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"EoinMag":17x81xk4 wrote: Na, I understand bleu steaks but that is taking it to extremes and would not be hot in the centre, even the French guy beside me reckons that's undercooked.[/quote:17x81xk4]

The French know nothing about cooking steak properly.

And if you start with the meat at room-temperature, the centre gets hot enough- the problems come with putting very cold meat onto a hot surface as it increases cooking time and cools the pan.

&amp;quot;emmetg&amp;quot;:4m7p35zm wrote: try steak tartar <!-- s8) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cool.gif" alt="" title="Cool" /><!-- s8) --> or cappachio of beef[/quote:4m7p35zm]

I do... I've also had carpaccio of venison; and horse.

&amp;quot;Andrew&amp;quot;:1j2l57e4 wrote:

&amp;quot;EoinMag&amp;quot;:1j2l57e4 wrote: Na, I understand bleu steaks but that is taking it to extremes and would not be hot in the centre, even the French guy beside me reckons that's undercooked.[/quote:1j2l57e4]

The French know nothing about cooking steak properly.

And if you start with the meat at room-temperature, the centre gets hot enough- the problems come with putting very cold meat onto a hot surface as it increases cooking time and cools the pan.[/quote:1j2l57e4]

may i add the french know nothing about ageing beef.

havent eating horse yet

incedently cold beef/lamb/pork hitting a hot pan causes the pan to fill up with juices and stew as oppose to fry.

A hot pan and room temperature meat is a given, but with a 2.5-3 inch thick tournedo I don't believe that 15 seconds a side is long enough.
I've had carpaccio, I've had tartare, beef and pork, I've had Americain in Belgium, raw meat is not my issue. I like steak rare and it tends to get about 1.5 minutes a side and then 3-4 minutes in a 180c oven still on the pan, and then 10 minutes rest.
Horses for courses I suppose, but I guarantee my method has more mass appeal than a barely bleu steak, and would hit the restaurant definition of rare.

If you want to know how to cook a steak ask a Gaucho <!-- s:?: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_question.gif" alt=":" title="Question" /><!-- s:?: -->

The Argentians cook thier steaks sloooooowly.

There was a documentary on German Tv were they cross connected the Argentinian and German steak chefs. The Germans showed how they cooked a big steak ( medium rare )( say 500 gms ) in 10 mins - the Argentianians were horrified! They took said chefs to the pampas and showed them how they would cook that size steak in about 90 mins - still to medium rare!

I have been slowly experimenting with slooooow cooking:

To date the slowest cooked rare sirloin/rump of about 0.5 kg ( about 1.5" thick ) is 2 hours.

Last years slow BBQ saw a large, whole piece of sirloin, about 5 Kgs, take 6 hours to cook and was still be rare.

I use a gas BBQ so after the heat up, sterilise, clean cycle, I turn off all the burners bar one set to low, add a piece of steel mesh to raise the meat into the canopy, plug in a thermometer/thermocouple and wait!!

If its too hot turn it off!

Apart from the fact that a fat flare up burn thro' the thermo couple wire all was ok.

Now I just feel the lid, stck a skewer in the meat and maybe even turn the BBQ "OFF" <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->

The concensus from some of the lads who had had a rugby tour to Argentina a few years back was "not bad for a first attempt at slow Argentinian BBQ".

Praise indeed

Will

&amp;quot;EoinMag&amp;quot;:jf5xta8e wrote: A hot pan and room temperature meat is a given, but with a 2.5-3 inch thick tournedo I don't believe that 15 seconds a side is long enough.[/quote:jf5xta8e]

ah- I was going with a regular 1.5-2cm thick steak. For something as thick as a tournedo I would be inclined to coat it in a duxelle then wrap it in pastry, bake, and serve it as a mini beef wellington.