Almost Summer Time
We are almost into Summer (June 20) and should well be into grilling time. So I thought I would go back and pull some of my material from the Your Smart Kitchen newsletters and republish them here. These tips and recipes were good then and should still be useful.
Tips for beef:
When picking steaks, choose cuts that are close in size and thickness–preferably over one inch thick–and marbled throughout. Not all meat has a grade or quality designation, but the higher grades (i.e., prime and choice) mean more marbling. Steaks should be bright red, with no gray or brown patches. If vacuum-packed, they may be darker, but once exposed to oxygen should become bright red again. Fresh beef should be refrigerated and used within three to five days of purchase. If properly wrapped and frozen, it will keep for at least six months.
Seasoning & Cooking
A marinade tenderizes and imbues steaks with extra flavor. Place the steaks in the marinade and then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour prior to cooking. Alternately, steaks can be seasoned with dry rub immediately before being placed on the grill. Even the dry rubs work better if the steaks are lets it out at room temperature for and hour or so.
When cooking in a pan, use a seasoned cast-iron skillet or grill pan: Heat olive oil, butter, or some combination of the two, and sear steaks over high heat for about two to three minutes before turning with tongs and cooking for two minutes more. For more well done steaks, cook a minute or more longer or finish in the over at 450 degrees..
Determining Doneness
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. While some of us prefer our meat a rosy medium-rare (145°F), others enjoy it medium (160°F), or even well-done (170°F). An instant-read thermometer will do away with all the guesswork and help ensure that your steak is perfectly cooked to your liking.
When steaks are done, take them off the heat and let them rest on a plate for ten minutes before cutting. This will give the meat fibers a chance to absorb juices released during cooking before serving.
Grilled Steak and Asparagus Salad with Hoisin Vinaigrette
April 16, 2012
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin steak
- 1 1/4 pounds thin asparagus spears, trimmed
- 3 thin red onion slices
- Orange slices
For vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot Chinese-style mustard or Dijon mustard
For salad
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 1-pound top sirloin steak (about 1 inch thick)
- Nonstick olive oil spray
Preparation
Make vinaigrette: Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Make salad: Grind peppercorns, coriander seeds and fennel seeds to fine powder.
Meanwhile, spray asparagus and onion slices with nonstick spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus until crisp-tender and slightly charred, turning often, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer asparagus to plate. Keeping slices intact, grill onion until slightly charred and almost tender, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate with asparagus.
Cut steak crosswise into thin slices. Arrange steak and asparagus on 6 plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Garnish salads with some onion rings and orange slices.
Note: This works inside on the stove using a ridged heavy-duty skillet or stove top grill.
Root Beer-Glazed Pork Chops with Bourbon-Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Caramelized Onions
January 16, 2012
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups root beer
- 2 cups Reduced beef stock
- Four 16 ounce double-cut bone-in pork chops
- 4 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 recipe Bourbon Masked potatoes
- 1 recipe Caramelized onions
Preparation
- To make the glaze, combine the root beer and stock in a medium heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to a thick syrup (about 1 cup), 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the stovetop grill to medium-high, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Season each chop on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the Essence. Place on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn each chop one quarter turn to make grill marks, and cook an additional 2 rninutes. Turn and cook on the second side for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil over each chop. Roast until cooked through and an internal thermometer inserted into the center reaches 150°F, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Place the chops on four serving plates and drizzle with the glaze. Spoon the sweet potatoes and caramelized onions onto the plates, and serve.
Caramelized Onions
Makes 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 pounds yellow onions peeled and very thinly sliced
Preparation
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove fro the heat and serve hot.
Bourbon-Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 to 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until tender and starting to ooze sugary syrup, about 1 hour and 15 minutes depending upon their size. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
- Cut a slit down each potato and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skins. Add the cream, bourbon, brown sugar, molasses, and salt and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover to keep warm, or gently reheat before serving.
Skirt Steak Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa
May 1, 2012
Total Time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and diced
- Grilled Tomato Salsa, recipe follows
- 8 ounces sour cream
Directions
Heat grill to high.
Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and place on the top rack of the grill while the steak is grilling.
Heat grill pan over high heat. Brush steak with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on one side until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook to medium-rare doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Fill each tortilla with some lettuce, 3 to 4 pieces of meat, onion, grilled tomato salsa, sour cream, and avocado.
Grilled Tomato Salsa:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing tomatoes
- 2 serrano chiles
- 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Heat grill to high.
Heat oil in a small saute pan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until soft.
Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until slightly charred and soft.
Transfer tomatoes and serrano mixture to a food processor; add the lime juice and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times (there should be flecks of cilantro in the salsa.) Transfer to a bowl.
