With our Celebration of Steak in full swing, we thought we’d ask our friends at Virgin Wines to come up with some tasty wine suggestions to match with our Sirloin Steaks. Here’s what they had to recommend…
A piece of beef or steak naturally needs a tannic, powerful wine to complement the texture of the meat, so this is the perfect occasion to bring out the big hitting reds. A good bottle of Bordeaux would make a classic match for a Sirloin Steak but this cut of meat will also naturally stand up to something a bit more fruit forward and juicy. Australia is the home of this style of wine, in particular Shiraz, but a New World Cabernet Sauvignon, Californian Zinfandel or Argentinean Malbec would all make a tasty alternative.
Here are a few of our top choices:
Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009
This is one of our best ever selling wines. You only need to take a glance at its ratings to see how popular it is. The wine is a wonderful Chilean take on top-flight Bordeaux. It’s a rich and textured Cabernet at its best, with beautiful, sweet oak flavours. It is lavish and decadent and will be the perfect accompaniment to a succulent sirloin steak.
£9.99
Fincas del Sur Malbec 2011
A relatively new wine to our range and already going down a storm. Made exclusively for us by our friends at Familia Zuccardi, this is a rich, full-bodied red with swathes of damson and blackcurrant fruit. It has perfectly integrated toasty French oak and majestically ripe tannins that deliver a silky smooth finish. The wine is a full-throttle red, which will work a dream with juicy cuts of steak.
£12.99
The Black Pig Single Vineyard Clare Valley Shiraz 2010
Another customer favourite, this is a brilliant example of a value driven Aussie Shiraz. Teamed with sirloin, the rich meaty texture of this wine will work wonderfully in harmony with the steak. Named after the winemaker’s tribe of black pigs, this is a delicious smooth and mouth filling wine which is full of intense dark fruit.
£10.99
All these wines can be purchased at www.virginwines.co.uk
So, you’ve defrosted your meat, allowed it to bloom and cooked your steak to perfection. The last tip to ensure the ultimate steak experience is resting.
During resting, the juices which tend to stay in the centre of the meat while cooking move to the outside, making it warm, moist and tender all the way through. This allows the full flavour and tenderness to develop, so you get a much better eating quality.
To rest, place the steaks on a rack, cover loosely with foil and leave in a warm place. You can rest steaks in the oven for up to 30 minutes at 60ºC (without fan) and it’s always better to over-rest than under-rest!
Happy cooking,
Eddie
How do you like your meat?
All our beef products, with the exception of minced beef can be cooked rare, medium or well done. Lamb and Veal can be cooked medium and well done and pork, with the exception of fillets, should always be cooked well done.
Pan Frying
Cooking the perfect steak can be a challenge, even for top chefs. That’s because smaller cuts of meat can cook too quickly so they become dry, tough or leathery. Eddie and I recommend using a heavy frying pan or griddle (ridged pan) rather than an electric grill as you can control the temperature more easily…let’s get started!
1. As per our previous blog, defrost your meat and allow it to bloom for at least 20 minutes.
2. Make sure your frying pan or griddle is preheated to the highest temperature before you start to cook your steaks. It should be hot enough that you hear a sizzle when you place the meat into the pan, using a pan that’s not quite hot enough can cause toughness. Add a little olive oil to the pan, or for a healthier option, brush oil directly onto the steaks as you’ll use less.
3. To cook your steaks, first cook on one side, then gently turn and cook on the other. Avoid poking, prodding and repeatedly turning your steak as this lets our precious juices and can lead to overcooking. Use tongs as opposed to a fork to avoid piercing the meat.
4. Follow the cooking times below:
5. Or you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your steaks (below) for perfect results, before letting the steaks rest.
Next time, Eddie will explain just how important it is to let steaks rest, and some tools of the trade to really enhance your eating experience!
Bye for now,
Stefan
