August 14, 2001
Filler Post.
Tuesday, August 14, 2001
The Word for today is: Harridan. As in, "My first grade teacher Mrs. Francisco was an evil harridan."
A friend of mine has a little girl who's starting first grade today. I hope her teacher isn't a Mrs. Francisco.
The Music for today is: Requiem by Johannes Brahms. My church choir is going to be performing this piece at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center here in Dallas in October. I've got to say, I'm pretty stoked about that. So here I am, singing along to my computer, in the wrong language. But that's OK...because the music is amazing.
Posted by Lee at 12:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 13, 2001
Cookin' at South Fork
Monday, August 13, 2001
What an evening. I just helped a co-worker teach a cooking class at Southfork Ranch. Yes, THAT Southfork Ranch. *insert theme music to Dallas here* It was pretty cool. I was responsible for grilling the veggies, the steaks and the pork kebabs. I was cooking on charcoal, which frankly is not my preferred method, and I was running two grills simultaneously. That's tricky. I was also cooking vegetables, which is not my forte. So, I threw the veggies on the grill, turned around twice, and they were already, ah, piquant on the bottom. (That means they were a bit on the crispy side).
Oops.
I tried a bit of the green pepper, and it was actually pretty good. The potatoes, however, were still a bit on the rigid side. So I threw everything onto my already overcrowded, slightly cooler grill, and proceeded to start the steaks. Well, this must have been some kind of nuclear Jedi bad-ass charcoal, because those steaks (some LOVELY 3/4" thick USDA Prime sirloins) were done RIGHT NOW. Overdone for my taste, as a matter of fact. So, I was a bit annoyed with myself. I sliced the steak, and subjected it to my rigorous quality assurance testing, and proclaimed it fit for human consumption. I served it to the people in the class, and they kept asking for more. Guess it wasn't too done for them.
As I was grilling the pork kebabs (I had my timing right by now, and the charcoal had settled down a bit), I had a moment of clarity. As I was standing there, outside Miss Ellie's Deli, presiding over two grills worth of very good food, watching the sunset, I was taken by a profound sense of place. I was totally in touch with my environment for just a few moments. It was a really amazing experience! I just stood there, tongs in hand, smelling the food and listening to the wind (such as it was) through the trees, and enjoyed the sunset.
Ahhhh...serenity.
Then I had to get back to work. Turning 20 kebabs so they won't burn takes some doing, particularly if you don't want your own flesh toasted at the same time. The kebabs turned out perfectly, and all the grillin' was done. So I went inside and helped serve food, grinning like a fool because I was having such a good time. A very very very enjoyable evening.
And, since you asked, here's a great recipe for steak.
Cowboy Grilled Sirloin
(Everybody say YEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAH!)
Start with the rub. Here's a recipe for JoAnn's Beef and Brisket Seasoning.
- 4 Tbsp Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
3 Tbsp "William's" Brand Chili Seasoning
3 Tbsp "Lawry's" Brand Garlic Salt
2 Tbsp Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
1 Tbsp Dried Thyme
Combine all ingredients well, breaking up any chunks. Store in an airtight container, and shake vigorously before use.
As for the steak, do yourself a favor and find a good meat market. Buy a nice piece of USDA Prime grade sirloin. It's not terribly expensive, and it's worth every penny. (The shop I work in charges $7.99/lb)
- 1. Brush the steak with olive oil on both sides.
2. Sear the steak for about a minute on each side, on a hot grill. (Hot means that you can hold your hand five or six inches above the coals for a five-count without snatching your hand away.)
3. Pull the steaks off the grill onto a platter. (DO NOT use the same platter you used to bring the raw steaks to the grill! Food poisoning BAD!)
4. Season the steaks with the rub. Don't go crazy, just sprinkle the stuff on both sides of the steak.
5. Grill to desired doneness. (Guesstimate 4-5 minutes per side, but keep an eye on it. Have somebody teach you the touch test for steak doneness...otherwise, carefully cut into the more-done side of the steak to check the interior)
Hey, if you like Stick Figure Death Theatre, you'll love Genryu's Blade.
Posted by Lee at 12:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack