she cooks…he cleans

Adapted from How to Cook Meat

Last week we splurged and ordered 40 pounds of grass-fed, grass-finished Angus beef for the freezer.  If you recall, I had to do a major freezer clean-out to accommodate the giant beef back ribs I had previously ordered.  I don’t know how, but we managed to squeeze almost all of the “new” beef in the freezer.  Needless to say, we’ll be having a little extra red meat this week to eat up what didn’t fit!

Another fortuitous find was How to Cook Meat, which my ever-thoughtful husband picked up at the local used book store (shout out to Book Nook).  This tome of meat features a comprehensive discussion of all the different cuts from beef, pork, lamb, and veal…and includes the best cooking methods for each cut and many recipes.  Looking for something different to do with sirloin steaks, I decided to try “Grilled Sirloin Steak High Plains Drifter-Style.”  This recipe appears to be a homage to cowboys of the Old West – although I doubt they traveled with fresh oregano, cumin, and paprika.

Unfortunately, after the grill was started a big thunderstorm blew up with heavy rains and wind.  James bravely manned the grill station holding down the umbrella, with lightening all around and flames shooting out the top of the big green egg.  [No one was harmed during the production of this blog post.]

After calming the fire enough to keep the umbrella from igniting, we opened the airflow back up to cook at 600F.  The steaks were really flavorful, especially for such a lean cut of meat.  I’m sure cowboys would have enjoyed them!

Ingredients (modified from original recipe):

• 2 10-oz sirloin steaks
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped fine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (I used a mixture of sweet paprika and smoked sweet paprika)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, except the steak, to form a thick paste.  Place steaks in a shallow glass dish.  Season with salt and pepper, then coat with the paste on both sides.  Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 2-6 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove from refrigerator around an hour before grilling, to allow to come to room temperature.

Set up a grill for direct cooking at high temperature.  When coals are ready, grill the steaks to medium/medium-rare (or desired level of doneness) – 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Allow the steaks to rest for a few minutes (with a pat of butter if you wish), then serve them up!

Pitty-Pat (or Patty-Pan) squash were at the farmer’s market, so we sliced one into wedges and roasted it with chunks of zucchini and onions in the oven.  Just add salt, pepper and a light coating of olive oil – roast at 400F until tender and browned.  They would have been good on the grill too, but no one was anxious to get any wetter standing out there in the rain!

That was a meal worth standing in a rainstorm for! And when I came in, dried off, and had some wine, I cued up J.J. Cale’s Troubador, and it felt so good. You’re familiar with Cale, even if you don’t know the name. He wrote “After Midnight” and “Cocaine” (included here), both big hits for Eric Clapton, but it’s Cale’s versions I prefer. This guy ain’t no sprinter, he ambles to the finish line in a warm, relaxed fashion, very bluesy and soulful. If you can make it to the end of the opening song “Hey Baby” without a smile on your face somethings wrong!