The Analog Wife left me this morning, but I’m not all that sad.
You see, I drove her to the airport so that she could spend a week with her family in Helena, MT. While I will miss her while she’s gone, I’ll be somewhat glad to switch back to “bachelor mode” for a while.
I am proud to announce that as of 0600PST today, “Beef Week” will have begun!
You see, I got me a new grill a couple weeks back and I spent yesterday morning in the meat department of the local grocer. I’ve got a dozen pounds of beef in various cuts and probably around another six pounds of pork, also in various cuts.
It is currently 0715PST here and I’ve just finished grilling up a sirloin tip, after having seared both sides for just the slightest bit. I had at least one of the neighbors prairie dogging me over the fence while he gots his work-truck loaded for the day.
I smiled and waved.
I’ll probably be doing chops at around 1600 this afternoon.
It’s good to be the king.
No pics of the grill just yet. I’ve got to break the thing in and get it seasoned. You wouldn’t want to see a naked grill, now would you?
Any meaty ideas for beef & pork meal that can be grilled in under 30 minutes are welcome in the comments. Seasonings and marinates are especially welcome.
No, I don’t know how to use the stove and yes, I forgot how to use the microwave. Those are girly appliances.
Neener.
Churrasco Steak
The Chef – JORGE RODRIGUEZ of Chimichurri Grill
Servings
Serves six.
Ingredients
6 7-ounce filet mignon steaks, preferably Argentine,
cut 1 and 1/2 inches thick from the thin end of the fillet, or shell steaks
Chimichurri sauce
Salt
Chimichurri Sauce:
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
6 cloves garlic
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons dry oregano
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Cooking Instructions:
Slice each steak horizontally, 2/3 of the way across, like a hamburger bun. Open the steak out and flatten it. Cut one or two crisscrosses 1/4-inch deep into the cut surfaces. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap. Beat with a mallet to flatten the steak to a thickness of about 14 to 1/2 inch.
Brush steaks with the chimichurri sauce, cover with waxed paper, and stack the steaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.
Lift each steak with the wax paper and place steak-side-down on a hot grill. Peel off wax paper, brush steak lightly with more sauce, and sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes; turn the steak, brush again with sauce, sprinkle with salt, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the top of the steak lightly again with sauce and serve with an organic-field-green salad tossed with balsamic dressing.
Chimichurri Sauce:
Mix together 1 cup of warm water with the salt in a bowl and set aside to cool. Combine the parsley, fresh oregano, garlic, and oil in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse quickly several times.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the vinegars in a bowl until well combined. Add the chopped-herb mixture from the food processor. Slowly stir in 1 cup of the saltwater mixture, and then stir in the diced roasted peppers. Will keep, refrigerated, for 1 week.
Source – http://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/recipes/steakchurrasco.htm
A couple of tips for ya. First, get yourself an iron skillet, at least 12″ diameter. I would recommend a Lodge (http://www.lodgemfg.com/). American made in TN., and available at Wally-World for a decent price. Works GREAT on the grill for cooking damn near anything.
Wanna have a steak and eggs breakfast?? The steak is a no brainer for the grill, but those damned eggs just run right thru the grate. Or how about sauteed onions and peppers for a cheesesteak sammich?? Anything that can be cooked in the kitchen, can be done in an iron skillet in the grill.
Like stir-fry?? Get a stainless steel wok, also available at Wally-World. With these two tools and a good grill, your stove will start collecting dust.
Added benefit: With 90+ temps forcasted for the near future, cooking meals outside doesn’t heat up the house and put any extra load on the A/C.
Real men don’t need no stinking stove, all we need are a couple of tools and fire, and we’ll eat like kings.
As Californians, we pretty much cook on the grill all year anyway. But since I’ve had my nose to the grindstone for the last several weeks with trial work (yuck), my wife’s been doing the grilling — and whatever it is she does to the meat, it ROCKS. At this point I’m rusty enough that she’s a better griller than I am. I’ll see if she would be willing to divulge some of her marinade recipes.
Wander by thebitchgirls and have a look at some of their recipes.
Don’t ya just love Montana girls?????? My wife unit is from Clancy MT. Vacations are great, no cell service, elk in the yard, it’s just the bears I have a problem with on the way to the outhouse.
Mmmmm, steak… I wonder sometimes if my grilling is seen by others as worship at the pagan meat altar.
Lucky bastard. I’ve dreamed of steak & eggs breakfast for a long time.
Here’s simple ……….. grill your steak as you like it, then either dip or drench it in “Yoshida’s” Gourmet Sauce. On the side, take that new iron skillet that MOMINUTEMAN recommended and put in a smidge of butter, slice up some little red spuds, a little walla walla sweet onion and throw in some fresh rosemary just for grins. Then just before everythings done, set a couple pieces of Pepperidge Farm, Three Cheese and Garlic “Texas Toast” on the grates.
And if the neighbor’s drooling over the fence, invite
him over.
Honestly you guys, I’ve seen this BBQ and IT’S HUGE AND MANLY!!
OK, you didn’t say if it was a gas grill or a old-fashioned sparktosser. I’ve only done this on a gas grill. Take some woodchips for smoking. Whatever flavor you like. Soak ’em for an hour, then drain them and wrap them in tin foil. Poke a few holes in the foil. Set the package over the flames on low heat, and then grab your meat. I would use a small roast or some other thick cut of meat like brisket. Hell, ribs would work well. Rub it with salt, pepper, some paprika and garlic. Set that in the grill, somewhat offset from the woodchips wrapped in foil. Close the grill and walk away for an hour. Replace the woodchips every two hours or so, until the meat is as done as you like. You can use a sauce if you want.
There’s nothing like a good slow-cooked brisket, with lots of smoke used to cook it. The smoke actually raises the temp in the grill, so that the low heat is pretty much used to create the smoke, and the smoke does the actual cooking. By the time it’s done, you can just pull the meat apart. GOOD STUFF!