If you’ve heard the term butterfly steak, but aren’t sure what it means, you are not alone.
Butterflying a steak is one of the best ways to get an even sear on both sides of your steak, quickly and evenly!
This article will tell you everything that you need to know about how to butterfly a steak.
In fact, by the time that you have finished reading this article, you will know exactly how to butterfly a steak and what it means.
Let’s get into it…
Contents
What Does It Mean To Butterfly A Steak?
Butterflying a steak means to cut it open and laying it flat.
This opens up the steak for cooking, as without cutting it into two pieces, only one side would get cooked.
It’s a great way to get an even cooking temperature throughout the steak and gives you a larger surface area to brown and sear your meat.
This means that by the time you’ve finished grilling your steak (or frying it) you won’t have any trouble at all with tough, overcooked meat on the grill!
It’s a technique that has been used for years by chefs and is an effective way to evenly cook a steak quickly.
Why Some People Butterfly A Steak
Many people butterfly a steak early on in their life of grilling and cooking experiences because they want the best possible steak.
By getting an even browning of their meat, they can make sure that it is cooked to perfection, with no parts too overdone or tough.
They also like to use this technique when cooking their steak kebabs in order to get a good sear on the inside and outside of the meat.
It’s a cooking method that has been used for many years and continues to be a favorite among people that want nothing but the best steak.
Some steak cuts such as Filet Mignon can be very thick, but the butterfly technique essentially halves that thickness making it cook more evenly and easier to eat.
Steps To Butterfly A Steak
So how do you actually butterfly a steak?
Well, there are a couple of steps that you can follow to ensure that your steak is cooked perfectly.
- Take a sharp knife that can easily cut through the meat and place it against the surface of your steak.
- Then, cut the steak almost in half by moving the knife along at a slight angle. You will need to make sure that you are not cutting all of the way through, as you will be using both pieces for this purpose. Cutting almost through means that when it cooks, you won’t have a big hole in the middle where all of your juices will leak out.
- Once you have done this, take the two pieces and open them up like a book. Do not unfold it entirely at this point – leave the edges touching each other, but still flat on both sides.
- Now that you have opened up your steak, pin two thin wooden skewers through each piece to hold it flat during cooking.
- Finally, place the steak in your pan or grill and start cooking!
As you can see, the process of butterflying steak is super easy and it will help with making thick steak cuts cook perfectly.
Why Do You Need To Know How To Butterfly A Steak?
Well, if you are a great home cook that wants to make the perfect steak every time, then you need to know how to butterfly a steak!
It’s an easy technique that can create an evenly cooked piece of meat while also giving it the ability to grill it to the perfect temperature.
It is a cooking method that most chefs will use when they cook thick cuts of meat.
In fact, if you watch TV shows such as Masterchef or Hell’s Kitchen you will see this technique being used regularly!
What Steaks Are Not Suitable To Butterfly
Not all steaks are suitable to butterfly, you will need to make sure that your steak is thick enough to use this technique.
For example, thinner steaks such as a shoulder cut would not be good to use for this cooking method because they won’t get an even cooking temperature.
You also want to make sure that the surface of your steak is packed with flavor before you even start cooking.
If you don’t add spices or other ingredients into the meat then it won’t have a good flavor to cook with and it will probably taste bland.
You can add a marinade or rub to your steak in order to add more flavors that you will be able to taste when cooking.
For an even more intense flavor, you might like to make sure that the fat of your meat is cut down and also removed.
This will not only give it a better cooking method but will also mean that you don’t have to worry about flare-ups during your cooking process.
Other Considerations
Keep in mind that butterflying steak is a cooking process that will not only make it thinner but also more tender.
This is a great thing to do if you want a steak that is easier to cut and less chewy, but it will also affect the flavor of your meat.
The fat of your meat can help reduce any toughness or chewiness too, so make sure that you are aware of this.
If you are planning to cook your steak by putting it on the barbecue then it might be a good idea not to butterfly it at all.
The high temperatures will cook your meat more quickly, which means that you don’t have as much time to tenderize the meat using the best butterflying method.
Instead, opt for marinating or bringing your steak before you cook it on the barbecue.
If the fat is still compacted on the meat then this will also mean that it will take longer to grill your meat and burn your food instead of cooking it properly.
This is why butterflying can be a great method for grilling steaks, but not always the best method for barbecuing them.
Some people believe that you need to butterfly thick cuts of steak, but this is not always correct.
For example, if you are cooking a thin cut of meat then butterflying it will make it burn more quickly and turn tough which is something that nobody wants.
In these cases, the best thing to do is roll it up so that you can cook the meat evenly without losing too much surface area.
Once again, this will depend on your personal preference and how much time you have available to you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, butterflying steak is an effective way to cook a thicker cut of meat because it allows you to grill it easily and quickly.
It also means that the entire steak has an even cooking temperature which helps with making tasty meals.
You can use this method for many different types of steak, as long as you use the right ingredients and spices to give it lots of flavor before cooking!
Thank you very much for reading this article, I hope you now know how to butterfly a steak and why it’s a great technique.