No doubt fresh meat is best way to prepare a steak but you can also cook a steak straight out of

freezer and get good results if cooked right way.

Frozen steak had thinner band of overcooked meat “gray band" surrounding the pink

interior than the thawed beef.Therefore, frozen steaks are cooked more evenly, tastes better and are juicy than thawed ones.

First, freeze your steak properly flat on a parchment sheet, wrap them in plastic wrap and put

them in a zippered plastic bag to eliminate the formation of ice crystals or moisture on the steak.

Crystals of ice can cause flare-ups when you are searing your steaks in oil.

You can also brush your steak with oil or use a dry rub before you freeze it for more taste.

Sear the steaks in a hot pan for about 90 seconds on both sides until it gets brown crust and

pink inferior.

Now transfer them to a 275°F / 135°C oven for about 18-20 minutes.

OR

Sear one side of steak in a hot dry pan for 90 seconds and place the uncooked side down in the

baking sheet for approximately 40-60 minutes at lowest possible temperature (200°F / 93°C) ,

more preferably at 133°F / 56°C.

If meat is not defrosted correctly, bacteria can multiply fast and then the food becomes dangerous and cause several diseases.Learn how to defrost meat properly and safely to stay away from the diseases.

Thaw Meat using Refrigerator

Plan ahead for defrosting meat in the refrigerator at or below 40 Fahrenheit I 4 Celsius, since it will take time.

Place wrapped meat on a dish to catch any raw juice runoff for 24 hours.

Cook ground or stew meat and poultry within 2 days of refrigerator defrosting and for pork, beef, steaks and roasts within 3 to 5 days of thawing.

Cold Water Method

Defrost meat using cold water method.Place the meat into an air tight sealed plastic bag, leakage may lead to bacterial growth.

Submerge the meat bag in cold water, thawing process will become slow if the water is not changed.So change the water every 20 minutes because the frozen meat will decrease the temperature of the water.

Defrost small amounts of meat in approximately 1 hour, larger pieces can take up to 2 to 3 hours.

Cook the meat immediately.

Thaw Meat in the Microwave

Microwave is the quickest method to defrost meat.Thawing meat in the microwave can partially cook or warm the meat, do not store the meat and cook it immediately after thawing in the microwave.

Remove all packaging and place unwrapped meat on a microwave plate, defrost the meat on low
or use the thaw / defrost setting on the microwave.

Meat you choose depends on 3 things ;

The country you live in.
Your preference.
Money.


HOW YOU BUY ?

Check the date on the steak pack.

Bright red steak is not necessarily sign of freshness, though smell is important if it smells ammonia, don't buy it.

If packing is torn up don't buy prepacked steaks.

Make sure silver skin has been removed before buying a fillet of steak.

How to cook perfect steak?

Remove the packaging of a prepacked steak and thaw it in a fridge, cover it with a food paper rather than plastic wrap.

Experts suggest to take it out from fridge about 15 minutes before.

Don't stuff in pan too many steaks at once as they will stew rather than get fried,  brush oil onto meat rather than putting meat directly into oil.

Once cooked, allow the meat to rest for few minutes and allow the juices to settle in.


Does age matters?

Age plays important role in tenderness of meat .Scientists suggest that taste and texture is different if meat is aged whether the meat is packed or exposed to air.

 Grilling guide

To cook steak perfectly use a frying pan, griddle pan or barbecue , once you dishout steaks you should eat within 15 minutes.

60 minutes before you cook steak- salt your steak and brush both sides of meat with oil, don't worry salt won't drain out any juice from the meat.
If you allow salt on for long, juice shall be reabsorbed and steaks when cooked will develop perfect crust.

Place the steaks in fridge, 15 minutes before cooking take your steaks out of frigde and and allow steaks to come to room temperature.
If you planning a charcoal barbecue, than your coals should already be smoking.
Heat the oil in a frying pan for about 8 minutes, do not attempt to put too many steaks at once.
Moderate - high heat is best to cook perfect steaks.

Cooking timing 

Rare meat is soft when touched , medium feels springy and well done is quite hard.
These cooking times are for 2 cm thick (3/4 inch ) sirloin or rib eye steak using moderate heat.

Rare - 2 minutes per side, 5 minutes in total for 7 minutes.

Medium to rare- 3 to 3 1/2  minutes per side - 7 to 8 minutes total time.

Medium- 5 minutes per side for  5 minutes  , 10 minutes total.

Well done - 6 minutes per side for 12 minutes.

Rest steaks for 5 minutes before eat.

Cooking steak doesn't require a grill you can cook it in the oven.

We require a very hot oven to cook the perfect steak, So preheat your oven to 450° F or 232° C .

Start off with relatively thick steaks, thicker steaks develop wonderful outer crust and remain juicy.

Be sure to use a paper towel and wipe away any moisture present on your steak, excess moisture left on steaks will cause them to steam.

Spray the pan with oil and begin to heat it on a burner over high heat.Start off cooking your steaks over the burner for 2 minutes, flip the steak and cook for an additional 2 minutes over high heat, don't worry bulk of the cooking will be done in the oven.

Now add a little butter to the pan right before you are ready to put the steak into the oven and give your steak a rich taste.

Place the steak in the same pan and place it in the oven and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes.

Use a cooking thermometer to know your steak is done.

Here is temperature chart you can use to understand whether your steak ready or not.

Rare

120° F / 48.8°C.

Medium rare

130° F / 54.4° C.

Medium

140° F / 60° C.

Medium well

150° F I 65.5° C.

Well done

160° F / 71.1°C.

Your steaks should register at above temperature accordingly.

Rest your steak for about 6-8 minutes, serve with potatoes and enjoy.

Fresh sirloin steak is deep red in color, with a generous band of white fat around the outside of the steak.

Ask your butcher a cut of top sirloin or buy from a grocery store, choose a large cut for your meal as thinner steaks will dry out easily when you cook them.Choose steaks that are at least 1" inch thick.

Wash the steak, run it under cool water on both sides then pat dry thoroughly using paper towels.

Season the meat according to your tastes, sprinkle salt on both sides.You may add other spices for variations : garlic powder,cayenne pepper and chili powder, good taste doesn't require much seasoning.

Marinate the steak, if desired.Mix up equal parts oil, vinegar and spices for marination.Place the marinated steak in a plastic bag and zip the bag, allow the steak to marinate for 4 hour.

When you're ready to cook the steak, remove it from the bag, pat it dry with paper towels, and proceed to cooking.

Before cooking allow the steak to rest at room temperature.

Pan-Fried Top Sirloin Steak

Use a plastic cutting board and cut the steak into sewing sized portions.

Place a frying pan over medium high heat on the stove, put a Tablespoon of cooking oil in the pan and allow it to get hot.

Place the steaks in the center of the pan and cook one side for 15 seconds,moving them too soon will prevent the formation of crust.

Use a pair of tongs turn them to the other side.They should form a thick and crunchy crust on both sides.

Don't crowd the steaks in the pan.

For rare, cook steaks for 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

For medium, cook steaks for 2 minute on each side , 4 minutes in total.

For well done, cook steaks for a total of 4 minutes on each side, 8 minutes in total.

When done allow them to rest for few minutes to penetrate the juice through steaks, Serve the steak hot.

Grilled Top Sirloin Steak

Preheat grill to a medium high temperature, care not to let the grill get too hot to avoid raw meat inside.

Place the steaks on the grill surface, Cook it for 4 minutes on one side, now use tongs to flip them over after the first side has formed a brown crust.

Grill the other side for further 4 minutes.

Remove the steaks from the grill and allow them to rest for 3 minutes.

Broiled Top Sirloin Steak

Preheat the oven to 260 degrees Celsius or 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray the surface of a broiler pan and set the seasoned steak inside.

Place the pan inside the oven , meat surface should be 2-3 inches away from the flames.

Broil 2 inch thick steak for approximately 5-6 minutes,remove the pan and flip the steak to the uncooked side, and place it back in the oven and cook for another 5- 6 minutes.

Cook Sirloin Steak in an Oven

Preheat the oven to 204 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the seasoned steak in a pan, place in the oven and cook the steak for 40 or 50 minutes.

Allow the steak to rest for 3 minutes before serving.

Flank steak, a cut of meat taken from lower abdominal region "Flank" of the cow.Care must be taken to preserve the meat's tenderness and flavor, because flank steak can be somewhat tough when cooked.Properly season with a marinade or dry rub your flank steak.

Marinade :

Flank steak - about 1 lb.

1/3 cup

oil.

soy sauce.

2 tbsp

red wine vinegar.

honey.

2 cloves minced garlic.

Alternate Marinade Recipe

1 Lemon, juice.

3 tbsp oil, 45 g.

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.

1/4 cup Honey, 60 ml.

1 tbsp Hot sauce or chili paste.

Dry Rub

1 tbsp:

Salt.

Paprika.

Black pepper.

Garlic powder.

Ground cumin.

Ground coriander.

1/2 tbsp Cayenne pepper.

Preparing Your Meat for Grilling

Score your steak - Score your flank steak by placing the flank steak on a cutting board, use the tip of a sharp knife and make several shallow diamond pattern cuts into the surface of both sides of the steaks.Scoring steak will allow heat and seasonings to penetrate deep into the meat.

Choose a marinade or dry rub - If you are marinading your steak let it rest for 6 hours, so that it absorbs flavor.

Dry Rub - As its name, a mix of dry ingredients that is rubbed onto your steak.

Do not use both methods together, select one method before you start cooking.Flank steak can taste great without any seasoning if cooked correctly.

Combine the ingredients in a bowl whether you use a dry rub method or marinading process and season your steak thoroughly . Seal your marinated steaks in a zip lock bag, squeeze air out and leave the bag in fridge for 2-4 hours.

Alternately apply dry rub by tossing your hands over your meat until it get completely covered.Place it in a refrigerator for few hours.

Combine the ingredients in a bowl whether you use a dry rub method or marinading process and season your steak thoroughly . 

Alternately apply dry rub by tossing your hands over your meat until it get completely covered.Place it in a refrigerator for few hours.

Grilling to Perfection

Fire up your grill. Use a charcoal grill or gas grill, fire up and make it hot by the time you plan to start cooking. Use the directions below to make perfect grilled flank steak.

For gas grills - Light 1 burner and set it to high, allow to sit for several minutes before cooking.

For charcoal grills- Pour charcoal into the bottom of the grill until one half side is covered. Light the charcoal, allow to burn until the flames die down and the charcoal turns mostly red and grey.

Eliminate moisture from the meat by using a paper towel. If rub was used don't perform patting step.

Place your steak to the other side of grill where the charcoal was not added deliberately. Let meat sir for 2 minutes, sprinkle oil with the help of brush or spoon.Now you are free to spread the coals equally all over.

Let it cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes, then flip it over with a pair of tongs.Your steak should be crispy and dark brown, If it is not well-seared flip it back and allow to cook more.

Cook the other side over low heat for further 4 minutes.

Remove the meat when it reaches about 130 - 140 F .

Ingredients
2 Tspns Olive oil.
Ground pepper.
1 t.sp brown sugar.
1 Tspn vinegar.
4-6 T.spns chicken stock.
1 handful baby beans.
4-6 tomatoes, halved.
4 garlic cloves, chopped.
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 tspn parsley leaves.
2 x 180 gm steaks, well trimmed.

Method
Season the steaks with salt , spray with oil and cook them on a grill.Set aside to rest for a few minutes until you prepare the gravy.

Boil the beans in water, until tender, drain and put them in cold water.After a minute drain beans again.

Heat the oil in a pan and saute onions, then add tomatoes, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar and rosemary into it, cook for 2 minute by adding some water

Now add the grilled steaks in the pan and toss briefly adding stock into it, then add beans and cook for another 2-4 minutes

Dish out and garnish with parsley leaves.

Serves 4.

(You may add more stock or water if required)