From the moment you step into a cozy steakhouse, there’s a story unfolding behind the scenes. Warm lights, the gentle hum of chatter, the anticipation of that first sea. This is the story of how a truly exceptional steak comes to life, one that feels less like a meal and more like a moment. It’s the story of great ingredients, attentive technique, and a passion that’s as timeless as fire itself.
Before the first cut is dropped on the grill, the journey begins long before your reservation. Inspired by local pride and culinary tradition, 5 Below Steakhouse and Breakfast Nook embraces its community roots, founded on building connections as much as crafting cuisine. But the steak? That’s where expertise steps in, honed through years of care, trial, and dedication.
1. Starting with the Whole Picture
Good steaks begin with good beef, but “good” is just the start. Exceptional steaks begin with exceptional intentions.
Winter‑harvested beef, as the restaurant proudly emphasizes, is far more than a marketing bullet point. It’s a choice rooted in seasons and taste. Cows harvested in colder months yield meat with deeper marbling and richer fat texture, setting the stage for flavor that sings on the plate.
Their butcher knows the rancher, the land, and the feed. The cows graze on local pastures for years, transitioning to grain toward the end of their life. That final six months are very important as it’s when beef develops the marbling so essential for tenderness and taste. And winter harvest? Farmers allow the animals to mellow through more grazing and exposure to changing temperatures, driving up the intensity of the fat, without straying into excess.
When chefs receive these cuts, including the ribeyes, strips, filets, and more, they inspect each piece:
- Color & Marbling: They’re looking for webbed fat that signals even cooking and juicy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Thickness: The Aim is always for consistency. Each cut is trimmed and measured to within a quarter‑inch.
- Aging: While some restaurants dry-age, the Nook stays true to its roots. Short‑term wet aging in controlled coolers, just enough to develop tenderness while preserving freshness.
2. Prep & Season
Once the steaks are trimmed and portioned, the next step begins quietly, but deliberately.
Resting
After trimming, the steaks rest uncovered on racks in the cooler, never with plastic wrap. This keeps them dry-sealed, with minimal humidity, encouraging a form of aging and moisture stabilization. No magic chemicals here, just time, air, and patience.
Seasoning
A bold core of salt and pepper is often vilified as simplistic, but it’s actually art:
- Salt: Used precisely (not just “to taste”), sprinkled an hour before cooking begins, pulling water to the surface, dissolving, and reabsorbing. This gives steak its internal seasoning without turning it into a salt bomb.
- Pepper: Crushed fresh at the last minute. Coarse, aromatic, and unapologetic, peppercorn crust honors the beef’s natural oils and stands up to heat without burning.
No fancy rubs, no proprietary spice blends, just a few honest ingredients playing their roles.
3. Fire & Fat
It’s easy to talk about “grilling,” but true steak craft is about orchestrating heat.
The Cook Station
A real stakeholder command center has three zones:
- Blazing hot center for searing.
- Medium heat side for turning.
- Slightly cooler off‑heat zone for finishing and holding.
Built for control, not for chaos.
Render That Fat
A steak’s fat cap is used:
- At the grill’s edge, the fat is held in the flame, allowed to render drip by drip onto the coals below. Flames rise, smoke kisses the meat, providing natural basting and flavor complexity. That layer of fat transforms into crisp, golden edges that crunch with that signature sizzle.
Sear with Intention
Steaks, patted dry, are introduced to that roaring heat with confidence:
- A splash of clarified butter, no lactose muck, just pure fat.
- A lick of garlic or fresh herb if the
- mood strikes.
- A single press down, then left untouched for 60 seconds on each side, usually. No wrestling, no poking, just time and heat.
Each steak is flipped once. Simpler is smarter.
Internal Science
Temperature is the language of doneness:
- Rare: 120–125 °F (49–52 °C) – deep red.
- Medium‑rare: 130–135 °F (54–57 °C) – pink, juicy.
- Medium: 140–145 °F (60–63 °C) – firm, balanced.
- Medium‑well and above are rare. It is preserved for those who want it.
Chefs rely on a trusted probe thermometer inserted along the thickest part, shadowed by overhead lighting, for precise doneness checks.
Rest Like a Gentleman
You can’t put a seared cut on a plate at once. It needs a few minutes (often 5–7) to breathe, redistribute juices, and settle. Wrapped lightly in foil, no pressure, just relaxation. When you slice it, that juice stays inside, not running down the plate.
4. Plate & Present: The Silent Introduction
A steak arrives simply plated. It’s not hiding behind parade floats of sides or sauces.
- Base: Maybe a few blanched asparagus tips or roasted garlic cloves, but never visually overwhelming.
- Steak Placement: Center, confident, resting on its sizzle-story.
- Enhancements: A dab of herb butter, a drizzle of jus, if any. Mostly, it’s respect for the meat, and letting eaters be the stars.
The table stays clean, aesthetic, and respectful.
5. Sidekicks & Salad: Balance Matters
A steakhouse isn’t just where steak stops’s about how the cast supports the lead.
- Potatoes: Mashed? Butter-rich, whipped to creamy silk. Fries? Crisp-edged. Roasted? Golden and seasoned. But never mediocre.
- Vegetables: Seasonal. Mid-summer zucchini, winter squash. Dry-roasted peppers, wilted greens with garlic.
- Salads: Dressed at plating, never soggy. A bright vinaigrette cut by olive oil, dressed by hand, poured at the last moment onto fresh greens.
They step on stage just enough to add contrast, not distract.
Conclusion
From pasture to plate, steak involves seasons, deliberate decisions, thoughtful pauses, and continuous attention. That’s the deeply human process behind that satisfying bite, an experience beyond taste, rooted in care and time.
If you ever find yourself in Redmond, Oregon, and craving steak made with thought and heart, a visit to 5 Below Steakhouse and Breakfast Nook may just be on your agenda. But for now, you have the story behind it. It is an honest, grounded, behind‑the‑grill look at how perfect steak is crafted.
Here’s to fire, patience, and the simple joy of meat cooked well.
