What to do with left over steak....

When I make steak I make ALOT!! One thing people ask me when I cook so much steak is how long I will be eating leftovers, well only maybe a day or two.....

When I get steaks from Sam's Club I usually over buy for a reason. Once we have the steaks and they are away in the fridge, I am planning the meal for them, well not planning just letting the wife know we will be having Fajitas or Quesadillas.

The steaks from Sams are quite thick about a inch and a half. So when I cut them up for these recipes I usually cut them thin then cut those pieces in half or thirds depending on the thickness of the steak.

Now mind you when I get the steak I get the 4 Top Sirloin's per package. If you have been to Sams you know which ones I am talking about.

Once all the steak is cut up I then take my steak spice I created and sprinkle it over the cut steak and mix it in. Then in the pan I put about 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Once the steak is seasoned and not cold anymore.

This is where you let the meat come to room temp. I know it has been cooked before now, BUT if the cooked meat is cooked cold it will be much tougher than you think. My steaks are usually medium to medium rare so when I cut them up and season them it is usually long enough for them to warm up properly.

Now depending on how much steak you have left over and how big is your biggest pan I slice up the Peppers, and the Onions. Usually I have 2 green 2 red and 2 yellow or orange. Just to give it color.

Once the steak is in the pan turn it on to high and let the meat finish cooking till there is no more pink mixing it making sure it doesnt burn.

Once the meat is done I do it a little differently than what the package of Fajita mix calls for. They say remove the meat and then add the veggies and once the veggies are done re-add the meat. I just leave the meat in and add the veggies.

Turn down the heat to medium-high and stir in the veggies until they are well mixed and then close the lid. Keep a eye on it and stir it every few minutes so as not to burn the veggies and steak. After say 5 minutes add the spices from the Fajita seasoning and about a half a cup of water. Stir it all in well making sure to turn it all over at least once then cover, letting the top sit a little off to let the steam out.

Every couple of minutes stir it to ensure you have brought everything from the bottom to the top and the top to the bottom and close it. Do this until basically you see what you see in the picture above.

Cooking time will vary depending on how much meat and veggies you have. Me, well mine takes about 15 to 20 minutes once I add the spices. Might take less when there is not as much in the pan so keep a eye on it judge it, I trust ya....

Once it is done get the fixins out and eat and enjoy!!

Grilling vs BBQ

Well as suggested by one of the readers I think it is time to address the issue between these two types of cooking outdoors...

I guess the best way to describe this is to break it down into two categories since there really only are two, well some would consider there are more, but we will keep it to these two for now.

Grilling - Grilling has been done since the time man threw a piece of meat on the grill and cooked it to the desired doneness he wanted. All that this entails is putting meat over hot coals or gas, depending on what your grill is, and cooking it the way you like it. This is best done with meats that are tender already like steaks and chicken. Cook these to long and they will be hard and dry like a hockey puck. Also other grilling fare that everyone knows are Beef Patties, Hot Dogs, Brats, skewers, seafood, etc.

BBQ - This is the low and slow method of cooking meats that can stand more of the low and slow method of cooking. Where Grilling is cooking meat for maybe up to 45 minutes ( say beer can chicken ) BBQ is cooking the meat for at LEAST 2 to 4 hours up to 24 hours! Allowing the more hardier meats time to tenderize and gather the flavors bestowed upon them by their creators (the Pit Master) to ensure a great experience when it comes time to eat.

So lets break it down to what we know-

Grilling - Reserved for Steaks, Beef (or any other meat) Patties, Hot Dogs, Chicken, Brats, Skewers, Fish, Vegetables, etc..

BBQ - This is for the more hardier meats that need a little more time to cook and baste in their own juices to become more tender such as, Beef Brisket, Ribs, Tri-Tip, Pulled Pork, etc. With these meats the longer the time to cook at the right temp's means more tender meat and more intense flavors.

Now you can use wood to smoke in both cases to give flavor to your meats. It is more common to have it in the BBQ arena, but you can have a smoker when grilling like a small smoke box and wood chips of your choice to add some extra outdoorsy type of tastes to your grilling mastery.One of the more common ones is Hickory for smoking or Applewood or Cherry. My favorite is Jack Daniels chips made out of the old whisky barrels. Here is a great site for finding things just like that:

Northwoods Smoke

For those of you who would love to see what the whole BBQ scene is about. Here is a site dedicated to competitions, Sauces, Festivals, and yes even hot sauce festivals:BBQ Festivals

Well hope that this helps in knowing the difference between the two.

Yes we all say (even me) 'Hey come on over well have a family barbecue', when all we are cooking is steaks, veggies, chicken, hot dogs, etc....

Now if you can think of a new way to say 'Hey come on over, we are going to have a family Grill!' let me know, barbecue is what the masses are familiar with and it seems ok to me to say that when having a large gathering of people for some great steaks and whatever...

Tips for Grilling Great Steaks - Part 2

Here are some helpful things to remember when using a tenderizing marinade:

A tenderizing marinade contains a food acid or a tenderizing enzyme.
Acidic ingredients are lemon and or lime juice, vinegar, Italian Dressing, salsa,yogurt and wine
Tenderizing enzymes are present in fresh ginger, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and figs

Tenderizing marinades penetrate down about a 1/4 inch into the meat.For these cuts of meat the marinade process is longer. Anywhere from 6 hours minimum to no longer than 24 hours.

After that then the meat may start to become mushy and remember we want steak not mush. There are tons of marinades out there on the shelves or you can make them yourself.

Check out online as well, you will be amazed at what you find.

Always marinade your meat in either a Non-Conductive glass or stainless steel bowl or in a good Zip-Lock baggie that is then stored in a bowl in the refrigerator.

Before cooking the meat you need to allow it to warm up. SPECIAL NOTE: This is where most people will tell you no you cannot take it out and let it get to room temperature, it will get bacteria and hurt you. Well that is true if you do not clean your counters, but if you keep your area clean (kitchen work area that is) and work with the food with either gloves on or washing your hands frequently you should keep that from happening.

The reason for getting the meat to room temperature is, well have you ever had a good steak but the middle is a little tough? Well that is because it was not warmed up before throwing it on the grill. If there is a cold spot in the middle of your steak let it sit a little longer. I usually have mine in a baggie on the granite counter top that helps extract the cold out of the meat. ( yes it really does help get it where it needs to be on temperature). The baggie helps keep it safe while it warms up.

Now I KNOW there are people that will argue with that till they are blue in the face, but I will let you test it out if you want. All I can say is, if you allow the meat to warm to room temperature (65-70 degrees not above that) and when you are ready to grill, if you touch the center of the steak ( with gloves on or washed hands ) and it feels not cold cold but like about the temp of the room, your steak will be very juicy and not tough in the center.

With the grill ready you will want to have one side of the grill on a medium high to high heat and the other side either on low or off. Gas grillers one side on and one side off, Charcoal grillers coals on one side none on the other. This is Direct and Indirect Grilling. Use a old CLEAN rag and put some EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) on it and coat the grates on the grill. This will help keep the meat from sticking.

Then place the meat over the hot side for 45 seconds. Lift rotate 90 degrees and another 45 seconds. Repeat this on the other side. This will give you those great grill marks.Once that is done then place the meat on the other side and let it cook with indirect grilling turning only once or twice.

There are two ways you can check to see if it is done. The first way is to do the finger test. If your fingertip presses into the meat too much then it is not time. If you press it in and it feels spongy and has some bounce you may be done. You can use a thermometer, but remember any holes on the meat will let the juices leak out and give you a dry steak. Here is a site that describes it a little more for you:

http://www.bbqreport.com/archives/barbecue/2005/07/24/how-to-tell-when-a-steak-is-done

Once the meat is then cooked you will want to place it all on a plate and then cover with foil tightly and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak and not leak out and give you dry steak as you cut into it. Also the steak will cook about 5 degrees more than when you took it off, so remember that when you use a thermometer checking the temp.

Here is a good spot to look at the times and temp when cooking:Cooking Times

Well this is a sampling of how to grill a great steak. I may add something later on. My brain is currently shutting down for the weekend.

OH, one last thing. NEVER, and I mean NEVER (my personal opinion) use any instrument other than a thermometer to poke the meat. Get a good set of long handled tongs. Any holes in the meat will defeat the purpose of a good juicy nicely done steak.

Tips for Grilling Great Steaks - Part 1

Here are some tips for great Steaks.

Follow these simple steps and always remember to use them and you will have great meal every time.

1. Always purchase meat that has good marbling. and little fat around the outside, if it does you can always trim it later when preparing it.

2. If you freeze it make sure to use a Food Saver or something along the lines that sucks the air out of the bag to ensure keeping the freezer burn away. Bags of meat in the Freezer can last about a year, in the fridge usually about 4 to 5 days past the sell by date.

3. For good cuts of steak (New York, Ribeye, Top Sirloin) you may want to add flavor with a Seasoning marinade. The longest to marinate these steaks is 2 hours. Thickness on these steaks here are around 1" to 1 1/2 inches thick. So the two hour mark is a good cut off time. Thinner steaks less time. You want a tender and juicy steak not mush that tastes like steak, you still want the texture of the meat.

4. Other cuts of meat ( chuck, round, flank, skirt) You will want to use what is known as a tenderizing marinade. This is because those cuts of meat are tougher and need a little tender care to help soften them up.