Pure Steak by Steffen Eichorn, Stefan Marquard, and Stephan Otto Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, 2012 Pick it up for the steak recipes and the large enticing color photographs, but buy it for the detailed information on how beef are bred and raised, what cuts are made, the differences between some 200 breeds, and the instructions on preparing, cooking and resting the meat.

Three young grillmasters with strikingly similar names (Steffen, Stefan and Stephan) collaborated on this tasty tome. Steffen Eichhorn won a master's title at GrillSportVerein in 2009 and is the founder of BBQ & More. Stefan Marquard leads the German punk rock grill team, the Jolly Roger Cooking Gang, and operates two restaurants in Munich as well as catering events throughout Europe. Stephan Otto, who runs the meat marking firm Otto Gourmet, authored the introductory chapter on buying and cooking beef.

Resting  the Meat Like any meat, a steak consists mainly of liquid. Through heating, the liquid is pushed away from the heat into the center of the meat. This increases pressure that is released when the meat is cut. The pressure can become so strong that the meat juice really squirts out of the steak, for example, when one sticks a fork into it, which one should not do. Instead, it is better to move or turn the meat with tongs. To avoid this, the meat should rest before being cut. Resting means that the meat should be kept warm for several minutes before it is cut. In this time the previously compressed meat juice spreads evenly in  the steak. The pressure decreases and the juice is again where it was before. If the steak is cut at this point, ideally not meat juice runs out. The longer the meat can stand, the less juice comes out when cutting.

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Recipe: T-Bone Pickled in Red Wine "This pickling is simply brilliant," says Steffan Marquard. "and the T-bone comes out like butter." 2 T-bone steaks, ca. 1 1/8" (3cm) thick 2/3 cup (150 ml) Red wine 4 Tbsp Red wine vinegar 8 Tbsp Olive oil 2 Bay leavesd 2 Tarragon sprigs 2 Thyme sprigs 4 Sage leaves 2 Onions 2 Garlic cloves Black pepper, ground Sea salt Peel the onions and garlic and cut into small rings. Wash the herbs and pat dry. Stir in the wine, vinegar, and six tablespoons of olive oil. Put half the onions, garlic, and herbs in a bowl. Lay the steaks on them and cover with the other half. Pour the marinade over them and marinade in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Take the steaks out, pat dry, and grill each side eight minutes over high heat. Season with black pepper and seas salt after grilling and let stand in foil for five minutes, then serve.

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