Calm yourself friend, I'm just searing them, I finished them in the oven at low temp. They came out perfect medium, could have cut them with a hippy. Served with a potato and garlic gratin, wilted silver beet and sauce bernaise made with my friends free range eggs.
My mom's boyfriend tried a similar method the last time he brought steaks. You cook it at a low temp like 125 for 45 minutes and then end by searing it. Basically the opposite of Alton Browns method. The hipster chefs on the you tube video claimed you also didn't need to let it rest like is normally suggested. It was actually pretty good. Im just not down for waiting that long for steaks when Alotn's method takes like 10 minutes total.
Isn't the point of searing it off first to create a crust for not only flavor but to hold in the juices? And no resting? That's wack*. *Do not ask me why or where, in my brain, that came from. Blast from the past.
I think theyve shown that searing does nothing as far as "holding in the juices" goes. It does however create a crust on the outside that would be sorely missed.
If this is a common occurrence for you to make your steaks this way, I would highly recommend investing in a nice cast iron pan. The flavor you get from a properly seasoned cast iron pan is immeasurable compared to a regular not-stick pan. As far as the searing part, yes, the entire purpose is to create a complex flavorful crust though what is known as the Maillard reaction. It has absolutely nothing to do with holding in juices. You want a nice juicy steak? Don't cook the ever-loving shit out of it. I swear I die a little inside every time I go out to eat with my stepfather and have to watch him order a steak cooked medium-well. And then to cover it with either ketchup or A1.
Gooood fish sandwiches... one of the ways I justify fishing trips to my girlfriend! I fried some walleye fillets with a simple beer batter (see below) and put them on butter toasted chiabatta rolls with tartar sauce, spring greens, and a healthy dose of lemon. Simple and tasty: The batter recipe came from here, halfing it still produces a lot: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/fish-and-chips-recipe/index.html I used Bell's Best Brown ale in the batter and it was perfect with the sandwiches too.
Tonight I made hasenpfeffer (braised and stewed rabbit) with spätzle and pan gravy. I picked up the rabbit while hunting last weekend- as soon as I saw it, I thought of doing this. The spätzle came out a little bland but oh lord the hasenpfeffer more than made up for it. The very rich and deep flavor of the stew made for an incredible gravy, and after stewing for a couple of hours the rabbit was tender. I modified the recipe a bit by adding a handful of finely chopped mushrooms to the pot and used beer instead of water, which I'd do again. In the pot: On the plate: These were the recipes I went along with: <a class="postlink" href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hasenpfeffer-rabbit-stew/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hasenpfeffer-rabbit-stew/</a> and <a class="postlink" href="http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/view/6269/Spaetzle" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/view/6269/Spaetzle</a>
I'm looking for a way to put a different spin on ham. I've got one of the pre cooked, heat in the oven, apply glaze and serve kind so my options are kind of limited. It's for a New Years dinner, so I want to stick to a whole ham, not using it as a component for something else. Thanks in advance, ya'll have yet to dissapoint me yet.
I made fresh pasta tonight for my spinach and feta ravioli. I added pine nuts, a little bit of crisped bacon, nutmeg and pepper to the filling mixture, hand rolled the pasta sheets, boiled in salted water and served with a little bit of brown butter and more pepper. On the whole, it was a touch on the salty side, so next time I'll temper the feta with some ricotta and maybe replace the bacon with ground pork. Either way, pretty fucking delicious.
My girlfriend got a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas plus the meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachments, and I finally broke in the meat grinder this past weekend (after she has been in a baking frenzy with the thing, which is awesome). I tried to make some vension burgers and it was great in some ways and not-so-great in others. To start, the grinder is awesome. It has just two plates- fine and coarse, and coarse worked really well on the half-frozen venison and bacon together. I wish it had a little bigger loading tray and spout but it did about a pound of meat very easily. The venison was little pieces of tenderloin and backstrap I picked after removing the larger strips of meat (good stuff), and I added three strips of thick-cut bacon to the lean meat for fat and flavor. I minced half a small onion plus a clove of garlic and added it to the mix plus some seasoned salt, black pepper, and some Worchestershire sauce, and after one run through the grinder and a little hand mixing I ran it through the grinder again. I cooked the patties on a hot cast-iron pan after carmelizing some onions with butter and bacon fat and had the pan hot enough to do a good sear on them. Had the weather been warmer than zero degrees I would have fired up the grill but a cast iron pan still works. I don't take venison loin lightly so the patties went on butter toasted chiabatta buns with smoked gouda cheese, the carmelized onions, spring greens, and a swipe of mayo with chipotle Tabasco and a dash of cajun spice mixed in. So here's were things went downhill... the burgers were juicy and tender (a good thing) but also had a mouthfeel and taste way too much like meatloaf. I don't know if it was how I ground and mixed it, spiced it, or the pan seared vs. grilling (which I vastly prefer), but they felt way different than the good 'ol beef burgers I usually make similarly. Next time I will probably mix in less bacon, add some beef, and grill the patties like they should be done. Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. I'm not giving up on the venison burgers. I am looking forward to using the grinder more. In the next couple of months we are going to experiment with making different sausages and I want to try smoking some and a little venison charcuterie too.
This is just a different glaze, but it turned out pretty well: http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/cherry-port-glazed-ham-27289
I learned a quick trick a few years ago that works for me, not sure if it will for you, but give it a shot. Buy some inexpensive pork shoulder cuts and add that. Leave the bacon for topping it. If you really want to step up your venison burgers, add straight pork fat that you get from a butcher, mix it at a 80 venison/20 pork fat. That makes a damn nice burger. Keep 'em no bigger than an 1" thick. I cook a lot of venison and I currently have over 400 pounds of processed venison in the freezers from this season, so ask away for any info.
Mixing in straight pig fat my first time last year was a disaster when I made sausage. Start small and work up people. I'd guess mixing in the onions with the meat and searing it probably gave you the issues. I read, on the inter webs, that when it comes to venison, steaks should be done hot and fast and burger should be one low temp and cooked longer. Searing venison for me has always lead to some level of overly dry meat. I sear back strap steaks like Alton Browns cast iron rib eye steak method and even though the center is rare the thin area seared is always overly dry in the game meat low fat content way. I cook my burgers low and slow, and just add caramelized onions and melt some cheddar on top. I do it straight and don't mix any bacon/fat to my ground burgers.
Re: Re: The Cooking Thread When cooking venison steaks, (back strap) make small foil pans on the grill just big enough for the pieces your cooking. Add a generous amount of garlic-herb butter and the steak. Cook over medium heat until 135 degrees internal. Eat. Venison isn't the kind of meat that should be cooked to order unless you like dried out shoe leather. Eat it rare. You won't get sick, just wonder why you didn't start cooking it like that earlier. For tenderloin I recommend caramelizing a bunch of onions and mushrooms in the garlic herb butter and tossing cubed tenderloin in for just enough time to get them to hit rare status.
One of my favorite things to make from scratch is broth. It's an all day process that can incorporate dozen of ingredients, if you prefer, and makes the house smell wonderful. It's also amazing how much better it tastes than store bought. Sauté on medium a chopped yellow onion, a couple carrots, and celery for a couple minutes til softened. If it's a protein-based broth, add the bones to the aromatics and continue to sauté for a minute or so. Add 6 cups of water and add a couple bay leaves, whole peppercorns, and salt. Simmer all day. Add water as needed. You'll know it's done when the consistency is slightly viscous. I made a chicken tortilla soup with the bones from one of those rotisserie chickens from Kroger. It was divine.
I mentioned something about bacon Brussels sprout shallot hash in the drunk thread and a fellow poster asked me about it. I sent this PM in response, but just realized I should be sharing it with everyone. Enjoy. So do this: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/brussels-sprout-hash-with-caramelized-shallots... But before you cook anything, cook a couple slices of bacon until they're crispy in your larger skillet, take them out, and cook the sprouts in some of the bacon grease instead of olive oil. Then at the very end, when you're adding the shallots, add in the cooked, chopped up bacon. Disclaimer: I have made the dish in the link a bunch and it's awesome, but I was really stoned on Sunday night and decided why not bacon, so bacon. Your arteries won't thank me for making Brussels sprouts as unhealthy as possible. Don't overcook the sprouts.
What would you mix in the venison if you just wanted to grind some up to make meatballs (like in a red sauce with pasta) or in a chili? I am pretty confident now with cooking venison steaks, I like doing them a bit thicker and cooking 'til they are just medium rare. I put them on a warm plate and under foil as soon as they are off the grill. I am not, however, as experienced with ground venison and charceuterie. Sometime soon I want to make some spicy, smoked sausages like andouille or chorizo with the venison. Anyone tried that?
I just made a bacon wrapped pork terrine with a prune center and studded with pistachios. I feel so French right now even though I showered. This thing is filled with all the good stuff. Made a Marsala and brandy syrup with sauteed garlic and onion. Has ground clove, nutmeg, ginger, coriander, cinnamon in it, and pink salt. Also a dollop of cream. With a little luck, it will come out looking like this: Spoiler Basically take a diced shallot and 3 minced garlic cloves, cook them with olive oil, then pour in 1/2 cup each marsala and brandy then let it reduce to a syrup. Lay saran wrap in a meatloaf/terrine dish, enough to cover and fold over. Overlap bacon strips on top of the wrap, fill it with 1.5 pounds of ground pork (and the seasonings), wrap everything up, then throw it in a 300F water bath for about an hour and some change. Took less than 10 minutes to get together. Going to weigh it down tonight, then unwrap it tomorrow for dinner. I love the hell out of Charcuterie by Ruhlman. My next gadget will be a sausage pump. An old school one, not that crap that attaches (poorly) to the mixer. Daddy needs to make his own boudin.
This cooking thing is rapidly developing into a fun hobby for me. My wife sure as hell isn't complaining. I made Epicure souvlaki and everybody hit the roof over it. I can't believe how easy and cheap it was, I'll never buy it from a food truck again.
I made Coq au Vin for the first time over the weekend and holy shit is it a lot of work. 3 hours of prep and 6 hours of cooking including boiling and peeling several dozen pearl onions. I prefer using chicken over the exceedingly rich duck and picked out the cheapest bottle of Pinot Noir from the waterfall liquor store in Atlanta to use. Overall it was velvety and tender, but the red wine demiiglaze was a little overwhelming.