It’s actually quite simple: The perfect steak must meet three requirements: Excellent product quality, perfect cooking point and a crispy, almost caramelized crust. Can the Beefer perfect this culinary trilogy even further?
The first requirement is easy to solve in principle. Simply by shopping the right way. Of course, excellent quality has its price, but here the well-known maxim in meat consumption applies: Better rare, but better.
Getting the right cooking point is more complex because it depends on many parameters. On the other hand, you can of course determine the core temperature at any time with a thermometer and adapt the further procedure. For me, sous vide cooking in the Fusion Chef has proven successful for many meat products. Especially in combination with the optional core temperature probe, exact and 100% reproducible results can be achieved. But of course there are other ways to bring the steak to temperature, because of course not every household has a sous-vide machine. At a low temperature in the oven, you can also approach the target core temperature at your leisure. And with a little skill and practice, of course, it is also possible in the pan. However, the problem here is that between the crust and the core of the product there is a more or less large area that is usually significantly overcooked.
The third point, that is, the perfect crust or Maillard reaction, is more difficult to achieve. Pan and grill offer themselves. However, both have the disadvantage that the temperature is simply not high enough. It simply takes too long to achieve the desired tan without re-cooking too far inside the fabric. A gas burner can be a useful addition to achieve the right tan even more intensively in some areas.
The original Beefer gas grill
The original. For perfect grilling with 800 degrees. The steak grill made of high quality stainless steel.
What does the Beefer change about this process? Some time ago I met with Frank Hecker, the founder and CEO of Beefer, and was instructed in the proper use of the device. And of course, I experimented a lot with the test device that was thankfully made available to me.
Hecker works full-time as a director and produces cooking shows such as Lafer, Lichter, Lecker, Topfgeldjäger, Kocharena and Küchenschlacht.
The Beefer is connected to a gas cylinder. It works exclusively with top heat and reaches temperatures of around. 800°C. This is made possible by a ceramic gas high-performance burner. This makes it possible to achieve a crispy, caramelized crust with a light nutty flavor within seconds – without letting the incredible temperature work too deep inside the steak.
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To get to know the hardware better, I tried my hand at very different recipes, cuts and qualities. I have had the best results with thicker pieces with a decent fat margin. So for example Rib-Eye, Cote De Boeuf or Porterhouse.
Both the flames that hit you from the Beefer and the almost immediate smell are so arguably unique. During cooking, you can control the distance to the top heat, as well as adjust the overall heat very finely between hot and ultra-hot.
Of course, I have also experimented with more unusual products. For a small eternity I have been attracted to the txogitxu, that is, the meat of the old Galician dairy cows of Imanol Jaca. And hardly anything suits the Beefer better. Just the smell of the raw piece of meat (in my case, a strip loin) is impressive. And has little in common with beef, which is usually processed. As soon as the Txogitxu comes into contact with the heat of the Beefers, the smell increases to indescribable. The large, yellow fat crust begins to melt, encasing the 1.2 kilo piece.
In addition, I have integrated into my test series with the Beefer still a very special package of meat gourmets. An online store for premium meat products, mostly from small, local family farms. The Steak Dry Aged Bone In Bundle, consisting of Cote De Beouf Dry Aged, Porterhouse Steak Dry Aged and T-Bone Steak Dry Aged. Everything Perfectly suitable for this type of preparation.
(M)one conclusion
It is not without reason that the Beefer has taken the hearts of restaurateurs by storm. No other way leads to such a perfect crust and such fast cooking results – in short, to such a good steak. Without question, it takes skill and practice not to over-tear the right point. The lack of visual contact with the food being cooked is not necessarily an advantage. But once you have a feeling for temperature and timing, you won’t want to miss the little hotspur anytime soon.
