Omaha Steak Cooking Guide

It's grill season throughout most of the United States. Whether you are driving through your neighborhood, running errands or going camping, the smell of Omaha steaks sizzling on the grill is in the air. What is the best way to prepare a delicious Omaha steak? Omaha steaks cooking guidelines depend on your preferences and what you want your steak to taste like.

How to cook the perfect steak is a matter of heated debate. Most restaurant steaks are 2 inches thick and cooked medium rare if not otherwise specified. When you're cooking at home, you can prepare your Omaha steak rare, medium rare, well done or anything in between.

Depending on the size of your steaks and your preferences, cooking times can have a wide range of "done" times. Omaha steak timetables are no different.

A helpful hint for determining steak doneness is, quite literally, a rule of thumb. Take one of your hands, turn the palm up and then touch your pointer finger to your thumb. Do not push hard; touching the digits is good enough.

Press a finger from your other hand on the base of your thumb. When you touch your middle finger to your thumb, you should feel the muscle at the base of that thumb tighten. Finally, touch your ring finger to your thumb. Again, the base of your thumb should be slightly less springy.

These three feelings translate to steak doneness. Your pointer finger position is rare, the middle finger is medium and the ring finger is well done. The thumb method will allow you to cook perfect steaks at home every time you try.

To grill a 2-inch Omaha steak in a traditional manner, you should start with room temperature steaks. If they are in the refrigerator, take them out and let them sit covered for about 20 minutes before you begin to grill. Brush the steak with either oil or butter and liberally add salt and pepper to taste.

At this stage, you could also brush the steak with beer, garlic butter or other favorite marinades. Make sure your grill is turned on its highest heat before you place the steak on it. Leave it to sit for 4 to 5 minutes. After that, flip the steak and cook for 3 to 5 additional minutes for a medium-rare steak, 5 to 7 minutes for a medium steak and 6 to 8 minutes for a well-done steak.

• Bring steak to room temperature
• Turn grill to high
• Brush steak with oil or butter
• Spice steak
• Grill steak on one side for 4 to 5 minutes
• Flip steak
• Finish to desired doneness

Uncooked meat can last up to a year in the freezer if it is properly stored. If you have already prepared your Omaha steak, it can last up to three months in the freezer. When you are storing your steaks, it's essential that you keep air from the freezer from them to avoid freezer burn. Wrap your steaks very tightly with either plastic wrap or freezer paper; at times, you will need more than one layer to ensure freshness.

The next layer of wrapping should be aluminum foil. This will keep light away from the meat and help keep it from exposure to air. After that, write the date on a zippered freezer bag, put your steak in it and push it to the back of the freezer. This method should keep uncooked steaks fresh for up to a year and cooked steaks fresh for around three months.

Some people don't want muss or fuss when it comes to Omaha steaks. All they need is a good sear on both sides, and they're more than satisfied. At most, they might wish to use rosemary and butter to wash over the steak while it is cooking.

Other people want some topping and starch with their steak. For instance, a delicious au jus or gravy might satisfy those who are craving more than just the meat itself.

To make a perfect au jus, you will need water, beef bouillon, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a saucepan, bring your water to a rolling boil and then turn it down to low heat. Whisk in beef bouillon until it is completely dissolved in the water and add soy sauce, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Some people prefer to incorporate butter for a more velvety texture, while others use flour to thicken the au jus.