Monday, June 11, 2012

Father's Day Grillin'




Jack told me that my father and I share a peculiar habit. According to him, when either my dad or I find ourselves about to partake in a particularly good meal, we start to hum. No specific tune, we just start humming. I was never aware of this habit and I'm pretty sure my dad doesn't realize he's doing it either.  Apparently I inherited my love of food from him.

With Father's Day just around the corner it's time to think about preparing a meal with dad's favorite foods in mind. Most dads, are pretty darn easy to please. My dad is a man of simple tastes. If money were no object and he had the choice between a fancy restaurant or a backyard bbq with burgers and dogs on the grill, he'd choose the burgers and dogs every time. Hands down, no question. I love my dad, not just for his simple tastes, but because in my mind he truly is the world's greatest dad and I'm extremely fortunate to be able to cook for him this Father's Day.

My dad loves good food and Jack says he's always humming when he comes to our house. We're having the Wood clan over for Father's Day this year and we're going to treat everyone to steaks on the grill. Everyone is bringing a dish and I know we'll have lots of great food and drink. Whenever the Wood clan gets together it's always a good time!


There are literally hundreds of sauces, marinades, dry rubs and cooking techniques when it comes to steaks. A good rule of thumb: the better the quality of the meat, the less you want to mess with it. If you're splurging on prime beef, say a rib eye or N.Y. Strip, you don't need more than kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. You've spent a small fortune on the meat, it will stand on it's own.
Our Costco here in Parker, carries a small selection of Prime beef. When Jack and I have something special to celebrate we pick up a package of their Prime rib eyes and a great bottle of Cabernet. It's an amazing meal at a fraction of the cost of what you would spend at one of the high end steak houses. There is a huge difference in flavor and tenderness between prime and choice grade steaks. On the rare occasion that we indulge in prime steaks it's salt and pepper, nothing more.

However, with other cuts of meat we can be more creative. I love playing with different marinades, brines, and spice rubs on all cuts of beef, chicken and pork. There is more to life than Teriyaki!

I'm going to share two recipes with you for seasoning steaks that we love. One is a spice rub from Anne Burrell and the other is a marinade from Rick Tramonto. I think you'll enjoy these very much, they'll work beautifully on any cut of steak. I adore Anne Burrell, I think her cooking is down to earth, delicious and easy for all of us non-professionals to follow. Rick Tramonto is an award winning chef with several restaurants in the Chicago area. Nobody knows beef like Chicago, nobody. His book, 'Steak with Friends' is a must for every carnivore.

A couple of tips:

1. Take the steak from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature, which should take no more than 30 minutes (if the day is hot it, it will take only about 15 minutes). You never want to grill or roast cold meat straight from the refrigerator because it won't cook properly. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and season according to your recipe. The exception to this is ground meat, which should be left in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.

2. Clean the grill and oil the grilling grid well so the meat does not stick. Use any vegetable oil such as canola or safflower.

3. Make sure your grill is good and hot. Our home grills will never reach the 800 - 900 degrees F. that  restaurants achieve, but always pre-heat your grill.

4. Lay the steak on the grill using tongs, never pierce the steak releases valuable juices. Turn the steak only once, and use tongs.

5. Let the steak rest for at least five minutes after removing from the grill.



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Plan ahead! If you're going to use a dry rub, marinade or brine, most recipes recommend allowing 24 - 36 hours for the meat to fully absorb the flavors of whichever method you're using.

Anne Burrell's Dry Rub for steak

Enough rub for two large (22-24 ounce rib eyes) or 4-6 smaller steaks.

2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, ground
2 teaspoons pimenton (smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix thoroughly. Rub the outside of each steak generously and evenly with the rub (if you have left over rub, save it for your next steak). Wrap each steak tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, (up to 72 hours).

Remove steaks from fridge 20 - 30 minutes before you're ready to cook and allow to come to room temp. Remove plastic wrap (duh).

Downloadable PDF version of this recipe:



Rick Tramonto's Balsamic Marinade

Makes about 3 1/2 cups, enough for 4-6 (12 - 16 ounce) steaks

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a glass, ceramic or other nonreactive mixing bowl, stir together the vinegar, orange zest and juice, garlic, shallot, and thyme. Whisk in the olive oil until it comes together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

In a shallow baking dish, cover the steaks with the marinade. Gently rub it into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 36 hours.
Remove from fridge 20 - 30 minutes before you are ready to cook to allow to come to room temp.

Lift the steaks from the marinade (using tongs) and let the marinade drip into the dish.
Brush the steaks with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Grill the steaks, brushing the steaks with the marinade during the first half of grilling. Let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Downloadable PDF version of this recipe:



If you're lucky enough to spend this Father's day with your dad or someone who is a dad, I wish for you a day filled with wonderful food, drink, and most of all great friends and family. It's what it's all about.


And don't forget the dessert!


 
Happy Father's Day Woody!