Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Secrets to a juicy and tasty Steak

Repost from my 2007 blog entry:

According to Food Up Blog, a New York steak is cut from the short loin area next to the tenderloin. They continue on to say that this is another great steak—good beefy flavor, and tender meat.

Below is my cut up New York steak with Mushroom Sauce gravy and freshly chopped mushrooms.



Yet part of the trick to a juicy and tender steak is the method of how you cook it.

I learned how to cook and cut steak from a recent Cooking class I took.
I don't claim to be an expert on this topic. I just wanted to share what I learned in the class. The Instructor is a chef so I guess the teacher knew what what he was talking about based from experience and knowledge.

First technique I learned is that it is best marinate a Steak for two days prior to cooking it. A Steak Marinate recipe is provided below. My teacher told us that this technique is old school, a practice done before the 1950's. Modern Restaurants and Steak houses these days do not prepare Steak meats this way anymore. I have yet to find out why the trend changed.

Second Technique I learned is, leave the steak alone for a good five to ten minutes as soon as you take it out of the oven. The steak continues to cook even when taken out of the oven. This 'rest' period allows the juices to distribute throughout the steak resulting in a juicy steak. Cut it sooner and juices will ooze out of the steak resulting in a dry steak.

Third technique I learned in cooking Steak is that, the way you cut the steak will determine whether the steak is tender or tough to chew. YOU ALWAYS CUT THE STEAK PERPENDICULAR TO THE GRAIN OF THE MEAT. You can cut it such the the blade of the knife is perpendicular to the chopping board or at an angle about 45 degrees incline.

Try experimenting one time if you can tell the difference. Cut the Steak parallel to the grain and perpendicular to the grain of the meat. You will notice that the meat cut perpendicular to the grain will be more tender.

Here's a London Broil Steak Recipe you can try at home.

London Broil Steak or flank steak

Marinade:
3/4 cup Salad Oil
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1. Make marinade and put in a resealable plastic bag.

2.Put the steak in the resealable bag. Squeeze out air and seal. Put the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours up to two days.

3. Occasionally invert the bag to distribute the marinade.

4. Pre-heat an oven at Broiler setting. Keep the oven's door open ajar so that the temperature is maintained. A closed oven door will trigger the oven's thermostat which temporarily shuts off the oven. Adjust the oven grate at the highest level

5. Broil the Steak in oven for 3 to 4 minutes each side. Put the steak at the highest level to get the maximum heat. Less time for Rare Steak.

6. Transfer Steak to a pan and let stand for a good 10 - 15 minutes or more to let the juices redistribute.

7. Slice meat across the grain, in thin strips and serve warm with mash potatoes and gravy.


-Julius

Monday, June 20, 2011

Spicy Oven Cooked Spare Ribs







For Father's Day, I cooked spicy Oven roasted
Spare ribs for the kids' sleep over.

Succulent, spicy, tender ribs, the meat falling off the bone and melts in your mouth.
This dish is all over YouTube but this entry is my version.
For Summer outdoor cooking, try and make this yourself.
You won't regret the decision to give it a try.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Materials needed:
- Wide Pyrex glass tray or baking aluminum tray
- Aluminum foil

Ingredients:

- 4 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 rack of Pork spare ribs
- 5 tablespoon Barbecue Sauce
- 1/2 to 1 cup of water

Procedure:
1. Preheat the Oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Centigrade)

2. Make the dry rub. In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients with your fingertips.


3. Remove the thin membrane off of the back of each rib.

4. Use the rub to season the Ribs on both sides.


5. Use an aluminum foil to cover the surface of a wide Pyrex tray or a aluminum baking tray. Place the rack of Ribs on the tray.

6. Pour the 1/2 cup of water on the tray. Cover with glass lid or an aluminum foil.

7. Fire up two burners on the stove on medium heat. Place tray on the stove, and let the water steam for 30 - 40 minutes. Add more water if it dries up.

8. Transfer tray in the oven and continue to cook ribs for 20 minutes to 45 minutes.

9. Transfer tray back on stove burners.

10. Spread a moderate layer of barbecue sauce on top of the ribs.

11.Transfer to oven and continue to bake with tray open

12. Baste the barbecue sauce over the ribs every 15 minutes for the next 30 minutes.

13. Transfer tray to counter top and let rest for 30 minutes.

14. Serve warm with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Welcome to my cooking blog

I'm an accidental cook. By 'accidental' I mean,
I have been plunged to spend my time in
the kitchen to cook food out of necessity.

But having to cook out of necessity
doesn't have to be a chore. I eventually
learned my way around the kitchen
and hold out my own.

My culinary critics are my kids
and have commented that my cooking
has improved over the years.

This blog is about my quest and adventures in finding the
balance between cooking economical yet good tasting and nutritious
food.

In the past, I've posted cooking entries along with my
personal day-to-day entries in personal blog site.
It took me this long to realize that creating
a separate blog dedicated to cooking made sense.

So I hope you enjoy and visit my future cooking blog
entries.

Come back and visit often.

-Julius