2015 Pepperjack Battle of the Steaks

Battle of the Steaks

 

The 2015 Pepperjack Battle of the Steaks is on!

If you enjoy juicy, flavoursome steaks, check out the Battle of the Steaks at selected restaurants and pubs and you could win a prize.

Whether you like your steaks rare or even blue, medium-rare, medium or well done (aka incinerated), restaurateur Adam North of French-inspired steakhouse Entrecôte in

Domain Road, South Yarra, has the following tips on how to cook the perfect steak:

 

How to grill a porterhouse cut:

  1. Start with a good product and you will finish with a better dish.

  2. Bring the steak to room temperature prior to cooking.

  3. Oil the steak, not the cooking surface.

  4. Ensure that the cooking surface is as hot as possible before placing the steak on the grill.

  5. Once you have cooked it to your preference (rare, medium rare, medium, well done), rest your steak for several minutes!

How to cook low and slow cuts, such as short ribs:

  1. Use a type of wood that will match the flavours you are trying to achieve.

  2. Don’t be afraid to use different ingredients when making your rub, try using coffee.

  3. Temperature regulation is extremely important – moving air vents the smallest amount can really impact on temperature.

  4. If you are looking, it’s not cooking.

  5. You must rest your product – the longer the better!

At the relatively tender age of 29, Adam is also the owner of the award-winning Hopkins River Beef company.

“I’m passionate about food, wine and high end produce, and now I’m excited to begin

teaching the rest of the world about it, too,” Adam said.

“There are so many things you can do with the right cut of meat – it’s just about

discovering the endless options.”

And what best complements a juicy steak?

Red wine of course, and winemaker and owner of Pepperjack Wines at the Barossa Valley, Richard Mattner advised on the best steak and wine matches to a few fortunate diners who dined on Adam's luscious Hopkins River Beef steaks paired with some excellent Pepperjack shirazes at Bell's Hotel in South Melbourne.

In a lead-up to the 2015 Pepperjack Battle of the Steaks, Adam is inviting Australians to share the steak love by posting photos of their favourite steak creations to Instagram.

The most creative picture wins a magnum of Pepperjack wine.

To enter, follow Adam on Instagram @adamhenrynorth and tag him in your picture along

with the hashtags #PepperjackKnowsSteak and #AdamNorth.

Good luck, good steaks and good wines!