Here at Red Garter we take meat seriously. The Steakhouse opened in 2001, well before it became a trend. Following the American Diner model, here you’ll find everything that goes on the grill: steak, sliced steak, ribeye, chicken…
So we’re pretty comfortable giving you 5 tips for a proper steak.

1. 1. The raw material. Whether it’s a T-bone, a Fiorentina or an entrecôte, the point is the same: meat is not to be bought wherever! Knowing where it comes from and how it’s aged is the first step to a successful result.

1. 1. A matter of thickness. “Less than 4 fingers is carpaccio”, they say in Florence. Four fingers is obviously the minimum a steak needs to reach to aspire to the status of “Fiorentina”. But for everything else too, thickness is one of the variables that determine cooking time.

1. 1. The temperature. If you don’t want a “hot on the outside, cold on the inside” result, remember that meat should be cooked once it reaches room temperature. Take it out of the fridge a few hours before and let it rest before facing the tough trip onto the grill.

1. 1. No to moisture. The “Maillard reaction” is the chemical process that forms the juicy “crust” on top of the meat. Moisture isn’t friends with Maillard, and therefore neither with that juicy crust. Remember to dry the steak with sheets of kitchen paper before cooking it, removing every trace of our enemy moisture!

1. 1. The cooking. Well, we don’t even need to tell you that the steak should be cooked on a real grill. But even if you’re cooking on a flat top or steak griddle, the temperature has to be searing hot (not hot, searing). And we don’t need to tell you that the best materials — if you’re not on the barbecue — are iron and cast iron. And that your dear friend the non-stick pan will simply boil your steak, much to the chagrin of our friend Maillard (see above), who by now has seen it all (mostly raw).

And if you fancy tasting the result of all this but you’re too lazy, don’t worry — at Red Garter there’s always a table for you!