Beef Back Ribs

First, I must apologize for the two month hiatus. Normally August and September are extremely busy times of the year.  Thank you for your patience.

I was an adult before I ever had Beef Back Ribs. I was at a restaurant called Hill Country in Washington, DC.  They were different than the pork ribs I grew up eating.  They are not as meaty as pork spare ribs, but the flavor is bolder and richer just like their related cuts: Short Ribs, Rib Eye Roast and Rib Eye Steaks, and Prime Rib. This preparation begins with a rub with chili pepper and cumin, brown sugar and salt. Are they as good as Texas BBQ?  You can be the judge, but they are darn close for this Mid-Atlanticer. The production here was scaled down to only one 1 slab, just incase it didn't go well. Let's just say, I wish I'd prepared more.

Ingredients:

Rub:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic power
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Chipotle pepper or 1/16 teaspoon smoked paprika

Wood:
1 cup hickory wood chips

Meat:
1 3-pound slab beef back ribs


Step 1:

Mix the rub together, and rub the ribs. Place them in a zip top bag and refrigerate for 4 hours at a minimum.






Step 2:

Soak the wood chips for 30-45 minutes prior to smoking.  Add the ribs to the smoker and smoke for 6 to 8 hours at 180 to 200 degrees F.






Step 3

Retrieve the ribs from the smoker. Allow them to rest for ten minutes, and then eat.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew


1 1/2 pounds chuck pot roast
1 cup water
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can beef broth, divided
1 cup sliced (coined) carrots
2 medium  Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & 1/4” diced
1 stalk celery,  sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste  or 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup



Step One:

Trim the fat from the chuck pot roast as best as possible. There will likely be an elastic silver colored skin on the parts of the meat. This is commonly called silver skin, it is part of the fascia of the muscle. Remove the silver skin with a sharp knife.  Once the roast is fully trimmed cut the roast into 1/2 cubes and reserve. After trimming the cubes will weight around 1 pound




Step Two:

Place the beef cubes in a slow cooker along with 1 cup of water and 1/2 can of beef broth on low for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile add the onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery to a sauce pan along with 1 cup of water and the remaining beef broth. Bring the vegetables to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15 -20 minutes with the lid ajar. The purpose of this step is to prevent vegetables that are not fully cooked, breaking down the structures in the vegetables requires higher temperatures, however those temperatures would result in tough beef, therefore this preparation blast heats the vegetables so that they are not fully cooked but will be tender. Add the vegetables to the slow cooker and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook on Low for 7 hours.

Minute Steak Sandwiches

2 sprays cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced onions
4 cube steaks, approx. 1 pound
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns, or bun thins


Step One:

Add cooking spray to a non-stick skillet and place over medium heat. Add the onions and brown, remove from the skillet and reserve. Season the cube steaks, and add them to the skillet.








Step Two:

Cook the cube steaks for about 2-3 minutes each side.  Add the cheese and continue to heat until the cheese is melty. Place the onions on top of the the cube steaks. Toast the buns and place the dressed cube steaks on the buns and enjoy.

Boneless Short Ribs

Ingredients

4 english cut boneless beef short ribs, approximately 1 1/2 -2 inches thick
1 stalk celery
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon stalt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup flour
2 table spoons cooking oil
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup red wine, or red wine grape juice

Step One:
Rough chop the celery, carrots and onion. Place the vegetables in a slow cooker.

Step Two:
Rinse and dry the short ribs.  Place them on a cutting board and salt and pepper them.

Step Three:

Place the flour in a bowl or a zip top bag. Toss the short rib until the the short ribs are dusted with flour. There should be a light coating of flour not clumps. Tap the ribs to remove excess flour.

Step Four:
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, place the flour dusted short ribs in the skillet to brown. Brown the short ribs for about 1 minute per side including the short sides.

Step Five:
Place the short ribs in the short cooker, add the water and wine. Cook on low for 3 hours, or until the ribs are done, tender, and delicious. 

Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 2-pound top round steak
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, eighthed
1 large onion, rough chopped
1 large carrots, sliced into coins
1 cup of water

Step One:
Remove the beef from the refrigerator; place it on a cutting board and let it come up to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Next, season the beef with the salt and pepper.  Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and then when the oil is shimmering add the beef.  Brown each side of the beef for about 2 minutes.  Remove the browned beef from the dutch oven and reserve.

Step Two:
Add the onions, carrots, and potatoes to the dutch oven.  Add 1 cup of water and bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the vegetables for ten minutes.

Step Three:
Reduce the heat to low and nestle the beef on top of the vegetables. Lid the dutch oven and cook for 3 hours until the beef is done and tender.  The steak must be cooked slow and low.

Step Four:
Remove the beef and vegetables from the dutch oven.  Slice, serve and enjoy. 

Roast Beef

Ingredients:

1 3-pound Eye of Round Roast (1.3608 kg)
1 teaspoon salt (6g)
1 teaspoon pepper (2.3g)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (1.5g)
2 or 3 tablespoons of flour (24g)
2 tablespoons cooking oil (30ml)

Step One:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (148 C). Remove the roast from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before seasoning. Season the roast starting with the salt. Salt the roast on all sides. Rub/massage the salt into the roast. Next season all sides of the roast with the pepper and garlic powder.

Step Two:
Add the flour to a large bowl or a large ziptop bag.  Place the roast in to the bowl or bag and manipulate the roast so that all sides are covered with flour. Remove the roast from the flour and tap it to remove any excess flour. The aim is for the roast to have a dusting of flour all over, but not clumps. Add the oil to an oven safe large pan or dutch oven.  Heat the pan over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering place the roast in the pan. The process being undertaken is called browning. This is done to help seal in the juices,  it also helps the roast achieve a deeper, almost spit roasted look.  Brown the roast on all sides about 2 minutes per side (including the short ends).

Step Three:
Place the entire pan with the roast into the oven. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 145 F  (63 C).  The timing for this can vary.  For planning purposes a little more than an hour should be set aside. The internal temperature is primary factor here, not cooking time. If your kitchen arsenal doesn't contain a meat thermometer, then please run an buy one before attempting this preparation.  There really is no good way to guess at a roast's internal temperature. With a lean cut like the Eye of Round, there is very little margin for error. If cooked by guesswork alone the roast can go from succulent and delicious, to overcooked and dry.

Step Four:
Once the roast reaches the targeted internal temperature remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step Five:
Carve the roast, and enjoy.

Steak and Cheese Eggrolls

Steak and Cheese Eggrolls came into my life completely by accident. One night the Asian takeout  order was messed up. I sunk my teeth into what I thought was a normal eggroll, and to my surprise and ultimately to my delight there it was - steak and cheese.  And there it began, a new guilty pleasure.   It's not the type of food one brags about, yet it is the type of food shared amongst close friends and the occasional pub/bar mate.

Ingredients

2 frozen beefsteaks Or 4 oz fresh shaved round beefsteaks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup minced onions
1/2 cup shredded cheese (provolone, coby, cheddar, or Mexican blend)
6 eggroll wrappers
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup cooking oil

Step One:

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the beefsteaks. Season with the salt and the pepper and cook thoroughly done.  Reserve the beefsteaks to a cutting board, and add the onions to the skillet and cook until soft. Bowl the onions and remove the skillet from heat.  Back at the cutting board chop the beefsteaks.











Step Two:


Pour 1 tablespoon of water into a small shallow bowl. Retrieve the eggroll wrappers from the package. Please note they can dry out quickly.  Turn the wrapper such that one of the corners faces you as if you are south and the opposite corner is north. Place 1/4ths of the beefsteak, onion, and cheese on the corner closest to you.

Dip your fingers in to the water and moisten the east and west corners. Roll the wrapper from south to north, making sure to tuck in the east and west corners as you go. At the vest end moisten the north corner with a bit of water.  Repeat for the remaining three wrappers.





Step Three:

Add 2/3 cups of cooking oil to a skillet. If you own a home deep fryer, then by all means feel free to use it for this preparation. Heat the oil to 350 degrees (it should shimmer).   Using tongs add the eggrolls to the skillet. After 1 1/2 minutes rotate the eggrolls until all sides are crispy and golden.


Step Four:

Place the eggrolls on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. After about a minute serve them and enjoy.

Weeknight London Broil

I don’t remember the first time I had London Broil.  I remember liking it, but it was one of those things never made at home. If I recall correctly I only encountered it in restaurants and at catered affairs.  In essence it’s simply a thick cheaper cut of beef that’s been chemically tenderized and then cooked at high temperatures.  The result is crusty rare to medium rare slices of heaven.  It all sounds great, but I work and something like London Broil has to be marinated, but not over marinated. It has to be broiled to just at rare to medium rare. The whole thing can be a bit of a fuss.   Then, however, I started thinking and toying around; I figured that since I could not leave it in the marinade the 9 hours I was at work I could salt it ahead of time.  In theory, other things could be added so it would be like a rub, but there will be more on rubs next week (hint pork shoulder).  The salt would help tenderize the meat while I was at work, without over seasoning it like leaving it in the marinade would.  Once home, I whipped up the marinade. The flavors are pretty strong, but the steak would not be in the marinade long. Then I cooked it, by broiling to obtain a crust, and then roasting it to desired level of doneness.  

Ingredients:

1½ -2 pounds London Broil  (Top Round steak, at least 1 inch thick)

¼ cup coarse Sea Salt or Kosher salt

¼ cup cooking oil

¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce

¼ cup white or red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic power

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

Step One:

On a cutting board pat half of the salt onto the topside of the steak. Flip it over and salt the other side with the remaining salt.   Place the steak into a sealable container or a zip top bag (ensure the bag doesn’t leak).  Refrigerate the salted steak for 6-9 hours.

Step Two:

In a small bowl add the remaining ingredients and whisk them together to combine well.  Open the container with the steak and pour in the marinade. Reseal and move the container around to ensure the marinade is evenly distributed.  Refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes.

Step Three:  

Preheat the broiler (grill, or grill pan) on high.  Remove the steak from the marinade and discard the marinade.  Place the steak under the broiler for 10 minutes.  Afterwards flip the steak over and cook for another ten minutes.  At this point a brown crust should appear, but the inside is very rare. It perhaps may only register 120 degrees.

 

Step Four:  

Turn the broiler off and turn the oven on to 400-425  to roast the steak the rest of the way towards the desired level of doneness.  A great tool to use is an in oven probe thermometer.  These can be set to the desired temperature and it will alert you when that temperature has been reached.  Remove the steak from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. 

Cube Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

While growing up my mother would make cube steak at least once during the winter season. Although not the fanciest of steaks  the meal and the time with my mother  was always special.  It is one of those foods that brings me back home.  Aside from sentimentality, cube steak also tastes great. It has a deep beefy flavor and is thankfully void of any livery flavor. Cube steak is one of the most economical steaks because it is a tough cut of beef that's been mechanically tenderized. Cube steak is most often used in country/chicken fried steak dishes found at popular breakfast restaurants.  This preparation employes braising the cube steak with vegetables water and a little wine. The result is a tender, moist and  savory entrée fit for a family meal or a small gathering of friends.  It pairs well with garlic mashed potatoes.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 pound of cube steaks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/cup chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup water



Step One:

Season each side of the cube steaks with salt and pepper.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow container or a dinner plate and dredge the steaks throughout  the flour. Pick up each floured steak and tap it to remove excess flour.  Add the steaks to the  skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side to brown.  Remove the steaks from the skillet and reserve.



Step Two:

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until tender and the onions are translucent. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour combining it well with the vegetables. Continuing to stir, cook for 1 minute.





Step Three:

Add the wine and water to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil, and then reduce it to a simmer. Nestle the cube steaks into the mixture. Cover and braise for 40 minutes.









Garlic Mashed potatoes

Ingredients:
2 quarts water
2 pound white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/3 cup fat free half and half
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic pressed
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt



Step One:

Bring the water to a rapid boil and then add the potatoes. Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until tender.




Step Two:

Remove the pan from the heat, and using a colander,  strain potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pan.  Add the remaining ingredients, and mash then the potatoes to combine all ingredients well.

Steak

Steak has a storied placed next to the caviar and the lobster tail in most restaurants.  Steak, like other loose terms, however, can actually mean cutting from tuna to ham. Most people in the US, however, associate it with beef, and this preparation is of a beef steak.  People take their stake preparation seriously, sometimes too seriously that the fun of cooking a steak is missed.  There is a science to cooking a steak, and there are proven methods and elaborate techniques. Who really has time for all of that, a steak cooked well should be enjoyed, and not worshiped.  This preparation breaks some rules in the orthodoxy, and it results in a simple delicious steak. 

One of the most perplexing things about cooking a steak is the type of steak to cook. That is followed almost immediately with the cut of steak, and the concept of doneness.  Regarding type of steak.  A steak is simply a slice off of what would normally be a roast. Some American cuts even contain parts that could be divided in other steaks. Outside of the US the names of cuts vary.  A basic premise is if the steak is from a muscle the animal used regularly, it will be tough and if it’s from a muscle the animal didn’t it will be more tender.   In the US, the USDA grades beef based on several factors, including marbling (fat between layers of muscle fiber sheets).  The grades sold at grocers are Select, Choice and Prime (in order from lowest grade to highest).  In most supermarkets there will be an abundance of USDA Choice steaks.  USDA Choice is good. In most stores you’ll also find brands like Angus or some store branding. Pay most attention to the USDA ratings. A USDA Prime steak is of higher quality than a USDA Choice steak, even if the USDA Choice steak is branded as special. In most cases, USDA Choice is a good choice, pardon the pun. 

As mentioned above, the working parts of the animal result in tougher cuts of meat and therefore tougher steaks so choose your cut’s wisely. Some grocers have started labeling steaks with stickers reading grill, marinate, or braise. These hints are good to pay attention to, but knowing the basics of cuts will help you immensely and wouldn't leave you reliant on a grocery store’s label. Keywords to look for in a steak that is suited for grilling, broiling or pan flying loin, tenderloin, top loin, T-bone, porterhouse, Delmonico, rib eye, top sirloin, and NY Strip.  I intentionally left off sirloin, because that term can be used very broadly.  Most steaks called sirloin are NY Strip steaks or top sirloin steaks, but some are tougher cuts of beef that require some form of tenderization.  It isn’t bad to talk to the grocer or the butcher and tell them how you plan to cook the steak. Most will gladly recommend a cut to you. 

Another thing to mention to the grocer,or butcher is how done you like your steak. Steaks can be cooked in a range of doneness levels from rare to well done.  Personally, a well-done steak is a sin, but there are people who, for whatever reason, ask for that level of doneness.  Here are some quick tips about doneness: very good cuts of beef should never be cooked well done, and squishiness is a good gage for doneness.  While cooking use tongs to press upon the steak after turning it. A squishy steak means rare to med-rare, less squishy, but mutable is medium, to medium well, firm means well done or hockey puck.    The secret to cooking a darn good steak is to sear it, cook it, and let it rest.  That’s basically it.

Ingredients:

1 10 oz., 1” thick, Top Sirloin Steak 

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp  vegitable oil

Step One:

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and wait about ten minutes for the steak to come to room temperature.  Season the steak with the salt and pepper on both sides. 

Step Two 

Add the oil to a non-stick skillet and head to medium high heat (closer to the high side).   Once the oil is shimmering and just barely smoking, add the steak to the pan.  Cook the steak for five to seven minutes.  Juices will form on the non-heated side of the steak, that’s normal.  After 5-7 minutes, turn the steak over and cook for another 5 minutes.  This will result in a medium rare steak. For a Medium steak cook it for 7 minutes solid on both sides.  Doneness is tricky, because the meat retains heat and will keep cooking even after being removed from the pan. Therefore to get a medium rare steak, cook it just past rare and remove it from the pan.  The same is true for other levels of doneness. 

Step Three:

Once the steak is cooked to your desired doneness remove it from the pan. DON’T cut it, poke it, or do anything to it. Just let it rest.  After ten minutes the steak should be ready to serve.  When you do cut it, juices will flow unless it's cooked well done. That's also normal.   Enjoy.