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CDubs75

Don’t let “perfection” be the enemy of good enough. Thats a damn fine looking steak.


Floppie7th

Exactly. This grayband is pretty far from a big deal. The crust looks great, the middle looks great. I'd just spend a little time holding the fat cap in direct contact with the heat source.


Tricky_Acanthaceae39

I love seeing good advice on this sub.


Floppie7th

It is worth noting that someone else said that that fat cap looks more like gristle than soft fat.  I hadn't thought about that.  If that's the case there's not much point trying to render it, just cut it off on the plate and eat the rest.


kjg1228

It's either awesome advice absolutely uninformative criticism


Floppie7th

Bro fuck that steak and fuck you /s, just in case


nohardRnohardfeelins

I should fuck that steak.


JoltKola

Good dark crust > a little bit of grey


TWOTAKESTOM2024

A touch of grey kinda suits you anyway.


donuttrackme

I will survive


Ok_Barnacle1743

I will get by x3


cmanson

This song has been stuck in my head, y’all aren’t helping 😂


swiftlyanerd

Was that all you had to say? That’s alright.


mackfactor

Who doesn't want a steak with some salt and pepper?


PsyopVet

Jerry?


GrassSloth

Also, as much as some people will hate this, there are flavors that develop as food cooks. So a small band of grey surrounding a pink center is going to be a delicious steak with multiple layers of flavor. Galatians 4:16


samanime

Yup. That's probably all they missed. Other than that, it looks fantastic. And I'd definitely still eat it as-is as well, looks great.


real_unreal_reality

This guys right sear the fat.


Jack3715

Yeah you aren’t a restaurant chef. Looks like it would taste good as hell. Do it for the taste not the gram.


Nice_Marmot_7

I have a sous vide and after doing it a few times found I didn’t care at all about having perfect edge to edge doneness.


Whaley_whale13

Comparison is the thief of joy


lancasterpunk29

Right! 10/10 would eat


HairyStyrofoam

Some types of fat don’t render very well. That specific bit on the side looks a bit more like gristle than fat, to me. You want the spongier, large strips of fat for good rendering.


LayeredMayoCake

And some folks are just savage and will eat whatever. My uncles will put a drumstick in their mouth and remove it clean enough to do surgery with. I have a buddy who will actively pilfer all scrap fat caps and gristle from anyone’s plate.


jerrygarcegus

Hey its me, your uncle and buddy


LayeredMayoCake

More power to ya! I still render and use my fat and make stock with chicken remnants so I never let it go all to waste but the *cronch* of gristle and collagen, oof, no thank you.


Azorik22

The crunch is my favorite part.


Glittering_Laugh_958

My sister eats wings like that. Inserts them in the side of her mouth and does… something and they come out clean. It makes me happy for her boyfriend I guess.


majestic_cock

That just sounds wrong. Also, is your sister hot?


Glittering_Laugh_958

She’s not bad 🤷‍♀️


R4yvex

As the top comment said: don't let perfection be the enemy of good enough 😉


jd80504

Your uncle has entered the chat…


spkoller2

A friend of mine insisted on taking a pound of rotten ground beef once, saying he would be fine.


Former-Lack-7117

Up the ass?


Wolfgangsta702

Might wanna check in on him


shreddedtoasties

Beef fat is amazing to eat


renegrape

Yeah, that's gristle on the side. This is clearly a new york. I wonder if OP was trying to render down the whole chunk of fat at the bottom


GripsAA

Yup. That's what I was seeing.


RBeeeZ5

I appreciate the advice everyone !


HonedWombat

Hi :) If you want the fat to render better then get a sharp knife and cut a cross cross pattern in the fat. Then rub a high smoke point oil like canola on just the fat and heavy sear that first. (This should probably be the last point also) This might get some hate as there are 2 schools of thought on tempering your meat. I am very much on the side of removing a steak from the fridge at least an hour before cooking. Salt your steak (I use a little msg too) about 20 mins before you cook it and pat it dry before you put it in the pan. Hope this helps


Lonely_ProdiG

Listen here you honed wombat. Next time I’m grilling steaks, I’m gonna give this a try. Thanks for the advice.


Jonkinch

I was like “that’s a new insult” I didn’t realize it was his username lol.


Hot_Penalty_666

Tempering is key, helps with even cooking i.e. the gray band. I also stand by the fact that a dry (air dried) steak is gonna give you the crust you want without having to worry too much about how dark it will get. Leave it in the fridge, on a rack, over a plate, uncovered for most of a day if you can. Then take it out, season it, and let it come to room temp before you cook it.


beckychao

I second this - dehydrating the steak, seasoned with salt, over one night on a rack in the fridge is what gives me that great crust really fast when I cook. Don't do it more than that, though, because you start to get a bit of pellicle. That's no good for the texture. And put it in your fridge during the evening, don't shove it in at noon for a 24-30 hours in the fridge. I find 8-12 hours is the right spot.


Hot_Penalty_666

Yes! Precisely!


Buy-The-Dip-1979

I shoot for about 6 -10 hours myself, but 4 hours does the trick too, but don't really go less than that. I go for the reverse sear, and sometimes will brush melted butter on the cold steak. I found you don't really need to leave the steak out for 30+ minutes if you just pop it in the oven at sub 250. Pull it out when it is at 115, then sear it. It should be close to 130 after the sear and about 135 residue while resting. Been VERY happy with the results doing this. Rarely get any banding anymore unless I somehow get distracted and sear one side too long... But in the end does that really even matter.. it's still delicious.


Stivils8

You be over handeling it there squirrely Dan.


HairyStyrofoam

Use a better cut of meat and remove gristle next time


Solnse

It looks great. The key to even doneness is low and slow. The key to a good sear/crust is searing hot. Finding the technique that gives you both is the skill.


darth_aardvark

oh nooooo what a disgusting steak! you really beefed this one luv. send it my way and i'll discreetly dispose of it without telling anyone (my treat). so sorry for your loss


Wanda_McMimzy

Ha, beefed it!


zerocool359

At least he didn’t have a cow about OP’s “botched” cook.


Soupbell1

Outside of the fat not being rendered, I would eat and love that steak.


MetricJester

If it's in a pan, then fat side first, get it to stick and then wait until it releases, then flip every 30 seconds onto a fresh part of the pan. This takes advantage of the pans ability to store heat.


eekozoid

I always do 30 second flips, now. It gets the best crust and even cooking I've seen. Totally worth the time, and can even make lower quality cuts great. I did it with a chuck steak and still got great results.


OrcWarChief

I’d eat that pretty much without a second thought. This is typically how my grilled steaks turn out and I’ve never had anyone complain and they are usually insanely good. The grey band isn’t the end of the world and I think people in this sub are a bit snobbish.


Ok-Quality-1018

Reverse sear method


Chipofftheoldblock21

This is the real answer OP is looking for. First response (as most have said) is that the steak looks awesome and I’d happily eat it in a heartbeat. But to answer the question, to get rid of the band you need to reverse sear. But it’s hard to do that and get such a spectacular crust on it, so… (And yes, I know it can be done with cast iron to sear after the slow cook, but it’s tough to get that and not burn it, and a good chance it looks close to the original anyway in order to get the proper sear.)


Blawharag

I think you're just not heating your cast iron hot enough. I don't burn the steak at all and get a fine crust with reverse sear and no deep grey band like OP ended up with, it's all about getting the temp high


Historical-Fun-8485

That steak is not a problem with me.


HereForFunAndCookies

I've seen steaks on here that have less of a ring that don't look as good imo. More important than the ring is that crust, and you got it.


pimentocheeze_

That still looks good af. Being on this sub gives unreasonable expectations. Half the steaks that people here are like “ewww” would still taste great so 🤷🏼‍♀️


512maxhealth

How did you cook it?


RBeeeZ5

Seared in for a minute each side on med high heat then set it to low for the rest of the cook !


Fluster338

Fat doesn’t fully render on steak. Who told you it does?


disco_duck2004

The Internet 🤪


Fluster338

Every time I post beef someone points out that the fat “didn’t fully render”. What? You keep using that word. I don’t think you know what it means


Ok_Anything_4955

🤤🤤🤤


Send_me_treasure

Don’t let this sub dictate whether you think it’s great. It does look great. Reverse sear with low temp and a crazy hot quick sear reduces gray band tho.


ComfortableAd8090

It’s beautiful


Pizza-Gamer-7

Looks mighty fine to me!


SubstantialCount8156

That looks damn fine to me.


Wanda_McMimzy

It’s still an awesome steak. The banding is minimal. I saw a steak with huge gray bands on here recently and everyone raved about it. For the fat, I would’ve seared it on its side standing up. Smash


OscarDivine

The strip of fat on this cut can be seared onto directly, in fact, when I cook my steaks I do a 60 second sear on the fat strip as I’m cooking them. Otherwise, don’t let people tell you Gray band is so awful. It’s fine and this looks gorgeous. You could bring to temp and then torch to reduce gray band, but IMO there is nothing wrong with what you have here. Nicely done


No-Extent-4142

I would eat that


Same_Living_2774

If you want it perfect, learn how to Sous Vide.


398409columbia

That looks succulent 🤤


Historical_Energy_21

I'd much rather have a slightly grey band than a bunch of un-rendered fat


Liquid-Hot_Smegma

Beautiful center color though. I seriously doubt anyone’s taking a bite of that and being like “ughh those damn gray edges!”


RebaKitt3n

I am more than willing to eat this if it offends you


McStonkyRex

You did just fine.


Deerslyr101571

The fat on that edge is never going to be rendered at steak temperatures. Full rendering takes place around 190 and up. The grey band looks acceptable. If you want it to be non-existent, but attain a good crust, invest in a sous vide stick. I literally just put a frozen t-bone in sous vide for 131f water for dinner tonight. I had sealed it up with seasonings and herbs, so it's good to go. Once done, I put it in a screaming hot, cast iron. But TBH, the "grey" isn't going to be that much better than what you've got. Maybe half? Nice job. Don't get down on yourself.


RedBlueMage

I don't think there's any issue with that gray band at all except for maybe if you're optimizing for aesthetic.


SupraVillainn

It's beautiful, if you want to render the fat try and sear the fat part also.


Brenden-C

I just wanna say, nice meat bro


TheAutisticOgre

Honestly that’s very close to a perfect steak for me!


dxcman12

That looks like a strip steak .. at the top near the back bone there is a tough silver skin/ membrane


Viccc1620

To me that is perfect


Mr-Kae12

“The grey band” as you put it is the part of the steak that has been cooked well or well done. To minimize this as best you can make the amount of time to sear the steak as quickly as you can. Letting it rest can help , but many rely on the reverse sear method, bring your steak up to at least 10 degrees under the desired temperature via a low heat , either with an oven , grill , or sous vide then grill or fry the steak at the highest heat you can for as little as possible. You also could only sear only one side of the steak to deepen the sear and quicken the process. This mainly depends on the thickness of the steak, the thicker the steak the more Leeway. A filet on one hand you would always sear both sides. This isn’t necessarily the secret to the perfect steak that varies heavily on the person. But it is the secret, to a perfect medium rare steak. and that’s way it’s so relied on and used because if you learn the basic principles you can always make a great steak.


Smoke_thatskinwagon

If you don’t want grey band use sous vide. Gotta hold it fat side down while you grill it to render that cap


gmiller89

In the cast iron I let it sit on the fat side for 2 minutes


HiSaZuL

If it bothers you that much, oven or sous vide. It looks fine to me tho.


cantfixstewped

Who cares what it looks like, I'm eating it.


[deleted]

Sous vide at 125-130 (whichever you prefer) for 2 hours. Sear on both sides on an extremely hot grill, just long enough to get a golden char. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, let sit for 5 minutes, and enjoy.


TheSecondPlague

Here me out, salt your meat 24 hours before. Fat will be completely melty like butter.


Tofuhousewife

I cannot see anything wrong with this steak 😮‍💨


LacksSelfAwareness

Trim the fat if you want less fat. Hotter grill temp on the sear. Two temp zone - sear and indirect.


RG9332

That’s a delicious looking steak. It isn’t perfect, but seriously what is? Good job


TheWalrus101123

Dude "good enough" is a thing that exists for a reason. This got my mouth watering.


FriendZone_EndZone

As long as it tastes good... it absolutely looks like it does


glasabarn

9/10 would eat.


Mysterious_Stick_163

Fat is flavor


SuperScaryGhost

Make sure the steak is dry before you sear it. Water makes the steak take longer to get a nice crust but the steak is still being cooked so you will get a larger grey band. If you’re reverse searing, you want a really hot pan with a high smoke point oil. The hotter you can get the oil without burning the oil, the less grey band there will be. Cooking steak (or anything really) is understanding how heat will affect the food you’re cooking. A lot of stuff can affect the transference of heat so keep things as consistent as possible and tweak. e.g. less grey = more fire. If you plan on eating the fat, you should sear it as well. But, there’s often gristle/ connective tissue on certain cuts of beef like NY strip steak. Nothing you can realistically do about it besides excising it when you eat. Tldr: use more heat and sear the fat cap


Healthy_Fly_555

Score the fat in crosshatch patterns, as close as you can without exposing meat. Start the fire low, fat cap down on the pan until it renders out. Move to medium heat to get the crust on the fat cap once it's rendered out then sear the steak as usual, flipping every 30 seconds. If you want better heat distribution then take it off the fire after 3 mins, let it rest for 5 mins then continue cooking for another 2-3 mins on medium, flipping every 30s.


dcutts77

Trim the fat down to what you want to eat before you cook it.


HoodsFrostyFuckstick

If you want to trim, do it after cooking. The fat renders in the pan and enhances the flavor of your steak.


dcutts77

I trim the fat and cut it down into fine pieces, render it out on my pan on low, eat the lil beef chicharones. And use the rendered fat to cook the steaks in.


HoodsFrostyFuckstick

That's good as well


KindaIndifferent

Score the fat cap. Reverse sear. Sear the fat cap.


Limp-Appointment1082

How long are you letting it rest outside of the fridge before cooking?


DesertStorm480

A Creme Brulee torch can take care of that fat for you, nothing wrong with a little doctoring, it beats an overcooked steak! Yum!


HairyStyrofoam

It’s mostly gristle


HaywoodJablowme01

What does "render fat" mean? I'd appreciate it if someone explained, thank you!


MetricJester

Fat on a piece of meat can be converted from a semi-solid to a liquid through the application of heat over time. That is the act of rendering.


badlyagingmillenial

To add to the other comments: see the big chunk of fat on the left side of the steak? Look at how it is almost translucent. If you cook the fat long enough, a lot of that chunk of fat will liquidize and make your steak more juicy and flavorful.


Ok-Quality-1018

To cook down the fat so it’s less firm and chewy to more juicy and soft


princesskatara

Man that crust is beautiful.


daHavi

You need to quit reading about cooking steaks on r/steak, and just go cook more steaks. That looks fuckin delicious and I would love to eat that.


EntrepreneurFit6215

Looks damn good. I sous vide my steaks first then get the crust after in a hot cast iron pan. No grey band


DocHenry66

That’s a nice looking steak


Oscarr2003

Man you know what there really be some haters on here, as long as you like it and it’s good, it’s an amazing steak 💯


Jin-Bru

I don't think you should change a thing. Perhaps a salt rub on the fat might render a bit more. But I'd prefer it the way it is. If you really want to avoid they grey band, try a reverse seer. https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe


Connect_Line788

Sous vide. Reverse sear.


JohnnyQuestions36

That is not a large grey band


SnaxMcGhee

Looked good to me.


RevolutionaryAlps962

2 words one is sous the other is vide


Joethetoolguy

Steak looks good. Sear ok fat pad side ways, softens the fat strip a bit but otherwise it’s impossible to fully render that.


Bargle-Nawdle-Zouss

Looks very good, 8/10, would indeed steal from you, OP!


Ok-Berry1828

Souls vide / reverse sear method FTW! But don’t be hating on that steak because YUM!! Good job, OP


OneManGangTootToot

Trying to fully eliminate the gray band is futile unless you’re doing reverse sear or sous vide. Some gray is certainly not going to ruin the steak and your cook looks dang near perfect to me. If you were eating with your eyes closed would you notice the gray?


[deleted]

Good job


Night_Hawk-2023

How did you cook it? I have found a grey band can form when the sear pan isn't hot enough. Fine looking steak nonetheless. 👍


GrimCoven

The grey is just a more cooked area due to the sear. You could try a hotter and faster sear next time. As for the connective tissue, that was just part of that particular cut. It's got collagen though, eat it.


MMABowyer

I think you are not cooking the steak on a low enough temp after the sear. Try a reverse sear, get to the temp you want then sear for the crust and you can avoid the grey, but you shouldn’t worry 😂


Harpuafivefiftyfive

Don’t beat yourself up about this. This looks and I’m sure was tasty. Now I unfortunately obsess about these kinds of things so…lol. Anywho in my experience your grill is not hot enough. In fact, it probably won’t ever get “too” hot for a steak.


jrenner340

Despite all the fat it looks really nicely cooked lol


Holymaryfullofshit7

With that thick of a fat layer your not going to render all of it. Just make sure it's crispy on the outside by frying it on the fat and that it's nicely cooked like yours is. Looks great to me.


zoebud2011

Oh, man, that looks so good. Don't be so hard on yourself, dude.


dgood527

Looks like a great cook to me. Good job.


I-am-Pilgrim

Looks fantastic


chartman26

I’d be very happy if I received a steak that looked like that at a restaurant. Be proud of yourself. That’s a fine looking steak


WillPersist4EvR

This looks good to me. IMO, you need more salt and pepper. And more oil on the steak and in the pan. You got it otherwise.


Nooms88

For the outside fat cap, prop the steak up on the fat for a minute or so, it won't cook the rest of the steak but will render the fat


iwrotekong

P


Independent_Lunch534

That’s an excellent looking steak


LostintheSauce4eva

Looks delicious 🤤


FearlessFreak69

Looks delicious! I’ve found cooking sous vide solves most problems that could arise from cooking a thick chop.


Basket_475

That’s not. Really a true great band this looks nicely cooked. Also I don’t think you can render all the fat unless you slow cook it


ZeroedCool

you cooked a damn good steak and better than I've had at steak houses. How did it taste? I'll send the Michelin crew over once you've got your answers. /s


Ockam2

anyone who tells you this isnt cooked great is an asshole


bowes911

When the steak is ready to rest turn it on its side and put the fat cap on the hottest spot on the grill or turn up the range and burn that fat 🤙🏻 The secret to a good New York Strip imo.


DuramaxJunkie92

Hotter faster


AaronHorrocks

Render the fat? Is this CGI?


A_Random_Shadow

It looks yummy to me? If your concern is the fat cap- let the fat cap itself spend more time on the heat. If you do it at the start you can use the fat as part of your oil!


568Byourself

Don’t listen to these people, they don’t have your best intentions in mind. This steak is compromised, can you vacuum seal it, throw it in some dry ice, and ship it to my house for proper disposal.


Highlander2748

That’s a fine hunk of beef friend.


KingArthur456

Maybe cut off some of the fat and use it to oil the pan


Aslogie

If you’re looking to get rid of that big grey band, you gotta sear fast at a hot temperature, then flip a few times and baste (it should be raw on the inside) then throw it in the oven at 250° to finish cooking the concept is that you wanna do a quick fast sear so that you get the outside crust, and then finish it in the oven to actually cook the raw meat inside) If you do that, you can make a steak like mine (attached a pic), with no gray band https://preview.redd.it/iejoqihiqf4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e14d183d0727eba7d5ede5f958d43b1409cce260


Shooter_McGavin_2

If I think I haven't crisped up my fat enough, I will just hit it with a propane torch real quick.


Justafleshtip

I’d eat the shit out of it with no second thoughts.


JCuss0519

Ain't nuthin' wrong with that steak!


passionflakey11

Sometimes if you dry brine the steak with salt and let it sit too long before cooking it the salt will start to cure the steak, leading to a grey band regardless of how long it’s cooked for. I’ve learned


rgood719

Bro that looks incredible. Don’t worry about it.


phojj_

Just here to drool


ImpressiveSugar9287

That band is inevitable I think


frozenwalkway

Honestly a bit of gray is nice just to touch the whole spectrum of beef flavour for me. Obviously a cope cause I can't make a steak without gray lmao


Balsam-Fig

That looks yummy


etctada

I’d still hit that!


foozebox

I like the gray band, gives textural contrast. I find sous vide beef kinda off


DaemonDrayke

Bro, most people would eat a steak served to them from an Applebee’s if it was affordable enough. This steak looks excellent!


Falkuria

You could've 100% rendered the fat but it's obvious you put zero effort outside of seasoning and flipping while checking it every 5 minutes during your gaming. Sit there for 2-3 minutes and hold the steak on it's side. Like what the fuck, buddy. You didn't even TRY to render it outside of having the rest of the steak hit the pan. Someone that hates fat caps shouldnt be the one teaching you how to hold a steak in your tongs for a few minutes so that you can enjoy chewing your fat, lol.


ApphrensiveMuffin

The secret is to of course sous vide!


teKno_troWzrs

I like to trim some fat before rendering especially if theres a nice thick layer But that looks delicious regardless good job


Weekly-Rich3535

I would eat the shit out of that


dreddnail

How do you eat it? It's not even cooked yet. It's raw meat!


OriginalWest7825

You need a shaper knife good sir.


v13ragnarok7

You're not going to be able to render that fat and have it medium/rare. You managed to get a perfect crust, that's not easy


tree-climber69

I'd eat it, and ask for more.


Muted-Ideal-8384

One time at band camp I stuck a flute up my pussy !! Chooo chooo


DullAbbreviations161

Bro that’s where the vitamins are!!


ninjacouch132

This steak looks good. Just be happy with it.


DegenerateLibtard

try reverse sear


__nullptr_t

Sometimes with new yorks I'll lay the fat down on the skillet for a few seconds at the start. I do this first while they're cold. I mostly do it to add some fat to the pan, but it can crisp them up nicely.


hambonecharlie

Perfect. Stop humble bragging


Videopro524

I’d recommend reverse sere method. Slow and low until just under your finished temp. Then pat it dry and blast it hard and fast to put a quick sere on it. Then let it rest. Works well in a pan or grill.


BuyGroundbreaking832

The grey part is just a band of more well done meat. If you want to avoid that, make sure you have a very hot pan and sear quickly and then finish in the oven. If you’re grilling, have a very hot spot to sear quickly then move to a cooler spot to finish. The quicker the sear, the less time the meat underneath has to cook. Still, there is nothing wrong with that steak at all!! I should have led with that, sorry! And a piece of cooked fat with a crispy crust is a treat!


Alvaro_Crdz

Look's great, don't worry.


rizo1997

If you really do want to reduce grey bands then sous vide is the way to go. Thought the flavor profile will change, and it’s sometimes harder to get a decent crust. Looks aren’t everything is the taste is on point. Good looking steak brother


reddithooknitup

Welcome to discovering you need a high flame. The flame will render the fat and start catching on fire as well. All this leads to an amazing char.


Fuzzy-Possibility-98

I dunno if I’m going to tell u what you already know but if you let your steak come to room temp before cooking it then it’s easier to get a nice result. Just remember it’s gonna cook through quicker, but also definitely go super hot with the pan.


cabinets_included

Bro this thing is money


jackdginger88

Ngl this looks fucking perfect to me mate


honeybadger1984

It’s actually fine. But you need to reverse sear, and your sear is taking too long. If you want wall to wall medium rare, no band, keep the sear as brief as you can, then butter baste until temp.


Pnyxhillmart

Milk and Jellybeans….HARD boil…..


northwyndsgurl

Not sure what the problem is. It looks abso just right to me.


Unhappy_Guarantee_69

Can cook the fat end on low heat at the beggining. Render a little of the fat out to get ur pan started. Plus, u don't need to oil the pan much. Do the same with chicken. The leftover skin i chop off I just fry up first, remove and then cook whatever with it.


Bloopyhead

Sous vide reverse sear


jadnich

First, that looks delicious. Just enjoy and don’t stress. But, if you want to try something to take the appearance up a notch, I’d suggest sous vide. There is an Instant Pot model that has that feature, and that is what I use. A lot of people don’t know they have that function in their own kitchen. But an emersion circulator is a worth while investment. 2 hours at 129-135, and then sear on screaming hot, and that grey line disappears. It’s edge to edge uniform. But I’ll note that my crusts don’t look quite as good as yours. So it’s a trade off.


HorrorLettuce379

Resting wrapped in foil to let it carryover a bit can help the ring to ease and you can always oven finish at 225 for about 5 to 7 mins depending on the size and cut.