You probably can't get enough heat going at home. My outside grill will crank to 550 or 600F. A proper steak grill in a steakhouse kitchen will go to twice that.

Does that make better meat?
 

Does the extremely high temperature make a difference, though? My weber makes perfectly good steaks at 500.

I'll second that. I marinate and grill my own steaks with wood chips by my pool. I swim and drink beer while they're cooking and then we eat poolside in our bathing suits. Beats a stuffy "steakhouse" any day.

I think it does make a difference. That is why I prefer steak cooked at home over wood or charcoal. You can't get that smoky flavor at a typical steakhouse. Brazilian churascos and the oak pit joints in and near Santa Maria, CA are notable exceptions.

Another vote here for Angus Steakhouse, nasty food, horrible atmosphere. They are just tourist traps for those people who don't do any basic research at all into the other options available.

I too think there are a lot of dishes I can make better at home than I get at a restaurant, but this site is about travelling, so I see the issue as how to find the best dishes (in this case, steak) while travelling.

I grill year round, even in the snow. :D



I like my steaks "Pittsbugh style" - charred on the outside, pink on the inside. Two layers of Kingsford Competition Briquettes works for me in a Weber.



Good times. :)^



That is a problem; it should be burnt on the outside and warm in the center. :p

I have very low hopes for any steakhouse that has to employ sneeze guards for their food. Anything with an "all you can eat" motif tends to fall pretty far down on the list too.

For the "higher end" steakhouse, I find Queue de Cheval in Montreal to be overpriced, loud, and obnoxious. The quality of the meat is just not what I'd expect given that you're paying on average $60 for just the steak itself, with no sides. Nor can they seem to cook to order, and in my experience they tend to over-salt the meat before putting it on the grill.

Hi,I just wanted to mention that Queue de Cheval is one of the worst steak houses I've ever been to. The obnoxious atmosphere and staff only amplifies the bad experience.

Seriously? With mail-order, you can get very high-quality cuts of meat delivered to your door, and it doesn't take special equipment to make a great steak.

Oh it does take special equipment, but that equipment is dirt cheap.

Want to make the best steak you've ever tasted? Pick up one of these babies, preferably second hand. Scour your grandparents' attics and garages.

My personal favourite for filet mignon:

Start with excellent meat. Go to a butcher, not a grocery store. Make sure they're about 2" thick.
Slice pockets into the filets, and stuff with a tablespoon or so of good quality blue stilton cheese.
Rub lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Let sit on the counter, loosely covered in foil, for about an hour so they warm up to room temperature. While this is happening, pre-heat your oven to about 500f. Toss in the cast iron skillet so it gets good and hot.
(You'll want to put the fan on here, and probably open the windows)
After about an hour, pull the skillet out of the oven and place it on a red hot stove top element. Let it get SMOKING hot.
Take your steaks (no more than two at a time, please!) and sear each side for 30 - 45 seconds. Once they're placed on the skillet, do NOT move them! They will hiss and spit and smoke - that's a good thing!
Place them into the hot oven for 2-3 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are and how much you like them cooked. Leave longer for medium, shorter for rare. I like mine rare, so I take them out after a few minutes.
Place your delicious steaks on a serving plate, cover loosely with foil, and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Serve, and have delicious steak mouth-gasms.

I normally serve these with oven roasted sweet potatoes, conveniently roasted during that 1h waiting period, mashed up with a bit of salt, pepper, and butter.

Oh, yes, it does. 550F is way below what's necessary.

I would amend that to say:

"550F is way below what's necessary to produce a steak that is identical to what you would find in certain high-end US steakhouses."

Higher than 550F is most certainly not necessary to cook a phenomenally great steak.:)

Well, I live in rural Germany so I'm guessing there isn't a company that will ship out here, but on the other hand, who knows? Moving back to the UK by year end so it might be a moot point anyway. My steaks aren't bad, just not restaurant quality.

Then you're not doing it right. Seriously.