Preparation Guides
OUR STEAKS
All Steak served at our fine dining Steakhouse or shipped in our handsome Prime Steak Gift Boxes is top quality USDA Prime Beef. No exceptions! Each steak is Master Butcher trimmed and carefully dry-aged according to cut for incredible tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.
“When you get a thing the way you want it, leave it alone.”
– Winston Churchill
CUT GUIDE
Ribeye
Carved from the heart of the Rib Roast is our USDA Prime Ribeyes. The “Prime” grading is given to just the top 2 % of beef on the market. This succulent cut is well-marbled, rich in flavor, and incredibly juicy.
New York Strip
Our USDA Prime New York Strip Steak is beloved for its bold beef flavor. This Master Butcher trimmed cut is sourced from the finest breeding programs in the country and meticulously aged using our unique process.
Filet Mignon
Expertly cut from the tenderloin is our USDA Prime Filet Mignon. This steak is prized for its tenderness, buttery flavor, and generous marbling. With just over 2 pounds of filet found in a cow, the filet is an especially rare delicacy.
Cooking Methods
*This is our preferred method*
- Heat a large cast iron skillet on high heat, allow the dry pan to get very hot, (5 minutes).
- Place a small amount of cooking oil in the pan, (barely enough to coat the bottom of the skillet) and immediately add the seasoned steaks. This will produce some smoke so be sure to have your stove exhaust vents on high.
- Sear the steaks for two minutes on each side, (do not move the searing steaks during this time), this should produce a rich brown crust.
- Immediately place the skillet into a pre-heated 350-degree oven for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 119 degrees.
- Using oven mitts, remove the skillet from the oven and place on the stove top and allow steaks to rest in the skillet for 8-12 minutes, (upon resting the internal temperature should have reached 125-130 degrees, this is the ideal temperature for a perfect medium rare steak.)
- Once plated, add a dollop of Churchill’s Steak Finishing butter over the steak and serve.
Most conventional broilers cook at temperatures around 500 degrees.
- Pre-heat the broiler for 10-15 minutes with the broiler pan on the uppermost rack and the oven door ajar. This allows more oxygen into the oven space and helps maximize the heat efficiency.
- Remove the broiler pan to the stove top and arrange the pre-oiled and seasoned steaks on the broiler pan. Return the broiler pan to the top rack of the oven. While you want the steaks to be close to the broiler elements, if they are too close, the oils may ignite and flare up. Check and adjust the position.
- Again, leaving the oven door ajar, begin cooking. Cook the first side for approximately 7 minutes, remove pan, turn and repeat for another 4 minutes.
- Remove the pan to the stove top and adjust the oven from broiler to bake at 350-degrees. Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature. For a medium rare steak, the internal temperature should be 119-degrees when removed from the oven. The steaks will continue cooking while at rest and the internal temperature will reach 125-130 degrees for medium rare.
Generally, gas grills are the most difficult broilers to judge as the different types offer such a wide difference in the amount of BTU’s they produce. For cooking steak, the higher the heat source, the better. Like Charcoal grills, the bottom heat source, especially with Prime beef, generally melts the fat into the flame which can cause flare-up. The following methods are suggested:
- Heat your gas grill to “high” for 5 minutes with the lid closed prior to cooking to ensure the grill grates are hot. Turn a section of your grill in the off position creating a two-zone grill, preferably the middle section.
- Place the oiled and seasoned steaks directly over the coals to sear for two minutes per side, watching carefully to avoid flare-ups. Once the steaks have seared and caramelized to a golden brown, move the steaks to the side with no coals and place the lid back on the grill with the vents open. This will allow the steaks to roast.
Charcoal grills, like Weber, are great for cooking steaks because of the high intensity heat they produce, but can be very difficult to manage, especially with Prime beef due to the amount of fat in the steaks. This fat will melt and drip into the coals, causing a flare-up. We suggest the following methods:
- Place approximately 100 briquettes in a pyramid and light. When the briquettes are fully white, make an even layer of coals on one side of your grill leaving the other half void of coals. This is known as a two-zone grill. Place the grill grates back on the broiler and allow them to get hot by placing the lid back on the grill for two minutes before beginning to cook.
- Place the oiled and seasoned steaks directly over the coals to sear for two minutes per side, watching carefully to avoid flare-ups. Once the steaks have seared and caramelized to a golden brown, move the steaks to the side with no coals and place the lid back on the grill with the vents open. This will allow the steaks to roast.
- Continue to roast for 3 to 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 119 degrees, for medium rare, or as the chart below describes.
- Remove the steaks from the grill and allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. The steaks will continue cooking while at rest and the internal temperature will reach 125-130 degrees for medium rare.
The appearance of the steaks, based upon the internal temperatures of the steak after resting / “ideal”, as shown below:
The “Remove” temperature on the left is the target temperature to remove from heat source. The “Ideal” temperature on the right is the ideal internal temperature after resting. Note these are the recommendations of our professional chefs, not the official recommendations of the USDA.
RARE: Light Crust, Red throughout, Cool Center | Remove: 114F | Ideal: 120F
MEDIUM RARE: Crisp Crust, Mostly Pink with Warm Red Center | Remove: 119F | Ideal: 127F
MEDIUM: Extra Crisp Crust, Pink Center | Remove: 129F | Ideal: 139F
MEDIUM WELL: Charred Crust, Mostly Tan with Slight Pink Center | Remove: 137F | Ideal: 149F
WELL DONE: Extra Charred Crust, Tan Throughout | Remove: 145F | Ideal: 160F