Firing - Steak revolution: all cuts, all ways--perfect every time

Peter Sanagan in his butcher shop, Sanagans Meat Locker, in Torontos Kensington Market.

by David Cooper

WHEN I STARTED WORKING IN RESTAURANT KITCHENS, I ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO THE GRILL COOKS. THAT WASNT JUST BECAUSE I WAS SITTING IN A CORNER, PEELING POTATOES, WHILE THEY LITERALLY TOWERED OVER ME. EVERYONE KNEW THEY WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT COOKS IN THE KITCHEN. THEY MOVED WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE DURING PREP HOURS: BONING OUT CHICKENS, MARINATING DUCKS, CLEANING BEEF TENDERLOIN AND TRIMMING IT INTO MEDALLIONS. DURING SERVICE IT WAS EVEN BETTER. WATCHING THE DANCE OF AN EXPERIENCED GRILL COOK SHOULD BE AN OLYMPIC SPECTATOR EVENT.

What a lot of diners misunderstand about restaurants is that it is not the chef who controls the flow of the service. Its the grill cook. The chef can get angry and yell and push the grill cook to move faster, but meat cooks in the amount of time meat needs to cook, and no one can change those laws of kitchen physics (I know there are some tricks out there that include the use of salamander broilers and deep-fryers, but Im talking about proper cooking). Watching an experienced cook command a grill is exciting and akin to watching acrobatsthey know just how important their job is to the 200-plus customers who are waiting to be indulged. They nail colour after colour and, just when you think they dont have any steam left, say two hours deep, they chug a bottle of water and keep nailing colours. Its a beautiful thing.

I would watch as the grill cook would stand at the station like a coiled cobra, tongs in hand, just waiting for instruction from the chef. The chef, who was expediting the service, would bark, Two striploin, one medium, one black and blue! One rib steak, mid-rare! One tenderloin, well done! Oui, chef! returned the grill cook, and off theyd go, pulling the protein out of the low-boy line fridge and placing it on the seasoning tray, where it would be snowed with kosher salt and dashed with pepper that had been ground just before service. Then the meat would get a drizzle of olive oil before hitting the hottest spot on the grill. The cook would know just how long that cut needed to sit there before being rotated (if using a traditional grate grill) or, in my case, flipped over on the flat-top griddle. Grill cooks poke and feel the steak for doneness throughout cooking. The more experienced cooks only need to check the meat a couple of times, and then, at the right time, take the steak off the grill to rest. Five or ten minutes later, the steak is ready to go to the pass for the chef to garnish.

I eventually advanced through the kitchen to become a grill cook, and thats when I truly fell in love with meat. That part of my life was what birthed my desire to do what I do today. I really love meat. I love sourcing it; I love cutting it; I love cooking itand I really love eating it. And in the hierarchy of meat I would have to say that beef (and specifically steak) is right on top. From iron-y flank and hanger to a succulent dry-aged rib steak, not much excites me in the same way. I love talking about steak, and when butchers talk about steak the level of passion is second to none. Except perhaps the passion for steak that Rob Firing has.

Rob has been a customer of Sanagans since I had my first wee shop back in 2009. He has run through the gamut of cuts from our shop, even having a chicken or two along the way. I remember when Rob and I sat down for a beer about a year ago, and he first revealed his idea for this book. We nerdily talked about steak for an hour or so, and he revealed one of his favourite methods for grilling picanha. Picanha is the top sirloin cap muscle with the fat cap left on. It is a popular Brazilian cut, often seen curled and skewered at rodzio restaurants. Rob described how he would score the fat before marinating, and described the exact timing on the charcoal grill to both render the fat and make it a delicious part of the eating experience. He couldnt wait to share that recipe with the world, and I understand why. When people truly love something, sometimes the only way of satisfying that love is by sharing it and making it part of other peoples lives. I believe thats what Rob has done here, and I hope his infectious passion for steak makes you want to run to your local butcher shop, talk to your butcher about an interesting cut, and then go home and feed yourself, your family, your friends. Thats exactly what Im going to do.

Peter Sanagan

Sanagans Meat Locker

WHY DONT YOU COME OVER TO MY PLACE AND ILL COOK YOU A STEAK?

Its a tempting proposition for many of us, powered almost entirely by its last word. Try replacing steak with another perfectly good food: salmon, stir-fry, stew, omelet. It doesnt feel the same. I wouldnt be ungrateful for the offer of a home-cooked stew, but it would hardly be the cure for my broken heart.

There is something particularly special about steak that raises it above the ordinary to among the ranks of indulgences, rewards, and celebrations. Is it because it is expensive or unusually hard to cook? Is it exceptionally rare, or naughty? I think some of these reasons are partly true, but mostly it comes down to our senses.