Method for preparing a beef steak

Abstract

Method for preparing a beef steak (1), comprising the following steps: - Cooling the beef steak (1) to a temperature below 8 °C before vacuum sealing. - Vacuum sealing the beef steak (1) in a vacuum sealing film (2) and subsequent deep freezing, whereby the beef steak (1) is shock frozen, i.e. rapidly deep-frozen to -30 °C in a short time, - Thawing the vacuum-packed, frozen beef steak (1) in a fluid bath (3) until the central core (11) of the beef steak (1) has a temperature between -2 °C and -4 °C, wherein the fluid bath (3) has a temperature greater than or equal to 15 °C, - Remove the vacuum-sealed film (2) and sear the beef steak (1) over direct heat on a grill until the desired surface texture is achieved, - Finish cooking the beef steak (1) until it reaches the desired core temperature.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for preparing a beef steak with the features of claim 1.

[0002] It is well known that beef steaks are prepared on a grill. The general rule of thumb is to grill the steak for one minute per side over direct heat for every centimeter of thickness. The meat is then cooked over indirect heat until it reaches the desired internal temperature. The main cooking levels for a beef steak are "English Rare" (internal temperature 46°C to 50°C - average approx. 48°C), "Medium Rare" (internal temperature 50°C to 54°C - average approx. 52°C), "Medium Pink" (internal temperature 54°C to 58°C - average approx. 45°C), "Medium Well" (internal temperature 58°C to 62°C - average approx. 60°C), and "Well Done" (internal temperature 62°C to 66°C - average approx. 64°C).

[0003] Grilling methods for beef steaks are described, for example, in the following online publications: Weber-Stephen Deutschland GmbH: “Grilling Frozen Meat – Is It Possible?” (https: / / www.weber.com / DE / de / grillgeschichten / grill-know-how / gefrorenes-fleisch-grillen-geht-das / weber-173802.html. Archived at https: / / www.archive.org on February 24, 2021); OpenD: “How should I grill frozen porterhouse steaks? (burgers, broil, defrosting)” In: City-Data Forum (https: / / www.city-data.com / forum / food-drink / 1756848-how-should-i-grill-frozen-porterhouse-2.html); Eastridge Janet S.; Bowker Brian C.: “Effect of Rapid Thawing on the Meat Quality Attributes of USDA Select Beef Strip Loin Steaks” In: Journal of Food Science, Vol. 76, 2011, Issue 2, pp. S156-S162; "How should I grill frozen porterhouse steaks (red wine, beers, grilling) In: City-Data Forum (https: / / www.city-data.com / forum / food-drink / 1756848-how-should-i-grill-frozen-porterhouse.html and https: / / www.city-data.com / forum / food-drink / 1756848-how-should-i-grill-frozen-porterhouse-2.html).

[0004] The difficulty in preparing a good steak lies, among other things, in developing a sufficiently defined crust without overcooking the steak. Searing it for too long over direct heat to achieve a dark crust quickly leads to overcooking the inner meat. The time available to achieve a defined outer crust is naturally very limited. Therefore, dark or very dark crusts are only achievable at high internal temperatures. At the doneness levels of "rare" and "medium rare," a crust typically does not form.

[0005] The invention aims to remedy this problem. The invention is based on the objective of providing a method for preparing a beef steak that enables a defined crust formation with a dark or even very dark color, even at lower core temperatures. According to the invention, this objective is achieved by a method with the features of claim 1.

[0006] The invention provides a method for preparing a beef steak that enables a defined crust formation with a dark or even very dark color, even at low core temperatures. By first deep-freezing the steak and then thawing it in a controlled manner, preferably at a constant temperature, until the center of the steak reaches a temperature between -2 °C and -4 °C, the time available for crust formation is significantly increased without compromising the degree of doneness.

[0007] The invention is based on the fundamental idea of ​​utilizing the thermophysical properties of water (or meat juice) in the range of its melting point to influence the cooking process when preparing beef steaks. A steak consists of over 70% water by weight. Water requires significantly more energy to change its state from solid to liquid to cause a temperature increase. This results in the temperature of the frozen inner core of the steak remaining constant for several minutes during the transition from solid to liquid, thus significantly extending the grilling process. The "middle core" of a steak is generally understood to be the central area of ​​the steak at its midpoint in height or thickness. This is where the core temperature is typically measured.The core of the present invention is to freeze this core area before the grilling process, wherein the outer area of ​​the steak has a significantly higher temperature, preferably room temperature.

[0008] In a further development of the invention, the vacuum-packed, frozen steak is placed in a fluid bath, preferably a water bath of a temperature control unit with a circulation pump. This allows thawing at a constant ambient temperature, resulting in a uniform temperature profile of the steak from the outside to the inside. The fluid bath has a temperature of 15°C or higher. It is particularly preferred that the water bath be maintained at a temperature of 20°C.

[0009] In one embodiment of the invention, the thawing process is monitored with a meat thermometer whose probe is inserted into the center of the steak. This enables precise temperature control of the steak's center.

[0010] In a further embodiment of the invention, the steak is cut to a uniform thickness before vacuum sealing. This ensures a defined and even temperature distribution. The steak is cooled to a temperature below 8 °C before vacuum sealing. This prevents the edges of the meat from curling.

[0011] In a further development of the invention, the steak is deep-frozen in a flat position. This further supports the even temperature distribution in the steak during the thawing process.

[0012] In this embodiment of the invention, the steak is cooked using indirect heat. This achieves the desired level of doneness. Preferably, the steak is cooked in the oven.

[0013] The following is an example of the procedure, illustrated by the figures. They show: Fig. 1. A schematic representation of a beef steak; Fig. 2. The schematic representation of the thawing process of a frozen steak in a water bath; Fig. 3. A qualitative exemplary representation of the surface and core temperatures of the beef steak during the thawing process after Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 A qualitative exemplary representation of the temperature profile of the core of three steaks with different starting core temperatures.

[0014] The beef steak 1 chosen as an example is cut from chilled water at a temperature of 5 °C to a uniform thickness d of 28 mm. After precise cutting, the beef steak 1 is vacuum-sealed in a vacuum bag 2 and then frozen. It is important to ensure that each beef steak 1 is individually vacuum-sealed and that it retains its cut shape, i.e., its uniform thickness d, as much as possible without excessive deformation of the edges. Particularly high meat quality is achieved by flash-freezing the beef steak 1, meaning it is rapidly deep-frozen to -30 °C in a short time. During this process, the cell water of the beef steak 1 transforms into tiny ice crystals, which protect the tissue and preserve the consistency of the food.

[0015] The deep-frozen, vacuum-packed beef steak 1 is now subjected to a defined thawing process. For this purpose, it is completely immersed in a water bath, the temperature of which is kept constant at 20 °C. In the exemplary embodiment, a temperature control unit 4 with an integrated circulation pump is used for this purpose (see Figure 1). Fig. 2) Such a temperature control device 4 ensures a uniform temperature distribution throughout the entire water bath and thus a homogeneous temperature equalization across the entire steak surface to the specified temperature of 20 °C. The defrosting process is monitored using a meat thermometer 5 with a stainless steel needle probe, which is inserted into the central core 11 of the beef steak 1.

[0016] As shown in the diagram in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the external temperature of the beef steak 1 adapts relatively quickly to the temperature of the water bath, whereas the internal temperature rises only very slowly. When the internal temperature reaches approximately -3 °C – which in this case is reached after 8:30 minutes – the thawing process is stopped by removing the beef steak 1 from the water bath. The beef steak 1 now has an external temperature of approximately 20 °C in its outer layer 12 and an internal temperature of approximately -3 °C. This temperature state is not maintained for long, which is why the grilling process follows immediately.

[0017] For this purpose, the beef steak 1 is removed from the vacuum-sealed film 2, patted dry with kitchen paper, and placed directly on a preheated grill. The beef steak 1 can now be seared over high heat for up to 6-7 minutes per side without overcooking the inside. This extremely long grilling time produces a large number of intense roasted and flavor aromas, resulting in a significantly more intense steak flavor. With the inventive method, the inside of the beef steak 1 remains significantly unaffected by the high external heat for a considerably longer period. As described in Fig. As can be seen in diagram 4, a beef steak 1 requires a grilling time of 8 minutes to reach the "medium rare" cooking stage using conventional preparation methods. When using the method according to the invention, this time is extended to approximately 16 minutes.

[0018] Once the desired crust has formed on the surface of the steak, the cooking process inside the beef steak 1 is slowly brought to the desired core temperature using indirect heat in a convection oven at 200 °C, monitored with a meat thermometer 5. Alternatively, the beef steak 1 can also be finished cooking on a grill using indirect heat.

Claims

[1] Method for preparing a beef steak (1) comprising the following steps: - Cooling the beef steak (1) to a temperature below 8 °C before vacuum sealing. - Vacuum sealing the beef steak (1) in a vacuum sealing film (2) and subsequent deep freezing, whereby the beef steak (1) is shock frozen, i.e. rapidly deep-frozen to -30 °C in a short time, - Thawing the vacuum-packed, frozen beef steak (1) in a fluid bath (3) until the central core (11) of the beef steak (1) has a temperature between -2 °C and -4 °C, wherein the fluid bath (3) has a temperature greater than or equal to 15 °C, - Remove the vacuum-sealed film (2) and sear the beef steak (1) over direct heat on a grill until the desired surface texture is achieved, - Finish cooking the beef steak (1) until it reaches the desired core temperature. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by, that the fluid bath (3) is a water bath. [3] Method according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized by , that the fluid bath (3) has a temperature of greater than or equal to 20 °C. [4] Method according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized by , that the vacuum-packed, frozen beef steak (1) is placed in the fluid bath (3), in particular a water bath of a temperature control device (4) with a circulation pump, and that the fluid bath (3) is kept at a defined temperature of 20 °C. [5] Method according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized by , that the thawing process is monitored with a meat thermometer (5) whose probe (6) is inserted into the middle core (11) of the beef steak (1). [6] Method according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized by , that the beef steak (1) is cut to a uniform thickness (d) before vacuum sealing. [7] Method according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized by, that the beef steak (1) is deep-frozen in a flat position. [8] Method according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized by , that the beef steak (1) is cooked to perfection using indirect heat, preferably in the oven.

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