MD's Take

Steak, it's what you want for dinner.

But is it healthy? Can it be part of your health program?

Yes. Steak definitely fits into my health program. And it can fit in yours too.

This is everything you need to know for making steak healthier AND more delicious than any restaurant, at home.

What you'll make will taste way better than any restaurant for 1/4 of the price, and 1/2 the calories.

Who I am

I'm Ray, a doctor that is obsessed with making food tastier than any restaurant, while being 10x healthier.

How to choose steak

Whenever I eat anything, I'm always making a "value" calculation. The value comes from taste and knowing if its healthy.

I'm optimizing for both.

So for steak, I want it to be tender, juicy, and delicious, while not having too much fat or cals. Remember:

• lean protein is basically always good
• lean protein usually comes with fat
• some fat is fine, but should be careful bc too much fat will cause you to get fat.

For steak, I like NY Strip. It's the best combo to me of flavor and "good for me." (See below "nerd" section for full nutrition details).

TLDR is if you cook it with the full fat on (always cook with full fat on), and then don't eat the pure fat parts (I don't like full fat in mouth anyways), you can have 8 oz steak (1/2 lb, raw), and get 50g protein for only ~12g fat and ~300-350 calories.

This is insanely good value (taste and health).

My workflow:

• Buy NY strip steak at Whole Foods. I think this is usually USDA choice (it's unlabeled bc of their animal welfare). I don't get the dry aged. Just the normal one.
  ^^Especially buy if its on sale. You can freeze steak (after sous vide or raw and it'll still be good if you do it right)

• Note - I do go to the store, and choose based on - decent marbling (fat inside meat - you have to have some of this. I wouldn't say the more the better, but if its pure red, it won't be as good), low amount of fat / grizzle on the sides.

• Cook either via sous vide or reverse sear. These are the only two ways to cook steak guys. Don't try any other way. Plan for it to take at least 1.5 hours (you aren't doing anything most of the time).

• Note: Sous vide and reverse sear are the fool proof ways to get perfect medium rare on the inside, with amazing crust on the outside. You do not need to add a ton of butter or any other flavorings. All you need is a good cut of beef and salt. This will taste way better than a restaurant with less than 50% of calories (they use a ton of oil/butter in order to cover up cheaper, worse cut of meat).

• Serve with mashed cauliflower and something green (salad or broccoli usually). The mashed cauliflower is way healthier than mashed potatoes. It's insanely good, low calorie, and makes you feel really really full (there is something about it).

My top option today, is reverse sear. I find that the oven dry heat leads to less juices/blood running out of the meat (though there is a trick below on sous vide to avoid). It's also less set up with sous vide container, device, etc.

Can't go wrong with either.

Reverse Sear

1) Line oven sheet with tin foil and place wire rack on top. Spray rack with oil. (If you don't have a wire rack, just put directly on oven sheet with foil).
2) Place steak on top.Can add 1 tsp of salt (or garlic powder and salt mix). Crack of black pepper (optional).
3) Stick in oven thermometer to thickest part, and set alarm at 129 degrees (I have this one}. You can use a regular oven thermometer as well and just check the temp from time to time. Keep in mind, the closer you get to 129, the slower internal temp moves up.
4) Place steak in oven at 200 degrees (if you have 3 hours) 220 degrees (if you have 2 hours). 200 is better imo.
4a optional) Flip the steak after 1.5 hours - I usually don't do this.
5) Take out steak after it hits 129 degrees and place on plate or cutting board. I usually let it rest for 5-15 min.
6) Get pan on high heat - make sure pan is hot
7) Spray avocado oil ~1 tbsp or less
8) Place steak on pan - DO NOT TOUCH IT for at least 1 min
9) Flip - There should be a good crust post-flip. Wait another 1 min without touching
10) You can place each side of the steak on the pan for another 30 sec - 1 min without needing to worry about overcooking.
11) Take steak off and put on cutting board. I'd let it rest there for at least 5 min.
12) Slice. I take off fat sections while preserving max meat
13) Serve with maldon sea salt or any larger crystal salt on plate with mashed cauliflower.

Sous vide

1) Take steak, add 1 tsp salt (or garlic powder/salt mix) , and then put in zip lock - gallon size, freezer bag. Crack of black pepper (optional).
2) Place in sous vide for 2 hours at 131 degrees F (this is for medium rare)
3) Put in ice bath or fridge for at least 15 min (this really helps make the steak less bloody. I don't care what they say online, if you take steak directly from sous vide to pan it will leak out juice when you slice it).
4) Place back in sous vide for a couple min.
5) Dry steak with paper towel (really dry it)
6) Get pan on high heat - make sure pan is hot
7) Spray avocado oil ~1 tbsp or less
8) Place steak on pan - DO NOT TOUCH IT for at least 1 min
9) Flip - There should be a good crust post-flip. Wait another 1 min without touching
10) You can place each side of the steak on the pan for another 30 sec - 1 min without needing to worry about overcooking.
11) Take steak off and put on cutting board. I'd let it rest there for at least 5 min.
12) Slice. I take off fat sections while preserving max meat
13) Serve with maldon sea salt or any larger crystal salt on plate with mashed cauliflower.

Stupid ideas

I only like steak at restaurants
Yea....I never order steak at restaurants...bc I already know I can make it taste better and be healthier at home, for a fraction of the cost. Seriously the quality of the beef is the most important thing, and if you get anything high quality at a restaurant, its gonna be $100+. On top of that, they will serve "wagyu" which is unnecessary fat and honestly doesn't even taste better. I'd rather have more meaty flavor with the right level of fat.

I can't make steak at home
You can. It's actually one of the easist things to not F up bc of sous vide and oven thermometer.

Ribeye is the best
Do you really think so? If you do, then great go for it. But only if you have tried other cuts at home and you still think ribeye is better. Ribeye really does have a ton of excess fat (meaning you are throwing away a lot food or wasting calories eating it). I truly like NY strip, with decent marbling, better. More beefy flavor and healthier.

Nerd knowledge

Here is a breakdown of cuts of beef, ordered by the least fat to the most fat:

Now here is what it looks like if you trim the fat from the steak cuts:

Not bad at all - remember - 100g is almost 1/4 of a lb (0.22 lbs to be exact), and we are never going to trim off ALL of the fat

If we meet full fat and trim in the middle, this means that a full lb of steak (raw, 16 oz, 452g) is ~100g protein and only ~25g fat and ~700 calories.

I can't eat a full lb of steak. 1/2 lb is good for me - thats a lot of delicious bites for only 350 cals.

FAQs

Are you worried about saturated fat?
Not if you have steak 1-2x per week. If you have it every day, just check your apoB. If it goes up, have less. If it doesn't, you're good.

Can I buy steak somewhere else?
Yes of course. Costco is great. Any supermarket is good too.

Do you like choice or prime?
Prime will taste better and have more fat. I'll buy it if it looks good at like costco, but usually just get whole foods which is choice.

Do you like wagyu?
Honestly, no. Maybe one or two bites. I don't like feeling fat gush in my mouth.

Do you buy grass fed or corn?
Grass is "healthier" and def leaner with less fat. I don't like the taste as much. It's def less tender. Prob an acquired taste bc i do believe grass fed cows are treated better, but given the cost, I just get whatever they have at whole foods. Grass fed, corn finish is good.

Do you think its worth buying meat from fancy butchers?
For the taste, no. For the cows and supporting the business, sure (but its up to you).

Is bone in better?
Yes but harder to manage the temp. Do sous vide on this for slightly longer 2.5-3 hours. Reverse sear doable but slightly trickier due to part from bone cooking more slowly than other parts.

What other cuts of steak do you like?
Porterhouse (strip + filet) is good but more annoying to cook reverse sear bc two sides may not cook at same time. Flank and skirt are good but I cook sliced, lightly marinated, quickly cooked on hot pan (particularly good with asian marinade). Sirloin is ok but only if highly marbled. Ribeye good but too much fat for me.

Should I just buy the leanest cuts?
You can try. Tenderloin can be good sous vide and reverse sear. I generally don't like sirloin as much bc its chewy, even if cooked properly.