Brining and Well Done Steaks

[Abbot]

I would never ruin a good steak by cooking it well done, or even medium well. However, my best friends wife likes her neat well done. Assuming that I want to serve them steaks as dinner guests, has anyone tried brining steaks to avoid that dreadful metamorphosis that occurs when the meat passes 140 degrees internal temperature?

[SmokeyJoe]

Im not qualified to answer any chemical change questions but id say a ribeye can handle being well done without getting completely inedible. I think brining it will get you that someone messed with my meat/this meat contains up to a 12% solution flavour. Other than that I say, people who like well done steak are probably pretty used to eating dry inedible meat(unless its a ribeye or a nice chuck steak that you sit around a camp fire and knarl till the cows come home (ohh that flavor though burned to a crisp over a raging fire)

[SaraCooks]

I've never brined beef.
Poultry, pork, fish..sure.
But I can't see that beef would benefit from it.

[ChefFree]

give it up ....she likes leather with alot of A1 i bet

[judyandjohn]

Soak the steak in milk for a few days; works wonders for any cut and any method of cooking.Always tender.Good luck!

[siksikaboy]

People, if you like well done you like well done so stop telling people how to eat or passing judgment. If you can eat jerky you can eat well done.

[judyandjohn]

I've never brined beef.
Poultry, pork, fish..sure.
But I can't see that beef would benefit from it.

I've brined poultry definitely,and pork, but never fish.Wouldn't it become super salty?How do you make your fish brine?Thanks!

[SaraCooks]

As long as you rinse it, no.
I use the same brine ratio for everything.
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 quart water

I brine fish for up to 2 hours. Try it with salmon, you'll never go back

[Silvercliff_46]

People, if you like well done you like well done so stop telling people how to eat or passing judgment. If you can eat jerky you can eat well done.

I agree.......,feed her warm jerky !

[Beckisme]

I grill every night of my life. I find that when I get an order for a well done or med well steak I bring it to a firm medium, let it rest for approx 5 minutes then back on the grill to reheat and finish. This will give you a well done but not dry steak, no brine needed. In my opinion. Try it. hope it helps. And remember if you prepare food as someone orders it, you never ruin it. Everyone has different tastes.

[jonesg]

Give her Bul Go Ki.

[murphed]

I know of a couple of Steakhouses that "brine" their steaks, but I think it is more of a tenderizing solution. There is a local Steak place that uses cheaper cuts but with the brine/tenderizing method and of course the price is right and peopole stand on line because they think they are getting a deal. I also had a $39 TBone steak (at Ruth Chris) that was so mealy it was disgusting.

[LeviF]

It's my opinion that no one really likes well done steak, they just get queasy about juice coming out of their steak because it makes them think of blood. It's not even blood right? Just protein-infused water?

[jennyema]

Brining doesn't work for beef the same way it does for pork, poultry and seafood.

[Abbot]

Thanks to all who responded to my query. I realize that I can just serve a tough, dry steak to my friends wife since that is what she is used to. My question is really more theoretical-i.e., why not brine the steak just as I do chicken breasts, and lean pork chops to keep them moist while grilling? I have not heard much about brining beef either (or brining seafood for that matter, which has been mentioned several times as being done). While brining beef may "just not be done in the best circles", is there some reason it would not work just like with a pork chop? Seems to me the tissue would be just a susceptible to brining as pork. Has anyone actually tried it and found it undesirable or is the evidence mostly hearsay?