It's The Best Way To Grill Steak

     

And not just any steak, we're talking Porterhouse! Just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, we at Tonia's Kitchen are proud to present steak, like it should be done. Jamie Purviance, who wrote the cookbook Weber's Ultimate Grilling, told Tonia the best way he knows how to grill this porterhouse, is by combining many of the ingredients of a sauce he uses on the cutting board, which is why it's called Board Sauce. Follow this recipe and find out how flavorful steak can actually be!

Happy Fourth of July From All of Us at Tonia's Kitchen

2 well marbled, top quality porterhouse steaks, each about 1 pound and 1¼ to 1½ inches thick

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

BOARD SAUCE

2 small shallots, about 2½ ounces total, minced (generous

1/3 cup)

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons high quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, preferably 10 years old

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

1.

Place the steaks in a single layer on a baking sheet and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the oil into both sides of the steaks and then season them evenly with the salt. Let stand while you prepare the board sauce and the grill.

2.

Arrange all the board sauce ingredients, including ½ teaspoon of the pepper, in a pile in the center of a large cutting board, putting the oil and vinegar in the center of the pile. Let the pile stand while you preheat the grill and grill the steak, or for up to 1 hour.

3.

Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium high heat (400° to 450°F). Brush the cooking grates clean.

4.

Grill the steaks over direct medium high heat, with the lid closed, until cooked to your desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare (125° to 130°F), rotating and turning the steaks once or twice. To cook the steaks longer, slide them to the indirect heat side of the grill.

5.

Meanwhile, use a wooden spoon to mix the sauce ingredients together gently on the board into a juicy, chunky mixture

6.

Spread the board sauce into a layer large enough to accommodate both steaks side by side.

7.

Use tongs to transfer the steaks to the cutting board, laying them flat on the sauce. Season the tops with the remaining ½ teaspoon pepper.

8.

Use the tongs to move the steaks around so they pick up some of the sauce flavorings, then turn the steaks over. Let rest, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes.

9.

Cut the meat away from the bone

10.

Next, cut the meat across the grain into ¹/³inch thick slices. As you cut the meat, turn each slice back and forth in the board sauce until it is nicely coated with the flavorings. Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve right away.

The photo credit is Ray Kachatorian, and the credit line is: Excerpted from Weber’s Ultimate Grilling © 2019 by Jamie Purviance. Photography © 2019 by Ray Kachatorian. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Save The Planet, Fire Up The Grill

 

When grilling with charcoal, it's hard not to note an environmental impact from flames and the smoke. It's real and it's something that a number of people have tried to mitigate. One company says they've done it. Janet Silverman is the Chief Impact Officer with The Good Charcoal. She came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about what makes their charcoal different. And she says there are a number of really positive aspects to grilling with their product. Janet told Tonia their charcoal is premium, from a denser and harder wood, so it burns longer and hotter. And their emissions are clean burning. Janet adds the wood they make their product from is more environmentally friendly. It comes from the Acacia Bush, is more sustainable and helps the environment from where it was harvested from. Beside the net environment positives, the company also gives back, hosting events across the country to feed people in need. It's a great way to enjoy a July 4th BBQ and feel good about it!

Grilled Greek Pizza

Don't get us wrong. There's nothing better than a good, old fashioned Pepperoni Pizza, but sometimes it's okay to go beyond the traditional toppings and play with your food. And that's what Dina Guillen in her cookbook Pizza On A Plank. She stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Spanakopita Pizza, which combines frozen spinach, thawed out, along with mozzarella, oregano and feta cheese. Of course, what makes this and Dina's other recipes special, is that all of her pizzas require grilling on a wood plank. That gives this pie a deliciously smokey flavor that can't be beat. And when you use a plank, Dina told Tonia to soak your plank with water before grilling, at least one hour, to 24 hours. She uses different woods to plank with, including maple, alder, cherry woods, but it's your choice. Each wood gives off a different flavor, so try them all!

Pickles on Pizza?!?

 

The great pineapple on a pizza debate isn't going anywhere, but we here at Tonia's Kitchen have a new entry into the pizza topping debate; pickles. Dina Guillen, who wrote the new cookbook Pizza on a Plank says such a pizza exists, and she's very fond of it! In fact, Dina told Tonia this pie might just be her favorite in the whole book. Dina says she discovered the picked pizza in Minnesota at a local pizzeria. That restaurant, called QC Pizza, had an item on their menu called "Kinda A Big Dill." (Get it?!) Dina says she's replicated the recipe with a creamy dill sauce, and it works out just beautifully. 

Walking the Plank...

Ever crave the taste of a wood-fired pizza, but don't have a wood-fired oven, or a wood-fired pizza place nearby? Good news, you can get an almost nearly wood-fired pizza taste simply by using the grill you have at home...if you use a plank to make it!  Dina Guillen, who wrote the new cookbook, Pizza on a Plank, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how to grill a pizza properly. Dina says you roll the dough into a pizza, that place it on the plank for about 5 minutes. Then you place the ingredients on the pizza, and grill for another 5 minutes. The smoke, and the wood from the plank move right onto your pie. And it's delicious!

The Right Way to Cook a Burger

It's a "smashing" way to make a burger, via the "Meathead Method." Meathead himself joined Tonia's Kitchen to talk about the best way to grill up a hamburger, and that is simply enough, to smash it on the

grill! Meathead, who runs the website Amazing Ribs told Tonia he smashes the burger into the grill so hard, it becomes "intimate" with the griddle! But what Meathead says this does is allow a delicious, heat-induced crust, to form on the burger, giving it a great flavor!

• ▢1 pound finely ground chuck steak or short rib meat, at least 20% fat
• ▢Morton Coarse Kosher Salt

Mix-ins

• ▢1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)

Cooking The Burger

• ▢1 tablespoon beef fat, bacon fat, or vegetable oil

The Buns

• ▢4 hamburger buns
• ▢2 tablespoons butter

• ▢4 slices of American cheese
• ▢4 thin slices of sweet onion
• ▢4 leaves of crunchy lettuce
• ▢Meathead's burger glop or Big Mac Sauce

• Prep. Place the meat in a large mixing bowl. If you are grinding the meat yourself, use the smaller holes on your grinder, or grind the meat twice so that the burgers are compact and hold together well.
• Mix in the mix-ins in a bowl using a fork or your hands. Pack the meat into a ball about 2-inches (51 mm) across. A #8 ice cream scoop is 2.75-inches (70 mm) and, when leveled, holds just about four ounces, a perfect quarter pounder. Use a scoop or a kitchen scale or a ruler until you can make the right size balls blindfolded. Then put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes before cooking so the center does not cook as quickly.

• Fire up. Preheat a cast iron griddle or heavy frying pan to about at least 350°F (167°C), as hot as you can get it. We want it well above 300 to 310°F (149 to 154°C), the temp at which Maillard browning happens.
• Cook. Add 1 teaspoon of butter per bun to the griddle. It will foam quickly, so spread it out evenly over the surface, place the buns, cut-side down into the butter, press them down with the spatula and put a dinner plate on top of them so they make good contact with the surface, and cook until the bread turns golden. Yes, the tops will be smushed, but the butter will brown and get a nutty taste, and the edges of the buns should be extra crispy. Then remove the buns and wipe the griddle with a paper towel.

• Melt some beef fat, bacon fat, or pour some vegetable oil on the griddle. You want just a thin coat. Do not use butter. It has too much water in it. When it begins to smoke, add the burger balls, and press down with a solid spatula so there is good contact between the meat and the surface and so the edges are jagged. A slotted spatula will not do the job. You need to smash the burger soon after the patty goes on, and not again until you flip. We don’t want to squeeze out hot juices. After smashing, quickly work the spatula or a spoon along the edges, pressing down so they are ragged, thin, and make good contact with the surface. We’re going for brown edges here. Sprinkle the top side with salt. Leave the lid open and back away. Don’t touch the burgers for about 3 minutes. Maybe 5 minutes, depending on how hot your pan gets. You want them in intimate contact with the surface. Also, you need two spatulas, one to smash the raw meat, and a clean one to flip and serve.
• Now it will take you a couple of tries to know exactly when to flip, so at first you may have to peek. The bottoms should be dark brown. If they are, gently work a clean spatula under the burgers, pressing on the griddle to make sure you don't leave brown bits behind and that they don't break apart. I sharpen my spatula on a grinder to make sure the egdes don't leave brown bits behind. Flip the burgers and press them into into max contact with the surface but not so hard that you squeeze out vital fluids. Leave the juices in the meat. No need to salt if you salted the other side. If you are making a cheeseburger, place the cheese on now and close the lid on the grill. If you are working indoors, place a mixing bowl, pie pan, pot, or disposable aluminum pan over the burgers to speed the melting of the cheese. Check the color of the bottom after 2 minutes. Don't take them off until the surface is right, even if you fear the interior is overcooking. If you got 20 to 30% fat meat and you didn't cook too hot, they'll be juicy.
• Serve. Once they are fully cooked, place each patty on a bun along with onion and lettuce, then dress with Meathead's burger glop before serving.