What's for Dinner?

[TonyR]

Oysters on the half shell are about the only thing I miss from my time living on the coast.

 

[Boatboy24]

Put some steaks in Sous Vide for about three hours. Added a little thyme, rosemary, and tarragon on each side. After the SV, gave then a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and finished on a hot CI skillet with EVOO and butter. Tots on the side and salad with a lemon garlic vinaigrette. Steak had some great carmelization but was evenly cooked throughout to a perfect med-rare. Delish!

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Put some steaks in Sous Vide for about three hours. Added a little thyme, rosemary, and tarragon on each side. After the SV, gave then a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and finished on a hot CI skillet with EVOO and butter. Tots on the side and salad with a lemon garlic vinaigrette. Steak had some great carmelization but was evenly cooked throughout to a perfect med-rare. Delish!

Damn that looks good. I don't eat as much beef as I use to. The price a year or so ago, got me into pork more then I have ever eaten. A N.Y. Steak sure sounds good now though.

 

[ceeaton]

My brother had been waxing praises for a new place he found to buy mainly beef. They also have seafood, pork, ham, the normal stuff. Turns out it is about 8 minutes away from where I attended a mens group breakfast we have every couple of weeks. We normally leave around 8:45 am and the place opens at 9 am, so instead of heading towards home I figured I'd give it a look over. Prices aren't terrible, but the quality looks really great, so I got a small eye round roast for $3.99 lb and did it on the grill (using a method I just learned a month or so ago). Turned out really well, even in the wind we're having around these parts. Most of the family wants well done, but with an eye round roast there needs to be some "red" or it gets too tough, so I think I hit the sweet spot as further down the roast there will be overly cooked pieces for those who like their beef dead and overdone. Served with smashed taters (red skins with garlic/rosemary/salt/pepper/sour cream etc) and some petite green beans. I'm still drinking beer but plan on some Diablo Rojo from the Summer of 2015 afterwards, when I come down to the computer to drive the rest of you nuts on this site tonight, like I normally do on a Saturday night.

 

[Boatboy24]

Nice looking roast - reminding me I need to do another for lunch meat. And you do your taters just the way I like mine: red, chunky and with the skin in there. $3.99 is a pretty good price - that's what I pay at Giant. They have Prime grade for $5.99.

What is this 'method' you're using?

We're doing take out tonight. Been running all day and couldn't come to a consensus. Nearby 'Backyard Grill' has a little of everything. It is all good and they deliver. Done and Done!

 

[ceeaton]

The idea behind it, whether you do it on the grill, or on the smoker or in the oven, is to keep the meat in the 110 to 121*F range for as long as possible, as that is when the natural enzymes in the meat will work on tenderizing it, especially cheap tough cuts. If you are using the oven and can maintain a 130*F temp, great, but most can't. So you sear it on the grill and keep it as low as you can for as long as you can. On the grill, which is the method I chose, you sear it and then put it in an aluminum pan with holes in the bottom, in the back part of the grill, and try and maintain a 250-300*F temp for about 50 minutes or so, shutting it down when you reach an internal temp of 125*F, then let it rest in foil for 20-30 minutes. The pan acts as a heat shield to keep the outside of the roast from reaching doneness way before the inside. The idea is to get the inside done (med-rare, 125-130*F) before the outside gets too chewy and overdone. If you have time, you are supposed to use Kosher salt, garlic, pepper and rosemary to coat it and leave it in the fridge for 18 to 24 hours. I did it for 4 hours and you could definitely taste it in the finished product. It was incredibly tender, but a bit salty for my taste. All (and even the 9 year old) ate it and enjoyed it, which is rare around here.

Now, if you ask me if there is an easier way, there is, and it is the Sous Vide method you use. The only difference I see is that 1) I seared it before long term cooking (where you've been doing it after it's done) 2) your method is probably safer than leaving it in a 130*F oven uncovered since your food is sealed 3) I had to tend and worry about the temperature of the grill while you didn't, you have a probe and something to regulate the heat depending on the temperature in the cooking vessel 4) while tending the grill I was given ample opportunity to drink much beer, a definite plus, so I'll go with my method for now.

 

[Boatboy24]

Gotcha. With grilling, I used to sear, then move off the flames to roast. Several years ago, I read about the 'reverse sear' - slow cooking, then searing to finish. With tri tip, and other small beef roasts, I love using that method. A little more involved - especially if you're cooking over charcoal. You have to slow roast over low heat, then take the meat off the grill, give the fire a lot of air and get it going really well, then sear. But the results are good, and IMHO it is easier to take a fire from low to high, than searing a roast and then trying to get the fire to cool off for slow roasting. On a gasser, much easier to go either way.

Sous vide is awesome, but I'm still very much trying to learn what is not enough and what is too much in terms of time. Last night was the longest I've gone with steaks, but I think it paid off. I've previously been doing an hour or so. 3-is hours last night worked great. And (sacrilege), I'm starting to like searing over screaming hot cast iron better than the grill.

 

[geek]

"Sous vide", something I need to learn about....

 

[cintipam]

Geek, you aren't alone. I had to google it. I already have a top quality Food Saver, so it's worth trying. Altho hubby is the meat chef. I'm next best thing to a vegetarian.

Pam in cinti

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Geek, you aren't alone. I had to google it. I already have a top quality Food Saver, so it's worth trying. Altho hubby is the meat chef. I'm next best thing to a vegetarian.

Pam in cinti

I just googled it also. Interesting. I had never heard of it. Something else to try.

 

[ceeaton]

@Boatboy24 , sounds like you have Sous vide converts, your mission is complete.

Was going to do a piece o' ham tonight, but decided it was a nice enough day (wind wise) so stopped at the local Giant on my way up to pick up my Son who substituted for someone who couldn't make it in today (actually, very nice of him, his stock has soared higher in my eyes, I think we're doing something right (my wife and I)). Only issue is I left a tight window to get something done on the Weber bullet. Aimed for a small chicken, but the best value was an 8+ pounder, so stoked up the charcoal (got it up to 475*F for a while) and got to smokin'. Used some merlot soaked oak cubes for flavor, just salt, pepper and rosemary on the bird itself. Figuring I'll get 'er done by 6:30 pm, so not overly late for dinner.

 

[Boatboy24]

I like the insulation on the bullet. Bird looks good.

I'd thought about doing an overnight pork butt this weekend, but we were just running around too much. Went with the pot roast for tonight (Ree Drummond recipe). Never been a huge fan of pot roast, but I saw this recipe and it sounded pretty good. I've gotta say: the house smells great right now.

 

[ceeaton]

I like the insulation on the bullet. Bird looks good.

I'd thought about doing an overnight pork butt this weekend, but we were just running around too much. Went with the pot roast for tonight (Ree Drummond recipe). Never been a huge fan of pot roast, but I saw this recipe and it sounded pretty good. I've gotta say: the house smells great right now.

The bullet insulation was a present from my brother from Cabella's a few years back. I found not to leave it laying around as the mice that occasionally winter over in my garage love it for nest building material. It adds at least 5*F, especially in windy conditions (where it adds 5+ degrees more). Bird actually tasted pretty darn good for as large as it was (was 1/2 off at the Giant, couldn't pass it over, was a Perdue bird, so nice yellow color and good flavor to boot).

So how did that pot roast turn out? Remember, pictures or it didn't happen!

That eye round roast I did yesterday made a great addition to a cheese omlette this morning. Never tried an overnight butt, but I do occasionally smoke one for two or three hours then finish it off in the crock pot (I know, smoker sacrilege).

 

[Boatboy24]

So how did that pot roast turn out? Remember, pictures or it didn't happen!

Pot roast was good. It is never the most photographic meal, but fills your gut and in this case had nice, savory flavor. So here's the one pic I took. Lots of 'earth tones', but it was enjoyable. Left it in a little too long, so it was more like pulled beef. But I'm OK with that. Parsnips, carrots and a few potatoes in the DO cooking with the meat. Red skin mashed potatoes to finish it off.

 

[sour_grapes]

Speaking of sous vide: did a rack of lamb from Trader Joe's this evening. 5 hours at 129 in my homemade sous vide rig, then broiled it to render the fat. Also made linguine with a homemade white sauce of garlic, cream, mushrooms, and sherry, livened up a bit with cayenne, soy sauce, and fennel powder. Awesome. Also, roasted broccoli with a garlic/lemon/olive oil marinade. All came out very nice, and washed down with my CC Showcase Amarone.

 

[JohnT]

The latest to fall off the truck???? Whole beef tenderloins at $4.99 a pound! I keep expecting a guy in a trench coat to say "pssssst.. Hey bud.. Commmere.. Wanna buy some meat? ".

The sale was on Sunday. Being the great husband that I am (and I do not mind bragging about it) I did all of the grocery shopping for the week on Saturday. I had no idea that tenderloin was on sale (Sunday) until the wife broke the news Sunday morning.

I told the wife that I already had Sunday dinner planned. I was going to make a nice pot of brazed veal shanks with buttered noodles. I was SO looking forward to it (right up to the point where the wife told me about the tenderloins).

When I told wife that Sunday dinner was already taken care of, she looked directly into my eyes and, with a "you poor ignorant fool" expression, asked "Wouldn't you rather have tenderloin?".

So, without any further words, I put the veal shanks into the freezer, and headed to the store.

I grabbed the two biggest tenderloins they had. Once back home, I trimmed and butchered them into twelve 2.5 inch filets, a 1 lb bag of meat scraps (for stroganoff), and two 2.5 pound "butt cuts" (for chateaubriand).

So, for Sunday dinner, it was.....

Chateaubriand - Salt and pepper, then pan seared in olive oil/butter, finished off in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, then rested for 20 minutes. Came out a perfect medium rare!

To go with this was sautéed mushrooms, rice pilaf, and a nice garden salad.

Here is a shot of the Chateaubriand being seared.

 

[ibglowin]

That is an insane price!

Cheapest I have seen it here is $8.99 a pound and that is in the reduced for quick sale meat bin!

The latest to fall off the truck???? Whole beef tenderloins at $4.99 a pound! I keep expecting a guy in a trench coat to say "pssssst.. Hey bud.. Commmere.. Wanna buy some meat? ".....

 

[Boatboy24]

That is an insane price!

Cheapest I have seen it here is $8.99 a pound and that is in the reduced for quick sale meat bin!

So basically, @JohnT got tenderloin yesterday for about the same price that I got for Chuck.

 

[ibglowin]

Only in "Joysey"!

 

[JohnT]

Only in "Joysey"!

You mean Joizee?

This was a loss-leader to draw in customers.

They had a 1 per purchase limit.

SO, I got two of them by simply splitting my groceries into two purchases.