Choice Ribeyes Tough?!?

[RCBaughn]

So I had some USDA choice ribeyes cut to about an inch thick at my local butcher and got them home and decided to grill me up one that night. Hit it with kosher salt about three hours before I grilled it and had it in the fridge on a wire rack and pulled it out to warm up about an hour before it was gonna be grilled. Ground some fresh black pepper on them and grilled it hot and fast on my mom's old Weber gasser turned to as high as it will go to get a good sear. The steak probably got to medium rare after tented in foil for 5-6 minutes.

That said..... THE DAMN THING WAS SO CHEWY!!!! Like, very tough to the point of sore jaws after the end of it. We paid $36 for four nice steaks about 16 oz each, so I want to get the best meals I can out of them. Do you think them being cut that day has anything to do with it? My dad is a big proponent of letting his steaks rest in the fridge for a few days and up to a week or so before he cooks them after they are fresh cut like that. If he isn't going to cook them, he'll freeze them at that point and thaw and cook. Do I need to do that with the rest of these ya think? I don't wanna cook another one and get that same result. I almost think that I may have to go buy that tenderizer stuff to put on them or even a acidic marinade for a bit. I hate that too, I love just salt and pepper on my beef and have never used that tenderizing stuff. Only seen it in stores.

Let me know your advice though if ya have any! I can usually cook a steak and it come out good but this is bothering me for sure.

 

[Rolf Jacobsen]

I think you just got some tough meat..... it happens now and then. Don't beat yourself up and tell your butcher.

 

[Dave Russell]

You might give the reverse sear method a try. It seems to make for a tastier and more tender steak.

 

[Tony R]

I think you just got some tough meat..... it happens now and then. Don't beat yourself up and tell your butcher.

Ditto what Rolf said...
There are times I see chuck steak for cheap and I buy them thinking they will be tough but there are times its the best meat I ever had.

 

[Sonny Roach]

Hi, RC - try V Richards on the Southside, never buy a bad steak there...

 

[timothy]

I would try the way Dad did it, and do the reverse sear like Dave mentioned.
If they suck after that, find a new butcher!

Tim

 

[RCBaughn]

Well I cooked one this evening and it was a BIT better than the first one, so maybe a rest in the fridge helped, I just don't know. I guess I'ma freeze the other two and maybe that will help tenderness as weird as that sounds. I know that freezing makes steaks softer from the ice crystals breaking them up over the freezing period, so maybe that will help. Cooked it like y'all said to about medium since I was on a different grille (My Spirit in Birmingham which cooks hotter than mom's old gasser) and lot's of flavor and still chewy. Sad stuff really, I wanted them to melt in your mouth.

And thanks man, I've had a friend buy fois gras from there one time for one of those crazy splurge cooks he wanted to do and I've only bought their store-made sausage which were good, so I bet their steaks are good too. Mom got these at Son's grocery store in Jasper, AL and they have some of the best ground beef I've ever had so I assumed their steaks would be just as good. Their ground chuck makes Whole Foods grass-fed stuff look like dog feed, it's awesome awesome stuff. Here's a picture of the steak before and after the cook last night. Kind glad that she bought these just for me and not a family get together. I'd hate to think that everyone thought I couldn't cook meat okay.

I had mushrooms and Roquefort cheese on these steaks. Broke up the Roquefort on top of the steak and then put the hot sautéed mushrooms on that to kind of melt it. I always let cheese get room temp for a few hours before I put it on meat so it melts better and did that here too. This Roquefort was from Socitete brand put out my President and it was awesome. It is almost as good as the $29.99 a pound Gabriel Coulet Roquefort they sell at Whole Foods, which is saying something no doubt.

Edit: BTW, not sure what these mushrooms are. I think they might have been shiitake but not sure. Got them at an Asian grocery store here in B'ham and they were labeled in Chinese and only had the price per pound of $4.49 on them. I asked but the cashier didn't speak English so I just let it stay at that.

Also had oven roasted yellow squash and garlic mashed taters. I didn't want to grille ANYTHING (like the squash) but the steaks so I could focus on them and cooking them perfect. Threw some frozen garlic bread from Walmart in the oven about 5 minutes before the squash was done.

 

[J Reyes]

The meat may be a litle over cooked the meat quality maybe suspect.

I'd also reverse sear it.

I like doing a reverse sear thicker steaks in the oven and then stove top to finish.

The first part is cooking at about 275 until about 100 degrees or so.

Then finished in a Stainless and/or aluminum pan until desired temp.

While resting I build a fond based sauce by deglazing with wine and adding chopped mushrooms, onions, garlic, Italian herbs incorporating the meat juices and broth.

 

[Scotty W.]

I suspect you were sold steaks off an older animal that ate grass all it's life. I know because I've bought ribeyes which looked just like your's and when cooked to medium rare they were still tough as a pine knot! You'll notice there was not much marbleling in the center but lots of fat around the perimeter. It's a crap shoot when you buy steaks, even from a butcher shop and when they are labled "choice". Or at least it's that way in South Central Missouri.

 

[RCBaughn]

I guess I'ma have to just do the oven and stove top method maybe and see if that works since the grill just ain't doing the job and I hate to see mom's money thrown away. Sucks, $36 ain't easy to come by these days I know.

And yeah Scotty, I'm pretty let down in Son's right now. They have always been my go-to for pork and beef. Their steaks may be the one thing though that is a no-go.

 

[David B.]

I suspect you were sold steaks off an older animal that ate grass all it's life. I know because I've bought ribeyes which looked just like your's and when cooked to medium rare they were still tough as a pine knot! You'll notice there was not much marbleling in the center but lots of fat around the perimeter. It's a crap shoot when you buy steaks, even from a butcher shop and when they are labled "choice". Or at least it's that way in South Central Missouri.

i too noticed that for ribeyes, your's did not have much marbeling that was consistent throughout the meat. they also had a very, very thick pattern of fat. i believe that it is this lack of consistent marbeling that caused your steaks to turn out the way they did. i would tell your butcher about it and see what he/she says. it may be time to start looking for a new butcher. i would also recommend that the next time you also ask for them to be cut a little thicker, perhaps 1 1/2". i personally like to get mine cut 2" thick.
you had some excellent grill marks on your steaks, so i think it is safe to say that you cooked it properly.
i hope you get some better results next time around.

 

[RCBaughn]

Thanks David, I haven't really ever dealt with marbling before since I don't cook a lot of nice steaks. Most of the stuff I do is ground meat, lamb, pork, or slow smoked beef recipes so I don't really know what to look for in marbling. Mom picked them out and I know she doesn't know what to look for in marbling, so that makes me a little ****ed at the butcher for throwing her these like they were amazing Choice cuts. She put a lot of thought into it though so I guess I don't care if they are all four jerky.

I guess I know if a steak looks like these that they aren't marbled well. Need to study up on what good marbling looks like so I don't get ripped off myself in the future. And thanks for the grill marks props, the cast iron grates I got are doing a heck of a lot better job than the porcelain ones I had before my fraternity brothers beat frozen preformed hamburger patties apart on them and dented them all to pieces.

 

[Bill Mc]

I use to buy my steaks from the local meat shop, after awhile you could tell the quality was going to he!!. I use to cut meat a long time ago so I know a little. I confroted the meat shop manger, told me I was wrong I point out several items that were "no roll" label as chouce. We now buy all of our meat from Sams Club and 99% of the time it is good. I try to get there early and clearance shop the meat case. If I buy a whole strip or lipon they will cut it how I want it so I cant complain. Sure do love that little vac machine we got from cabelas.
BillMc

 

[David B.]

Thanks David, I haven't really ever dealt with marbling before since I don't cook a lot of nice steaks. Most of the stuff I do is ground meat, lamb, pork, or slow smoked beef recipes so I don't really know what to look for in marbling. Mom picked them out and I know she doesn't know what to look for in marbling, so that makes me a little ****ed at the butcher for throwing her these like they were amazing Choice cuts. She put a lot of thought into it though so I guess I don't care if they are all four jerky.

I guess I know if a steak looks like these that they aren't marbled well. Need to study up on what good marbling looks like so I don't get ripped off myself in the future. And thanks for the grill marks props, the cast iron grates I got are doing a heck of a lot better job than the porcelain ones I had before my fraternity brothers beat frozen preformed hamburger patties apart on them and dented them all to pieces.

i hope you don't mind, but i took your picture and included it in the following pics to help in explaining the marbeling a little bit. i put the picture of your steaks first. the second picture is an old picture i had of some choice grade steaks i had purchased from my butcher. at first, i thought they were prime but my butcher told me they were choice and then showed me the prime steaks he had. they were pretty close, and the prime would've obviously cost a bit more per pound. you will notice the difference from the first picture and the second picture, is that the fat is more evenly distributed throughout the whole steak and the fat "ribbon" is thinner in the second picture as oppesed to the thicker "ribbon" in the first. the more evenly distributed "flecks" of fat or "flecks of flavor" as i like to call them, make for a more juicy and flavorful steak.
that is why i like going to him, he is honest and steers me in the less expensive direction when he has just as good choice grade meats. i've been going to him for over 20 years and he has earned my repeat business each and every time. steaks like these can also be found at your costco or sam's club.
the last picture is of a kobe ribeye. needless to say you can see how highly marbled those steaks are.

hope the pictures helped. good luck and happy grilling.

 

[RCBaughn]

Wow, those look prime to me compared to what I got. Holy cow, that makes those ribeyes I got look like a top round roast as far as inner-muscle fat goes. I hardly ever see that much marbling in their steaks there and all of them are labeled choice, they don't sell prime at all. The only thing that has that much flecking of fat is cuts like the short ribs and those are suppose to be super fatty I take it.

And those Kobe steaks look almost 50% fat. My goodness I bet you can just bite and swallow on of those. I bet they cook a lot different than a regular steak though, I'd have no idea how to handle that cut really. And man that fat is so white, I'd hate to know how much a whole uncut packer of those would cost.