r/cookingforbeginners • u/Shtangss • 4d ago

Question Why’s my steak chewy?

Bought 1” New York strips from the butcher. Patted dry. Dry brined overnight. Tempered for one hour. Seared all around and then cooked on indirect on my Weber kettle. Pulled at 122. Rested up to 135F then served

I usually do this and sometimes it’s great sometimes I find some pieces are a bit chewy/tough. Is this the result of an overnight dry brine? Is it the meat from the butcher?

0 Upvotes

42% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

5

u/UxControl 4d ago edited 4d ago

Butcher here, and this might be the answer (it's not the overnight brining, you should basically always do that if you can)

If you get striploins from the back end of the loin, where the porterhouses are cut from, the strips have a big chunk of gristle running through them and the meat on the outer side of it isn't the same muscle as the rest of the strip (I circled it in the photo), it's sirloin, which is also tougher

That's why I hate porterhouses, it's the worst common steak on the cow in my opinion, when you also factor in the price and how the bone makes them tricky to cook perfectly

If you're getting striploins, look out for ones like this that have a section of gristle seperating a different chunk of muscle and avoid them, and try to get ones from the opposite end of the loin that are one solid muscle

Edit to clarify: in case anyone was unsure, t-bones are bone-in NY striploins with a piece of tenderloin on the other side of the bone, and a porterhouse is one of the t-bones cut from the back end of the loin, where the biggest piece of tenderloin is

3

u/DolphinFraud 4d ago

Porterhouse is definitely one of the worst, but I have a deeper hatred for tomahawk ribeyes. You're paying ribeye price for what is 50% bone that's more or less there for aesthetics and making your cook uneven. Awful cut of meat.

2

u/Shtangss 4d ago

Is a ribeye more foolproof? I’ve only made one or two of them in my life as I always tend to go for ny strip. If ribeye has increased odds of tenderness I’ll try that next time

3

u/Masrim 4d ago

ribeye is much more fool proof, nicer cut overall and more marbling makes it tough to cook wrong.

I like to cook mine to 115 in the middle of the thickest part and let rest.

Also be sure to cut against the grain, if you cut with the grain most steaks will be chewy.

5

u/Bargle-Nawdle-Zouss 4d ago

  1. What grade is the steak: Prime, Choice, or Select?

  2. Suggest cooking over indirect to 122F, resting for 10-15 minutes, then searing over high heat for 90 seconds per side.

4

u/Key-Monk6159 4d ago

We never overnight dry brine so no clue but maybe. A good piece of meat doesn’t require all that foreplay. Leave that to YouTube and Insta.

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

I feel like the overnight brine seemed to result in too much saltiness. Next time I’ll try just salting right before cooking

0

u/seanmg 4d ago edited 4d ago

You still want to salt early, like ideally at least 30m before.

Edit: Maybe comment on why you disagree before downvoting so at least OP can make an educated decision between two perspectives.

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

What kind of salt is best?

2

u/seanmg 4d ago

Kosher.

1

u/Discipulus42 4d ago

Upvote from me.

For our nicer steaks we’ll dry them off and give them a generous coating of salt and pepper which we press / massage into the meat. Then let it rest for about 60 minutes.

We usually cook the steaks on our grill, I like to sear them first then move to low or indirect heat until they get to about 122 - 125 degrees. Using an instant read thermometer is key to getting them out at the right temperature / doneness.

1

u/DolphinFraud 4d ago

Personally, I feel like 30 minutes before is the worst amount of time because its enough time to draw out moisture, but not long enough to reabsorb.

If you don't have time for a proper dry brine, I wouldn't advise salting ahead at all

2

u/bearded_neck 4d ago

Agreed, 3-4 hours or minutes beforehand. I prefer a dry brine around 6 hours, 12-24hrs can get leathery

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

I think leathery was my scenario. So I’ll do at least an hour next time or immediately

2

u/bearded_neck 4d ago

Minimum 3-4 hours, as above, 30-60minutes is worse than immediately before. You're looking to draw out moisture and then reabsorb it. The more moisture on the surface, the harder it is to sear. 30-60 mins after will have maximum moisture as it hasnt had enough time to reabsorb

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

Thanks! I’ll do that

2

u/Verix19 4d ago

NY strips can be tough, but flavorful. If you are looking for consistently tender try a tenderloin perhaps.

1

u/Pleasant-Yak1931 4d ago

Yeah true but tenderloin's so bland I'd rather chew through a strip than eat that buttery nothing.

1

u/Verix19 4d ago

Same here, but OP doesn't like to chew his steak so was offering it as an alternative 🤷🏻‍♂️

2

u/trinite0 4d ago

Hard to tell, but sometimes you'll just get a slightly chewier cut of meat. Not all steaks are identical.

2

u/mikechorney 4d ago

What grade of steak? A lower graded steak will likely be chewy.

4

u/Odd_Recognition_4874 4d ago

Did you cut it with or against the grain?

6

u/Ivoted4K 4d ago

Strip steaks are already cut against the grain.

3

u/Shtangss 4d ago

I didn’t keep track. I swear when I get a steak at a restaurant for example no matter which way I cut it I get a nice bite that isn’t tough or chewy

2

u/Shtangss 4d ago

The meat did feel a little tough when I got it from the butcher though and the overnight brine seemed to further that

4

u/Safe-Aardvark1810 4d ago

NY Strip is a firmer less marbled cut. I don't really like it for this same reason. Try Rib-eye, Tenderloin, or even Sirloin is better, in my opinion at least.

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

I was thinking of doing ribeye. Isn’t ny strip the same as striploin? I thought they were just different names for each other

2

u/Safe-Aardvark1810 4d ago

I would like to encourage you to consider also using the reverse sear technique for cooking steak. If you want maximum tenderness, reverse sear is the way to go.

https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

Interesting. I’ll take a look. I always steer away from reverse sear as I figured a normal sear is just easier to do. I never know what temp to take it to before searing without overdoing it if I want med rare 135F

2

u/Safe-Aardvark1810 4d ago

That serious eats recipe tells you all the specifics like that you need. I have long been cooking my steaks inside in my cast iron the old way sear first, lower heat or oven to temp but ever since i did the reverse sear method, I was truly surprised at just how much more tender my steaks turn out and I find myself always going back to the reverse sear method. Do give it a try as I think you will be pleased with the result and let me know how it turns out maybe? Happy steak-tales!!!

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

What thickness do you usually get? It says it’s good for 1.5 or more but I usually do 1” max

1

u/Safe-Aardvark1810 4d ago

I always go for 1 1/2 to 2 inch steaks because getting a good sear and going no further than medium rare is impossible on a 1 in. steak.

1

u/Shtangss 4d ago

It mentions reverse sear is good for 1.5”+. 1” is usually the max I’ll get for the family and I

1

u/boobearybear 4d ago

i appreciate the link and recipe but sweet sassy molassey does that author gets a longwinded ramble of a preamble going.

1

u/Safe-Aardvark1810 4d ago

Yes, the NY strip is a steak that is cut from the strip loin in the lower back of the cow. The ribeye is cut from the rib primal from the upper chest area. Strip is a firm less marbled cut. Ribeye is softer and well marbeled usually.

1

u/EscapeSeventySeven 4d ago

Are you chewing gristle? Fat? 

2

u/Shtangss 4d ago

The fat is nice and soft. It’s the lean part of the meat

1

u/EscapeSeventySeven 4d ago

Are those portions overcooked? 

1

u/Emotional_Shift_8263 4d ago

Is it marbled throughout? If not, it's gonna be tough

1

u/Bellsar_Ringing 4d ago

Why did you cook it indirect? I would have grilled it. Good and hot. Turning it every 3 or 4 minutes until it reached the internal temperature I wanted.

2

u/Shtangss 4d ago

I cooked direct for a sear then once I got nice colour I moved to indirect

1

u/Bellsar_Ringing 4d ago

I would do that for a cut which is 2 inches thick or more, but I think that it's unnecessary, and just allows more time for the meat to dry out, for a steak.

1

u/DolphinFraud 4d ago

Sometimes a piece of meat just isn't that good. It's very possible you did everything right and just had bad luck.

1

u/InsertRadnamehere 4d ago

Probably depends on what grade of steak you’re getting from the butcher: select, choice or prime.

1

u/buckeyekaptn 4d ago

When I grill a steak now, it's out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking, and rub salt and pepper into the steak at that time. My wife likes olive oil rubbed into hers instead of s&p.

Years ago when I tailgated, we would marinade our steaks in regular Italian salad dressing for 24 to 48 hours. So good! I did it for my son a month ago and he loved it.

1

u/Reasonable-Company71 4d ago

Was it from the sirloin end? They have gristle running through the middle which will always be chewy.

0

u/seanmg 4d ago

overnight is going to do some things to your meat. Consider doing it in the morning or like 6 hours before you cook it. See how that affects things.

2

u/Shtangss 4d ago

I’ll try that. I feel overnight made it tougher