Saturday, September 11, 2010

Rib Eye of Desire: A New Outlook on Steak

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Steak: a thick slab of red meat; cooked rare, browned only slightly from the sizzle-marks of the grill; the fat as crispy as pork rind and the meat so tender and juicy it melts like butter.
It is not Webster’s definition, but it ought to be after what graced my dinner plate last night. Webster’s one-lined description did not adequately fit this Holy Cow. Sure, we started off with a not so “choice” cut of rib eye – we are college kids. It was however, our choice to transfigure it into a prime cut. In this case, the secret to quality is quantity. Large quantities of salt. You want the top of your steak to look like it’s experiencing a mid-winter salt blizzard.
Now before your face contorts in cringing, you do eventually wash off the salt. The reasoning behind using salt is to break down the proteins and improve the tenderness of the meat. Basically, you are taking your callous, tough-guy “choice cut” steak and whipping him into a suave, tender, whisper-sweet-nothings-in-your-ear “prime cut”. How much does this make-over cost? A trip to the grocery store for one bottle of coarse kosher or sea salt. [I actually got my 16 oz bottle at the dollar store – so it was less than a dollar considering I only used about 2 oz or so!] Although, I only spent $12 on two steaks, I managed to maximize the flavor through this method making it equivalent to any steakhouse cut. Pair with some roasted rosemary garlic potatoes and fresh green beans, sit down with some friends and relish your Friday evening.
There are two types of steak eaters: the devourers and the savorers. With the devourers, the plate will be left lonely in no time as there will not be a bite left of your steak. But you just couldn’t help yourself. It was a steak of the moment – you barely had to even chew it as it melted as graciously as butter on your tongue. For the savorers, each bite was so intoxicating you fell into a trance. Your senses overwhelmed, you took it slow just so you could give the appropriate reverence to this steak.
Admittedly, it seems a counterintuitive method to steak-love-making, but it will result in taste bud tingling goodness. Spoon a slab of flavored butter on top to rocket you off to another planet of steak excellence, and never come back.
Rib Eye of Desire
Instruction:
1. Dump COARSE salt on both sides your steak – leave little to no red meat visible. Trust me on this…
2. Depending on the size and thickness of your steak, let salt sit on top for about 30 min to an hour at room temperature. No need to cover – unless you have a fly infestation or something. You can also add seasonings such as thyme, rosemary, garlic, etc.
3. Thoroughly rinse off all salt mixture from steak. Pat dry.
4. Throw on a heated grill. Hear sizzle, flip. Hear sizzle, eat! But in all seriousness, I like my steak rare [you are doing yourself a disservice when you cook it past medium-rare: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3743657.stm ].
Flavored Butter
Instructions:
1. Take about 4 T unsalted butter, let come to room temperature.
2. Cream together with minced garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper.
3. Roll in plastic or wax paper into log shape.
4. Put in fridge until solid, about 30 min.

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