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​Ideas, tips and kitchen hacks

Make no mis-steak...

7/8/2018

4 Comments

 

How to grill a perfect steak

I don't like to brag. Well... maybe I do. 

I have a lot of friends and family who are amazing cooks. I can't even come close to their talent. But I do have a few things I do that are pretty good. If you like dirty gin martinis, I'm your guy. Best anywhere. I make a prime rib for Christmas that's amazing, and a really good beef tenderloin. 

Not hard to tell that I'm a big beef fan. Over the years, I've tried many different ways to cook a steak, and discovered things I was doing wrong. I've tried marinades, and to me, all they do is overwhelm your steaks and make a huge mess on your grill. There are some seasonings out there that are pretty good. Grill Mates Montreal is pretty good, and so is Salt Grass Seven Steak Seasoning. But I tend to save those for the burgers. 

Here's all you need... olive oil, salt and pepper, a nice steak and a really hot grill. Like I said in the salad posting, sometimes simple is better. When Joan's aunts were in town, we grilled them some nice ribeyes, and they all raved about the seasoning on the steaks. When it comes to steaks, simple is good. 

I like to take my steaks out of the fridge about an hour before I cook them to take the chill off. About 20 minutes before I cook them, I rub them down with olive oil, then season each side generously with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. While they're relaxing, I fire up the grill to high, shake a martini, and get ready for some grilling goodness. 

When the grill is nice and hot, place them on the grates at a 45-degree angle. Let them get some nice char marks for about 2 to 3 minutes, then rotate them 90 degrees on the same side. This will give you those beautiful diamonds. Like a judge said on Food Wars when they put Omaha's Piccolo Pete's and Caniglia's Venice Inn against each other, "I want to see it it was treated right when it was on that grill. When you see that beautiful diamond, it tells me the chef cared."

Grill another 2 minutes or so. After you've got your nice diamond char, flip them over and grill another 2 to 4 minutes. Tent them loosely with foil on a platter or cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. For a 1-1/2 inch steak, you should get a perfectly done, medium rare steak. ​

That's all there is to it! No reason to overthink it. Just make sure you pay close attention. I monitor them using the squishy test to make sure they don't get overdone. Check out this article to learn about the steak doneness test!

I made these last night, and they came out fantastic! Happy grilling!

4 Comments

Reheating a steak so it's almost as good as yesterday!

5/1/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
If you know me, you know I love a good steak. Last weekend, my mother-in-law's sisters were in town for a visit. We had some great ribeyes, but we actually had two left over. So the next night, we wanted to reheat them. But how do you successfully do that without overcooking and ruining what used to be a perfectly grilled medium-rare steak? Low cook in the microwave? Uh... no. ​

After a very little bit of research I found the answer! And it's really easy. Slow warm those babies in  the oven, then sear them in a hot skillet. You'll retain the medium-rare goodness with a nice, crisp crust. 

Here's what you do:

  1. Heat oven to 250. Place your leftover steaks on a wire rack in a cookie sheet and place them on the middle rack of the oven.
  2. Warm the steaks until they reach 110 degrees, about 30 minutes for 1 1⁄2-inch-thick steaks. Time will be different depending on thickness, so pay close attention.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on high until smoking. Sear the steaks on both sides until crisp, about 60 to 90 seconds per side.
  4. Let the steaks rest for five minutes before serving. Your steak should be at medium-rare temperature (125 to 130 degrees) when done resting. 

It doesn't taste like it came right off of the grill, but it's pretty damn close. So don't ruin any more poor, defenseless leftover steaks! Happy cooking!

2 Comments

    by Ron Wozny

    I shake the best dirty martini on the planet. 

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