Smoked Ribeye Roast, Uruguayan Asado Style

I have a fascination with the country of Uruguay.  The relatively smallish country bordered by Brazil to the north and, across the Rio de la Plata, within sight of Argentina. My fascination as entirely to do with the country's cuisine.

It all began a few years ago with my personal culinary challenge to prepare a main course from Uruguay as part of my Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge.  I made Chivitos al Pan, a sandwich loaded with meat, cheese and eggs. That stands as perhaps my favorite challenge to date. After that time, I have wanted to learn more about the cuisine of Uruguay.

And, this post provides that opportunity.  Uruguayan cuisine is perhaps the most meat centric cuisine in at least the Western hemisphere, if not the world. The country has a population of just little more than 3.4 million people in 2016, but consumes more than 427 million pounds of  meat during that same year.  That is 124 pounds per person that year.  With the average weight of a person around 137 pounds, that means that, on average, an Uruguayan eats as much meat as the average person weighs.  That is quite the feat.

But it is not just about eating meat, it is the grilling of the meat. In many ways it defines Uruguayan cuisine. The chicken, beef, pork and chorizo on the parilla, carefully watched and tended to by the asador. There is nothing like taming the coals and cooking ungodly amounts of meat for an asado. (If I did not have my current job, my dream job would be that of an asador.  Perhaps upon retirement, a move to Uruguay and I could start a second career as an asador, cooking untold amounts of meats while casually sipping one of Uruguay's wines, like a Tannat or a Cabernet Sauvignon.)

It is this tradition of grilling that inspired me to make a ribeye roast over coals.  To be sure, this is not the parilla true style of cooking.  I did not have the arrangement for that.  Instead, I used my smoker, with its grill (and without the liquid bowl) to create a direct charcoal grilling. The one significant difference is that I decided to use some hickory wood to add smoke to the ribeye roast.  

To underscore the Uruguayan inspiration, I prepared a classic Uruguayan chimichurri for this ribeye roast. Like its Argentinian neighbor, this chimichurri is full of fresh parsley, garlic and oregano, mixed with olive oil and vinegar to create what is perhaps the most amazing accompaniment for grilled beef.  The vinegar helps to cut through the fat of the ribeye roast.  The crushed red pepper flakes, along with the freshly ground black pepper and the peppery nature of the oregano, add a slight hint of heat.  These additional layers of flavor create an artistic masterpiece on the canvas that is the beef itself.

I have cooked a lot with ribeye roasts, and some of the recipes have made it on to this blog.  However, this is perhaps my favorite ribeye roast that I have done. Maybe it is the effort to draw inspiration from Uruguayan cuisine.  Maybe it is just that I love beef.  Either way, I am going to make this recipe again. 

SMOKED RIBEYE ROAST, URUGUAYAN ASADO STYLE

Recipe adapted from Saveur

Serves several

Ingredients (for the ribeye roast):

1 ribeye roast (5 to 6 pounds)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Hickory wood chunks

Ingredients (for the Uruguayan chimichurri):

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup finely chopped parsley

3/4 cup finely chopped oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Prepare the roast.  Combine the salt, black pepper, oregano and garlic powder and mix well.  Spray some olive oil over the roast.  Apply the salt and pepper mixture to all sides of the roast.  

2.  Prepare the smoker.  Soak the hickory chunks in water for 1 hour.  Prepare a fire for a 300 degree smoker.  Once the temperature is right, oil the grates and add the roast.  Smoke for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours until the temperature in the roast registers 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the roast from the smoker and let it rest, covered, for about 15 to 30 minutes. 

3.  Prepare the chimichurri.  Bring 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 cup of water to a boil in a 1 quart saucepan.  Let cool.  Whisk parsley, oregano, chile flakes, oil, vinegar, garlic and pepper in a bowl.  Stir in salt water mixture.  Let chimichurri sit for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Finish the dish.  Slice the ribeye roast and serve immediately with the chimichurri.

ENJOY!

Chinese-Style Steak

When I first started cooking as a hobby, there were two things that motivated me.  First, it was Italian cuisine.  This was due to my food-based trip through Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, which I took back in 2006.  However, the other source of motivation came from the other side of the world ... it was the original Iron Chef.

Iron Chef was a cooking competition show produced by Fuji Television.  Each episode generally pitted two of the three (and later four) Japanese Iron Chefs in an one-hour cooking battle focused around a secret ingredient.  The Iron Chefs were Japanese chefs who represent the pinnacle of a cuisine: Hiroyuke Sakai, who was Iron Chef French; Chen Kenichi, who was Iron Chef Chinese; and Rokusaburo Michiba, who was the original Iron Chef Japanese.  (Masahiro was later succeeded by Koumei Nakamura and Masahiro Morimoto as Iron Chef Japanese.)  The fourth Iron Chef was Masahiko Kobe, Iron Chef Italian.  

Iron Chef Chen Kenichi

While I enjoyed watching all of the Iron Chefs produce creative dishes, the one chef who I always seemed to root for the most was Iron Chef Kenichi.  The official records of the Iron Chef reveal that Chef Kenichi had the most losses of any Iron Chef, but that did not matter to me.  Chef Kenichi brought a Sichuan-inspired flair to his dishes, which earned him the nickname, "The Szechuan Sage." His dishes always left me hungry and his cooking inspired me to dabble with Chinese cuisine.  

Long after the show ended, and the reruns stopped, I came across Chen Kenichi's cookbook, Iron Chef Chen's Knockout Chinese.  While the book has sat on a shelf for a very long time, I have been wanting to make a dish from its recipes.   I paged through it one day and found a recipe for "Chinese-Style Steak."  Chef Chen writes that this was his favorite recipe as a child.  "If my mother said, 'Steak for dinner tonight,'" he recounts, "my head would be filled with mouth-watering visions all day at school."  The chef would head "straight home on those days" for that steak dinner.  

With that background, I thought that would be a good recipe for one of my Steak Nights. The recipe is incredibly easy to make.  That simplicity seems quite ironic for a chef who made some very complex recipes during his Iron Chef Battles.  In the end, this is just another lesson that has been become a theme in my cooking adventures.  Simplicity can be perfection.

(One last note: I did not have any watercress for the garnish.  But, who needs greens?  Steak and onions is a meal in and of itself!)

CHINESE-STYLE STEAK

Recipe from Chen Kenichi, 

Iron Chef Chen's Knockout Chinese, pp. 58-59

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cut beef tenderloin

Dash each salt and pepper

1 onion

Beef tallow or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sake

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Watercress, for garnish

Directions:

1.  Prepare the beef and onion.  Score meat diagonally along the surface of the beef and season with salt and pepper.  Thinly slice the onion against the grain.

2.  Cook the beef.  Melt the beef tallow in a wok and add  steak.  Grill on both sides to desired level of doneness and remove from the wok.  Use remaining fat in pan to saute onions.  Add the sake and soy sauce.  

3.  Finish the dish.  Cut steak into bite-size strips, top with sauteed onions and garnish plate with watercress. 

ENJOY!

Oaxacan-Style Grilled Sirloin

I am a very big fan of Steve Raichlen, who is the author of the Barbecue Bible and host of shows such as Primal Grill.   Maybe it is his straightforward presentation of recipes that are easy to understand and replicate.  Maybe it is the line of grills and smokers that are in the background of his shows.  Maybe it is understanding that, during the process of  following recipes, it is okay to make mistakes.  After all, Steve Raichlen has said, "there's no such thing as a mistake in a kitchen, just a new recipe waiting to be discovered.

In the end, I think it is the undeniable fact that Steve Raichlen is synonymous with grilling and barbecue, both of which are among my favorite cooking methods.  Many of his recipes have inspired my cooking, especially when it  comes to my Steak Night meals or Savage Bolek BBQ recipes.  (The Baltimore Pit Beef recipe, which is Steve Raichlen's take on the quintessential Maryland "BBQ" ranks as one of the most popular recipes on this blog.)

One particular recipe, Oaxacan-Style Grilled Sirloin, grabbed my attention and did not let go.  The reference to Oaxacan cuisine was one reason, because I am intrigued by regional Mexican cooking.   For examples, you can check out my Pollo a las Brassas, which is based on street food from Sinaloa, or my Mole Verde Zacatecano, which is based on the green sauce from Zacatecas.

Raichlen's recipe is a nod to a under-appreciated fact about Oaxacan cuisine.  While Oaxaca may be known as the land of the seven moles, simply grilled meats wrapped in tortillas -- carne asado -- are as quintessentially Oaxacan as any of those seven sauces. Luke Pyerson, of the Boston Globe, recounted the experience of searching out carne asado at the Mercado Noviembre 20, a market locate just off the the zocalo or main square.  He described following the scent of grilled meat to the vendors, who served it in corn tortillas along with roasted onions and peppers, guacamole, and anything you purchased from the vegetable vendors at the market.  

If you want to transform the whole experience from print to video, I would assume it looked something like this: 

(Note: the first two and a half minutes are about the market, the rest of the video is about Oaxacan crafts and folk art, which is interesting too.)  After reading the article and watching the video, I wished there was an alley of smoked meats in my neighborhood.  Not just for the carne asado, but also the music.  

So, with a very hungry stomach, I made Steven Raichlen's Oaxacan-Style Grilled Sirloin.  Needless to say, I was not disappointed.  It was the best I could do without standing in the middle of the Mercado 20 Noviembre.  Given the ease of the recipe, as well as how tasty the results are, this recipe is going to be added to my quickly growing "go-to" recipes.   It is definitely a great summer recipe and, quite frankly, it is also a recipe that is worth standing in 3-4 inches of snow during the winter time just to grill the meat.

OAXACAN-STYLE GRILLED SIRLOIN

Recipe from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 bunches scallions, white and green parts trimmed

8 chiles de agua, cubanelle peppers, jalapeno peppers or poblano peppers

Coarse salt

2 pounds of boneless sirloin steak, cut into broad sheets 1/4 inch thick

16 corn or flour tortillas, or more as needed

4 limes, cut into wedges

Guacamole

Salsa

Directions:

1.  Prepare the grill.  Preheat the grill to high heat.

2.  Prepare the vegetables.  If using charcoal, toss the scallions and peppers right on the coals.  If using gas, arrange the scallions and peppers on the hot grate.  Cook, turning with tongs, until nicely charred and tender, about 5 minutes.  

3.  Continue preparing the vegetables.  Transfer the grilled scallions to a serving plate and set aside until ready to serve.  Scrape the charred skins off the peppers with a sharp night (don't worry about removing every last bit.  Cut the peppers in half and scrape out the seeds.  Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

4.  Grill the steak.  When ready to grill the beef, brush and oil the grate.  Generously salt the beef and place it on the hot grate.  Grill, turning with tongs, 1 to 4 minutes per side for well done (the way Oaxacans like their beef cooked).  While you are at it, arrange the tortillas, a few at a time, on the grill for a few seconds to ehat them, then keep them warm in a cloth lined basket.  Transfer the grilled beef to a cutting board and cut it into thin strips or 1/2 inch dice.  

5.  Serve.  Set out the bowls of lime wedges, guacamole and salsa, along with the scallions and peppers.  To eat, place a few pieces of beef on the tortilla.  Place a grilled scallion and half pepper on top.  Top with spoonfuls of guacamole and salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice.  Roll the whole thing up and eat it.

ENJOY!

Grilled Steak with Green Sriracha

One of the things on my culinary bucket list is to make my own hot sauce.  It may not seem like much, especially to cooks and chefs who could easily make a hot sauce for various dishes.  However, I love hot sauce.  I really, really LOVE hot sauce.  I usually keep at least 3 or 4 different types of hot sauce on hand in our refrigerator, including the "staples," like Tabasco and Sriracha. 

Recently, I came across a recipe for a grilled steak with a green sriracha sauce.  A sriracha sauce is a type of hot sauce typically made from chiles, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. The sauce is Thai in origin, often called sot Siracha; the name comes from the city of Si Racha, which is located in the Chonburi province of eastern Thailand.  The sauce is typically used in Thai cuisine as a condiment; and, it even finds its way into Vietnamese cuisine, served alongside bowls of phở.

Sriracha is particularly popular in the United States.  Given that over one ton of Sriracha sauce is produced every hour, it has found its way into many grocery stores and restaurants across the United States.  The supply is readily eaten by demand, including one person who consumed three bottles of it at one time.  While I have consumed my fair share of Sriracha sauce, I have never simply guzzled the hot sauce.  It is best drizzled over food, especially fried or grilled foods.

While the red Sriracha sauce is almost ubiquitous, the green sauce seems more intriguing and it is one that I have never tried before.  The recipe incorporates green chiles -- roasted poblano peppers and serrano chiles -- with a range of fresh ingredients such as basil, chives, cilantro, lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut.  The poblano peppers add depth to the flavor of the sauce, while the serrano chiles provide quite the kick, which one would expect.  The end result is a hot sauce that is in many respects better than the red Sriracha.  Maybe it is the use of fresh ingredients, prepared using a blender.  Maybe it is the tartness of the lime juice contrasted with the heat of the serranos, along the field of chives, cilantro, basil and mint.  Maybe it is just that I love most of what I make.    

GRILLED STEAK WITH GREEN SRIRACHA

Recipe from Food & Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 large poblano chiles 

2 serrano chiles

3 large garlic cloves, peeled & smashed

1/2 cup fresh ginger, sliced

1 half-inch piece of turmeric or

     1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 loose cups of basil leaves

2 loose cups of mint leaves

1 1/2 cups of snipped chives

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded

1 lemongrass stalk, tender inner bulb, bottom 4 inches

     peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup canola oil, plus more for grilling

1/4 cup of lime juice, plus 2 tablespoons

Kosher salt

4-5 pounds of steak, such as flank steak or skirt steak, cut into 

     4 even sized pieces

Directions:

1.  Prepare the Green Sriracha.  Roast the poblano chiles directly over a gas flame, turning, until charred and tender.  Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool.  Peel, core and seed the poblanos.  Transfer the poblanos to a blender.  Add the serranos, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coconut, basil, mint, chives, cilantro, lime leaves and lemongrass and pulse to chop.  With the machine on, add the 1 cup of oil and puree.  Add the lime juice and season the green Sriracha with salt. Once the sauce is made, it can be refrigerated for up to three days.

2.  Grill the steak.  Light a grill.  Brush the steaks with oil and season with salt.  Oil the grill grates and grill the steaks in batches over high heat, turning once or twice, until the meat is lightly charred and medium rare, 5 to 6 minutes.  Cook a little longer, 1 to 2 minutes more, to obtain medium, if that is your desired doneness.  Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.  Serve the steak with the green Sriracha.

Green Fire Ribeye

It seems that chile heat is in vogue.  Turn on your television and your eyesight is burned with commercials for Wendy's Jalapeno Ghost Fries or Popeye's Ghost Pepper Wings.   The Ghost Pepper, officially known as the Bhut Jolokia, is one very spicy pepper.  The Scoville Rating for the Ghost Pepper, which is the official rating of piquancy, ranges somewhere from 855,000 units to 1,401,427 units.  By way of comparison, Tabasco sauce is approximately 10,000 units.

There is a part of me that loves the challenge of eating fiery foods.  I used to relish eating the spiciest food on the menu and my go-to dishes that I make usually involve combinations of various chiles.   However, as I have pursued cooking as a hobby, my desire to eat the fieriest food within reach has waned.  I think that, over time, it has become more about flavor than heat.  While I still love very spicy peppers and dishes, my attention has turned to ways in which I can highlight, complement or contrast the flavors of chiles.  It is very hard to pursue this goal when the chile, such as the Bhut Jolokia, could be used to simulate nuclear reactions in one's stomach.  

Consequently, I have looked to a wide range of other chiles, many of which have substantial, but not overpowering heat.  I have used Sanaam chiles, Piri Piri chiles, Scotch Bonnets, and others.   One of my most favorite chiles to experiment with is the Hatch chile.  It is definitely on the low end, with only about 1,000 to 2,500 units on the Scoville Scale. 

Sometimes less can be more.  When one uses a chile with a lower piquancy, it allows for other the flavors of other spices to shine in a rub or marinade.  This is what I tried to achieve with a recent rub that I made for a grilled steak.  I call it the "Green Fire" rub, because the backbone of the mix is ground green Hatch chiles.   I took advantage of the lower piquancy of the chiles to allow for other ingredients, such as coriander, garlic and cumin, to come through in the flavor of the rub.  The rub still packed a kick, because I made sure that a sizable amount of the ground chile was used.  About 1 teaspoon per per pound of meat.  This ensured a good amount of heat, without numbing taste buds or otherwise taking away from the dish.

GREEN FIRE RIBEYE

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 ribeye, about 1 pound

1 teaspoon ground green hatch chile

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

1. Apply the rub.   Combine all of the spices and herbs in a small bowl.  Apply the rub to all sides of the ribeye.  Let the ribeye stand at room temperature for about ten to fifteen minutes.

2. Grill the ribeye.  Heat the grill on high heat.  Grill the ribeye for about three minutes, shift by 90 degrees, and grill for about 3 minutes more.  Flip and repeat for a total of six minutes.  Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Steak Marchand de Vin

French cooks believe that good meat deserves a sauce.  These words were written by Anne Willan, the author of one of my favorite French cookbooks, The Country Cooking of France.  Anne Willan is a member of the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame.  She received that honor for her cookbooks, which have focused on French Cuisine.  She wrote those books with the goal of helping home cooks, like myself, learn the techniques and recipes used by French cooks and chefs.

One of these recipes is called "Steak Marchand de Vin," also known as "Winemaker's Steak."  A "Marchand de Vin," is a quick jus or sauce made with wine and fresh herbs.  In this case, the sauce is made after pan frying a steak.  Willan says that any cut of steak can be used in this recipe, from a filet to T-bone or entrecote.  With all of the fond in the pan, a cook uses wine to deglaze the pan and incorporate those flavors into what becomes the sauce.   As the wine reduces, with the alcohol evaporating, along with some of the liquid, the pan is removed from the heat and fresh herbs are added.  The end result is a very simple sauce that is full of flavor.

One last note, as any chef or cook will tell you, you cook with a wine you want to drink.  For this recipe, I used a Saumur Champigny, a wine from the Loire region of France.  The wine worked very well with this recipe, because of its ripe cherry and cranberry elements.  If you can't find that wine, look for a Côtes du Rhône or another red wine from France, especially if you want to keep with the French inspiration.   If you are looking for other inspirations, many consider a Carmenere from Chile.  Those wines often have a spice or pepper element to them that could provide another layer of flavor to the sauce.

STEAK MARCHAND DE VIN (WINEMAKER'S STEAK)

Recipe from Anne Willan, The Country Cooking of France, p. 135

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Salt

Pepper

4 tablespoons of butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup of full bodied red wine

Leaves from 3 to 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon, chopped

3 to 4 fresh chives blades, chopped

3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.  Brown the steaks.  Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.  Melt half of the butter in a frying pan over high heat until it stops foaming.  Add the steaks and fry until well browned 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn them, lower the heat slightly, and continue frying until brown and cooked to your taste, 2 to 3 minutes for rare steak, 3 to 5 minutes if you prefer it more done.  Lift out the steaks and set on warmed plates, keep warm.

2.  Make the wine sauce.  Pour all of 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan and return to high heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and boil rapidly until reduced by half.  Take from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter in small pieces.  Stir in the herbs, taste, and adjust the heat.  Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve at once.

ENJOY!

Grilled Steak with Sauce Vierge

Back in the 1980s, there was this chef.  Actually, there were a lot of chefs back in the 1980s, but there was this one chef.  He was born in southwestern France, but, he lived and cooked in Paris.  He also wrote cookbooks.  As the 1980s unfolded, this chef popularized a sauce.  That was quite a feat for a country whose cuisine is known for its sauces.  However, those sauces were stock based sauces.  This particular sauce is a fresh sauce, with fresh ingredients, like olive oil oil, lemon juice, tomatoes and basil.  It was to be used in shellfish dishes and pasta dishes, the type that would be particularly welcoming to a fresh sauce.

That chef was Michel Guérard and the sauce that he made popular goes by the name of Sauce Vierge or, literally translated, "Virgin Sauce."  (Don't ask me why it is called by that name, that question is best left for Chef Guérard.)  I had come across a recipe for sauce vierge and placed it on my short list of recipes to make.  The recipe sat on that list for a long time.  A very long time. 

At long last, I made the recipe for sauce vierge.  As I did my research, I realized that the sauce I was making bore little resemblance to Chef Guérard's recipes.  Sure, the olive oil is still there.  But the basil, lemon juice and tomato are long gone. 

The reason is that the term -- sauce vierge -- has come to represent a variety of Mediterranean sauces, many of which go by other names.  Names like "green sauce," "sauce aux herbes" and "sauce verte."  These sauces are generally a combination of olive oil, various herbs, mustard, capers, olives and other aromatics.

The particular recipe that I found and used had two things that appealed to me. First, the recipe included an additional ingredient for the sauce... a jalapeño pepper.  The pepper provided the sauce with a good, but overpowering, kick.  Second, it called for using this sauce on a grilled steak.  Although the recipe called for the use of a sirloin steak, which is a decent cut for use with sauces.  (Flank steaks or flat iron steaks are definitely better for sauces.)  I decided that I would use my favorite cut, a bone-in ribeye.  

The recipe definitely worked very well.  In fact, it worked so well, that I will definitely try it on seafood or pasta dishes.  However, depending upon the fish or pasta, I might leave out the pepper.  The kick works well with beef or other meat, but it may be a little to much for fish.

GRILLED STEAK WITH SAUCE VIERGE
Recipe from Saveur
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon of capers
12 large green olives pitted and roughly chopped
6 oil-packed anchovy filets, drained and finely chopped
4 cornichons, roughly chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed and finely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
Kosher salt and 

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 thick top sirloin or ribeye steaks (about 2 lbs.)

 

Instructions:

1.  Prepare the Sauce Vierge. On a cutting board, pile together the parsley, capers, olives, anchovies, cornichons, shallots, garlic, and jalapeño. With a large knife, finely chop and scrape the ingredients to combine.  Transfer the parsley mixture to a large bowl and stir in 6 tbsp. of the olive oil and the mustard with a fork to make a thick and chunky sauce. You can drizzle in more olive oil for a thinner consistency, but I think the sauce is better if it is thick and chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside at room temperature to let rest for 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to mingle.

2.  Grill the Steaks. Build a hot charcoal fire in a grill or heat a gas grill to high heat. Rub steaks with the remaining olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill steaks, turning once, until lightly browned and medium rare, about 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a platter and let rest for 3 minutes. Stir the sauce, because it will begin to separate slightly as it sits and spoon it over the steaks. Serve hot or at room temperature.

 

 ENJOY!

Lone Star Ribeye

In some respects, more is better, at least in my opinion.  If I find a marinade or rub recipe, I will often look at the number of ingredients.  There are certainly some great recipes that incorporate only two or three ingredients.  A steak that is marinated in oil, garlic and sea salt will definitely be a tasty dinner.

However, I look for recipes that may incorporate six or more ingredients.  Those recipes can present much more of a challenge.  Each ingredient has to take in account all of the other ingredients.  You have to take into account the flavors, the "intensity" and proportions.  A rub with three ingredients is fairly easy to develop and manage.  A rub with nine or ten ingredients becomes much harder.  The goal is to make sure each ingredient can be ascertained as much in the final product.  If one is not careful, then he or she can "lose" an ingredient in the mix.  In that case, it is as if you never used it in the first place.  A spice mix of six ingredients may only taste like there were three.  The whole effort results in a loss.

Recently, I found a recipe for a "Lone Star" rub on a blog called "Grogs4Blogs."  Along with the recipe, there was a very good discussion of what makes for a good dry rub.  A good rub, just like a good wet marinade, can be reduced to a very simple and straightforward equation, which was described by Adam Perry Long, the author of Serious Barbecue.  The equation is as follows: Color Base + Salt + Sugar + Flavor + Heat.  

The ingredients of the Lone Star rub can be organized according to this equation.  The color base is paprika, which serves as a common base for many rubs used in grilling and smoking.  The salt and sugar are self-explanatory.  The flavor comes from the use of onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and cinnamon.  Onion and garlic powder are about as common of flavor elements as paprika is a color base.  Cumin is also used frequently in spice mixes. By contrast, cinnamon is much less common in spice mixes, especially those destined to be applied to large steaks that will end upon the grill.  Yet, the sweet and "spice" of the cinnamon was clearly detectable in both the rub and the finished product.  Finally, the heat was the chile spice.  The recipe did not identify any particular chile, which I usually take to mean that generic "Mexican chile" or "chile" spice you find in the spice section of most grocery stores.  When I made this recipe, I decided to use some ground New Mexican hatch chiles, which provided just enough heat to balance the flavor elements in the rub.

Although I found the recipe on the Grogs4Blogs website, the blogger relied upon a rub recipe from Jamie Purviance, who is a chef and cookbook writer.  Chef Purviance has his own website,which is associated with Weber Grills. 

I managed to find a couple of other websites that had Chef Purviance's Lone Star rub.  Those recipes tracked the one on Grogs4Blogs with one exception.  The other recipes included dried majoram.  This raised a question in my mind.  Why did the blogger at Grogs4Blogs leave out one of the ingredients in the mix.  Majoram is used in many herb and spice mixes such as Herbes aux Provence and Za'atar. It pairs well with onions and garlic, and other herbs like rosemary.  However, majoram does not pair as well with the other flavor and heat ingredients of the Lone Star rub, such as chile, cumin and cinnamon.  That may have been the reason why it was left out of the recipe.  

In any event, the next time I try this recipe, I might just add back in that 1/2 teaspoon of dried majoram to see if it adds to the flavor of the rub or just gets lost in the mix.

LONE STAR RIBEYE

Adapted from recipe published by Grogs4Blogs

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 dry-aged, bone-in rib eyes, 12 to 16 ounces and 1 2/3 inches thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 limes, cut into wedges (optional)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the steaks.   Combine all of the rub ingredients.  Brush the steaks with the olive oil and then apply the rub to all sides of the steak, massaging the rub into the meat.  Allow the steaks to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.

2.  Grill or cook the steaks.   Heat the grill on high or the heat the broiler in the oven.  Grill or broil the steak for about six minutes and then flip the steak.  Grill or broil for about 4 minutes more.  

3.  Finish the dish.  Remove the steaks from the grill or broiler and tent with foil.  Let the steaks rest for five minutes and serve with the lime wedges.

The "Italian" Ribeye

Three words always appeal to me ... Bistecca alla Fiorentina.  Those three words speak of a recipe that is among my favorites.  One starts with a huge porterhouse steak.  The steak itself must be at least two pounds, but often times it will be larger.  Then there are the fresh herbs ... usually rosemary and thyme ... that are combined together with salt and black pepper to make a simple, but incredibly tasty rub.  After that rub is pressed into the meat, the steaks are left to rest, which allows the flavors to develop. After a couple hours, or overnight, then the steak is grilled over charcoals until it has a nice crust, while a pink to red interior.  

That recipe is one of my go-to recipes for my Steak Nights.  It is also perhaps my most favorite preparation of meat. While many steak lovers simply swear by salt and pepper, there is something about the addition of rosemary and thyme that transforms a piece of meat into something much more than a steak.

For this particular recipe, I decided to start with the "Fiorentina" and add more herbs to the rub.  In addition to rosemary and thyme, I added dried oregano, parsley and sage.  I also grinded the dry spices until they were a fine powder, and, rubbed that powder into the meat. (I used a little olive oil to help keep the powder on the meat).  The end result was a rub that incorporated some of the most basic, but most flavorful spices used in Italian cooking.

For this recipe, I found a two-pound ribeye, which keeps with the classic Fiorentina-style steak ... a massive hunk of meat rubbed with herbs.  The only deviation is that it was cooked under the broiler.  It was simply too darn cold outside to start a charcoal fire, let alone cook the ribeye. 

THE "ITALIAN" RIBEYE

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves Several

Ingredients:

1 very large, very thick ribeye (about 2 to 3 pounds)

2 teaspoons of dried thyme

2 teaspoons of dried parsley

1 teaspoon of dried sage

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate the ribeye.  Salt and pepper all sides of the ribeye several hours before adding the spice rub.  Prepare the rub by combining all of the dried ingredients (thyme, parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano, and crushed red pepper).  Grind in a spice grinder until it is very fine and powdery.  Apply some olive oil on each side of the ribeye and then rub the spice mixture into the meat.  Refrigerate the ribeye for at least a couple of hours, if not overnight.

2.  Grill/broil the ribeye.  Heat the charcoal in a grill (or heat a gas grill) to high.  Add the steak, cook over direct heat for about five minutes on each side, for about fifteen minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  Alternatively, grill the ribeye over high heat, turning so that every side of the ribeye faces the heat for at least four to five minutes each (less time on small sides), until you get an internal temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is medium rare.  Remove and let rest for ten minutes.  Slice and serve.

ENJOY!

Chef Bolek's Two Pound Ribeye

One of the "regular" features on the Chef Bolek blog is Steak Night.  The story behind Steak Night begins with my beautiful wife, Clare.  She is a pescatarian, and, thus, does not eat red meat.  Given that Clare is one of my principal inspirations for cooking, I make a lot of seafood and vegetable dishes.  Red meat, such as steak, is off the menu.

However, there was usually one or two nights per week when Clare had either work or personal obligations that prevented us from having a meal together.  Those evenings presented the opportunity for me to cook and eat red meat.  Originally, the goal of Steak Night was to make the biggest steak I could find, apply a spice rub, and cook the steak to medium rare.  I would serve the steak to myself with some white rice, whose sole purpose was to absorb some of the meat's juices (or some hot sauce) as I ate the steak.  Over time, and as this blog grew, Steak Night became an opportunity to try to make different types of beef recipes, research how different cuisines prepare beef, and to experiment with different ingredients.  This led to recipes and dishes such as Gaucho-Style Steak with Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce, the Inferno Steak, and Green Hatch Chile Rubbed Bison Cowboy Steak.

Recently, while shopping at Costco, I came across some two-pound ribeyes.  This brought back memories of the original Steak Nights, with the huge hunks of meat, straight forward rubs, and grilled to medium rare.  I bought a package and decided to make a simple rub of spices that often made their way into the rubs of the past: smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin.  I usually make a lot of a rub so that it can be applied liberally to all sides of the meat.

Grilling a large piece of meat can be difficult, because inevitably the meat does not have the same thickness throughout.  This means that some parts will cook faster than others.  I have a general rule of about four to five minutes.  After the first four to five minutes, I turn the meat by 90 degrees.  After the second four to five minutes, I flip the steak.  After the third four to five minutes, I rotate the meat again by 90 degrees.  I then check the temperature with a meat thermometer, with 130 degrees Fahrenheit (medium rare) being the goal.  I then figure out how much longer the steak needs to remain on the grill to reach about 135 degrees or so before I remove it to rest.  It is important to keep in mind that a steak will cook at least five degrees while resting.

The dish is completed with some white rice, which as I noted above, is used primarily to gather the juices of the meat as it is sliced.  At first, I just used minute rice (which is really not all that good).  Now, I use basmati rice.  Whatever rice does not soak up meat juices usually gets doused with some hot sauce. 

That is the old-school, traditional Steak Night: a massive dish of food.  I probably could have finished off the dish in one sitting while I was in my prime.  It now takes a couple of sittings. Or, better yet, a couple of friends to join me. 

CHEF BOLEK'S TWO POUND RIBEYE

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4 (or 1 Chef Bolek)

Ingredients:

2 pound ribeye

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1 teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

Extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients:

1.  Prepare the rub.  Mix all of the ingredients together.   Apply olive oil to all sides of the ribeye.  Add the rub to all sides.  Make sure that all sides are coated evenly with the rub.  Let the ribeye sit for about 10 to 15 minutes.  

2.  Prepare the rice.  Prepare the rice according to the instructions on the package. 

3.  Grill the ribeye.  Heat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you have a three burner grill, turn off one burner.  Place the ribeye over that burner.  Cook until you reach the desired doneness, such as 130 degrees for medium rare or 140 degrees for medium.

ENJOY!

Turkish Sirloin

Steak Nights are more than opportunities to cook steak; rather, they provide chances for me to be adventurous and creative. On this particular occasion, I decided to make a steak rub based upon spices that help define a particular cuisine.  I did this once before, but it was not a steak dish.  I made a Turkish-Spiced Rockfish.  I decided to take that idea and apply it to steak, making a Turkish Sirloin.

Making a steak rub based upon spices that define Turkish cuisine presented some problems for me.  I am neither Turkish nor an expert on Turkish cuisine.  My only qualification  is my love of Turkish food.  Given a lack of first-hand experience, I had to do some research into the spices that provide Turkish food with its unique character and flavors. This meant that I would have to rely upon the Internet, and, therefore, have to double-check everything for its veracity.

My research led me to select five spices from the wide array of ingredients used by Turkish chefs and home cooks.  The five spices are:

(1) Oregano: This herb or spice is found throughout the Aegean Sea, leaving its mark on both Greek and Turkish cuisine.  It provides a warm, slightly bitter taste and contributes to the aroma of the rub.  

(2) Paprika: This is the Turkish sweet red pepper powder that, by its name, provides a little sweetness to offset the bitterness from the other ingredients.  It also provides the rub with a bright red color.

(3) Cumin: The Turks call it kimyon, and this spice is often used in meat dishes.  Cumin provides a very strong earthiness and a small amount goes much further than other spices, such as oregano.

(4) Aleppo pepper: Turkish cuisine uses a lot of different peppers to spice the dishes.  Aleppo pepper is grown in both Turkey and Syria.  It is the principal source of heat for this rub.  

(5) Sumac: Ordinarily, sumac is used by Turkish chefs and home cooks as a garnish.  However, I wanted to use its burgundy hues to give the rub a darker color, and, I wanted its tangy, citrusy flavor to provide some depth and complexity to the rub.

I think that these spices make a wonderful rub for steaks.  The rub is not too spicy, but it is full of flavor.  I think that I can mark this as one of my more successful, creative endeavors!

TURKISH SPICED SIRLOIN

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 grass-fed sirloin, about 1 pound

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon of sumac powder

1/2 teaspoon of Aleppo powder

1/4 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of canola oil

Directions:

1.  Marinate the steak.  Combine all of the ingredients in a Ziploc bag.  Add the steak and work the marinade around the steak.  Seal the bag and allow the steak to marinate for at least one half hour to overnight.  

2.  Grill or broil the steak.  Grill the steak on medium high heat or under the broiler for about four minutes per side, rotating the steak ninety degrees after a couple of minutes and then flip and repeat. 

Now, if only I could get my hands on a red wine from one of the vineyards in the Marmara or Aegean regions of Turkey.  If you are like me and do not have access to any of those wines, I good Californian Syrah or Chilean Carmenere would probably pair well this dish.

ENJOY!

Steak Gaucho-Style with Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce

They stood with with their wide rimmed hats buffeted by the wind, which also worked its way around their woolen ponchos and beat against the loose, baggy bombachas.  They stood their ground, watching over the herds of cattle who quietly grazed on the pampas.  They are the gauchos, the cowboys of the Argentine, Uruguayan or Southern Brazilian plains.

This dish is inspired by the cooking of the gauchos.  Out on the open plains, the principal food that they ate were the cows that they herded.  However, they had no way to store or preserve the meat.  This meant that they had to cook all parts of the cow as soon as possible over an open fire and eat it with the same dispatch. 

This food tradition was aptly portrayed on an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, which is one of my favorite food shows.  Andrew was visiting Buenos Aires to explore the Argentine meat culture.  Of course, he sampled dishes such as achuras (cow innards) and chinchuhlines (small intestines).  Andrew also visited the Bamba Chica Ranch, where he learned about the lifestyle of the Argentine gaucho.  Andrew tells the story in his expert style:

"The gauchos started working on this about 12 hours ago, butchering a 9-month-old calf, removing the organs and then butterflying the entire carcass over the coals.  From here on, it looks simple, but there is an art to managing this fire.  The wood is going from the pile over here onto the fire over here, where it will burn down as coals, as the coals become the right color and temperature, they get spread underneath the animal.  In the end, they'll use more than a ton of wood to cook this asado con cuero....  After about ten hours on the grill, it's ready to go.  So in true gaucho style, grab a knife, a hunk of bread, and throw some elbows to get a piece of your favorite cut."

What could be better than having a knife, a hunk of bread and your favorite cut of meat?  I looked for a recipe and found the Steak Gaucho-Style with Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce recipe on Food Network's website.  In any event, I did not have that expertly maintained fire to cook this dish.  While I could have started a charcoal fire using my smoker, I decided to go with the easier, more straightforward route ... my gas grill.  Although some of the authenticity was lost, the grill still worked perfectly.  I will definitely make this recipe again, and again, and again!

STEAK GAUCHO-STYLE WITH ARGENTINIAN CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the Chimichurri Sauce)

1 cup lightly packed chopped flat leaf parsley
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons shallot or onion, minced
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Ingredients (for the steak):
3 tablespoons salt
2 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, 1 1/2 inches thick
2 baguettes, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Directions:

1.  Prepare the chimichurri sauce.  Place all chimichurri sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not pureed. Reserve.

2.  Grill the steak.  Season the steak with salt and pepper.  Place the steak directly over a hot grill and grill until the outer portion of the meat reaches the desired degree of doneness.

3.  Slice the steak and serve.  Remove the steak from the grill and slice long strips from the outer edges of the steak. Instruct guests to pick up a steak slice from the cutting board with their fingers, place it on a slice of baguette, spoon chimichurri sauce over the steak, and enjoy.

4.  Repeat, if necessary.  If the remainder of the steak is still too rare, return the steak to the grill, and grill until more of the steak is cooked. Remove and repeat the slicing and serving procedure until steak is consumed.  Spoon chimichurri sauce over the remaining steak.

Obviously, this dish calls for a pairing with an Argentinian Malbec wine, such as the Bodega Luigi Bosca Malbec.

ENJOY!

Bourbon Oak Smoked Ribeye with Rogue Blue Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

A few years ago, I got a stovetop smoker for a gift.  I lived in an apartment at the time.  Although living on a high floor had its advantages, the major drawback was that I could not own, let alone use, a real smoker.  I was very happy and excited to use the smoker. I bought several containers of "wood chips," which are really more like wood shavings or wood dust.  Still, I had all the necessary woods ... oak, alder, pecan, cherry, apple, and, of course, bourbon oak.  

I used the stovetop smoker several times while I lived in the apartment; however, once I moved to a house and got my own yard, I got a bullet-style smoker.  I began using that to smoke meats and the stovetop smoker began to sit on the shelf.  (It also did not help that the one time I did use it in my new home, I set off the smoke alarm.) 

While I really like to use my bullet smoker, it has its limits.  It is inefficient and unwieldly when it comes to smoking just a small piece of meat, like a steak.  This is where the stovetop smoker still serves a purpose.   I can use it to impart a slight smoke flavor to a small piece of meat, which I can then just finish under the broiler or in the oven. 

Recently, I decided to use the stovetop smoker just to smoke a ribeye.  I pulled out the Bourbon Oak chips, got the stovetop smoker working and used it to provide that steak with a slight smoked flavor.  I also made a small salad of roasted onions and peppers and a side of mashed potatoes with Rogue blue cheese.  Everything was delicious, although the mashed potatoes needed a little more liquid to make them a little creamier.  I usually eyeball the amount of milk and butter, but I figured out how much I used and just increased the amount in the recipe.

BOURBON OAK SMOKED RIBEYE WITH ROGUE BLUE

MASHED POTATOES AND ROASTED BELL PEPPER SALAD

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 pound, grass-fed ribeye

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into big pieces

1/8 pound of Rogue Blue Cheese, cut or broken into pieces

1 tablespoon of butter

1/4 cup of skim milk

Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper 

Equipment:

Cameron's Stovetop Smoker

Cameron's Bourbon Oak Chips

Directions:

1.  Prepare the mashed potatoes.  Fill a small pot half way with water and add the potatoes.  Turn heat to high and boil the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a fork.  Drain the potatoes, add the butter, half of the cheese and milk.  Using a hand masher, mash the potatoes until they are the desired consistency.  Add the remainder of the cheese and stir it into the potatoes.

2.  Prepare the bell peppers.  While the potatoes are boiling, use the elements of your gas stove to roast the bell peppers.  Turn the bell peppers as each side blackens until the peppers are charred on all sides.  Set aside for five minutes.  Once the bell peppers have cooled, run them under cold water, using your fingers to remove all of the blackened skin.  Dry off the bell peppers and thinly slice them.

3.  Prepare the ribeye.  Liberally salt and pepper the steak.  Heat a pan over high heat.  When the pan is really hot, sear the steak for a few minutes on each side.  Remove the steak from the heat.    Follow the directions on the stovetop smoker and smoke the ribeye for about ten minutes or until it is done to your desired temperature.  (I like my steaks between medium rare and medium.)  Remove the steak from the smoker and let it rest for five minutes. 

ENJOY!

Steak Frites with Bone Marrow Butter

When it comes to cooking, I am a deeply conflicted individual.  The conflict comes from a very simple question: what is your favorite ingredient?  Reflexively, I would answer "saffron."  The world's most expensive spice.  And, why not?  It lends its unique aroma, color and taste to any dish.  However, deep down, I know there is another answer to that question.  And that answer is "bone marrow."  

I have made a few dishes incorporating bone marrow. Heck, I even had my own Iron Chef challenge with the ingredient.  These dishes have provided me with some experience when it comes to roasting bones, removing the marrow and pairing it with complementary ingredients, such as garlic and flat leaf parsley.  The marrow imparts a very beefy flavor to the dishes and it is a very healthy ingredient to use in cooking.  Bone marrow is full of polyunsaturated fatty acids like Omega 3, which is the good type of fatty acids, along with iron, phosphorus and Vitamin A.

Recently, I had the urge to cook steak frites.  As I searched through steak frites recipes, I found there were two types of recipes.  First, there was the recipe that served a sauce, usually made with brandy and cream.  I have to admit that I am not one to work with brandy in my house for fear of setting the cabinets surrounding my oven on fire.  So I turned to the second type of steak frites recipes, which use a herbed butter.  I decided to incorporate the bone marrow into both the butter and the fries.  I first found a recipe for bone marrow butter.  I roasted the bone marrow in the traditional way, which provides both the bone marrow and some oil.  I decided to use that oil in place of olive oil when I baked the fries.  This would add a beefy flavor to the fries as well.   

STEAK FRITES WITH BONE MARROW BUTTER

Bone Marrow Butter Recipe adapted from Food with Legs

Serves 1-2

Ingredients (for the Steak Frites):

1 New York strip steak (about 3/4 of a pound)

1 Russet potato

Sea salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

Oil from the roasted bone marrows

1 tablespoon of diced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon of diced flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Ingredients (for the Bone Marrow Butter):

1/2 cup of unsalted butter

3 bones with marrow

1 tablespoon of diced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon of diced shallots

1 tablespoon of diced flat leaf parsley

Directions:

1.  Roast the bones.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover one end of the marrow bones with foil and stand them up foil side down.  Roast the marrow bones for forty-five minutes.  Remove the marrow and the oils into a small bowl.

2.  Bake the fries.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Toss the fries with the oil from the marrow bones, salt and pepper.  Lay the fries on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, until tender and starting to get crispy.   Shake the fries a few times during baking to keep them from sticking 

3.  Cook the steak.  Preheat the olive oil in a cast iron pan on high heat.  Add the steak and sear the meat for about two to three minutes.  Flip the steak and sear that side for another two to three minutes.   Remove the pan from the heat and place in the oven to cook, for about an additional four to six minutes per side, depending upon the thickness of the steak and your desired doneness.  I usually like my steaks between medium rare and medium.

In the end, this recipe worked fairly well.  It was something different and it still needs some work, especially with respect to the fries.  It was a little difficult getting the fries to be as crisp as if they were fried.  In addition, the recipe will produce more butter than you need.  You could easily cut the recipe in half (use 1 to 2 bones, instead of 3) or you could store the butter in the refrigerator, wrapped in wax paper, for a day or two.  As with many recipes, this one continues to be a work in progress and any progress will be noted in the future. 

ENJOY!