Did you think you missed all of the special black Friday savings from Omaha Steaks?  Well not to worry because they’ve got a great deal ready to go in celebration of Cyber Monday November 28th, 2011.  Not only with this special one day offer will you receive savings of up to 58% on their great steaks, but you’ll also receive a FREE Ham, and now a $10 Reward e-card.

Click Here to Check Out this 1 Day Only Cyber Monday Special from Omaha Steaks

Steaks are still a perfect gift idea for the holiday season so start shopping today.  In honor of black friday Omaha Steaks is offering a fantastic deal that’s good for one day only on November 25th 2011.  Enjoy savings of up to 58% on their steaks and other entrees and you’ll also receive a FREE HAM!

Click Here for the Omaha Steaks Special Black Friday Offer

During the holiday season you might wonder what some great gift ideas might be for family, friends, or even employees.   Over the years I’ve received numerous online steak packages as gifts and they’ve always been something that I really enjoyed receiving.

So if you’re looking for the perfect gift this holiday season why not sent a special gift pack of a selection of premium meats from some of the top online steak companies.  Below you’ll find some great promotions already going on this holiday season from a variety of different online steak vendors.

Chicago Steak Company Special Offers  – Special Santa Gift Packs Avilable with FREE Shipping or Enjoy 12 FREE Burgers with Your Order

——-> Exclusive Chicago Steaks Savings from BestOnlineSteaks.com -> Spend $100 or more & Use Promo Code “beststeak” to receive 10% off

Kansas City Steak Company Special Offers - $4.95 Shipping on all orders and Signature Gift Boxed Steaks and Monthly Steak Plans

Omaha Steaks Special Offers – Save Up to 66% Off & Receive a FREE Gift,  FREE Shipping on Select Steak Omaha Steaks Combos,  Signature Gift Boxed Steak Sets and Gift Cards Available

Hopefully with some of those great holiday options you’ll be able to give the perfect tasty gift of steaks to someone this holiday season!

There are many different reasons for you to want to buy steaks online.  Not only can you get steak that your local grocer may not carry, but you can also
send great steaks to clients or friends for a special occasion or simply as a thank you.  On the other hand, however, there are a few reasons to check out your local grocer first. Either way, steak is something that almost anyone will enjoy.

Benefits of Buying Steaks Online
You may just need a large order of steaks that your local butcher can’t supply, but there are several other great benefits to ordering steaks online.  Not only are you assured that you’re getting prime, choice, or select, but you’re also probably getting a higher quality beef.  Here are some of the benefits of purchasing steaks online:

• Some websites, such as Chicago Steak Company, age their steaks for a minimum amount of days.  Aging steaks is good because it allows the natural enzymes that are in beef to break down hard connective tissues, making steak tender and easy to chew.
• There are usually some great sales online.  There are sales at your local grocer, sure, but they’re usually sales by the pound.  Online, you can purchase a packaged deal with great savings on a variety of different types of online steaks.
• Many people would assume that buying steaks online would be more expensive due to the shipping, but there are many websites that will ship for free once or twice.
• You have a much wider selection online than in a store.  Not only can you find select and choice, but it is also very easy to find prime cuts.  Many people would pick up a piece of meat at the store that’s lean, but prime cuts are the ones that have “marbling,” which are the lines of fat that run through meat.  This marbling is what creates a tender, juicy texture and flavor.
• Typically meat is cut to order instead of pre-cut, so your steak will always be fresh when ordering online.

Not only is buying steak online great for the selection, it is a very simple way to send gifts or order large amounts of steak for a special event.  Many local grocers don’t have a large enough selection to feed an ample amount of people.

Possible Drawbacks from Buying Steaks Online
There are several very intriguing benefits of buying steak online, but there are several things that you simply cannot accomplish unless you head out to your local grocer.  Some of these things are:

• You can’t get to know your butcher.  While this may seem silly, it is important to get to know your butcher because he or she can probably tell you everything you want to know about meat, how to cook it, how to keep it fresh, and what is a good buy on any particular day.
• You have the option of buying from the butcher’s counter instead of the pre-packaged section.  The butchers counter is usually fresher meat.
• You have the advantage of seeing and feeling the meat.  You typically want to buy steaks that have a firm texture and a good amount of marbling.
• You know exactly what is past its sell date, and if you buy pre-packaged meat, you can make sure the packaging hasn’t been tampered with at all
• You don’t have to pay for shipping or wait for it to ship.

Sometimes it’s hard to find enough steak at your local grocer for a party or large get-together, but the selection is usually plentiful enough for a family or to buy as a gift.

How to Buy Steaks Online

Since you don’t have the benefit of getting to know your butcher when you shop online, it’s always good to educate yourself about the different cuts of steak.  You aren’t able to touch and feel the texture or see the marbling of steaks online, so how exactly do you go about choosing what’s best for you?  Here are a few tips:

• USDA graded is usually the best.  There is USDA Prime, which is usually most expensive, and then it continues on down to USDA Select and USDA Choice
• Buy the best you can afford.  If you can’t afford a prime cut, then try and find select cuts that are affordable, but not lacking in quality.
• Make sure that what you’re buying is aged and a trust-worthy source.  If you’re going to spend the extra money that may be required for shipping, then you might as well get a better deal.
• Look for good deals.  There are so many different websites that sell steaks that it should be easy to find good deals on both large and small packages.

Not only will most of these tips help you to save money, they will ensure that you’re getting the most for your money.  Every website is a bit different, but they all have similar qualities.  For example, you can buy package deals at almost every website.  These packages include different cuts of steak that you might like.  There are also usually some good sales on these packages, and often there is free shipping.

Online Steak Companies

Omaha Steaks – Omaha Steaks is a great company to buy from for business or family get-togethers.  They have large package deals that have great cuts of steak, but also include pork and chicken

Chicago Steak Company -  Another great online steak company to consider is Chicago Steaks as they only offer USDA Choice and USDA Prime steaks.  In addition you can also count on their steaks being hand selected and hand cut along with two types of different aging for their steaks both wet and dry.

Kansas City Steaks Company – Don’t forget about one of the most popular companies for steaks online; Kansas City Steak Company.  They’ve been around since 1932 and they guarantee their products to meet high standards.  All steaks are USDA beef that has been aged for up to 28 days, hand trimmed, and vacuum sealed to protect their natural flavor and juicies.

Take this information into account the next time that you go to buy steaks online and educate yourself in regards to the numerous cuts of steak when shopping and your next online steak purchase will be simple.

Don’t miss out on a special savings offer from Omaha Steaks.  Take advantage of a special 50% Off Sitewide promotion from them and got get yourself some fantastic steaks, burgers, chicken, and so much more.

This special offer is valid from 09/06/2011 – 10/05/2011, so be sure to check out Omaha Steaks and save on their large selection of high quality meets and other items.   Click Here to Visit Omaha Steaks Online

*This post contains affiliate links, for more information read our disclosure page.

Do you love ribeye steaks?  Personally they’re one of my favorite steaks with some of the amazing flavor with it’s abudance of marbling that provide the fantastic buttery flavor.  Take a look at the video below with some great tips on grilling the perfect ribeye steak and try out the tips for your next grilling occasion!

There’s not need to stab innocent steaks with a thermometer – you can easily tell how done your steak is by using the finger test. It’s easy and makes you look like a pro at your backyard bash.

Relax your hand and use the index finger on the other hand to press the fleshy part of your palm right under your thumb. That’s about what raw meat feels like (try it out next time). Make sure your hand is completely relaxed.

Now, gently touch your thumb to your pinky, and press the same area. This is what well-done steak feels like.  Move down and touch your thumb- to your ring finger and that same area will show you what medium feels like. Your middle finger will approximate medium-rare, and the index finger will feel like rare.

Some of the greatest backyard tragedies I’ve ever witnessed have been when the occasional grill-master takes an amazing cut of meat and cooks, pokes, flips, and generally manhandles it into a piece of charred shoe leather.

Grilling a steak is all about one thing – simplicity. Choose your steak recipe[link to the recipe article], let it sit out until it’s almost room temperature, and then follow this simple guide.

Many guides will tell you to sear the meat on both sides in a pan, then finish it in the oven. That can be great, but most people I see do this either use too much oil, or a not-hot enough pan, and end up with a disappointing result. If you have gas burners and a cast-iron skillet, go for it, but the preferred method for almost everyone is grilling.

For the grill, you’ll want to get it HOT. If you’re cooking with propane, we won’t make fun of you (we do it too) – just make sure to preheat all your burners on high. If you’re using charcoal, set up your grill for direct heat and let the coals burn down to white, but while they are still red hot in the middle.

It never hurts to use tongs and spread a little oil on the grates, just make sure it’s a high smoke point oil, like canola. You can use spray oils for grilling, just remember that they are flammable. While convenient, they can be a little dangerous around really hot grills, so go forward cautiously.

The key is not flip too much – and it’s easier said than done. Ideally, you’ll flip the steak only twice – both by GENTLY grabbing with tongs. Please don’t use a fork to flip, or squeeze it to death with your tongs – you’ll just squeeze out all the delicious juice.

Tastes for steak temperatures range from “blue” (which is basically raw) to well-done (which is basically like eating shoe leather). We’re not here to judge, but we are here to tell you that the happy medium between delicious, juicy meat and cringe inducing bloodiness is, in fact, medium. I prefer to cook all my steaks to medium, although occasionally I will go a shade closer to medium rare. A little bit closer to medium-well isn’t the end of the world either.

For a 1″ steak on a hot grill, “medium” will be achieved with cooking for 6 minutes on the first side, a flip, and 4 minutes on the other side. Check out this guide from Omaha Steaks for other temperatures and cooking times.

There isn’t a single factor that can turn a run of the mill backyard barbeque into a meaty masterpiece (or vice versa) than the quality of your steak. Buying a great steak means you’re ahead of the game when it comes to texture, flavor, and juiciness.

Lots of folks just run down to their local mega-mart and buy steaks. This is the lazy man’s way of buying steak, and, most of the time, completely unacceptable. Steaks are graded as prime, choice, select, and dog food. Ideally, you’d be buying aged prime steak, but that’s not necessarily in the budget for your weekly grill-fest. Choice grade steak is perfectly fine to buy, especially since buying prime grade steak can be difficult and expensive.

If you have a local butcher or meat market, that’s definitely an option. You can get to know them, and they can get to know you – a relationship with a local butcher is a great way to buy the steaks you want. Another great option that has only been available for a couple of years (and is our personal favorite) is to buy steaks online.

There are three top places to buy steak online – Omaha Steaks, Kansas City Steak Company, and Chicago Steak Company. All offer different experiences and selections – and even better, your steak will arrive quickly, and you can easily store it until you’re ready to cook. Using a site like ours, you can also find great deals every day to help you save money when you buy steaks. Most of the time, you end up getting nice little bonuses, (like free chicken breasts or side dishes) and they have a much better selection of steak cuts and qualities than all but the most well-stocked meat markets.

Let’s be clear, if you’re taking our advice and buying top notch steaks from some of these online retailers, you don’t need to do a lot – steak recipes are abundant, but a truly great cut of meat doesn’t need a lot in the way of rubs, recipes, sauces, or especially marinades.

Here’s the perfect scenario – you’ve purchased a top notch aged prime ribeye from Omaha Steaks (or Kansas City Steaks, or Chicago Steaks Company). Chances are, since you’re a fan of this site, you’ve done your research and bought the best and highest quality steaks you can get for your dollar. You’re doing this right.

Before you start cooking any steak, no matter the recipe you’re using to deliver the beefy goodness, let it set out, uncovered, and room temperature for about an hour. Not only will this help the steak cook evenly and retain its delicious juices, your steak loving guests will know you’re the real deal and not some grill hack who bought some sickly mass-market steak at the local Wal-Mart.

My personal favorite recipe is simply – simply mix up a little fresh garlic with some whipped butter. Smear a dollop on both sides, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and slap it on a rocket-hot grill.

However, for those of you who like to embellish the near already-perfect prime cuts of meat, here are a couple simple seasoning methods to get even more out of your meat:

Bobby Flay’s Famous Steak Rub - Bobby Flay is the undisputed master of the American grill. This steak recipe is the foundation for his entire restaurant empire. Read more here about this fantastic steak rub recipe from the Food Network .

Ingredients

1 cup ancho chili powder

1/3 cup Spanish paprika

3 tablespoons ground dried oregano

3 tablespoons ground coriander

3 tablespoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons chile de arbol, optional

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients. Store rub in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool, dark, place.

Recipe Credit – Food Network