What Is Steak Au Poivre? – Full Guide

what is steak au poivre

In this post, we answer, what is Steak Au Poivre?

Steak Au Poivre is a French phrase that translates into English as “Peppercorn Steak.”

It refers to a specific way of making and presenting steak.

Let’s take a closer look…

How Exactly Is Steak Au Poivre?

It is a steak that is covered in crushed peppercorns.

This can be black, green, or white pepper depending on the chef’s preference.

It is then cooked in a pan with either butter or oil.

A sauce made from either shallots, vermouth, or demi-glace will go over the steak after it is cooked.

This is a dish that can be served rare, medium-rare, or well-done.

The degree of doneness will affect how it is best to cook the steak.

How Is Steak Au Poivre Best Cooked?

So how is Steak Au Poivre best cooked? Well, there are a few schools of thought on that.

Some think it is best cooked rare, just barely seared on the outside, and raw in the middle.

However, if this is done, the steak must be sliced thin before it is served.

The other school of thought is that it should be cooked medium-rare to keep the center rare.

This way, it will not need to be sliced at all.

Steak Au Poivre can be cooked however a chef prefers, and however the customer wants them to cook it.

Either way, it’s most commonly cooked with butter or oil and finished with some kind of sauce.

How Is Steak Au Poivre Best Prepared?

When it comes to preparing Steak Au Poivre, there are a few key things that must be done.

First, the steak must be very tenderized. It is common for chefs to use a meat mallet or even a wooden stick to roll over the steak several times so it is well crushed.

Second, when cooking with pepper, it’s important to know that it can burn.

It’s best to heat the oil or butter, then add in the pepper before searing/cooking the steak.

This will ensure that it is fully cooked without any burning flavors getting into the dinner.

When grilling Steak Au Poivre, you must keep in mind your grill space and the reasoning behind it.

It is important to know that, because you are likely grilling up a thick steak, the cooking time will be much longer than a thin cut of meat.

This means you may have to choose between rare and medium-rare. Often times you’ll get the best results by choosing well-done instead of medium-rare.

How Is Steak Au Poivre Best Served?

Steak Au Poivre is best served with a side of either Frites or Pommes Puree.

Both are French terms that refer to potatoes boiled, then mashed with butter and/or cream, oftentimes garlic is also added into the mix.

Serve this delicious steak with some additional black pepper on top for an extra kick!

When it comes to serving Steak Au Poivre, the main thing that must be considered is the degree of doneness.

Rare will have a pink center and should be sliced thinly before being served.

Medium-rare will have a slightly less pink interior, but still very red with parts turning brown from caramelization on the outside.

Well-done will be a very dark color from being cooked fully and often the outside is blackened from searing it too long.

When cooking Steak Au Poivre, it’s best to go medium-rare or well-done to keep the steak intact and flavorful throughout.

How Expensive Is Steak Au Poivre?

The price of Steak Au Poivre can be anywhere from $15.00 to $60.00 depending on where you are getting it, what cut of meat is being used, and how rare or well-done you want it cooked.

Typically the rarer the steak is, the less money someone will pay for it due to higher quality cuts of meat that come into play since they are getting a better deal for their money.

Likewise, less rare means the steak will be more expensive because of the higher cost of its ingredients.

If you are looking at restaurants that specialize in Steak Au Poivre it can get very pricey due to the amount of care that goes into cooking it correctly.

This is why many people choose to make Steak Au Poivre at home, where they have more control over the cooking process.

How To Eat Steak Au Poivre?

With this dish, you will eat it just as the name suggests: with a spoon!

You must first sauce your steak, and then dip it into some sort of cracker or bread to get all of the extra flavor out of it. You can use Melba toast, wheat crackers, or even a biscuit.

It’s also common to eat peppercorn sauce with some kind of vegetables such as baked potato wedges or steamed green beans.

Where Is Steak Au Poivre Commonly Found?

Steak Au Poivre is most commonly found at upscale restaurants that specialize in steak.

However, it is not uncommon for some to find the dish at an all-purpose restaurant as well.

As this is a French dish, you’ll often find this dish in many French restaurants. But it can also be found in the United States and even other parts of the world as well.

However, the only other countries where you’ll find Steak Au Poivre is usually at places that specialize in French cuisine.

What Is The Nutritional Value Of Steak Au Poivre?

It’s always a good idea to know what your food is going to do for you nutritionally, especially when it comes to a dish that’s going to be eaten often.

Steak Au Poivre is not very high in calories, but it does have a lot of protein and fat.

Below is the nutritional value of one serving of Steak Au Poivre with sauce (8oz/303g):

  • Calories = 678
  • Fat = 46g
  • Saturated Fat = 22g
  • Carbohydrates = 8.2g
  • Sugar = 2.1g
  • Protein = 48g

As you can see, Steak Au Poivre is not the healthiest dish out there due to its high-fat content.

However, for those who are on a steak diet, this meal will certainly give you enough additional energy throughout the day to keep going strong with your workouts.

Because this dish is served with sauce, this adds a lot of flavor to the steak while also adding some extra nutrients, however, it does bump up the calories.

Other Considerations

It’s worth keeping in mind that although Steak Au Poivre is delicious, it’s not the healthiest choice.

It should be kept in the diet only every so often to avoid any potential adverse effects that may result from eating too much steak for an extended period of time.

Also, if you are cooking Steak Au Poivre at home, it’s best to have some kind of sauce to pour on top of it when serving.

But, even with these facts in mind, many people still choose to enjoy this dish due to its delicious flavor.

Another good fact about this dish is that it’s pretty easy to make, especially if you choose to buy the steak already cut up for you at the store.

Cooking times also vary depending on how done your steak is, but usually, Steak Au Poivre requires about 15 minutes of cooking time in total.

As long as you have all of your ingredients ready, this dish is relatively simple to work with.

You can even experiment with the sauce if you choose to make it at home by adding things like garlic or black pepper for more flavor.

Nevertheless, Steak Au Poivre is a delicious meal that many people enjoy dining on regularly due to its nutritional benefits and overall taste.

If you’re a steak lover, it’s definitely worth giving this dish a try at least once in your lifetime.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this French dish is delicious and it’s worth giving it a shot.

However, if you want to keep this dish part of your diet, it is best not to have it too often since the nutritional value may cause adverse effects on the body.

It also won’t hurt to experiment with some different ingredients if you decide to make this meal yourself!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope it’s been useful for you to learn more about Steak Au Poivre.

Feel free to share it with other steak lovers that may find this article valuable.

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