It's most likely that it was coated with clarified butter before it was
put on the grill. I worked at a very upscale restaurant and we only
served filet mignon and new york strip. I watched the chef coat every
steak with clarified butter before putting it on the grill. Also, you
can not buy as a consumer the grade of meat available to restaurants.
It's a matter of supply and demand. There are so many restaurants
vying for top quality meat and willing to pay top dollar for it that a
meat market or grocer can't afford or can't justify passing that cost
on to their customers.
dakota2112 wrote:
> I've searched through this forum but I'm not able to find a
conclusive
> answer.
>
> Let me explain. Firstly, I'm very picky about my steaks. In fact, I
> very rarely order a steak at a restaurant, because frankly they never
> hold a candle to the steaks I grill at home. Of course I'm not
talking
> about what some people consider "real" steakhouses, I'm talking about
> the standard places like Outback, Lone Star, et al.
>
> I grill my steaks in a very particular way, with the end result being
a
> charred outside and VERY pink & juicy inside, and I prefer my grilled
> steaks over the aforementioned restaurant steaks hands down in just
> about every category (doneness, juiciness, consistency, overall
taste,
> etc). I can go into more detail about how I cook my steaks if
> necessary, but to save space, I'll hold off for now.
>
> HOWEVER...
>
> The one thing I have yet to figure out is, how do they get a
restaurant
> steak to have "that taste"? I hope you know what I'm talking about.
> There is some particular kind of flavor that is present in almost any
> restaurant steak, regardless of where you get it or how you ordered
it.
> It even has its own aroma. I will admit, I like that aspect of
> restaurant steaks. But unfortunately, it almost always comes down to
a
> great aroma and that great initial taste, followed by the meat
turning
> into a chewy, tasteless wad of rubber once you begin to chew.
>
> I'd like to add "that taste" to my grilled steak at home, since "that
> taste" is the one and only thing that's missing. I've tried, but I
> cannot reproduce it. I've used a hot cast iron skillet, I've tried
> numerous seasonings, liquid smoke, etc, and none of it produces that
> restaurant flavor. Some people say you have to use meat from a
> butcher, but I say noway, because those restaurant steaks having
"that
> taste" usually have very poor texture and consistency. If butcher
meat
> yields "that taste" + poor texture and consistency, then I'd rather
> continue with what I use (typically custom cut at Krogers, 1.5-2.0"
> thick). Other people say you have to cook it using methods ABC, or
> XYZ, or ABX, or AYZ, or XBC, or some other very subjective
combination.
>
> Your comments please? Does anyone *know* for sure what specific
> spice, procedure, etc. is needed to produce "that taste"?
> Thanks in advance!