Wagyu Steak Sandwich

It's become apparent that many chefs have lost sight of the simplicity and perfection that defines a great steak sandwich. Rather than letting the quality of the steak shine, some chefs seem more focused on creating Instagram-worthy spectacles. It's important to remember that a perfectly cooked QUALITY steak, carefully sliced and nestled between two slices of toasted bread, with one or two carefully chosen adornments needs little else. Nevertheless, there has developed a tendency to reduce the size of the steak and bulk out the sandwich with lots of cheap bread…… Never compromise on the quality and quantity of your steak for your sandwich, better to eat a great quality steak SW once than crap steak SW often. The issue with sub-standard steak sandwiches is also often a matter of poor construction if you end up eating the remnants of this dish with a knife and fork, it has been an abject failure. Preventing that starts with the steak. Fundamentally, you don’t want to be tearing at a thick, underdone steak riven with sinew and ribbons of thick fat. You should be able to bite through your steak. If you need to grip it and pull it apart with brute jaw-strength, the bread will likely disintegrate in your hands. To prevent that disaster (and if you are not cooking a so-called minute steak), use a meat hammer to tenderise and flatten your steak to a thickness of 1cm or less and cook your steak for a shade longer than you would normally. A medium-rare steak is fine, but anything approaching raw is ridiculous in this context. When serving, do not leave the steak in one whole piece. It is a lax practice (all too common in pro kitchens), which can easily lead to you accidentally pulling the whole steak out of the sandwich with your first bite. Instead after resting, thinly slice the meat on the bias against the grain. Forget fillet here, save the sirloin and resist the urge to use a rib-eye on what, ultimately, is a sandwich. Instead, go for Picanha, Denver or skirt. (ideally well-marbled, rare-breed meat) and pair with Ciabatta… Crisp without, light within, and porous enough to absorb meat juices, yet durable enough to withstand them. It is – when cut horizontally and lightly toasted – the perfect steak sandwich bread, it will naturally mould itself around the meat, helping to hold it in place, and it will also ensure that the sandwich does not become too stodgy.