A place for the spill over about all things meat in the climate and conspiracy theories thread.
Meat is good.
Unless it's bad.
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A common misunderstanding about beef raising isn't that they fart and produce greenhouse gases, but that most of the land they are raised on used to be a diverse rain forest ecosystem and is now alfalfa+cows. So not only are you making more Greehouse gas than before, but also have less means of carbon sequestration to handle it.
Fun fact : the word 'meat' didn't always mean 'animal flesh as food'. It used to mean 'a meal' as in people getting together and eating. It can be seen in this sense in the middle english poem Canterbury Tales.
And the word 'meal' probably also used to only have the sense of something that is totally broken down, and is thus related to words such as 'mill' 'maul' and 'mjǫlnir'.
GERMANIC LANGUAGES
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Meat heavy diets are horrible for the environment. Addressing this does not require vegetarianism. One can simply eat meat less often. I still eat meat, I just don't eat it every meal. I've actually felt better physically since I started reducing my meat intake, too.
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As I read this thread, I have two NY strip steaks on the grill...
I'd say another two minutes on this side and they'll be perfectly medium rare.
I cooked a New York strip steak last night. I way overcooked it.
I don't really care for steak. Never have.
It tastes good with a LOT of flavoring and such, and I enjoy it that way, but overall, on it's own, it seems like a more flavorless meat or food than other things you can eat.
I turned vegetarian roughly 1 1/2 years ago. It was a long road, first I stopped eating this, than I stopped eating that etc.. Finally it was Easter 2014, I had chicken three times in a row (over four days, made by different people) which was the cause to stop. Ironically, life became easier. No more asking myself 'Should I restrict myself to organic meat?' or 'Should I eat thuna?' - simply 'No, I don't eat animals, period'.
Reactions were different. My mother thought it was a temporary confusion, my grandma took it as a challenge to provide unusual meals (from her point of view), in restaurants it's completely normal to completely awkward, depending on type. My friends shrugged or appreciated it (the latter faction was usually vegetarian themselves).
I didn't really miss meat and fish - only when I am really hungry, I see steaks and the like in front of me. This goes away once I eat something else, though. I still consume a lot of animal proteins thanks to milk products - not the best habit when it comes to health and environment, but I guess it's what replaces the meat. Together with different vegetables and mushrooms.
During these ~18 months I actually ate a bit of meat - usually when it would be thrown away else. It wasn't tasty, but I consider throwing away dead animal a bigger sin than eating it. One time I couldn't resist duck meat (yum yum) at Chinese restaurant, but it's ok in my book.
I <3 meat...
... and I have no idea what other discussions spawned this thread about the second most important part of my diet (after the twin deities of civilized living: Alcohol and Caffeine), but mmmmm meat...
-TimD
I once turned vegetarian as well, but some heroes came and killed the Head Vegetarian and all the lesser vegetarians became human again...
Meat and Climate Change alike, I enjoy the flavor . . .
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I cooked a New York strip steak last night. I way overcooked it.
A fairly simple method to cooking steak perfectly. You'll want a decently thick cut steak for this, 1.5" is an excellent thickness, though you can certainly go thicker. I don't recommend this for thin steaks.
1. preheat oven to ~225. Without seasoning, put the steak in the oven for about 20 minutes.
2. Check with a meat thermometer, pull the steak out when it reaches your desired temp:
Blue Rare: 60 (Don't put it in the oven, just let it sit out for about an hour, covered)
Rare: 75
Medium Rare: 90
Medium: 105
Medium Well: 115
Well Done: 125
Numbers can vary depending on your thermometer and how much sear you like on the outside (and how hot your heat source is), but play around with them and find what you like. Using a thermometer will help you learn much faster than trying to rely on touch/sight.
3. Liberally season your steak with your favorite seasoning. This will only be on the exterior so don't be shy. You can always scrape a little off if it's too much. I like a nice crust though. If the steak has a fat cap, remove it at this time. My favorite blend:
1/4 pepper (or steak seasoning blend)
1/4 salt (slightly less if above has salt in it)
1/2 brown sugar
4. Using the highest heat source you have sear the steaks.
4a. Stovetop - use a cast iron skillet. The iron retains more heat giving you a better sear.
4b. Gas grill - turn it all the way up, turn on all the burners. Try to keep the lid close as much as possible.
4c. Charcoal - don't even use the grill, instead just use the chimney starter. Light the coals and once they're white, use metal skewers to position the steaks directly over the coals. It's so hot that you don't want to use a grate, as the metal of the grate will leave very deep burn marks. You can't use wood skewers, they'll burn in seconds.
Charcoal is my favorite method because it's the hottest. Takes about 45 seconds to a side.
5. Let sit for about 3-5 minutes before serving.
I've never had a dry steak using this method. Sometimes they're overcooked (I like rare) but because it's very even on the inside and still moist I never care. I've had people who normally like Rare eat a Medium Well and be very happy with it. I'm more likely to get the temps wrong when I cook at someone else's house.
1" prime (choice is ok, or even select in a pinch or for a party, just don't choose ungraded) ribeye steak
Salt and pepper both sides.
Sit out and bring to room temp
Grill with cast iron slats ~500 degrees F
Oil the grill slats while hot
2 minutes on, 1/4 turn, 2 minutes, flip, 2 minutes, 1/4 turn, 2 minutes.
Close the grill lid during the 2 minute steps
Rest unstacked and uncovered for at least 15 minutes, preferably 25-30 minutes
Steak will be gloriously rare
That's the best steak you'll eat at home for less than $10.
The biggest take-away I want to emphasize:
Use a meat thermometer to judge how done the meat is.
The temps I listed above are for a pre-sear temp, bump them all up about 20-30 degrees for final cook. Always err on the side of 5-10 degrees below your target temp as the interior will continue to rise in temp for a few minutes after you take it away from the heat.
Use a thermometer.