Delmonico Steak

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Delmonico Steak

Delmonico Steak
© As illustrated by Charles Ranhofer


This term has been applied to so many different cuts of steak that it is no longer meaningful or reliable, though that doesn't stop foodies from debating it like shrieking cats fighting over a mouse.

Over the years it has been applied to at least nine different cuts of steak, including Club (aka Wing Steak) and Strip Loin Steaks from the Short Loin, and Rib-Eye Steaks from the Rib Section. At the start of the 21st century, the balance of the debate currently holds in favour of a Delmonico steak being a Rib Steak.

Some sources feel that the original cut of meat used was probably boneless top sirloin cut 2 inches (5 cm) thick, with a total weight of 20 oz (560g.)

Others pick up on something Charles Constant Delmonico said in 1882 to the press, when justifying the price rice from 75 cents to $1.00: "The other day I had one of my cooks cut up four short loins to see precisely what they would make in beef, porterhouse and rib steaks, filets and Chateuabriands.." They point out, quite rightly, that you couldn't get all those cuts out of a short loin today, the way it is defined now, so that perhaps in Charles Constant's time, the short loin did include rib steaks.

But the "chef de cuisine" at the time was Charles Ranhofer, and Ranhofer's short loin didn't include any of those cuts, either. If you see his beef chart in The Epicurean, the short loin was a very specific area and so was the Rib area. Ranhofer lists Rib Steak recipes, and lists them as completely separate from Delmonico Steaks.

There seems little reason to doubt that the steaks were indeed sirloin steaks. Why some people find this hard to believe may be because with tastes changing over time, they can't believe a prized steak would come from a sirloin. Though hard-core steak lovers today still try to tell anyone who will listen that sirloin steaks have absolutely the best flavour of all beef steaks, most of the general public has been taught instead that they're a lesser-grade steak because they are a bit chewier. So the meaning of Delmonico steak has been adjusted to mean what today's general public would regard as a top-grade steak.

At Delmonico's Restaurant in New York, the steak was always served with Delmonico Potatoes.


History
Delmonico's restaurant was opened in New York in 1827, by two brothers. The restaurant was a novelty for its day: it allowed customers to order what they wanted, instead of having to take whatever the kitchen was cooking that day. It grew in popularity to the point that even Abraham Lincoln ate there.

Sometime in the 1850s, the brothers added steak to the menu, but it is no longer known what the actual cut was at that time.

Literature & Lore
Following are recipes from: Charles Ranhofer, The Epicurean, page 487.

(1375). DELMONICO SIRLOIN STEAK OF TWENTY OUNCES, PLAIN (Bifteck de Contrefilet Delmonico de Vingt Onces, Nature).
Cut from a sirloin slices two inches in thickness; beat them to flatten them to an inch and a half thick, trim nicely; they should now weigh twenty ounces each; salt them on both sides, baste them over with oil or melted butter, and broil them on a moderate fire for fourteen minutes if desired very rare; eighteen to be done properly, and twenty-two to be well done. Set them on a hot dish with a little clear gravy (No. 404) or maître d'hôtel butter (No. 581).

(1376). DELMONICO SIRLOIN STEAK À LA PÉRIGUEUX (Bifteck de Contrefilet Delmonico à la Périgueux).
After cooking the steak the same as for plain (No. 1375), lay it over a Périgueux sauce (No. 517), into which mix the third of its quantity of small chicken quenelles, forced through a cornet to three-eighths of an inch in diameter, glazing it with meat glaze.

(1377). DELMONICO SIRLOIN STEAK, SPANISH STYLE (Bifteck de Contrefilet Delmonico à l'Espagnole).
Prepare and cook the sirloin steak as described for plain (No. 1375). Chop up separately a quarter of a pound of lean beef free of sinews, and the same quantity of fresh pork. Mix these together with a tablespoonful of cooked fine herbs (No. 385), and one egg-yolks; season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then divide the preparation into four parts; roll it on a floured table into balls, flatten them to half an inch thick, then dip them in beaten eggs, and roll them in bread-crumbs; smooth this with the blade of a knife; plunge them into very hot fat for two minutes to brown the outsides. Drain and lay them one beside the other in a sautoir moistening them to their height with half-glaze sauce (No. 413), and let simmer for three-quarters of an hour, basting them frequently. Brown in oil four ounces of minced onions, add to it four ounces of finely minced green peppers, one clove of garlic, half a pound of peeled tomatoes cut in four and pressed; let cook together and reduce with a little brown sauce (No. 414) and gravy (No. 404). Lay the garnishing on the bottom of a dish, the glazed steak on top, and the hash balls over, one overlapping the other.

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