We are fast approaching the time of year where for one day we are socially pressured into showing that special someone how much they mean to us. What better way to treat your significant other than a special home cooked meal? But what to cook??? Cliché or not, it has to steak!
Steak and chips, steak and salad, steak, potatoes and vegetables, whatever your choice of sides, nothing says romance like to good steak. Here at Grasmere Farm we do not just offer the finest pork from our own farm, but we also source the best, locally produced beef, favouring Lincoln Red.
LINCOLN RED
We source most of our beef from a Lincoln Red farmer near Louth in Lincolnshire. Lincoln Red is one of the oldest rare breeds in the UK and its flavour is famed for being one of the best due to its good covering of fat and marbling within the meat. We hang all our hindquarters and fore-rib meat on the bone for at least three weeks to add to the tenderness and flavour.
WHICH STEAK SHOULD I BUY?
Ah, now this is a bit trickier! As with all things tastes and preferences are subjective, so it is impossible to advise, however, your friends at Grasmere Farm are here to help. To the majority, steak is reserved for a treat, such as Valentines, so this is not an everyday dilemma!
Below are a few options to choose from and their merits but there are a few universal rules.
Buy local, buy quality. Your butcher will help you choose the best cut for you, at Grasmere Farm we have decades of experience across all our shops. All our steaks, indeed all our beef, is aged for a minimum of 21 days.
Bring the steak to room temperature before cooking. A cold steak into a hot pan will contract the muscles and you will lose tenderness so remove from the fridge 30 -60 minutes before cooking for best results.
Rub the steak with olive oil and season before cooking.
Fry on a high heat – and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving so the meat relaxes!
POPULAR STEAKS
In no particular order, here we have the most common steaks available now at Grasmere Farm, instore and online.
A real favourite of butchers thanks to the perfect balance of fat and meat, which coupled with the maturation on the bone, results in a beautiful and succulent steak. Unlike leaner steaks such as fillet, Rib eye benefits from slightly longer cooking, at least medium rare, to allow the fat to render down and flavour the meat.
One of the most popular due to being one of the leanest but often looked down upon. Generally, you get more steak for your money with rump and cooked correctly will still melt in the mouth so a little unfair as many prefer the subtlety rather than the strong beefy taste of others. Does benefit from tenderising or marinating before cooking.
A good layer of fat aids cooking whilst the natural marbling throughout melts into the steak giving a very tasty, juicy steak. The optimum thickness is 3-4cm and more than most, this steak benefits from having the 5 minutes rest after cooking, a vital step for sirloin.
From the least used muscle, resulting in the leanest and tenderest cut. Fillet steak is an absolute favourite and needs little introduction. Look for a nice thick steak, as thick as wide if you can, and as it is so lean, do not overcook.
Essentially a Rib Eye on the bone, our Cote de Boeuf is French trimmed by our butchers, so it retains its immense flavour. A monster of a steak but like all meat, the bigger it is the easier it is to cook. A truly indulgent dining experience and whilst not the cheapest it is absolutely worth a treat as generously serves two.
T-BONE STEAK
Combing the delights of sirloin and fillet, T-Bone is an absolute treat for that special occasion. This combination along with being on the bone results in incredible flavour and texture. A real classic.
SO, WHAT’S IT TO BE?
If you are lucky enough to live near one of our shops in Market Deeping, Stamford and Bourne, or visiting the superb Vine House Farm Shop & Café, where we have a butchers counter, then take advantage of visiting and speaking to our experienced, friendly butchers who can advise and even offer top tips for cooking.
To accompany your steak, we stock a range of Verstegen sauces, choose from Steak Diane, Stilton, Mushroom, Pepper or Bearnaise. Just make sure you have a nice bottle of red or perhaps a bottle of local ale to go with your meal!
Of course, steak isn’t for everyone, so why now browse our prepared chicken meal ideas or pork fresh from our farm? All these great products are also available online!
