Compounding Good Taste - Rosemary, Garlic Compound Butter

You want to add a ton of flavor to your meat? You want it to be easy and quick?  Compound butter is your answer.

Butter always gives a flavor boost but adding more flavors to it takes it to another level.  This is super quick and super easy.

INGREDIENTS

3 oz. butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (maybe a little less)
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

Melt the butter in a mixing cup.  I like to use the comal that we use to heat our tortillas. Works better than the microwave, which spatters the butter too much.

Sprinkle just a touch of the Kosher salt into your molds. I bought these little glass bowls specifically to make compound butter. I like to have a few crystals of salt on the top of my butter, so when I flip over when done, they will form a little crown.

Mix the rosemary and garlic into the melted butter.

Pour the mixture into your molds

You should have about a pat's worth of butter in each mold.  Refrigerate for at least two hours.

We're using our compound butter on our pan-fried rib eye steaks.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

DINNER: Pan Fried Rib Eye Steak

My wife found a deal on a Lodge cast-iron skillet and got it for me.  This week, I'm christening it with some Prime steak.

I seasoned the pan last week with some lard, now it's time to cook.

INGREDIENTS
2 rib eye steaks, about an inch thick and 10 ounces
salt
pepper
Worcestershire sauce
olive oil
(optional, honey broth)

Place the steaks in a sealable plastic bowl.  Sprinkle some Worcestershire sauce on them. I'm also ladling a scoop of the honey broth that I got from the honey glazed carrots side dish that I made.

The weather's beautiful so I'm going to cook these outside on my gas grill. If you'd like to stay indoors, you can also do this on your stovetop and oven.

I put the skillet on the side burner and turn the heat up high, getting the pan very hot. 

At the same time, I turn on the burners under the hood and get the temperature to around 300 degrees.

I coat each steak with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, on both sides. The steaks go into the skillet along with any remaining marinade, which I pour over the top of the meat. Two minutes on each side.

Then, I move the skillet into the grill and close the hood. The steaks get another six minutes per side.

Cover with foil when you remove them and let rest for ten minutes before serving.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

THE LEGACY OF LEFTOVERS: Fried Steak Tacos

Last week, I made some really good Mexican style rib eye steaks on the barbecue. They were delicious but I made more than we can eat. This week, I'm using those leftovers to make a quick dinner here at home instead of going out to spend too much money on fast food.

I have about eight ounces of steak in this container. 

I'll chop it up into thin, small pieces.

That chopped steak will go into a skillet for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Just to warm it up, not so much to cook it anymore. That will be set aside for a minute when done.

I'll take 8 corn tortillas and warm them up in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. I'll put 1/8 of the steak into a tortilla, sprinkle on some shredded cheddar or jack (or better yet, a blend of the two), some hot salsa, and fold over.

In a 12" skillet, I'm putting in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and bringing up the heat to medium for about 4 minutes of preheating.  Two of the filled tortillas will go in. Hold the tortilla down with a wooden spoon to keep from unfolding for about a minute, until the cheese melts enough to glue it together.

About 2-3 minutes on each side, until slightly browned and crispy. Put on a paper towel on a plate and cover until all the tacos are done.

They're now delicious, crunchy, and ready to eat.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

DINNER TIME! Mexican Style Rib Eye Steak

Sometimes, we'll go to a restaurant and have a great meal...a great meal that I'd like to replicate at home. This week's recipe is one of those.

Rudy's is a Mexican restaurant near our home in Monrovia, California. On the menu, under "Carne Asada," is this one...what comes out is basically a rib eye steak served with rice and beans.

Here is my version...

INGREDIENTS

4 10- oz choice (or better), 1 inch thick rib eye steaks
1 bunch Mexican green onions (can substitute regular green onions if needed)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons melted butter
1-2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Put the steaks in a plastic bowl, platter, large dish, etc.

Sprinkle Worcestershire sauce on both sides .

Brush melted butter onto both sides.

Sprink Kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper on both sides.

On a hot grill, with burning charcoal on one half only,  place the onions over the hot coals for three minutes on each side. Then, put the onions on the other side of the grill (indirect heat). Put the steak over the coals for three minute per side.

Move steaks to indirect heat side of grill. Place one onion on top of each steak. Cook covered (with lid on) 6-7 minutes per side for medium rare.

Place on platter, cover with foil for a 10 minute rest when done.

We like to serve with rice and beans, plus a grille onion you can slice up and eat with the steak, and a little hot salsa sprinkled over the top.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

WEEKEND ON THE GRILL: Asian Inspired Marinated Beef

Sometimes, I get in a rut on the barbecue...steaks, chops, hot dogs, burgers, chicken...and just want to break out and do something different. Lately, we've been watching some travel shows and drooling over the food shown from Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Japan. I want to make something more like that.

A few weeks ago, we had a cheap, easy version of a teriyaki bowl featuring Trader Joe's Korean inspired Bool Kogi. Today, we're doing it from scratch.

I've put together a very tasty marinade and am letting my skirt steak soak in it overnight, then will grill it up and see how good we can get it.

First, the ingredients:

Marinade:
1/4 cup - Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup - low sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons - honey
1 tablespoon - olive oil
1 teaspoon - Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon - mince garlic

Plus:
2 lbs - skirt steak
3 - sliced green onions

Mix the ingredients for the marinade, put steak in sealable bowl or plastic bag. Pour marinade in to soak and refrigerate overnight.  Cook on grill, 3 minutes per side over direct head and 5 minutes per side over indirect heat, covered.

On the side, I'm making grilled corn on the cob, elote style. I've steamed some corn, cut each cob in half, and then cook over direct coals, 5 minutes per side. Apply some mayonnaise and parmesan cheese before serving.

In addition, I'm cooking some zucchini in foil and grilling pineapple slices...5 minutes per side direct heat...putting a few mandarin orange slices and serving all up on a bowl over rice.

Add the green onion over the top after you've put it all in a bowl.

The leftovers also make a superior steak 'n eggs omelet for the next day's breakfast.

This week's gardening:
Picking weeds out of the lawn, deadheading the roses for the last time in the season, spraying deer repellent on the front yard bushes.

Stop by the Musick Channel Garage Sale to pick up some treasures from our stash of over thirty years of collecting, like these great Liberty Falls collectibles which would look great under your Christmas tree.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

WEEKEND ON THE GRILL: Semi-Smoked Rib Eye

I've got one of those big packs of rib eye steaks from Costco. Been kind of bored with how I've been cooking steaks lately so I thought I'd try it like I cook my tri tip.

That, I marinade overnight in a 50/50 blend of pineapple and orange juice to break down the connective tissues and make it more tender. Then, it's seasoned with rub and cooked low and slow for a few hours in my smoker.

It's not necessary to to the "low and slow" method for the steaks but much of the rest of the recipe is the same.

I marinate the steaks for 4 to 5 hours. After that, I sprinkle some Kosher salt and black pepper on them.

Then, using a pinch between my fingers, I sprinkle each of the following: cayenne pepper, onion powder, mustard powder, and paprika.

On a charcoal grill, I sear each side for three minutes over direct heat. Move each steak to the indirect side of the grill, cover, and cook for an additional eight minutes per side.

When done, I cover and wait 10 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 inch thick choice or prime rib eye steaks
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mustard power
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
8 oz orange juice
8 oz pineapple juice


We're blowing out our classic vinyl LP albums at The Musick Channel Garage Sale on Ebay.Find some bargains on great music today.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

ADVENTURES CLOSE TO HOME: In Search of the Mythical Good, Cheap, Steak Dinner

Went to a restaurant not so long ago and the steak entree's were well north of $50. While I admit, there are places where you get every penny's worth at those prices, a lot of times I just don't want to take the gamble.

A little while back, I saw an article looking for the best dollar slice of pizza in New York. With that inspiration, we're looking for the best steak dinner in our little area of Southern California (San Gabriel Valley/Pasadena area) for under $15.

For most people, Sizzler would be their first bet. Just a couple of their steaks come in under $15 and I am completely underwhelmed by their blandness. One side is included but if you want to take advantage of the one thing that really stands out at Sizzler, their soup, salad, and dessert bar, you're going to add $5 to that price and take it beyond our limit.

My friend Rudy Castrellon runs Rudy's Mexican Restaurant in Monrovia with lot's of good food under our limit but his ribeye steak dinner (called carne asada steak on the menu) is a generous cut of very good ribeye. Since it's a Mexican restaurant, it's served with rice, beans, and guacamole instead of potatoes but you can ask them to substitute potatoes for the beans. At $14.50, this delicious steak is a grand bargain. Oh, and it's also the home of one of the Top Three Margaritas in Southern California.

During my childhood, my parents would take us to a local chain called Steak Corral now and again. A western themed, budget steak house, I remember them being pretty good and looking forward to our visits. Recently, I found there was a lone survivor down in Whittier so my wife and I went to try it. The prices are very low...ribeye is $12.95...and you get a salad, cheese bread, and your choice of potato to go with it. The cheese bread was very good, can't say anywhere near the same for anything else but they do have an extensive condiment bar to add some taste to the lifeless slab of cow on your plate.

Speaking of cowboy themes, Steer 'n Ale...hard by the Rosemead Boulevard South exit of the 210 Freeway...looks like it could have been pulled directly out of Knott's Berry Farm. Come on a Tuesday and you can get their New York steak dinner with soup or salad, cheese bread, choice of potato, and dessert for $11.95. While they did go downhill for awhile with new owners, a new manager has brought the place back up to snuff and you get a very good cut of meat brought out sizzling on an extremely hot metal plate (the server really means it when she tells you the plate is hot, let it cool a few minutes first). Very good meal at an excellent price.

At the Monrovian in Monrovia (across the street from Rudy's, above), you'll be fine if you realize it's a spiffed up Greek diner and not a fancy dinner house. While most things on the menu are satisfactory, there are a few dishes that they excel in...anything Greek, their chicken fried steak, chile verde, and salmon for example. Come on Friday night for their prime rib dinner at $14.95 and you'll get a very juicy and tender slab along with a very good salad, potato, dinner roll, and dessert.

So, which are the best? First, let's eliminate two. Sizzler and Steak Corral. Love the atmosphere of Steak Corral but, let's face it, the namesake entree leaves a lot to be desired.

The remaining three are awfully close to each other in quality.

The Monrovian's prime rib is darn good and it's complete salad-to-dessert. Small substitutions are allowed (like veggies instead of potato) and you can take the dessert to go, if you wish.

Steer 'n Ale is also complete through dessert and is the cheapest of the three best at $11.95. Like Monrovian's prime rib, however, it's only available one night per week.

Rudy will serve you his outstanding ribeye anytime you want and the tasty beans and guacamole give it another leg up, as does one of their great margaritas on the side, so I'll give a slight edge to his version over the other two but you will not go wrong at any of the top three.

There are also several restaurants that take their steaks to an even higher plane for just a few dollars more. We'll cover them in a future post.

Darryl
Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: The Magic of Compounding - Pan Fried Rib Eye Steak with Compound Butter and Chilaquiles con Huevos

Picture by Letty Musick - copyright 2016

We're doing our pan-fried rib eye steaks again on the gas barbecue but the catch this week is adding a bit of compound butter on top to compound the taste.  This is a very easy way to add a deeper level of flavor to the meat.


For Breakfast, it's one of my favorite Mexican specialties, Chilaquiles con Huevos (or tortilla chips and eggs).


Recipes at the links below.

CONDIMENT: Compound Butter

DINNER: Pan-Fried Rib Eye

BREAKFAST: Chilaquiles con Huevos


Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: Pan Fried Ribeye Steak and Honey Glazed Carrots with Asparagus

Oops...a little late posting this but you still have time to get to the store for the ingredients.

This Sunday, I'm breaking in my new cast-iron skillet with some USDA Prime beef and another super side dish, modified from Martha Stewart's recipe.

Recipes at the links below..

DINNER: Pan Fried Rib Eye Steak

SUPER SIDE: Honey Glazed Carrots with Asparagus

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved