What we're talking about

Ed on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob, I am joining the frustrated listeners who find that dool.com.au does not exist. PLEASE, where is the site?Regards, ... more
Christine Campbell on Bob Hart's Roasted Chilli Corn Hi Bob,You mention chipotle mayoin some of your recipes but, search as I may, I can't find the recipe on the ... more
Robert on Ask Bob Hart a food question BobIs the DOOL for real?I can't find it anywhere online. Tried www.dool.com.auIt doesn't exist.Rob. more
Charles on Bob Hart answers your questions Hello Bob,Could you please let me know what days and times you do talk back on radioRegardsCharles more
Charles on Bob Hart answers your questions Hello Bob,I want to buy a gas Webber BBQ. Please advise what moders and features you recommend. Please advise also places I ... more
Lindy Arthur on Ask Bob Hart a food question Afternoon Mr. Hart,I keep hearing your ad on 3AW - Dool? skillet. And I google the www.dool.com.au but do not come up with ... more
David Bracken on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bobplease tell me where I can find the frypan you are advertising on AW. I can't find it on the net.Thanks DB more
susan on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob, Can you give me your toasted cheese sandwich recipe? I missed half of it today when I received a phone call during ... more
Keith on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob,i cant remember if it was last week or the week prior you talked about an amazing steak sauce recipe that had my ... more
Joy Farnan on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hello Bob.When having a roast, I put in a whole garlic with the veges, (as I had seen the experts do). Well, the garlic ... more
Anthea on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi BobYou mentioned a book from which you made Zucchini Fritter for you daughters vegetarian partner. Can you please tell me ... more
Colleen on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob, the other day you mentioned a BBQ sauce for steak, various engredients. It did have butter in the recipe,possibly ... more
Colleen on Bob Hart's delicious recipes Last week you gave a steak sauce or gravy on the programe and I was driving. Could I please have it again as my husband ... more
Tanith on Bob Hart's delicious recipes Hi BobI heard you talk about Shabu Shabu sauce last week so went out and bought a bottle. Could yyou please post the steak ... more
Claude Z on Bob Hart's spicy Korean wings Hi Bob, i was listening to you last week when you mentioned a sauce recipe based on the Japenese Kupi sauce. While i was ... more
Jansen on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi I'm trying to find the steak sauce recipe you spoke of, but not sue what heading it would be under? Thx more
judy on Ask Bob Hart a food question Bob, was driving on the Hume Highway on 26/04/12 and heard your delicious steak sauce recipe with Asian ingredients. Could I ... more
Matt Brown on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob,On Thursday 26 April, you gave out a recipe for the most amazing steak sauce... Could you please let us all know ... more
Peter Coutts on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob.This week you gave a recipe for a perfect Steak Sauce.I cannot find it on this list.It was the Asian Style one.Can ... more
Lyn on Ask Bob Hart a food question Hi Bob, On Thursday you where talking about an Asian Sauce to have with steak??? cant find the recipe on your list? more

Bob Hart's Perfect Steak

Posted by: Bob Hart | 1 November, 2011 - 10:43 AM

THE PERFECT STEAK: is it an impossible dream? Not any more...

Take a generously proportioned steak of your favourite cut - say, a well-trimmed porterhouse, ideally, about 3cm thick. Ensure it has returned to room temperature. Oil it well with EV olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Again, generously.

Have your gas or charcoal grill, set up for direct grilling, at full bore. Clean and oil your grill bars, remembering to drop the hood again, for five minutes or so, after you have done so to set the oil, and to return the grill to full temperature.

Now, drop on the steaks at 45 degrees (angle) to the grill bars. (If somebody out there mentioned a hot plate, I'll pretend I didn't hear. But if you still own one of those abominations, there is plenty of room for it in Port Phillip Bay!)

After about two minutes (for a 3cm steak) rotate the steak through 90 degrees. And after another two minutes, turn the steak and repeat the rotation procedure on the second side.

This will mean a total cooking time of 8 minutes, after which you can remove the steak to a rack over a warm plate and loosely tent it with foil, leaving it to rest for at least four minutes. And that's it.

The steak should be a perfect medium rare at this point. If your barbecue delivers a different result, adjust the timing accordingly next time. But remember, rotate twice and turn only once. And off.

For something a bit more ambitious, try this approach to cooking a particular type of steak - a large (600g approx.) rib-eye on the bone. Follow the same procedure except that this time, instead of just salt and pepper, sprinkle both sides of the steak with a rub made by pounding 50g of sea salt, 3tbs black peppercorns, 1tbs chilli flakes and 1tbs fresh rosemary needles in a mortar and pestel. But remember, this is a powerful rub, and is only for use on a steak like this which, when it is cooked, you slice, thickly, parallel to the bone, for two servings. I like to serve these medium-rare slices on a bed of sweet potato mash with a couple of oiled, seasoned and quickly grilled spring onions.

For this steak, the timings will change: give it extra time (at least two hours) to return to room temperature before oiling and seasoning it, cook it for 3 minutes in each position (i.e. 12 minutes in all) and rest for about 10, loosely tented. Squeeze lemon juice over each steak before slicing. Perfect.

Note: If somebody insists on having their steak cooked more than medium rare, do not cook it any longer: simply rest it in a warmer place, such as in a low oven, or on the rack over the grill (which you turn off, of course) with the hood lowered. And don't invite them back!

3AW Food - Eating Melbourne

3AW is Food: Melburnians love to eat so it's fortunate we live in the culinary capital of Australia. On this dedicated food page you will find the latest recipes by Bob Hart as well as Tony Leonard's Pub of the Week reviews. La Luna head chef Adrian Richardson also serves up a dish from his own cook book and food reviewer Ela Carte visits one of Melbourne's hottest eateries weekly.