Anyone who’s indulged in a delicious tender steak knows how important it is for meat to be cooked correctly. Being a butcher’s daughter and having worked in the meat wholesale industry for years, Maria Gruttulini of TheGourmet.com.au, knows all of the tricks of the trade. Discover how to cook meat to perfection with her expert tips and tricks.
‘The most common mistake people make when they cook their meat is that they apply the wrong cooking method to their cut. And most of the time, they over cook their meat and don’t rest it – you should always rest your meat for half the time you cooked it,’ Maria Gruttulini says.
‘Another common mistake is that people buy meat that has not been aged, and most supermarkets don’t age their meat at all. Ageing is what gives meat its flavour and juiciness.’
How to Cook Meat to Perfection:
Tips for a tender roast
Sear your roast in a hot pan first to caramelise the meat. Cook your roast on a medium to high heat for approximately 40-50 minutes per kilo of meat. For supreme crackling on a pork roast such as loin or belly, pat the pork rind dry with a paper towel and salt with a decent amount of sea salt flakes. Score the skin on a diagonal with the tip of a sharp knife, and bake skin side up.
How to cook a thick cut
To avoid over cooking your steaks whether it be a beef porterhouse, whole chicken breast or thick pork cutlet, sear your meat in a hot, non-stick pan to get a golden colour on the outside (depending on how thick, approximately 2-3 minutes each side). If your frying pan is not oven proof, transfer the meat to a flat baking tray and bake for a further 4-5 minutes in the oven depending on how cooked you prefer your meat.
How to wow with Wagyu
Wagyu breeds produces beef with an intense marbling and a higher percentage of unsaturated fat than any other breed of cattle in the world. The marbling that you see on the meat is unsaturated fat deposits between muscle fibres. As the marbling melts into the beef, it results in a rich, authentic, beef flavour. When cooking Wagyu, always sear on a hot flat plate as opposed to a grill, as it allows the meat to cook evenly in its own fat. Wagyu is best served medium rare to medium with a light sprinkling of good sea salt before and after cooking.
Tip: Try cooking your Wagyu beef steak on a sandwich press – the even heat coming through on either side allows the fat to melt through the meat evenly, resulting in a tender steak.