When we first started cooking, beef was like tuna is today: incorrect to buy and incorrect to sell. But over the last couple of years, beef is finding its place again, especially with the burger courant sweeping the continent. We’ve used sirloins from large companies, but doing so feels a bit like cheating on my wife with a lady boy: part guilty, part disgusting, and yet I still buy it. Since we began purchasing more carefully aged and selected strip loins, this is now one of our favorite cuts. It is tasty, the perfect size, monolithic. The method here is specific to this strip loin, cooked medium-rare. Check the temperature chart (see page 242) for different levels of doneness. Remember that dry-aged meat tends to cook much faster because of its lower moisture content, so act accordingly. And when it comes to cooking, the weight of the steak does not matter as much as the thickness (our steaks each weigh about 21 to 22 ounces/610 to 640 grams), which is why you see only the thickness here. Also, the middle of the steak is where you can see doneness, not on the tip, so insert an instant-read thermometer through the side to the center to verify it is ready. If you must, you can also cut the steak in two to check doneness. Remember, though, you can always cook longer, but not “de-cook.”

　　

Ingredients

Serves 1

　　1 strip loin steak, 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　Pepper (optional)

　　3 tablespoons canola oil

　　Pat of unsalted butter

　　Montreal Steak Spice (page 250), optional

　　

Step 1

Take the steak out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 3 hours. This is crucial and makes this method what it is. The meat should almost be at room temperature.

　　

Step 2

When you are ready to cook, heat a thick cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. It should get very hot. Season your steak liberally with the salt and some pepper.

　　

Step 3

Add the oil to the hot pan, carefully add the steak, and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes on one side and then 3 minutes on the other for medium-rare.

　　

Step 4

Transfer to a plate, add the pat of butter and steak spice to the top and let the steak rest on the counter for 3 to 7 minutes before serving.

　　

THE JOE BEEF TEN VARIATIONS FOR STRIP LOIN: MIRABEAU

Step 5

On each steak, crisscross 8 anchovy fillets and 8 olive halves. Add Joe Beef Sauce Vin Rouge (page 250), a sprig of thyme, and a pinch of cayenne.

　　

HORSERADISH

Step 6

Grate a heaping tablespoon of fresh horseradish onto each steak.

　　

PICKLES AND MONTREAL STEAK SPICE

Step 7

Add a sliced dill pickle on top of the steak spice.

　　

TOMATOES AND GREENS

Step 8

Sprinkle a thick tomato slice with salt and pepper. Serve with a handful of wilted greens, a bit of butter, and Joe Beef Sauce Vin Rouge (page 250). Most of the time when you order a steak, it looks like this, our classic.

　　

SLAB OF STILTON

Step 9

Put a 2 1/2-ounce (75-g) piece of Stilton cheese on the steak with Joe Beef Sauce Vin Rouge (page 250).

　　

GREEN PASTURES (VERT-PRE)

Step 10

Serve with a watercress salad, matchstick potatoes, and a disk of beurre mâitre d’hôtel. To make the butter, in a small pan, combine 1/3 cup (80 ml) dry white wine and 1/3 cup (40 g) chopped French shallots over medium heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the pan is just dry but the shallots are not colored. Remove from the heat and let cool. With a rubber spatula, combine 8 ounces (225 g) room-temperature unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, the shallots, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, and a little salt and pepper. On plastic wrap, shape the butter mixture into a cylinder the diameter of a silver dollar and refrigerate until firm.

　　

STEAK AU POIVRE

Step 11

Use the Duck Steak au Poivre recipe (page 61) for the sauce, and coat the meat in smashed peppercorns on one side (the one that’s facing up) prior to searing.

　　

THE MAIN

Step 12

At The Main restaurant on Boulevard Saint Laurent, across the street from Schwartz’s, the kitchen serves a steak with a side of liver and franks. And if you’re nice, they’ll drape a slice of smoked meat on it.

　　

CHINATOWN

Step 13

If you’re willing, just make the sauce for Oysters #37 (page 123) and use it on your steak. Or, serve the steak with an oyster topped with the sauce and some Chinese broccoli.

　　

ZESTY ITALIAN

Step 14

Use the dressing for Zesty Italian Tartare (page 245) on a steak.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.