“Why can’t we have steaks like this one when we dine at home?”
Thousands of people have asked me that question during the eight years
that have given a real significance to the sobriquet, “Beefsteak
Charlie.”
And my honest answer to that question has always been: “_You
can’t_—unless your butcher is willing to _hang your beef for four or
five weeks_—and then you probably would not want to buy it because of
its appearance.”
Many people ask me how to cook a steak. There is really no secret about
the way it should be done—but most home cooks put the steak into a cold
broiler and light the fire. That is fatal! And it is just as fatal if
the fire has only been burning a few minutes. The broiler should burn
full tilt for some time—until it is blazing hot. Then introduce your
steak and let the _intense heat_ of the broiler seal it instantly. If
there is a secret, that’s it!
But keep this in mind: the most careful broiling will not help if the
beef is too fresh. Fresh beef simply will not do if you want the real
thing. Buy the choicest cuts of sirloin or porterhouse from beef that
has been hung at least four weeks; broil in the way I have described
and your dinner guests will register many polite hints for another
invitation. I might add that if the beef is right you will not have to
worry about a sauce. Butter, salt, and pepper will properly dress the
finest steak in the world.
C
_Arthur T. Vance_