How to pre-grill steaks for dinner party and keep warm?
I am throwing an Argentinean themed dinner party this saturday. Do I have any hope of pre-grilling steaks and keeping them warm in an oven for an hour or so before serving?
Will the steaks hold up? Or will they dry out?
Any suggestions? If the oven will work, is 200 degrees the right temperature?
Thanks so much,
Bill
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alanbarnes
Jan 22, 2009 03:06 PM
No, you can't hold steaks in the oven. But you can finish cooking them there. And that might just work for you.
Searing a steak and finishing it by oven roasting is pretty standard practice. And 200 is a perfectly good a temperature for slow-roasting beef.
The key is that you're not holding the meat, you're continuing to cook it. If you grill the steaks until they're the desired doneness, after an hour in the oven - even at 200F - they'll be extremely overdone. As in shoe leather.
So you need to get the steaks into the oven while they're underdone. The only question is, how underdone? Grill one steak over high heat for a minute a side, then insert a probe thermometer and pop it in a 200F oven and see how much time it takes for the center to hit your target temperature (I like 130F). Take notes throughout the process, and you should be able to replicate it before / during your party.
Sounds like you're going to be needing to eat steak for dinner tonight. And maybe again tomorrow, just to make sure you've got the timing right. Oh, the sacrifices we make...
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Thanks, People. To answer some questions: about 10 top sirloins at least an inch thick, no bone.
The reason for grilling ahead is that we will all be sitting for a first course, then I'll have to go out and grill the steaks for the second course. Miss Manners would say you shouldn't leave your guests to spend time in the kitchen (or by the grill).
Maybe I can come up with a creative break in the dinner.
Thanks for your help,
Bill
›2 Replies-
re: flearfarm
Karl S
Jan 22, 2009 02:12 PM
Steak does not have to be served hot - in fact, I like mine just somewhat warm or at room temperature. Do *not* try to keep them warm. The best you can do is try to seal each steak tightly in a bag and run hot tap water over them for several minutes (hot tap water is about the perfect temperature for warming proteins without re-cooking them).
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re: flearfarm
Unless your guests like their steaks well-done, 6 minutes total cooking time on the grill should be all they need. Regardless of what Miss Manners says, you are going to have to step away to clear the plates from the 1st course anyway. Cooking the steaks in that interval really is manageable, assuming that the grill has been preheated before you sit down for course no. 1. I would simply enlist one guest to assist you in clearing the plates, ask everyone to please stay seated and enjoy themselves for a few minutes, and then grill the steaks.
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If you must, you can mark the steaks on the grill with your diamond criss-crosses to give the appearance of the grill. Do this on both sides as close to the time dinner is to be served. Then, pop them into a very hot oven (450-500 degrees) and finish cooking. For large banquets, restaurants do this all the time.
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Are you willing to be adventurious? The Washington Post had an article and recipe yesterday about how to sous vide at home. The chef who did it used a beef tenderloin, and once it was done, seared the outside to warm it and get a crust just before serving. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
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alwayscooking
Jan 22, 2009 01:10 PM
My vote is for the don't do it but, if you insist, keep them in a buerre monte (butter bath) in a low oven to keep them hot. You'd lose some of the texture of the crust but they wouldn't day out. You could also consider serving at room temperature - they steaks will have cooled to that point by then.
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thursdayclubjason
Jan 22, 2009 12:26 PM
Honestly, I can't say for sure, but alarms are going off in my head at the prospect of keeping a steak in the oven for an hour, even at insanely low temperatures.
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my foodie blog http://www.thursdayclubnyc.com›1 Reply-
re: thursdayclubjason
HaagenDazs
Jan 22, 2009 12:33 PM
Yeah - I'm with you guys, I think. Cooking ahead isn't really that necessary, Steaks don't take but 3 or 4 minutes a side if they are "regular" thickness.
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baldwinwood
Jan 22, 2009 11:47 AM
Why would you want to pre grill steaks?
One can make side while the steaks are resting....
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HaagenDazs
Jan 22, 2009 11:43 AM
What kind of steaks? Bone in? How many are you grilling? Why do you want to hold them for just an hour? (seems like most people would want to grill and hold them longer than just an hour)
My first reaction is no, but when you think about it, an hour isn't too long. The real trick of course is trying to keep them from overcooking, not necessarily from drying out. Answering some of those questions above might help us help you.
