“Leaving meat out at room temperature is a formula for disaster and there isn’t a respectable steak house in the world that does it.”
Morton steak house leaves their steaks out at room temperature. I’m guessing many others do this as well. Just google grilling steaks and you’ll find many chefs that do this.
I personally have started to leave them out at room temperature and it makes a much better difference in cooking the steak.
I was thinking that as well. I was actually surprised when I read that because if you grill a steak frozen on a grill the outside cooks and the inside will still be cold.
[from wiki]
Dry aged beef is beef that has been hung to dry for several weeks. After the animal is slaughtered and cleaned, either an entire half will be hung, or primal cuts (large distinct sections) will be placed in a cooler. This process involves considerable expense as the beef must be stored at or near freezing temperatures. Also only the higher grades of meat can be dry aged, as the process requires meat with a large, evenly distributed fat content. For these reasons one seldom sees dry aged beef outside of steak restaurants and upscale butcher shops. The key effect of dry aging is the concentration of the flavor. It’s generally accepted that the taste of dry-aged beef is almost incomparable to that of wet-aged with four weeks being a recommended minimum.
The process enhances beef by two means. First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle. This creates a greater concentration of beef flavor and taste. Second, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to more tender beef.
Dry aging of beef is rare in super-markets in the United States today due to the significant loss of weight in the aging process. It is found in steakhouses and certain restaurants.
The process of dry-aging usually also promotes growth of certain fungal (mold) species on the external surface of the meat. This doesn’t cause spoilage, but actually forms an external “crust” on the meat’s surface, which is trimmed off when the meat is prepared for cooking. These fungal species compliment the natural enzymes in the beef by helping to tenderize and increase the flavor of the meat. The genus Thamnidia, in particular, is known to produce collagenolytic enzymes which greatly contribute to the tenderness and flavor of dry-aged meat.
The typical guideline is to let the meat sit out for a half hour before grilling. Especially if it is covered, I can’t see any harmful stuff making it inside where heat kills it.
i wish I could post my response on lewrockwell.com…
but I do not have that power…
Lew are you reading this? Correct that dude!