting to see if we get a new house before pulling the trigger on a smoker or egg, so they are still in the freezer. Will probably corn one of them one of these days.



I corn a prime brisket at least twice a year. Have one in process right now for St. Patrick's day. Was a little nervous the first time I used pink salt but the flavor difference vs store bought OMG!!! There's no going back.


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2017)

mise_en_place said:


> Did you trim that yourself or find somewhere that just sells the cap?
> 
> By the way, hands down my favorite single muscle on the cow.



I must confess that I bought them from Costco. It is also my favorite and I usually have it once a week.


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## panda (Mar 13, 2017)

Spinalis, the second greatest protein known to man after pork belly.


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2017)

Momofuku pork belly :hungry:


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## dynastyreaper (Mar 13, 2017)

Pork belly is divine :rofl2: . On the side note, whenever I go to my local butcher, I could never tell myself to shell out the extra cash to buy "prime". I always pick the "choice" one.(it's about 1.5 as cheap). Is it worth it?


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## WildBoar (Mar 13, 2017)

Prime is a pretty big step up from Choice in my experience. Is it worth it? Well, that is hard to say, and very individual. Is a custom Devin Thomas damascus gyuto worth it over a basic Tojiro?


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## cheflivengood (Mar 13, 2017)

TheCaptain said:


> I corn a prime brisket at least twice a year. Have one in process right now for St. Patrick's day. Was a little nervous the first time I used pink salt but the flavor difference vs store bought OMG!!! There's no going back.



I think it's worth mentioning that if you are cooking a cured product you should be using Pink salt #1, stay safe ya'll. My buddy who does a 75 day dry age ribeye makes a beef vinegar out of the moldy bones and cap trim, which gets brushed on the plated steak along with fermented shiitake powder, black garlic sauce (bar tartine variant), fresh cracked fresh toasted black pepper and finishing salt. Sounds like a lot, everything is a small amount that intensifies the beefy/umami of the steak.


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## mise_en_place (Mar 13, 2017)

cheflivengood said:


> My buddy who does a 75 day dry age ribeye makes a beef vinegar out of the moldy bones and cap trim, which gets brushed on the plated steak along with fermented shiitake powder, black garlic sauce (bar tartine variant), fresh cracked fresh toasted black pepper and finishing salt. Sounds like a lot, everything is a small amount that intensifies the beefy/umami of the steak.



Sounds awesome.


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## mise_en_place (Mar 13, 2017)

dynastyreaper said:


> I could never tell myself to shell out the extra cash to buy "prime". I always pick the "choice" one.(it's about 1.5 as cheap). *Is it worth it?*



For somebody like me, who cooks beef at home about 8 times a year, absolutely. 

You can call me a snob, but I couldn't give a **** if I never ate another USDA Choice ribeye or NY strip again in my life. I wouldn't say the same about Prime ribeye or strip.


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## TheCaptain (Mar 13, 2017)

cheflivengood said:


> I think it's worth mentioning that if you are cooking a cured product you should be using Pink salt #1, stay safe ya'll. My buddy who does a 75 day dry age ribeye makes a beef vinegar out of the moldy bones and cap trim, which gets brushed on the plated steak along with fermented shiitake powder, black garlic sauce (bar tartine variant), fresh cracked fresh toasted black pepper and finishing salt. Sounds like a lot, everything is a small amount that intensifies the beefy/umami of the steak.



You are of.course correct! Pink salt #1 for wet cured meats. Pink salt #2 for dry cured charcuterie which I have not yet been brave enough to try.


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## cheflivengood (Mar 13, 2017)

TheCaptain said:


> You are of.course correct! Pink salt #1 for wet cured meats. Pink salt #2 for dry cured charcuterie which I have not yet been brave enough to try.



It actually is more complex than that. Nitrates(P2) that have been converted to nitrites(P1) over the one year minimum drying period can be used freely weather served cold or cooked. The basic rule of thumb is only use p2 for extended cures or for items that will not be heated, heating the nitrates causes them to become encased/protected from digestion, where they will find their way to major organs causing organ failure and even death (butchers madness).


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## panda (Mar 13, 2017)

If you're gonna shell out for ribeye, might as well not half arse it and get prime.


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