Steak Obsession: It's Your Choice

It's not often that I come across something food-related that completely blows my mind. I have my culture and Andrew Zimmern to blame for that. I mean, once your tongue has wrestled its way through a plate of steamed chicken feet, not many things will elicit a double-take from me.

Except for Carrie Oliver.

The past few weeks of corresponding, meeting and sharing intimate conversations with Carrie have changed the way I see, taste and feel about beef.

Yes, I know it sounds like a silly girl-crush, but hear me out.

Carrie specializes in artisan steak tastings; sort of like wine tasting, but for beef. According to Carrie, breed, diet, geography and treatment of cattle have so much more to do with how the steak tastes than the standard USDA ratings of Select, Choice and Prime. Sure, more marbling means a richer mouth feel and definitely is more expensive. But start thinking in terms of flavor notes, character and texture. Does more marbling equal more flavor?

Remember when coffee was just "caf" and "decaf"? Or when wine was just red or white? Well, steak for me was just expensive steakhouse and regular supermarket stuff. Then the gracious folks at Chefs On The Loose in Tampa hosted us for an evening of steak tasting with Carrie.

I realized that I pay as much for a good steak as I do for a bottle of wine, so why not care about its taste, where it's from and the quality? If I care about what chemicals were sprayed on my produce, why not know what the cattle were injected with and how they were treated?

After Carrie led our group of 15 through the blind taste test of six steaks (all the same cut and only seasoned with salt) from six artisan ranchers, a few things were very clear. Each steak had its own character, and the differences between each were astounding. We each liked something a little different, but the tasting event opened a whole new world of how to think about steak.

The beef we sampled that evening was simply the best I've ever had. And the real kicker was that they all would have been rated Select or Choice cuts. Marbling has little to do with what I really enjoy in the flavor of my beef.

During the reveal at the end of the tasting, Carrie highlighted the tasting notes, the breed, diet, aging technique, location and information about the rancher. Since that night, I've participated in two additional events and now have tasted more than 15 steaks from local supermarkets, small butchers and ranchers. That's what I call an obsession.

I know you're curious to see what scored best in my book, but keep in mind that what I like in a steak may not be your style. I love a good bite (not super buttery tender) and a deeply complex, earthy flavor that lasts throughout the chew.

Here are my favorites:

Charolais breed, grain fed from Elliott & Ferris Families of Colorado (buy direct from Carrie's Oliver Ranch Company, www.oliverranch.com)

Purebred Angus, all grass-fed from La Cense in Montana (buy direct from www.lacensebeef.com)

All Natural Angus, certified humane, grain-fed from J.B. Hendry (buy direct from www.jbhendrysteaks.com)

My favorite local market steak was from Publix. But most supermarkets and small butchers get their beef from a bigger distributor, who in turn sources it from a consortium of ranchers. So, they don't know where their beef is from, other than United States/Canada/Mexico or "somewhere in the Midwest."

I really like knowing exactly where my beef is from, especially with scary beef recalls, and I do like supporting ranchers who consider their work a craft form. So, if you want to do your own artisan steak tasting at home, Carrie ( www.oliverranch.com) sells a Tasting Pack with the same cut from four breeds/ranchers, including one that is the celebrated Wagyu, Kobe-style steak. Have your own blind taste test at home - and start discovering what real beef tastes like.

Also check with the beautiful new Chefs On The Loose cooking school and party kitchen for their next Artisan Steak Tasting event.

How could I end this article without tips on how to properly grill a steak? I spoke with good friend Ray Lampe, better known in grilling circles as "Dr. BBQ."

He suggests that you:

•Buy steaks 11/4-inch to 11/2-inch thick, especially if you like rare or medium-rare. The thickness gives you enough time to get a nice crust on the outside.

•Let your steaks come to room temperature, and then brush each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. The olive oil will help give the steak a nice crust and also keep the salt and pepper on the meat.

•Ray prefers charcoal for great flavor, but I use a propane grill at home. Either way, you want to preheat the grill to about 500 degrees - crank that sucker up and leave it alone until it reaches that temperature.

•Grill over direct heat. To get the fancy grill marks, lay your steaks with one side pointing at 10 o'clock, grill 21/2 minutes, then rotate to 2 o'clock - but lay your steaks down on a virgin, hot territory on the grill. Grill another 21/2 minutes, flip steak and repeat.

•Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting to allow the juices to settle.