Steak recipes and dreams

[gunsmith]

I had been a vegetarian for over 20 years and started eating fish and poultry.
I had a small steak last summer and another small one the summer before that.
On thanksgiving I had a huge craving for steak (I'm single and new in town & wasn't invited anywhere for turkey) being that the stores were closed I had toast for thanksgiving.
Friday I bought a thick steak from (Harris Ranch brand) from Albertson's
and broiled it with salt and pepper.
It was really satisfying.
That night I had dreams that there were flies (big ugly ones) on my wall
and a huge single cell purple thing too, really scary, like a mad cow virus was out to get me.
There is a ranch out in northern NV I know of they just let there cows wonder around in the desert
eating sagebrush and rye. I think my next steak will be from a source like that so I'll be sure I'm not getting a downer cow or something.

Anyway...now I need some recipes because I know zip about cooking steak.
When I was a kid there was some kind of steak with green peppers that I really liked
...how do you cook that?
any other good steak recipes?

I like it well done 

[280plus]

I like mine broiled with Adobo seasoning and black pepper, caution though, I have heard that eating well done steak will make you dream about big ugly flies and huge single cell purple things.  Go for medium rare and you'll be safe. 

[InfidelSerf]

Ahhh the taste of meat!  Welcome fellow omnivore.

Red meat aka steak comes in many forms.   

How you like it cooked, and what it is that you like about the taste, has alot to do with the cut you'll prefer.
And your method of cooking.

I prefer mine grilled rare nice and juicy seasoned only with salt and pepper.
My preference is to pick the best beef tenderloin, about 1.5" - 2" thick.  I use a "monterey" steak seasoning but it's basically a cracked pepper and course ground salt.

Always make sure your heat source it at full temp before starting to cook.

An old line cook once taught me to tell the difference between rare to well by holding your non dominant hand out palm up, keeping it relaxed fold your fingertips in, then using your other index finger to press on your hand just above your wrist.  Pressing lightly from your "thumb pad" to your pinky side will be Well to Rare.   You'll eventually learn the feel for it. 
Real important when you get stuck running the grill at your next family outing.

I let my steaks sit on the grill for about 2 minutes or until a good mark has developed, I then turn the steak 90degrees and let another couple of minutes go by, then FLIP the steak over and repeat the process.  WahLah true square grill marks.  If you know the amount of time it takes to cook it your way, adjust accordingly.

Now for some fun.  Fresh rosemary is God's gift to steak.  Take a sprig and strip the leaves.. using a knife make a nice sharp tip and insert into your red meat cut of choice more if it's a large cut.  Cook as usual and then enjoy the incredible flavors. *Oh yeah don't forget to remove them before eating

[charby]

not veggie

63 degrees in Iowa on Thanksgiving eve

Mom came for a visit because our place is close to her family get together and dad was on call for work over thanksgiving.

Mom and I went scouting for my deer

Mon enjoyed her walk in the woods

I went to grocery store to get Wednesday supper. I was thinking pasta and chicken.

Said F it, got NY strip and shrimp. Taught mom to how to grill shrimp, what she wanted to know how to do for quite a while.

Rare steak and scrimp.. my wife and my mom loved it.

best stuff ever

[MillCreek]

I have never heard of 'scrimp'.  What is this?  Some mutant form of shrimp?

[charby]

I have never heard of 'scrimp'.  What is this?  Some mutant form of shrimp?

I fixed it, scrimp to shrimp. Four days of pheasant hunting clouds the mind. BTW, I was giving birds away on Friday to stay with in my possession limits. Hunting gods smiled on me this holiday weekend.

On Sunday, I'm tired, dog is tired. I tried to get a rise out of her today to go hunting, yeah right was the look she gave me! Being anemic so we enjoyed out Sunday of napping.  I love my dog for telling me I need to rest.



-C

[meinbruder]

I think my next steak will be from a source like that so I'll be sure I'm not getting a downer cow or something.

Anyway...now I need some recipes because I know zip about cooking steak.
When I was a kid there was some kind of steak with green peppers that I really liked
...how do you cook that?
any other good steak recipes?

I like it well done 

Im not so sure about well-done steak being responsible for weird dreams but its the nutritional equivalent to cardboard, at least in my opinion.  :)   While beef can be cooked in a number of ways, steak should be done on a grill over an open flame; I use propane and a friend considers me a barbarian for not using charcoal.  A light dusting of garlic powder, chili powder and crushed sage will make heads spin as the steaks are brought to the table, I like mine rare so I make an apology to the guests in advance of cutting into it.  Salt tends to pull out the moisture and make it dry so avoid that on the grill. 

Well-done will kill anything hazardous from a downer cow; it has more to do with temperature than the beef council wants to admit.  A healthy bovine isnt hazardous if processed by a reputable firm.  I have started buying all beef from Costco, one of their butchers claimed they raise their own cattle but he could be blowing smoke up my shirt, its head and shoulders above the average for quality and taste.  I cant comment on Harris Ranch, I stopped buying beef from Albertsons a long time ago; the cheap chicken is good but the beef tends to be tough.

Grilling steaks is a learned art, only practice will make perfect.  Ive been a carnivore since before I knew what the word meant so I tend to get a lot of practice.  :)
}:)>

[charby]

people bitch about me eating rare and cooking rare.

My answer is any thing less than rare is disrespect to the steer that gave its life for the beef you are eating.

[280plus]

PROPANE?!? That's not grilling, that's borderline sacrilegious! 

Nothing beats the flavor infused by natural lump charcoal. Those briquette things? Garbage!

[doczinn]

Salt tends to pull out the moisture and make it dry so avoid that on the grill. 

Nonsense. I use nothing but rock salt and the meat is quite moist and flavorful, thank you very much. 

[Gewehr98]

If you're dealing with a cheaper cut of beef (aka, tougher than a regular sirloin), I came across a neat fix.

Fork the bejeezus out of the steak several times to tenderize and perforate, then marinade it in bourbon overnight. Use cheap bourbon, or even whiskey, save the Knob Creek for after the meal. I whisk some worcestershire sauce, mustard, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and brown sugar to my bourbon marinade, and it all goes into a ziploc bag with the steak(s) overnight before they go on the grill.  BTW, I run a Holland Grill, guaranteed no flare-ups, but cooking time is longer than other grills with direct burner or charcoal heating. 

Regardless, with the above prep and marinade, the steak comes out moist and tender, with an excellent flavor.

If I'm working with better cuts of beef, then I go straight to the grill, maybe a splash of montreal steak spice on each side before it hits the heat - and it comes off the grill well before it's ruined by getting to well or medium well.   

[Iain]

As it is such a controversial subject I'll put forward the Michelin starred chef Heston Blumenthal's steak theory that he outlined in a recent British TV show.

He bought a large lump of rib steak, a lump big enough for several steaks. He propane torched the outside til it had some caramelised and slightly blackened areas. Then he put it in a 120F oven for 24 hours, then sliced and quickly fried it. At least that is how I recall it.

He's well known for his scientific and bizarre approach to food. In another episode of that show he used a spraygun to coat a gateaux in a very very thin layer of chocolate.

- http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=heston_blumenthal

[gunsmith]

thanks! I'm hungry again
I tend to buy the best food I can afford, I will buy organic produce and fresh over processed.
I had no problem handing over $ for the fresh pacific salmon I had tonight (15 a pound in Reno)
I would rather spend more on fresh range roving beef then save a few bucks on a cow that never
ran from a car barreling down the road.

[LadySmith]

Fork the bejeezus

Now that just gave me the giggles.
Gunsmith, ever consider trying buffalo?

[Stickjockey]

280-

Where do you get your lump charcoal?

[280plus]

I ordered mine at the True Value but I offered to split a skid with the guy because that's the only way he could get it and he didn't want to buy 30 bags just to sell me one. Can't blame him. That was about 4 years ago and I still have 6 bags IIRC but I gave two away as Xmas presents to someone else that likes it.  I use it a lot in the summer and occasionally in the winter. A little goes a long way. I only paid $10 per 20 lb bag buying it that way too. What I DON'T like is the stuff you can get that contains things like oak floorboard scraps. Around here it's bagged as "Cowboy Charcoal". It's expensive and it sucks. The flavor just isn't right.  Sadly, we used to have a place right up the road (sort of) that made it and that stuff was the best. They got shutdown becasue of the smoke produced in the process. That's when I went to True Value and worked the deal. I've never gotten into all the hickory, mequite, apple, cherry stuff. Maybe I will some day. 

[280plus]

Here's what I have, check with them and see if theres a distributor near you.

http://www.milazzoindustries.com/ls-natlu.htm

It's good but it's still not as good as that local stuff was. 

The best way to use it is build a small fire and cover it with just a smidge of air getting in there. I have a Weber, I love my Weber. 

If you see the smoke just gently oozing out of the grill you got it right. If the smoke is looking fast it's too hot, cut your air. Bon apititey...

[Stickjockey]

Have to give that a try. Thanks, 280!

[280plus]

Not a problem...

 

[meinbruder]

Fork the bejeezus out of the steak several times to tenderize and perforate, then marinade it in bourbon overnight. Use cheap bourbon, or even whiskey, save the Knob Creek for after the meal. I whisk some worcestershire sauce, mustard, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and brown sugar to my bourbon marinade, and it all goes into a ziploc bag with the steak(s) overnight before they go on the grill.  BTW, I run a Holland Grill, guaranteed no flare-ups, but cooking time is longer than other grills with direct burner or charcoal heating. 

That sounds delicious.  I'll try that on my next Tri-tip, I normally use Teriyaki cut with Pineapple juice for a Sweet & Sour taste.
}:)>

[MechAg94]

I never get real fancy with steak.  A little Worcester and Tony Checheries (sp?) in a Zip-loc while it defrosts in the frig.  Grill it slowly so it takes 30 minutes or more to cook.  Cooked all through and still juicy.  At most a little pink in center.  Tender as hell.  Lately been doing this with T-bones.  Sirloins and ribeyes are good also.  I normally use a gas grill with mesquite chips.  Charcoal is better, but takes more time and harder to regulate the temp sometimes.  I just have a real small grill.  Everyone has their preference though.

My brother used to use soy sauce and all sorts of stuff, but it doesn't taste like a steak with all that stuff.  Save that for chicken.
On a personal note, I hate red/bloody meat.  I have always prefered Medium Well or close to that.  Very good if done right. 

One thing for sure, a well grilled steak at home is almost always better than than any resturant.  The resturant just has better sides. 

[auschip]

I let my steaks sit for about 30 minutes out of the fridge before cooking.  I glaze them with a maple syrup and bourbon sauce (honey can be substituted for maple).  Add some fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of good coarse sea salt.  THen I cook em one of two ways.

Grilled over mesquite coals until just less then medium rare.  Remove and let sit for 5 minutes or so.

Alternatively:

Put the big cast iron skillet on the stove top.  Turn stove to high.  Drop steaks in and cook for about 2 minutes each side.  Using your welding gloves, grab the skillet and throw the whole thing in a high temp oven.  I usually turn the oven on 550 while searing.  Cook about 10 minutes more.

Remove, and let sit on a plate unmolested for about 5 minutes. 

[client32]

I'm a med-rare guy.  All we really do is seasoned salt and pepper.  Maybe a little Worcester if I remember and we have any.  Have the grill on high and let it heat up first.  Put steak on, wait just a little bit, turn it, turn down the fire.  Nothing fancy but it works.

Now on to the mad-cow issue.  I might be blinded by the cattle companies, there are plenty around here, but it my impression that you, or anything for that matter, would have to eat part of the nervous system (or it might even be just the brain) of a downer cow in order to be effected.  If you only eat the muscle then all should be good.  I could imagine that hot dogs and hamburger meat might include some nervous system, but steak shouldn't be a problem.  Am I right about this?

[MillCreek]

When cooking steak indoors, I do something very similar to Auschip.  I preheat a small stainless steel saute pan for 10 minutes on medium.  At the same time, I am preheating the oven to 450.  I let the steak come to room temperature, coat liberally on both sides with Lawry's Seasoned Salt, and sear it in the saute pan for three minutes on each side.  I then put the pan into the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes and start taking the temperature at 2 minute intervals after 10 minutes.  When the instant read thermometer shows 125-130 degrees on the inside, I pull the pan out and let it sit for 10 minutes.  The final temperature is 130-135 or so.  This gives me a nice outer crust that is not overly charred and a nice pink medium-rare interior.  Because of the variation in thickness and marbling, I now only cook steaks by interior temperature, not by time or the consistency of the steak.  Some people are good enough to gauge doneness by poking the steak with their finger; I am not and have to use the thermometer.

[InfidelSerf]

I've been using Royal Oak hardwood lump charcoal.. but wally world quits stocking it during the winter.

I plan to buy from these guys next.. http://www.wickedgoodcharcoal.com/

And yes the thermo is certainly the best way to judge "doneness" I learned as a line cook.
People don't like their steaks with cuts or holes.. so you have to learn to judge another way.
Keep in mind all we sold were kc strips 3/4"thick. 

That being said I would never profess to say that any one particular method of cooking is superior to another.
It's all about how it ends up when it first makes contact with the tastebuds.
The charcoal to propane debate.. I prefer the flavor of charcoal, but it takes more work to cook with.
I'm also partial to smoking while I grill too, so most of the time I never cook over an "open flame" only hot coals.