Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts

6/13/15

ABK's Dry Rub for Steak and Ribs




Want to give Dad something he'll love for Father's Day?  Follow this plan...

1. Buy some good quality steaks. I love the steaks at Snake River Farms, trust me, Dad will LOVE anything from SRF. The steaks I used for this post are Cowboy Steaks, aka Bone In Rib Eye Steak. They are about 2 1/2 inches thick and are bone-in, weighing in at about 2-2.5 lbs each.

These babies are THICK. About 2 1/2 to 3 inches each. 



2. Mix up the dry rub in about 2 minutes. Double the recipe if you want to package up some of the extra dry rub mix in a cute little container to give to Dad. Buy a BBQ spatula, tie a ribbon around it, along with the homemade dry rub mix.



3. Invite Dad over for a bbq, give him the dry rub mix and spatula. Cook up the steaks and prepare to be Dad's new favorite child.


ABK's Dry Steak Rub
A Bountiful Kitchen

Double if giving away as a gift!

2 tablespoons paprika (regular or smoked)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
3-4 tablespoons Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Lemon Pepper
1 tablespoon thyme (optional)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar, if using as a rub for ribs
For best results, apply rub 24 hours before serving meat.

Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl.
Apply seasonings to meat by sprinkling generously on to surface of meat, massage into meat, turn and repeat on opposite side. Cover meat or place in a Ziplock bag and let the dry rub sit on the meat overnight in the fridge. About 2 hours before cooking, remove meat from refrigerator. Place meat on a plate, and let sit on counter until ready to cook.

Tips:
-It is best to apply the dry rub for at least 24 hours before cooking the meat, or at least 2 hours before.
-You may also use garlic salt and onion salt, in place of powders, if doing so, omit the sea salt.
-Target often sells cute glass containers perfect for bottling spices in their $1 section right in the front of the store.

Instructions for cooking Cowboy Steak:

You will need the rub ingredients above and 1-2 lb  steak to feed approx 2-3 people (depending on amounts of side dishes and how hungry you all are!)
Butter, about 1 tablespoon

Turn grill to medium high. Cook the steak for about 4 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook meat for about 15 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes. The temperature of the grill should be about 400 degrees.
After about 12-15 minutes, insert meat thermometer in center of steak it should register 115-125 for medium rare. Remove from grill. Quickly spread the butter (about 1 tablespoon) on top of the steak.  Let sit on a serving plate for a full 15 minutes, covered loosely in foil before cutting. The steak will continue cooking after being removed from heat.
The steak may also be cooked in an oven (use temperature guidelines in recipe). Sear the meat on both sides on stove with a little olive oil in a pan before placing in oven.


9/5/14

Slow-Cooked Beef Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce





Where did summer go? For us it was one long baseball trip (FL, CA 3 times, AZ, WA) , a pioneer trek to Wyoming and a week in Oregon to top it all off. Along the way we ate the good, the bad and the undeniably ugly. Here are a few photos of meals from our summer travels.

Dinner with daughters. OR Coast trip. More on this in another post...

Pok Pok in Portland. One of the best meals of the summer. Waited 1hr 45 mins for dinner.
Took a nap on the front lawn of the house next door to the restaurant while waiting...
Tip- go there in the middle of the day. No wait.


Blue Star Donuts. Portland, OR  
So. Darn. Good.


The aftermath.
Consensus- after trying half a dozen different flavors, the
Vahlrona Chocolate Crunch donut won the best overall award.


One of those "should we, or shouldn't we"  try places.
Glad we stopped. Had the pastrami sandwich with fries and gravy. Guy food paradise.
The Hat in Glendora, CA. 


Calamari, Jake is not a fan. 


Mayfield Bakery and Cafe. Tried many of their cookies and pastries, quiche and breads. All excellent.
The breakfast served in their restaurant next door was one of my favorite meals of the summer.

Lunch from the Asian Box restaurant near Stanford. Highly recommend this place.
Loved the caramel egg! 
Salt and Straw.
Strawberry Honey Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream.
Portland, OR. Worth the wait.

Pastries from Ellies Table in San Clemente.
Oh. My. 


Kara's Cupcakes in Palo Alto.
Loved the Chocolate Velvet and the Key Lime cupcake. Still experimenting with
a recipe for the key lime cake. Watch for it on ABK soon...

Obviously, I'm a sucker for cupcakes!  Cupcake Royale in Seattle.
Got a little carried away with their ice cream "sampler"


Dahlia Bakery in Seattle. One of Tom Douglas' restaurants. This little
cake made with apricot filling and marscapone frosting was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
If you are a coconut lover, the coconut cream pie is heaven.
We also tried his Asian restaurant Tanakasan. If you go, order the Osaka Pancake.

Pecos Pit BBQ 1st Ave in Seattle. One of our favorite places waaaay back in the early 90's .
Still there. Still amazing.
What's a visit to Seattle without a stop at Ivars on the pier?
Jake, feeding baby Anabelle, who is  following in her Grandmother's footsteps.
My boys in Naples, Florida-  Cracklin' Jack's. Awesome  BBQ.
Loved everything we ate. Frog legs and hushpuppies,  anyone?


And last, but not least. The two dishes that inspired me to come up with a recipe
for my new all time favorite dinner... slow-cooked beef and chili enchiladas with red sauce. 

The Slow Cooked Chili Beef dish from Sabroso! Mexican Grill above,  and the dish below, from Cha-Cha-Cha in Portland were my inspiration for today's recipe.  Both of the dishes were made from slow cooked beef in chili powder and spices.
The dish below from Cha Cha Cha was made with beef and little red potatoes cut up and then rolled into tortillas. I ordered my enchiladas with green sauce, but it would have been much better with red. I knew when I arrived back home, I had to come up with my own version of the red chili and slow cooked beef filling.







Have you ever tried small red potatoes in a Mexican dish? you're going to love this. 
Kind of a "South of the Border" pot roast. In a tortilla.  





After slow cooking the beef with chilies, 
I removed it from the pan and browned the onions and garlic. 


Threw in a little fresh cilantro.



Made the sauce. 


Here's the meat mixture, ready to go in the tortillas.




Throw some sauce on the meat. 
Words cannot express how much I love this dish. 










This recipe looks long and complicated, but it may be broken into three simple steps:
1. Prepare the meat and let sit in refrigerator overnight. (optional, but highly recommended)
2. Slow cook the meat. Add the chopped vegetables and prepare meat for enchilada filling. 
3. Make the sauce, assemble the enchiladas, bake.


Slow-Cooked Beef  Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

6 large fresh Pasilla chilies* or
1 package dried Pasilla chilies (1 1/2 oz package*) or a mixture of dried and fresh
1- 3 lb beef cross rib roast or chuck roast*
2 cups water
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

3/4 lbs tiny red potatoes, scrubbed
2 cups white onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 bunch cilantro chopped coarse, divided in half (reserve some for garnish)

2 tablespoon chili powder
Monterey Jack or Colby cheese for filling and topping enchiladas
tortillas for enchiladas (about 16 regular size) corn or flour
Sauce for enchiladas (recipe below)

Using tongs over flame on bbq grill or indoor gas burner on stove, roast the fresh chilies until blackened and blistered. Set aside. After cooled, peel off the blackened skin and discard. Split chilies down the middle and remove any seeds inside. Set aside the peeled, seeded, roasted chilies. 
Spray the bottom and sides of a large roasting pan or dutch oven with a bit of cooking oil. 
Rub the meat with 1/4 cup chili powder salt and pepper. Turn the meat so both sides are coated. Place the prepared meat in the pan. Lay the roasted chili pieces on top of the meat. Place the packaged dried chilies around the edges of the meat and pour in 2 cups of cold water around the sides of meat in pan. Set aside in refrigerator over night (or up to two nights ahead), not necessary, but recommended.
When ready to cook, remove pan from oven, let sit on counter for one hour and then follow baking directions. 
Bake, covered tightly for about 3 hours at 275 degrees.  After 3 hours, remove lid and toss in the 3/4 lbs small red potatoes. Replace the lid and roast for another hour, until the potatoes are tender.
After the meat is cooked, remove to a cutting board and shred or chop meat. Discard fat from meat.  Dice the cooked potatoes, leaving skins on.  Place meat and potatoes in a pan. Pour any extra juice left in pan on top of meat. Set aside.  Remove the dried chilies (if using) and discard. Chop the fresh chilies and toss in with the beef mixture. 
Using the same pan, sauté the onions over medium heat until softened and browned a bit.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes, or until fragrant. Toss in the chopped cilantro and chopped meat and potato mixture. 
Sprinkle with an additional 2 tablespoons chili powder, if desired.  Set aside until ready to fill enchiladas. This mixture can be refrigerated for 3-4 days before using. 

Red Enchilada Sauce:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chili powder
10 oz tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons salt or to taste

Saute the oil in saucepan with flour over medium high heat, mix with whisk until smooth and a bit bubbly. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup chili powder, tomato paste, dried oregano and salt to taste. Continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes until thickened a bit. Remove from heat and spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the meat mixture. Gently fold into meat mixture. 

When ready to assemble enchiladas:
Lightly grease two 9x13 pans with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/3 cup of sauce to cover bottom of each pan.  Fill the enchiladas with the meat and chopped potato mixture. Sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese. Roll and place in pan seam side down. 
Continue rolling until all of the tortillas are filled.  You should have a little left over meat. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with more grated cheese and top with any leftover meat. 
Bake covered at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is melted and golden. 
Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Yield about 16 enchiladas, depending on size of tortillas used.

Tips:
-Cross Rib Roast  is my favorite for this dish because it shreds well and down not have a large amount of fat that needs to be discarded.
-I like a mixture of dried and fresh chilies for this dish.
-In the U.S. the chili powder we are accustomed to purchasing is a mixture of spices and chili power. Read your labels. If the ingredients are cumin, oregano, garlic powder and salt, then use the amounts I specify in this recipe. If the ingredients read ground chilies, then use about 1/3 of the amount I suggest. or you will end up with very spicy enchiladas and sauce!
-This dish will keep well in the fridge for about 3 days before baking. It also freezes well.
-If you make a little extra sauce, and want and easy side dish, cook some white rice and mix with a few tablespoons of red enchilada sauce after cooking. Also add a can of black or red beans and some chopped green onion. Serve with some shredded lettuce and guacamole for a complete meal!
-If you happen to have extra sauce, freeze it and use on days when you have some leftover meat and tortillas. Heat up the tortilla, fill with chicken, pork or beef, top with cheese and pour sauce over the top for a 5 minute meal. 

3/19/14

Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich




It's baseball season again. Time for planning ahead, or eating hot dogs from the snack shack a few times a week, which is probably not such a great idea (especially after my friend Shelly informed me about the 31 grams of FAT in each dog).
I'm always looking for ways to serve a quick meal this time of year. Flank steak sandwiches are the perfect quick-fix dinner. I usually pair it with some fresh fruit and a green salad.  I love the recipe for marinade in Asian Grilled Flank Steak Salad. I posted today's sandwich recipe with a simple pantry-friendly marinade to help make this meal quick and easy. I also like flank steak seasoned, without marinade.





If you're using a marinade, make your own, then you'll know exactly what's on your pate. It takes about a minute to make your own marinade and you'll have the peace of mind knowing you can pronounce all of the ingredients in your dinner :)
If you have any leftover meat (or you make extra, like I suggest below), throw it into a tortilla or on a pita the next day, topped with a little cheese, lettuce and salsa and you'll have another meal, ready to eat.
Happy Spring, sports fans.




Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

sandwich:
1- 11/2-2 lb flank steak
1 lb mushrooms, washed and sliced, stems on
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil and butter for sauteing
salt and pepper
4-6 large hoagie buns or other bread for making sandwich

marinade:
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Early in the day, if possible, or at least two hours before cooking, place all of the marinade ingredients into a Gallon size Ziplock bag. Add the steak to the bag, seal and place in refrigerator. 
About 20-30 minutes before serving:
Prepare grill. If using gas, the temperature should be at medium high. 
On the stove, over medium high heat, and add olive oil and butter to a fry pan ( I use about 1 tablespoon of each). When the pan is hot, add mushrooms and onions and cook for about 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper as cooking also tossing as cooking takes place. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, or until fragrant, be careful to not burn garlic. Reduce heat if necessary.  Turn off heat, cover to keep warm. 
Place meat on grill and cook for about 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. 
Slice the buns in half and place on grill to toast if desired. 
Assemble sandwiches:
Cut the meat across the grain into thin slices. Place some of the meat on each bun along with the mushroom and onion mixture. If you like cheese,  top the meat and onion mixture with cheese and place under broiler for a few seconds before serving. 
4-6 servings

Tips:
-I like to cook two steaks at once, so I can use the leftovers for another meal. 
-The cook time for the meat will depend on how you well or rare you like your meat. I believe this meat is best served medium rare. Don't overcook the Flank steak or it will be tough. 



1/8/14

The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat




While growing up, at least once a month, we had chicken fried steak for dinner. I loved it with white gravy, on either biscuits or toast. I looked forward to peeling the coating off the meat, eating it plain, then cutting up the meat like it was a  separate dish.
I was that kid.
This recipe is the best I've found for Chicken Fried Steak. The buttermilk and hot sauce give it that extra bit of deliciousness to put it into the "Comfort Foods That Rock" category. Actually don't have that category on ABK, but if I did, this recipe would be there. 
It is a perfect recipe for this weather- one of those stayinsideandhibernate days. January in northern Utah seems to be filled with those days…
I figure you can either complain or embrace it.
Or go to Mexico.
Comfort food=embrace.
Have a great day.









The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat
adapted from Allrecipes.com
print recipe

for steaks:
4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks*
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon Tabasco
1/4 cup vegetable shortening for frying

for gravy:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 cups milk, approximately
salt and pepper to taste

rice, biscuits or toast for serving

Pound the steaks to about 1/3-inch thick with mallet if needed.
Get out two shallow bowls.
Place 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
In another bowl, stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt.  Stir in the buttermilk, egg and Tabasco Sauce.
Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour.
Heat the shortening in a  cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate lined with paper towels.  Drain any leftover oil from the skillet, reserving any of the solid remnants from the meat and coating on the meat. Do not clean skillet or wipe out.
To make gravy:
Return the skillet to medium heat. Melt butter in skillet. Whisk 1/2 cup flour into the melted butter. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk,  a little at a time using a whisk (I use between 3-4 cups, start with 1, then slowly add milk), raise the heat to medium. Bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes.  Season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the meat on top of  biscuits , toast or rice and top with gravy.

Tips:
-* Cube steaks are found in the meat section of your grocery store. They are usually tougher cuts of beef that have been forced through a tenderizer that leaves square marks on the meat (that's why the name "cube steak").  The meat is usually processed to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
-The steaks may be fried in any type of heavy pan. If you fry two at a time, and need a bit more oil for the second batch, simply add a little more oil to the pan and let it heat up before frying. The original recipe calls for THREE cups of oil, which I found to be a ridiculously huge amount, so I cut way back. Feel free to add more oil if needed.
-My mom used to make this with milk and eggs instead of buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, substitute 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. I'd omit the baking soda and powder as well. I believe those react with the buttermilk to cause a bit of a rise in the batter/coating on the meat, but may not have a the same effect if using milk. The buttermilk really makes this dish, I recommend using it instead of milk if possible.

10/15/13

Brisket Tacos with Mango Barbecue Relish


People often ask where I get ideas to make all of the recipes I post on ABK?  Besides my enormously huge and creative mind (eheheh) some of my ideas come from:
1. My cookbook collection (over 300 at last count)
2. I'm a cooking magazine addict. Have I ever told you how difficult it is for me to part with magazines??  When we moved down the street last winter, so did stacks of magazines. I did manage to toss boxes of Bon Appetite and Gourmet mags that were from the 80's and 90's into the recycle bin. Ridiculous, I know.  If they ever make a show called "Hoarders, Magazine Addition" I'll be on the pilot.
3. If you've read ABK for any length of time, you know my new favorite place to find recipes is  on Pinterest. Love the visuals. Love the convenience of literally hundreds of thousands of recipes available with a simple right click. Last week, I pinned a recipe on my board  "Cooking, Next on my List". There were so many re-pins the next day,  I decided to test out this recipe ASAP.
We loved it. The caption another Pinner left under the photo read "Now THIS is Texas!!" Crockpot tacos.  I'm not sure about the Texas part (if y'all are Texans, you'll have to try this out and let me know what you think).  
This recipe has a sweet twist. You'll have to give up a can (or two) of Dr. Pepper for the sauce. You know it's going to be good if the recipe calls for meat swimming in DP.  And the Mango Relish? Stash the leftovers for topping your eggs in the morning. Yummy.


Leftover meat? See recipe idea in "Tips" below.


Brisket Tacos with Mango Barbecue Relish
adapted from Confessions of a Foodie Bride
print recipe

Brisket
3-4 lb brisket, shoulder or cross rib roast
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz  Dr. Pepper, not diet (I'm sure Coke or Pepsi will work as well)

Mango Barbecue Relish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 – 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup or bbq sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Spicy Brown mustard
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup mango chutney
Quesadillas
8 flour or corn tortillas
olive oil or cooking spray, to brush tortillas
chopped red pepper and onions (sautéed or fresh), sliced avocado, fresh mango, lime for garnish

Note- Don't let the length of this recipe scare you off. It's basically 3 simple steps:
cook meat in slowcooker, make a (less than 5 minute) relish/bbq sauce and assemble the tacos or quesadillas. 

Meat:
Rub the meat with salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic.
Place brisket in slow cooker and pour the Dr. Pepper around the sides and a little over the top, taking care to not wash away all of the spice.
Cook on low for 8 hours, or in the oven covered tightly at 250 for 6-8  hours.
Remove meat from the crockpot. Slice or pull apart meat. Drain off some of the juice. Keep meat warm until ready to assemble.
Mango bbq Relish: 
While meat is cooking, heat olive oil in a 2-qt sauce pan. Saute onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a blender or food processor and run until smooth, or use a immersion blender and blend in pan. Set aside until ready to assemble tacos. 
Assemble:
Heat a griddle or large pan over medium-high. Cook the tortillas just until warmed. Place tortillas on plate.
Top with warm meat and mango relish. Garnish as desired.
Yield: 8-10 servings

Tips:
-Make sure to use regular, not Diet Dr. Pepper.
-This dish may be served as quesadillas or tacos. To make quesadillas, shred Monterey Jack cheese, spread over tortillas, top with meat and a bit of mango relish. Grill, slice and serve.
-I used the leftover meat (about 2 cups) and sautéed an onion and a red pepper as a base for chili. 
Add a can of small red beans and a can of chili beans, a chopped tomato and a bit of water. Simmer and serve.