Have you seen The Great Outdoors? The Ol’ 96′er? If not, I’ve just wasted a really good reference and you won’t get how this post relates to that movie. Thanks a lot. I would highly recommend putting it on the movie list. It’s a great classic comedy.
As you can tell by the photo above, I am not a vegetarian. I have never partaken in such trickery and do not plan to. Strangely enough, as much as I do like meat, I really don’t cook good steaks or roasts that often. I use ground beef and pork a lot, and I’m an avid seafood cook of all sorts. There’s something so incredibly satisfying about a plain ol’ steak. The primal feeling it gives me always reminds me of why I’m not a vegetarian; of why my body neeeeeeds meat. I can feel my blood getting warmer with each bite, my muscles growing. When I brought these home, I got a bit of a sideways look from my girlfriend. Yes, a nearly two pound steak is too much food. But on the other hand, shhhhhhh.
This method of cooking meat is a great way to produce a LOT of flavor with very little mess. It is also the way to go when you don’t have a grill at your disposal (my personal favorite). Searing the steaks first locks in the flavors and juices and gives you a really nice crust on the steak that will provide essential texture and taste.
Sear-Roasted Rib Steak
2 1.5 lb bone-in rib steaks
Unsalted butter
Grey sea salt (or regular if that’s what you got)
Fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp oil
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a heavy-bottom ovenproof saute pan (I use a cast iron pan), heat the oil over high heat until very hot. Season the steaks with a little salt and pepper. Add the steaks to the pan and brown them well on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn the steaks and put the pan in to the oven to finish cooking, about another 5 minutes. This, of course, will depend on a variety of factors: how well you like your steak cooked, how thick they are, etc. If you’re new to cooking, use a meat thermometer. Otherwise, the best way to tell is just by touch. Feel the steaks and keep in mind that they will cook a bit more once they’re out of the oven.
Once done, LET THE STEAKS REST for 5 minutes. There are some rules that cannot be broken in cooking. This is one of them. It is essential to the quality of the meat (any meat) that it rests once it has finished cooking. Don’t cut in to it to test for done-ness. Resist slicing in to the meat as soon as it’s cooked. Letting the steak rest will allow the juices to re-absorb in to the meat and the protein to relax. I promise the meat will be exponentially better. I will repost this paragraph every time I talk about meat.
Chimichurri can be a sauce, a marinade or a rub. It’s an Argentinian concoction that, by some accounts, was named for an Irishman called Jimmy McCurry who first prepared it. Jimmy McCurry, being difficult for native Argentinians to pronounce, became Chimichurri. To be perfectly honest, I would much rather have my steak with Jimmy McCurry sauce. If it’s possible to make 28 oz steak more manly, it would most certainly be by adding Jimmy McCurry sauce. Whatever you want to call it, it’s an herb, citrus & oil mixture that is open to much interpretation. Classically, it is parsley, lemon, chili, garlic and oil. I’ve added in a few other herbs here and once in a while I’ll use some grated orange rind.
Chimichurri Sauce
parsley (1 bunch)
oregano (3 sprigs)
cilantro (handful)
4 garlic cloves
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 serrano chile
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
Put all ingredients, except the oil in a blender/food processor and slowly add the olive oil until combined. I like mine to have a bit of texture rather than being a paste, so I just pulse it a few times in the food processor until the oil is combined.
You can really make this any time you want as it will (probably) keep in the fridge for a while. I’ve never tested the lifespan of Chimichurri since I typically use it all in a few days, but it should last a few weeks. Marinate chicken, fish, beef, pork, even veggies in this before you cook them. Or, just use as a sauce like I did here. I bet this would even be delicious with French (excuse me…Freedom) fries.
I served this with some nice roasted fingerling potatoes and Cippolini onions with herbs.
Fingerling Potatoes
15 fingerling potatoes (1/2 pound)
4 sprigs of thyme
2 big springs of rosemary
5 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
Mix all in a bowl to coat the potatoes and onions. Spread the potatoes and onions out on a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.
Enjoy the meat sweats!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
delish…and you should definitely make it over to Argentina if you haven’t already…I’ve never had better, tastier, more tender meat anywhere in the world…some cuts are carved with a spoon…and every steakhouse (parrilla) has its own version of chimichurri – try them all!