Prime New York Strip Steaks - And Then There Were None

All good things must come to an end, right?  So it is with the Year of Meat.  A 61-cut endeavor that started in early January, and truth be told, was questionable to complete in one calendar year, is now over.  In just over 9.5 months, yours truly cooked the 61 cuts on display in Paulina Meat Market.  And when you are cooking Veal, Pork, Lamb and Beef, and the taste preferences of Braise, Broil, Grill or Roast vary, there is truly no way to "save the best for last".  So, each meal, I just kept looking at the list and picked what sounded good for the next cut.  And lo and behold, as the year evolved, and the past few weeks passed, I was left with one cut, one final meal to complete the year.  The cut?  Prime New York Strip Steaks.

After having learned so much about steaks this year, I have learned what to season and what to leave well enough alone.  When it comes to New York Strip, it's a steak that could use some help on the outside (e.g. a char, a rub, a flavor step) while being sure to cook it to medium rare/medium and no more.  So, my idea for the final cut was to take a page from many a steak-house's book and go with a blue cheese theme.  Thus, I found a recipe for Blue Cheese Butter here.  Now, the recipe suggests putting this on a filet.  But I was just fine with using the Butter on the New York Strips.  Simple enough.  Blue Cheese, Butter, Thyme, Salt and Pepper.  Deliciousness.

As for the steaks, I got 2 12 oz Prime New York Strips from Paulina.  I seasoned them on both sides with Kosher Salt, Cracked Pepper and Cajun Seasoning.  Not too much, but enough to "blacken" when placed on a hot skillet.  Speaking of which, I got a large cast iron skillet good and hot over medium high heat with some butter and olive oil.  Once hot and ready, I seared the steaks for about 5 minutes per side (it really depends on how thick they are).  I took them off, good and blackened and test the temperature and found them at the perfect 125 degrees I sought.  I then let them sit under foil for a minute or two, and place a good size tab of the blue cheese butter on top.  Meanwhile, my wife made her signature hashed brown potatoes (thank you, Julia Child) and a new favorite, crispy brussel sprouts.  My goodness gracious, this meal was going out on top.  We ate this meal with a bottle of Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel, and I am still ooing and awing over the crazy tastiness of everything we had.  So good.

As the Year of Meat is now over, I look back at two questions people keep asking.  1)  What were my favorites? and 2) What lessons did you learn?  Well have no fear.  Those will be my last two blog entries coming soon.  For now, let me just savor the wonder of tonight's meal, and look forward to starting the "greatest hits redux".

61 down, 0 to go!

Spare Ribs - Easy as 3-2-1

When you are on a massive countdown of 61 cuts of meat, it is an odd coincidence that the 60th cut has a recipe that is essentially referred to as the 3-2-1.  It sounds a bit more like a countdown to take-off than it does an instructional guide to cutting meat.  But hey.  Here I am with only one more cut of meat left after today, and I am going to describe a super easy spare rib recipe by the expression 3-2-1.  So here goes.

Now, let me first say that if you had to prepare "everything" in this recipe all at once, it could be a bit more consuming.  But I have been fortunate enough throughout the year to have made and accumulated a bit of a collection of rubs, marinades and sauces.  I have a highly regarded pork rub that I used with the Pork Shoulder - Pulled Pork recipe just a few months ago, and plenty of it leftover.  And I of course have the BBQ Sauce recipe that Fat Dan provided me, and always have a homemade bottle handy.  So, taking into account that I had the rub and the sauce ready to go, this really was as easy as 3-2-1.  But if you're trying to replicate mine, feel free to use any high quality rub and sauce.  If you don't want to make your own, I say go local.

Paulina provided me with a full rack of spare ribs, membrane removed (that's important) and halved for convenience.  I got the Big Green Egg fired up for cooking on indirect heat, and used a large supply of soaked cherry wood chips for smoking.  My target temperature for the egg was 230 degrees, and once there, it needs to stay there for 6 hours.  Yep, I just gave away the rationale behind 3-2-1.  While the Egg was coming to temperature, I prepared the ribs rather simply:  A light coating of dijon mustard, followed by a complete (not thick, not thin) coating of my pork rub.  Once the Egg got to 230, the half racks went on the grate on indirect heat.  Closed the lid, and went to work (literally).  Here's where the "3" comes in.  After 3 hours on the grate unwrapped, I took the ribs off and wrapped them in foil (securely), and placed them back on the Egg for "2" hours.  Keep an eye on the Egg temp every so often to stay at 230.  And after the 2 hours wrapped, I unwrapped them and put them back on the grate for "1" hour (the final step in the 3-2-1.  During this last hour, I brushed the ribs several times with the BBQ sauce, to get the ribs wet with some of the sauce to caramelize.  Yum.

These ribs are phenomenal.  Paulina has provided me many delicious meats and this year has provided me many delicious recipes for my repertoire, but these spare ribs and more likely, their cousin (the Baby Back Ribs) are going to be frequent endeavors post Year of Meat.

60 down, 1 to go!

Bone-In Rib Eye - Butcher's Cut

I have made a lot of steaks this year, both in volume and in variety.  So, a couple of weeks ago, when I was in Paulina Meat Market buying meat for that night's meal, two of the guys there asked me what was left for the Year of Meat.  At the time, I was down to 5 or so.  When I told them what cuts remained, and when I said "Bone-In Rib Eye", an immediate reaction came from Andy who proclaimed it his "go to steak".  An immediate "second" to the motion came from Tim.  These are two guys who know their meat.  And I trust them when it comes to this sort of thing.  So, I stored that in my memory bank, and away I went.

A couple nights later, I was at dinner with my wife and another couple at Erie Cafe in Chicago.  I had never had dinner there, and I heard such amazing things about their steaks.  I was excited.  Since I knew the Bone-In Rib Eye was on my personal horizon, I opted for the Bone-In New York Strip.  And across the board, it was delicious.  But then I tried a bite of the Bone-In Rib Eye, and I heard Andy and Tim's voice in my head, and I "got it".

This past Monday, it was my turn to the grill up the Bone-In Rib Eye.  Because I knew this cut had no lack of flavor, I kept it simple.  Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper.  That was it.  On the grill it went.  About 5 minutes per side.  Off it came, and got tented in foil.  Served it up with a now favorite side of Watercress, Radish and Blue Cheese salad with a new rendition of Polenta (say "Cheese" as in Cheddar).  Pair that meal next to a bottle of Amapola Creek Zinfandel, and you are talking about a high quality Monday evening meal.  Now, again.  I have made a lot of steaks this year.  But this is one I will make again soon after the 61st cut is cooked.

59 down, 2 to go!

Rolled Veal Roast - Porcini Rubbed Awesomeness

This was one that scared me.  It's Halloween season, so it's only appropriate.  But cooking a roast, which used to be terrifying, is now no big deal.  But a veal roast?  Never tried that, and had no idea what to expect.  But thanks to Paulina Meat Market and a Food Network Magazine recipe found here, this was delicious and fun to make as well.

First, I started off with a 2.5 lb rolled veal shoulder roast, tied with kitchen string.  Following the recipe, I blended dried porcini mushrooms, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and blended it into a pasted.  After a quick rub down of olive oil, I rubbed the paste all over the veal roast, and seared it in a cast iron skillet on all sides for about 90 seconds per side.  It smelled awesome immediately.  I then put it right onto a rack in an oven set to roast at 375 degrees, with a drip pan underneath.  And I let that go for about 90 minutes, and tested the temperature until it said around 135 degrees.

While the veal was roasting, I prepared/cut yukon gold potatoes, fennel bulbs (that's a new one for me) and garlic.  In a warm shallow roasting pan, I tossed them all with olive oil, Kosher salt and black pepper, and then roasted those in an oven set to 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  Thank goodness for the double oven.  The timing worked brilliantly.  When the potatoes/fennel had about 10 minutes left of roasting, the veal hit its temperature.  Simply tenting the veal under foil while the vegetables finished was all I needed to go.  By the time I carved the veal, the vegetables had cooled and we were eating our feast.  And what a feast it was!  I love smells!  And I love tastes!  And this dish had them both in spades!

58 down, 3 to go!

Flat Iron Steaks - Whiskey Glazed

2014 is clearly the Year of Meat.  But I would also say that for me, it's also been the Year of the Manhattan.  I have grown an appreciation for Whiskey in all its forms.  But with meat?  Not yet.  Thus, tonight was the collision of the Year of Meat and the key ingredient in the Year of the Manhattan.

Whiskey Glazed is not the description of me.  Well, on some mornings after a few Manhattans, you might say it is.  But not tonight.  Tonight, it's all about marinating, basting and glazing.  Now, I have used flat iron steaks many times before, but never for grilling.  Because it is lean, quick to cook and adapts well to sauces, I tend to use it cut up as the beef for stir fried dishes.  And it works wonderfully for that cause.  But grilling?  Never done it.  But, I tell you what, it works quite well.

As for the recipe, it was the epitome of simplicity.  I found it here, courtesy of Food Network Magazine.  I chose not to use the recipe for the potatoes, because my wife concocted a newer version (and dare I say better version) of mashed sweet potatoes.  It's one of my favorite sides, and it just got better.  Paired next to a new grilled rendition that includes whiskey in the menu, and you have a happy weeknight meal.

Brown sugar, salt, pepper, whiskey whisked together until all is dissolved, followed by olive oil and smashed garlic.  Put the flat iron steak into the marinade, flip a few times for coverage, and let sit for 20 minutes.  After that time, remove them, pat them dry and ready them for grilling.  While they wait to be put on the grill, take the marinade and boil it on the stove top for about 3 minutes while stirring.  This will be used for basting the steaks while grilling. Speaking of grilling, get the Big Green Egg to 450-475 degrees.  And one they go.  About 4 minutes per side brought the internal temperature to 130 degrees, and medium rare deliciousness.  Off they came, tented them in foil for about 5 minutes, served them with mashed sweet potatoes, and the rest (yep, it's all gone) is history.

I have one veal, one pork and two beef dishes left.  The countdown is truly on.

57 down, 4 to go!

Center Cut Pork Roast - Peppercorn Elegance

I think that this may have been the most beautiful of dishes.  Leave it to Ina Garten of the Food Network to provide a recipe found here that not only tasted absolutely amazing, but delighted the eyes as well.  Everything about this meal was over-the-top good.  The kitchen smelled like a fine French restaurant.  The dining room looked elegant with the bone-in roast.  And yours truly feasted on a meal that no doubt will be repeated soon and often.  It seems as though I keep saying to certain friends that (in a way) I'm looking forward to my 61 Paulina cut quest to be over.  Not that I'm not enjoying it (because I have loved every minute of it), but because I'm anxious to re-make some of the ones I've loved so much.  Well, add another one to the list.

This all started with some expertise at Paulina Market.  Tim (a.k.a. the man) hooked me up with some preparation on the center cut pork roast, prepping and tying for optimal ease and presentation.  I took home a roughly 3+ lb center cut pork roast (4 ribs), and commenced my preparation.  I made a paste of olive oil, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, ground fennel seed (busted out the mortar and pestle for that one), Kosher salt and cracked pepper.  I rubbed that paste all over the loin, placed it fat side up in a roasting pan, and roasted it at 400 degrees until the center was at 140 degrees.  I will say that 140 is playing it quite safe, as there was barely any pink at the roast's center.  With the opportunity to do it again, I'd go with 135, maybe even 130.  But delicious regardless to be sure.  After taking the roast out, I tented it under tinfoil on a cutting board, and took the roasting pan and all its juices on to the stove top, adding butter, flour, white wine, chicken stock, dijon and whole grain mustards and green peppercorns in brine (drained) and brought it to a boil, and then lit simmer for roughly 10 minutes to let it thicken.  I then carved the roast, set it in a serving bowl and poured the sauce over it.  Served it with a side of spicy potatoes, and we had ourselves a meal.  Not to overlook the rest of the white wine (can't let wine go to waste when you use only 1/2 cup for cooking), and this was a meal now on the repeat list.

56 down, 5 to go!

Sirloin Tip Roast - A Complete Original

How many ways can you make Meat and Potatoes?  A lot!  This year has tested the preparations, combinations and permutations.  But for the Sirloin Tip Roast, nothing was repeated.  A complete original!

For the last beef roast of the Year of Meat, I took on the Sirloin Tip Roast.  I made a simple rub/paste out of olive oil, thyme, oregano, hot paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion, kosher salt, cracked pepper and cayenne pepper.  Big Green Egg fired up on indirect heat at 350 with some Oak for smoke.  And on it went.  About 90 minutes later (or thereabouts), the internal temperature got to between 135 - 140, the medium rare I like.

While it was cooking, I prepared a Yukon Gold potato recipe from Michael Symon's book, Carnivore.  I boiled them until tender, and drained and let them cool.  I flattened them a little bit and fried them in duck fat for about 4 minutes per side.  I then sprinkled in some lime zest, lime juice, chopped chives and sea salt.  Earlier, I had made a spicy dip for the potatoes made of mayonnaise, sriracha, hot paprika, ground chipotle, olive oil and garlic.

Meanwhile, my wife made a Spinach salad with dates, crispy shallots and a lime vinaigrette.

This meal rocked.  I would have preferred bacon fat or regular vegetable oil for cooking the potatoes, rather than the duck fat. But that was the ONLY thing I would change about this meal.  So good!

55 down, 6 to go!  (How crazy is that?  Only 6 more!)

Lamb Rosettes - Spice Revelation

After having been on this quest for some time now, it's with a bit of sadness that I can now announce that I have completed all lamb cuts for the Year of Meat.  Now, I will not profess that there was any thought that went into "saving the best for last".  In fact, I'm pretty confident that my favorites for the year have already been cooked.  But with Lamb Rosettes as the only remaining Lamb cut, I did not expect to produce the best lamb dish of the year, let alone one in which I followed no recipes.  But so goes the Year of Meat.

So first off, I had to find out, what are lamb rosettes?  Little morsels of deliciousness is the appropriate answer.  However, more specifically, rosettes are thin cut strips of lamb flank steak rolled into small chunks and skewered for marinating and grilling.  Unlike many lamb cuts where fat needs to be managed, rosettes are extremely lean, cook fast and are great for high temp grilling.  So, that's what I did.  Many years ago, I got introduced to an online spice ordering company called Penzey's Spices.  And I went through a cooking faze where curries were the craze.  I bought a 6-pack of Indian spice mixes that included Tandoori, Vindaloo, Garam Masala and a few others.  Two of the most used from that pack (and which have been finished, replaced and finished again) were Hot Curry and Sweet Curry.  Yeah, it's safe to say that I wasn't venturing out of a comfort zone I formed.  Well, in looking at the 6th one from that 6-pack, a spice combination called Sate, I saw that it went well with lamb.  Boom.  I took a few tablespoons, some Kosher salt and mixed it with olive oil into a thick marinade (or a watery paste).  Insert the rosette skewers into a ziploc, add the marinade and let the day run its course.

About 8 hour later, I took the rosettes out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.  And I fired up the Big Green Egg for high heat grilling.  Had some low maintenance sides, i.e. white rice and corn on the cob.  Crispy charring on the outside.  Medium Rare + grilling on the inside.  Indian spices in every bite.  Done and done!  Best lamb of the year, for my money.  Sure, the shanks were delicious, as was the Rack of Lamb (yum I do want to do that again, too).  But these guys were simple, flavorful, required no work (no bones, no fat) and low maintenance.  Can't get better than that.

54 down, 7 to go!

Roundbone Pot Roast - Comfort Food Fest

After not having ever made Pot Roast before this Year of Meat, the fact that this is my 4th Pot Roast makes me feel like I am a bit of a connoisseur.  There are the traditional ingredients, e.g. carrots, celery, thyme.  And there have been some advanced ones, e.g. mint, lemon zest, dried artichokes, figs.  As my flavor palate has evolved, I am realizing that I have traditional days and more advanced days.  It's probably a bit like life in a way.  There are the pizza and beer days, and there are the Porterhouse and Cab days.  When it comes to Pot Roast, I have discovered I like both, with perhaps a bit of a nod towards what I would call an advanced Pot Roast Anne Burrell recipe I made back in February.  That said, I still have my pizza and beer days.  And the Pot Roast I made last night, was for the times when you are simply craving good old comfort food.

The cut for this Pot Roast was the Roundbone Pot Roast.  I seasoned it heavily with Kosher salt and cracked pepper, and then dusted with all-purpose flour on both sides.  I placed 3 cut-up carrots and 2 cut-up celery stalks in a slow cooker, essentially creating a "bed" for the meat.  But before putting the meat in, I needed to brown it on both sides.  Using a large cast iron skillet, I heated up canola oil over medium/high heat, and seared the roast for 5 minutes per side, until the surface was well-browned.  I then placed the roast on top of the bed of carrots and celery.  Using the same skillet, I added in more canola oil, lowered the temp. to medium and sauteed mushrooms in butter until cooked through, added in onions until translucent, then garlic, then a little bit of flour to thicken it up a bit, then some tomato paste, and lastly some chicken broth.  Again, nothing complicated.  Everything traditional.  Once I brought this concoction to a simmer, I poured it over the roast.  Gently placing a few rosemary and thyme sprigs on top of it, I set the slow cooker on high for 6 hours.

The smells!  Holy cow, the smells!  Nothing, and I mean nothing beats the smell of a slow cooked meal with great fresh herbs in it.  Yum.  I opened up the crock pot, gently got all the goodies from inside onto a serving dish (which was not easy, since the meat was just shredding with tender goodness) and took the picture below.  Oh yeah, and then we ate it.  With a nice bottle of Zinfandel.  For me, life doesn't get better than eating a great meal, with great wine with my amazing wife.  And that's what we did last night.  And that's what we'll do tonight!

53 down, 8 to go!

Leg of Lamb - Score!

The Houghton Mifflin dictionary lists "to mark the surface of (meat, for example) with usually parallel cuts" as the 14th most common verb use of the word "score".  Happy to know that this Year of Meat is not only causing me to dig deep into the metaphorical meat case for cuts, but it's also pressing me into using obscure definitions of common words.  And not to get too literary on you all, but this "score" had a little "double entendre" if you know what I mean.

A little history of me and Leg of Lamb.  But first, a little history of me and lamb in general.  To be totally honest, it's not my favorite meat.  Frankly, for the year of meat which includes Beef, Veal, Pork and Lamb, lamb comes in 4th place.  That is far from an indictment from this meat-loving soul.  But in the world of meat (both cooking it and ordering it out), I stayed clear of it just as a matter of paying homage to my preferred meats.  Again, not an indictment.  Just a matter of preference.  But then, in or around 2003, I discovered Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian "all you can eat meat" restaurant that rocked my world.  Shocker, right?  But the great thing about that place, there is no menu!  You just get everything.  A little card with a red side and a green side is provided to each diner.  When you want more meat, go green and watch it show up table-side.  When you need a break, go red.  Well, it was at Fogo de Chao, where getting lamb was easy, as I just needed a taste.  Leg of Lamb it was (and still is), and it remarkably became a "request" whenever I returned to Fogo.  You see, the gaucho's the bring around the meat do so in a ratio of the most common/popular cuts.  Perhaps the Leg of Lamb wasn't the big seller, so I always requested a special trip from a gaucho.  And it never disappointed.  Since then, I have found one other restaurant that prompts me to order lamb, and that's Roscoe Village's Turquoise restaurant, a little gem of a restaurant that warrants a trip if you've never been.  But as for my history with lamb, and with Leg of Lamb specifically.  Until this Year of Meat, the exposure was minimal.

So, we fast forward to this past Saturday, when I bought my Leg of Lamb from Paulina Market.  Sunday morning, I scored it (note definition above), and rubbed into it a little concoction of garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, Kosher salt, cracked pepper, marjoram, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary.  I then let it marinate for about 8 hours.  As I prepared the Big Green Egg for indirect heat at 300 degrees with apple wood chips for smoking, I let the lamb come down towards room temperature (about an hour).  And then, on the Egg it went.  About 3 hours later, after checking temps throughout, I removed the Lamb at 142 degrees and tented it in foil for about 10 minutes.  I commenced the carving, and those little rectangular scores that had gotten a little charred during the cooking were lamb candy, and I couldn't get enough.

We served it with a simple baby greens salad and steamed corn on the cob.  What did I have for lunch today you ask?  Leftover leg of lamb with cous cous and feta cheese.  Score!

52 down, 9 to go!

Hanger Steak - And Then There Were Ten

While plotting out my strategy for what to do with Hanger Steak, I learned that it is perhaps the most popular cut for Steak Frites, an absolute favorite of mine (shocking, I know) in French restaurants.  It's "meat and potatoes", while still sounding a bit high brow by avoiding the English translation of Steak and Fries.  But there is a simplicity (and I've said that before) that just doesn't need complication.  Well, in my research, I decided that Steak Frites would be "too easy", so I opted for a Hanger Steak dish that, while still easy, introduced a bit more complexity and a bit more flavor, Hanger Steak with Wilted Spinach and Gorgonzola Sauce.

Things started off simple enough.  Take a hanger steak, remove the center membrane (which essentially leaves you with two 10 oz steaks (perfect), and season them on both sides generously with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.  I heated up a large cast iron skillet with olive oil, and cooked the steaks for roughly four minutes per side for medium rare.  I then let them rest under foil while preparing the rest.  I then added 10 oz (that looks like a LOT) of spinach to the pan and stirred it quickly in the juices and it wilted in no time.  It shrinks from looking like a lot of spinach down to two small servings of it.  Crazy.  I moved the spinach to two dinner plates, and added cream and Gorgonzola cheese to the skillet and stirred until the cheese was melted and the sauce was thickened.  Carved up the Hanger Steak, served it on top of the spinach, and ladled some Gorgonzola sauce on it.  And although not Frites, we did do the "and potaotes" part of the deal with some good ol' mashed ones. Yum.

Now, let's be clear.  It was delicious.  The spinach was good.  The sauce was tasty.  But I have a confession to make.  I tried the Hanger Steak before I put it on the spinach with the sauce.  Just the Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.  And I tell ya, it was amazing!  Made me just want to fry up some frites and say bon appetit.

51 down, 10 to go!

Ground Veal - Stuffed Peppers

To kick off this Year of Meat, the first dish I prepared was an "old stand-by", my Grandma's Spaghetti and Meatballs.  It was a dish, that because my now near 97 year old grandmother never measures anything, took me several iterations to feel good about the result.  And now, it is a staple in the King household.  This blog is about meat, obviously.  So, I never did write about the Eggplant Parmigiana that I made last month.  But similar to my attempt with the Spaghetti and Meatballs, I interviewed my grandmother for the steps, the ingredients, the rough estimates of each ingredient, etc.  When did I perform the interview?  Last month.  Where did I perform it?  At my grandmother's house.  Why then?  Because it was the same day that while my wife and I were flying from Chicago to Boston, renting a car and driving 3 hours to western Massachusetts to visit her, my grandmother was making her homemade Eggplant Parmigiana and Stuffed Peppers.  And the food was absolutely amazing.  And since I am the only family member to have taken the time to "reverse engineer" her homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs, I thought I ought to do the same for those two dishes.  And as I already mentioned, Eggplant Parmigiana is on the list.  And after tonight, so are the Stuffed Peppers.  Now, my grandmother made hers that night with Ground Beef.  But since I still had Ground Veal left in the Year of Meat, Ground Veal it was.  I did call Grandma to confirm that it would be an appropriate substitute.  She applauded the idea, and thus, I was off and running.

I bought the ground veal from my beloved Paulina Meat Market, put it in a bowl with diced onions and celery, dried basil and parsley, along with salt, pepper, an egg, some fresh Italian bread crumbs, garlic and cooked rice.  All of those ingredients were Grandma-approved, but the ratios and volumes were pretty much up for me to decide.  I hand mixed it all together, stuffed the filling into red and green pepper halves (internal seeds and stuff removed), poured a can of diced tomatoes over it all, covered it in foil, and baked at 325 for 90 minutes.

Much like the spaghetti and meatballs endeavor, there are things I will change.  I will use more salt, add some parmigiana cheese, and replace the diced tomatoes with the homemade pasta sauce.  I'll try Ground Beef and re-try Ground Veal, and I'll find the ultimate version.  That said, if I redid them exactly the same way next time, I'd be thrilled.

I've been counting down these cuts all year now.  And I'll keep doing it.  But in addition to the "big countdown" towards completing all 61 cuts, I now have only 1 veal cut left to go.  The end is drawing near.  And it saddens me greatly!

50 down, 11 to go!

Tomahawk Steak - Prize Winner

It's been a week since the conclusion of the 13th Annual Day of Meat, and to think about continuing through the remaining cuts of the Year of Meat, well, it felt a little anti-climactic.  With only 13 cuts to go (now 12), the light is at the end of the tunnel.  But with Day of Meat being such a huge night, moving past it sort of feels like a letdown.  Really?  No.  Not when Paulina Market publishes a contest for one of my remaining 13 cuts!  A contest?  You got it.

One of my remaining cuts was the Tomahawk Steak, a double cut Frenched bone Rib Eye that hearkens Fred Flintstone at a drive-in restaurant.  I had fun ordering it, asking for the biggest one they had.  I figured "go big, or go home", right?  So, what about the contest, right?  Well, Paulina is giving all its customers the opportunity to win Tomahawk Steaks for a year (one per month).  Let there be no mystery, I would LOVE to win this contest.  So what do you have to do to win?  Simple.  Cook a Paulina Market Tomahawk steak, take a picture of it (as creative as you want), and submit it.  Well, when you write a blog about every cut at Paulina, take a picture of it, and copy them on it, you can venture a guess that I planned to make this submission.  And here it is.

First, to the preparation. The first thing I did was prepare a Manhattan.  That has nothing to do with the preparation, but it set the stage for me, as it is a favorite drink of mine pre-dinner before a good steak.  Speaking of the steak, since the Tomahawk is just a good old bone-in Rib Eye, I turned to simple Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper as my rub.  Nothing to detract from the deliciousness of the steak.  I had the Big Green Egg fired up hot (up over 600 degrees), and cooked it about five minutes per side.  Because of its thickness, I used a meat thermometer to ensure medium rare cooking and pulled it at 125 degrees internal temperature.  In hindsight, I probably could have gone to 130, but I'd much prefer a little under than a little over.  From past steak preparations, it wasn't hard to decide on sides.  My wife put together skillet potatoes, and we jointly prepared a water cress, radishes and blue cheese with shallot champagne vinaigrette.

We served the dinner with a 2004 bottle of Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, and enjoyed every bite, every drop.  No matter whether or not we "win" the Paulina Tomahawk Contest, I will say that we did win the real Paulina Tomahawk prize, and that was a delicious meal with a desire for more!  As for the picture, we thought we'd simply display our food before we ate it, but in a way that should resonate with anyone who wonders where they should buy their meat.  The answer is simple.

49 down, 12 to go!

Day of Meat - Pork Shoulder and So Much More!

It all started with the first Day of Meat.  August, 2002.  I was always a meat lover, but not much of a meat cooker.  I held the party, mandated that no non-meat products would be allowed (except beverages), and cooked meat.  Sure, I sprinkled some store-bought seasonings on pork chops, chicken breasts and steaks, but the flavor profile was immature at best.  Fun?  Absolutely!  Start of a tradition?  To be sure!  But gourmet?  Not so much.

A lot has transpired since August of 2002.  Last night, my wife and I hosted the 13th Annual Day of Meat.  The menu has evolved.  The methods of cooking have expanded beyond just the gas grill, and now include the Big Green Egg for smoking, the oven for baking, two slow cookers for, well, slow-cooking and back to the Big Green Egg for grilling.  All the rubs, marinades and sauces are now homemade.  And the preparation, cooking and care/feeding (literally) takes pretty much from 6:00 a.m. until we put our heads down to sleep after the party.  The 13th Annual Day of Meat was a legendary night.  And like every year, I always say that next year, I'll have to one-up it.  But I have a year to think about that.  Let's talk about last night's menu.

Now, to qualify to have a blog entry on this website, I needed to knock off one of the remaining Year of Meat cuts from Paulina Market.  So, let's start with that.  The Pork Shoulder.  I got the biggest one in the display case, which weighed in at a little under 10 lbs.  On Friday night, I put on a rub (a bit of a hybrid Pork BBQ Rub I got from some recipes and trial and error) and put it back in the refrigerator.  Yesterday morning, I got the Big Green Egg going at 275 degrees (low and slow), and on offset heat with apple wood smoke, let it go until it reached 160 degrees internally.  I then wrapped it in foil, and poured some apple cider into the foil, wrapped it tight, and put it back on the Egg until it hit 195 degrees internally.  I took it out, and let it rest for about 30 minutes or so with the foil slightly opened.  And then I started shredding (and snacking).  After removing the bones and fat, there was a heaping amount of pulled pork..  And man, was it good!  I've written about Fat Dan's BBQ sauce before.  Let's just say that I put Fat Dan's (which is a bit more of a Kansas City or Texas style and I must say I hate pigeon-holing it) against a Carolina BBQ recipe I discovered last year.  And across the board from the guests, there was love.  Some for the one, and some for the other.  It was great to see the appeal of two very different sauces, and how people gravitated to both in equal degrees.  Great stuff!

The menu included the following (for all of these, the meat came from Paulina Market, the ultimate partner for the Day of Meat):

• Honey Pork Sticks Slices
• Pepperoni Slices
• Bacon Wrapped Wieners w/ Chili Powder & Brown Sugar
• American Bacon Wrapped Canadian Bacon w/ Chile Powder & Brown Sugar
• Cocktail Meatballs (Slow Cooked in Homemade Chili Sauce and a Wisconsin Farm Cranberry Jam)
• BBQ Beef Brisket (Slow Cooked w/ Homemade Fat Dan's, Onions and Jalapeno Peppers)
• Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts (Marinated in Homemade Teriyaki Sauce)
• Grilled Paulina Market Italian Sausage (Naked and Wonderful)
• Grilled Skirt Steaks (Marinated in Homemade Maple Chipotle Sauce)
• And of course, the Pulled Pork w/ Carolina BBQ Sauce and Fat Dan's

With the Day of Meat now a thing of the past for 2014, the focus returns to completing the Year of Meat.  And the remaining cuts are starting to dwindle.  I may need a break for a few days, but the focus will return.

48 down, 13 to go!

Beef Shanks - A Tropical Treat

Like so many cuts of meat that have come before, bone-in Beef Shanks were a new one for me.  And these, also like many cuts that have come before, are best slow cooked.  So, slow cooked I did.  First, I had to start with the shanks themselves.  At Paulina, these come in the 2 inch thick variety.  But my goal was to get some about half that thickness.  So, my friends at Paulina cut them in half for me (though the bone and all) and gave me 4 1-inch thick shanks.

Lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, I browned them in peanut oil for about 3 minutes per side.  After transporting them to the slow cooker awaiting the rest of the "stuff", I cooked up some carrots and onions in the same pan for about 6 minutes, added crushed garlic, star anise and bay leaves and cooked for another minute, and then added rice vinegar and soy sauce.  I transported all this on top of the shanks and set it on low for 8 hours.

Suddenly, 8 hours later, with smells throughout the house, I transported the shanks to a plate (meat falling and shredding off the bone).  I then strained the braising liquid, skimmed the fat and boiled the braising liquid until it was reduced in half.  I shredded the meat and mashed the solids (carrots, garlic, etc.) and put them it in a serving dish, and poured in the reduced braising liquid.  Served it with romaine lettuce leaves, mango salsa and fresh green onion.  Yummy, slow cooked deliciousness, tropical style.

47 down, 14 to go!

Lamb Shoulder (Round Bone) - Grilled Greek Deliciousness!

Never in my life did I think I'd be making homemade tzatziki.  I mean, tzatziki had always been one of those mystery toppings for me.  You go and get a delicious gyro on a warm pita (yum) and you'd get a generous helping of this amazing sauce with unique flavors and you simply love it.  And you get it again the next time.  But make it yourself?  Please!  Well, so goes the Year of Meat for me.  I have made more dressings, sauces, marinades, salads, rubs and sides this year, and that doesn't even include the meat!  But now that I have added this homemade tzatziki to the list, the sky truly is the limit.  Pretty much any time I ever grill lamb again, I'm making this sauce.  And what's better, with the right rub, it would go great on grilled chicken, too!  OK.  I'm getting hungry thinking of it.  Let's talk about this concoction.

So, thanks to Anne Burrell of Food Network Magazine, she hooked me up with a three-part recipe that included the marinade, the tzatziki and the salad/dressing.  In plotting out my strategy, and with a busy work day planned, I made the marinade and tzatziki in advance (the night before the dinner).  Smart move for many reasons, not the least of which was my busy work day ahead of me.  But it paid off in other ways.  In both cases, some of the stronger flavors (e.g. garlic) got tempered with time while getting incorporated with the other flavors.  Brilliant decision, and it wasn't even for that reason!  Great lesson learned.  So, here is how it went down.

The marinade was simple enough.  The juice and zest of a lemon, combined with fresh chopped herbs (oregano, mint, dill) along with garlic, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil and Kosher salt.  All I did was chop and mix it and put it in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight.  My plan was to add it to the lamb shoulder chops in the a.m. to a ziploc bag, and let the marinade work all day.  And that's exactly what I did.  For the tzatziki (no lie, mouth is watering right now), some of the same ingredients for the marinade (garlic, dill, mint, Kosher salt) got added to some finely chopped cucumber, white wine vinegar and Greek Yogurt.  This too I did the night before and kept in the refrigerator.

On the day of, the round bone lamb shoulder chops (trimmed of any and all excess fat) went into the ziploc bag with the marinade.  About 60 minutes before cooking time, I took lamb out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature, and took the tzatziki out to do the same.  Fired up the Big Green Egg, and cooked the lamb for 6 minutes per side (turning them once in between to get the nice criss cross grill marks).  Took them off, and tented them in foil for 5 minutes.  During the "tenting", I mixed a salad of fresh arugula, squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, Kosher salt and feta cheese.  For presentation, the salad went on the plate first, with the lamb on top of that, and the tzatziki on top of it all.  Great look!  Great taste!  I felt like I was in Chicago's Greek Town and I did it all at home.

Thank you Paulina Market, and Food Network's Anne Burrell.  This was my favorite lamb dish of the year so far.  And it will return again!

46 down, 15 to go!

Sirloin Steak - Grilled Summer Simplicity

When I was young and my mother would have steak, when I asked what we were having the answer inevitably was a simple one, "steak".  I didn't hear things like filet mignon, bone-in rib eye or New York strip.  I heard "steak".  Maybe, on occasion, we'd go out to eat somewhere (i.e. York Steak House for those in the West Roxbury, MA area in the late 70's/early 80s's) and they may have used the word "sirloin".

So, let's be honest about a Sirloin Steak.  It's big.  It's cheap in comparison to the aforementioned cuts.  And it lacks flavor when over-cooked.  And yeah, no offense to my mom or those folks at York Steakhouse, "medium well" and "well done" were the only temps I saw until my adult life.  So, when I went to Paulina Market yesterday to pick up a Sirloin Steak, I made it a point to get the ideal "pull from the grill temp" to reach my "medium rare" goals.  Instructions were simple.  Throw a lot of rub on it, cook it about 6 minutes per side on a high heat Big Green Egg, and pull it at a 125 internal temp.  Instructions were perfect.  And it turned out a perfect medium rare.  I used a bold steak rub, a Christmas gift from a friend who knows my love of meat, and served the steak with some table side sauce options, including Maple Chipotle, Sweet BBQ and Worcestershire.  Served it with some steamed asparagus and an ear of Iowa Sweet Corn courtesy of my mother-in-law's care package of Iowa Sweet Corn.  I ask you this, what says "Summer" better than Sirloin Steak and Sweet Corn?

The result was delicious summer satisfaction, and another notch in the Year of Meat belt.

45 down, 16 to go!

Maple Chipotle Veal Skewers - Plan B Works

The expression "Plan B" is a bit overused.  In my mind, Plan B is not your second choice when you weigh your options.  Plan B is not an equally viable option to Plan A, a coin toss loss if you will.  Plan B, in my mind, is a plan that is concocted when your plan (aka Plan A) fails.  You are on your way to your favorite restaurant for dinner, and you reach its front door and see a sign that says "Closed for Private Party".  Wherever you go to dinner that night is Plan B.  Someone close to me (and I won't name names) recently planned a week-plus long vacation with his girlfriend.  Shortly before the trip, she bailed.  End of relationship, but it wasn't the end of the trip.  Plan B was invoked, and a substitute joined the planned trip.  Too funny, in my mind.

Anyhow, let's discuss my trip to Paulina Market this past Wednesday.  I was a man with a plan.  There were 18 cuts left at the time, and I had pre-determined what I'd cook that night.  Enter Paulina I did (now I sound like Yoda), and proceeded to the now famous display case.  To my dismay, Plan A was not there!  I waited patiently for my turn.  My number got called.  I inquired about my cut.  And it was confirmed, Plan A was not there!  Well, unlike my examples of restaurants and significant others, this quest is about cooking all the cuts at Paulina.  So, I had to think quickly on my feet.  There were 17 other cuts from which to choose.  What do I do?  I reacted quickly.  Paulina sells a great grille marinade, Maple Chipotle.  And I found myself looking at the Veal Stew Meat, and thought: Marinade + Skewers + Big Green Egg = Plan B.

And off I went with a cryovac sealed (thanks to Joe at Paulina) package of Veal Stew Meat with the Maple Chipotle Marinade.  A few hours later, I skewered them and grilled them on a 600 degree Big Green Egg.  About 5-6 minutes per side, served with steamed peas and carrots, and we had ourselves a meal.  And I tell you what, Plan B worked out famously.  I felt a bit like an Iron Chef, who opened a basket with Veal Stew Meat, and was pressed into action.  And I won!

44 down, 17 to go!

Bottom Round - Saturday Roast Beef Sandwiches

I used to eat my roast beef sandwiches the same way, every time I ordered one.  Roast Beef Sub with mayonnaise and pickles.  Occasionally I'd add cheese (provolone).  And on rare (no pun intended) occasions, I'd ask for an additional vegetable, like lettuce or tomato.  But the standard order was always mayonnaise and pickles.  But part of the reason what that I didn't order subs that often.  Not sure why, but I'd often have cold cuts at home, and I'd make more modest and dare I say more (perceived) healthy versions.  Turkey on whole wheat with mustard, for example.

But then, the Year of Meat commenced.  And on an occasion not long ago, I turned an Eye of Round Roast into Pit Beef Sandwiches.  So what happens when you have Beef Sandwiches for several days in a row?  Variety strikes!    With the Pit Beef Sandwiches, I tried them with Barbecue Sauce, with Horseradish Sauce and both were delicious.  Well, today, a different cut of beef (Paulina Market's Bottom Round Roast) was the order of the day.  I prepared it similarly, using a Southwestern themed rub all over it, and cooked it over indirect heat in the Big Green Egg at 375 degrees, with some Oak for smoke, until the center got to 125.  I tented it under foil for about 30 minutes, and carved it up for sandwiches.

Now, one of the things any Beef Sandwich eating man who lives in Chicago enjoys is giardinera.  Having grown up in Boston, I had never heard of it until moving to the Windy City.  What is it?  Vegetables like hot peppers, carrots, celery and the like are marinated in a spice-infused olive oil.  It goes great on "Italian Beef" sandwiches, and any other sandwich that calls for some extra kick and flavor.  So, Bottom Round is not by nature the most flavorful.  So, I smothered this thing in the rub, and upon carving it up, knew that the "rub-heavy" slices of beef would be flavorful.  However, not every slice was rub-heavy, so I decided to jazz up my first sandwich.  I went with a Kaiser Roll, with hot giardinera and dijon mustard.  Yep, each addition to the beef increased the spice-level just a little bit more.  And I have nothing but positive thoughts looking forward to my next sandwich (which will be for dinner in about 2 more hours).  Right now, I'm leaning toward mayonnaise and nothing else.  Can't wait!

43 down, 18 to go!

Pork Shanks - Crispy Buffalo Pork Wings

Well, yesterday was a remarkable achievement in the annals of the Year of Meat.  First, we (my wife and I) tried our first ever Pork Shanks.  Second, I made my first ever homemade buffalo sauce (nothing too crazy here, butter and Louisiana Hot Sauce).  Third, for the first time since we got married almost five years ago, I busted out the deep fryer and proved that there is less mess in the kitchen from its use than frying on the stove top with oil splattering out of skillets.  Truly remarkable.

First, the recipe.  Nothing crazy here.  I had seen Pork Wings on menus before, and was always curious.  In researching how best to make Pork Shanks, I saw a lot of braising.  And if you've read this space for the past seven months, you know I've done my share of braising.  But something caught my eye in addition to braising.  Deep Frying!  Not having previously known that what I saw on menus as "Pork Wings" were slowly braised Pork Shanks, subsequently deep fried and served "buffalo wing style", I was sold upon my discovery.  So, off to Paulina and obtained two Pork Shanks.  I shook them in a Ziploc with white pepper, granulated garlic and salt, and "dry braised" them in a covered ceramic skillet for 5 hours at 300 degrees, flipping them once half way through the time.  Tented them under foil for a couple of hours until completely cooled to room temperature, and fired up the deep fryer to 375 degrees.  I shook the cooked shanks in another Ziploc with Corn Starch.  Now, I should have only fried them for about 2-3 minutes.  I went for 5, but mainly due to the sheer size of these things.  Pictures I had seen online suggested much smaller shanks.  These were at least twice the size, so I figured twice the time.  My mistake.  So, they got a little too crispy on the exterior, but the interior was rich, moist and quite tasty.

For the sauce?  No mystery here, 3 TBS of Salted Butter with about a half cup of Louisiana Hot Sauce.  Simmer until melted and mixed, and toss the "pork wings" and serve.  We ate them with Mashed Potatoes and String Beans.  Hearty and (not so) Healthy.  But hey, it's....

42 down, 19 to go!