Improve your meal

After eating steak a couple of times in the last few days, I thought I'd offer a little advice to all. What's the point of cooking and eating a meal you don't even look forward to finishing? Today I've got just a little bit on steaks. For the record, I'm going to assume you've got some lesser piece of meat. There's a reason some cuts are $40 and others are $6. I'm also going to assume you'll grill it. A few weeks left of decent weather and you'll want to do this while you can.

For starters, instead of spraying Pam all over the grill, the coals, the steak and anything else in the line of fire, rub your steak down with some olive oil. It'll prevent sticking and help it retain heat and moisture. Also it'll hold the rub on.

After oiling it, hit it with some rub. I'm tired of eating just a plain ass piece of gray muscle. A rub doesn't have to be complicated. Salt and pepper make a fine rub (use a little more salt than you think is needed). And they don't have to be expensive. You can grab Emeril's if you like, but mixing it at home will give you a feeling of accomplishment. Just remember, it's mostly salt and then whatever else tastes good. I typically throw in cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and a little bit of cayenne. Rub it on generously, you'll be glad you did.

I'm not going to get into the finer aspects of the actual cooking process here. Personally, I'm big on really high heat to sear the outside but leave the middle pink, but that's me. If you like it...well...burnt, cook it on high heat and then move it somewhere else on lower heat to more or less roast.

And finally, I can't emphasize this enough, when it's done grilling LEAVE IT ALONE. Make the sides, set the table, watch tv. Do something that doesn't involve cutting the meat. Let it sit on a plate and rest. I know people who take it straight from the grill and cut the whole piece into tiny bits and I just watch the plate fill up with grease and moisture. Think about it for just a second. That moisture is coming from somewhere and if it's on the plate, what's left for the meat? Not much. Letting it rest will allow the meat to finish cooking and redistribute the juices. It'll leak less and taste better.

Sure there are other things you can do to make your food better (marinades come to mind), but these are easy changes involving things you probably already have or breaking bad habits. As I was taught, anyone can make great food out of expensive ingredients, but it takes skill to make delicious food from lesser items. Even your WalMart steak will impress.