If the summer sun sets on Fathers Day and your dad’s belly is devoid of delicious steak, know that you have ultimately failed as a child. Fear not, as there’s still time to make his dadbod a little more bodacious and also for you to glean a little bit of steak knowledge.
Sure, you can plop a $100 tomahawk steak down on your $100 Weber grill and hope for the best, but for consistent results, you’re going to need an old-fashioned cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one, either borrow one for a week or buy a solid one online. Like any modern DIY project, check out a handy Youtube guide from Martha Stewart on how to properly clean and season the pan for best results. Remember, a good cast iron skillet will last a lifetime and they aren’t just for dodging bullets in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
When shopping for beef, there are a few great butchers that sell a wide selection of prime, choice, and select cuts. Although prime cuts are divine, there’s nothing wrong with choice. As a dad myself, my absolute personal favorite cut is called ribeye cap steak, which unbeknownst to the cow as it’s sluttiest of all cuts with extra delicious marbled meat lusciousness. If you’ve had a ribeye, there’s that extra-special part that is the best bite, and a cap steak is made up entirely of that best part – think utter meat euphoria, pun intended.
Buying local, a few O.C. butchers operate like Rhino Records for meat fans: Electric City in Santa Ana and The Butchery’s three locations in Brea, Costa Mesa, and coastal Crystal Cove. Just like vinyl record geeks, one might find regulars scanning the counter for the fresh deep cuts.
For prep, follow these simple rules: 1) Great meat only needs a light dusting of salt and pepper. 2) Sear the steak as hot as your stove will allow with good oil, two-three minutes per side on a preheated pan, all four sides. 3) Cook to preferred wellness temp (get a meat thermometer). 4) Finish with butter, and let rest for at least seven minutes before slicing diagonally across the short side.
Once that steamy meat morsel hits your old man’s shiny fork, you’re sure to get a solid, “att’ll do, kid,” and maybe a fist bump.
If your pops into smoked meats, look no further than The Butchery’s Snake River Farms Black Wagyu briskets which are a surprising $8.99 a pound starting June 14 through Father’s day. Serving suggestion: steamy clawfoot tub overlooking a hilly valley view.
Grab all your well-curated meats at The Butchery’s three locations in Orange County and of course Electric City Butcher in Santa Ana.
Greg Nagel has been writing about beer since 2011, is an avid homebrewer of wine, cider, and beer, is a certified Cicerone Beer Server, level 1 WSET in Wine, a podcaster with the Four Brewers Show, and runs a yearly beer festival called Firkfest happening on June 29th in Anaheim!