When I grill a steak, I don't do those itty bitty girlie steaks. You know the kind- so small, you have to move the potato and roll to find it.
I am NOT suggesting you eat a steak the size of your head, although I have seen times I could have!
But if you get a large steak and cook it correctly, you can serve two to four people and each can have a steak cooked to their liking.
I like to get my steaks where they actually have a Butcher... have them recommend a good cut and tell them how thick you want it, etc. Those pre-packaged steaks at some stores have been travelling in a truck, post packaging, for a week, and the taste is truly different from those delivered locally. I never freeze a steak, unless I buy a side of beef. They need more seasoning when they have been frozen, in my opinion.
So, how do you know whether a steak is done to your liking, without piercing it with a thermometer, and losing those wonderful juices? Well, use your hands...
if you press your thumb against the steak and it feels similar to the padding on your thumb when you lightly close your fist (not clenched), it's rare...open only your thumb only, and press it, you have medium..open all the way, and that is what a well done steak feels like... without being as dry as shoe leather...easy, huh?
Now, for seasoning...
Salt toughens meat, so use it LAST... just before serving, but AFTER cooking... it also dries out the juices, so you wont lose them if you do this..
I know, some of you are anti MSG, so if you are, don't use this, but I love it... Tiger Seasoning, formerly known as Praise Allah, is similar to Accent, but with a little different flavor, and when you use 1 part Tiger to 2 parts Garlic Powder and 1/2 as much Black pepper as Tiger, you get a really simple seasoning that tastes heavenly on a steak, chop or burger...
I dress my steaks on occasion with Unsalted Real Butter, heated with some Minced Garlic. Pour this over your steak, just a touch of it, just before serving, and be amazed at how that plain steak suddenly doesn't need sauce...
There are some excellent rubs pre-mixed out there, and one Gary and I have fallen in love with is Webber Steak and Chop Seasoning... cook the meat to your liking and pour it on just as you turn it the last time... yummy1
Fresh herbs are a pretty and easy way to make Chicken on the Grill become something you look forward to, rather than something you settle for..
Garlic and Rosemary pair well and are equally tasty on Chicken and Pork, particularly on a Pork Loin or Tenderloin.
There is a sauce I buy on occasion to marinade pork chops and chicken, and it is truly unique...everyone who watched the Brady Bunch remembers Peter asking Alice about dinner and doing his best spy impersonation as he reported they were having "pork chops and applesauce" ... well, this sauce is made of spices and applesauce and I get it at a Grilling Store in Sevierville in Magnolia something Shopping Center, on the right, just past Popeye's on 441... you can get it at Simonton's Cheese House in Crossville, Tn. It is called Tennessee Gourmet Apple & Spice Sneaky Hot. This sauce is available online, as well, and sometimes the Gourmet's Market on Kingston Pike or the Cook's Department at Smokey Mtn. Knife Works carries it...
There are degrees of heat available in the sauce, and you add things to it to make the marinade I use... the recipe is right there on the bottle... it is really good, and sweet at first, then you get a bite at the finish... we really love this sauce.
These are some simple but proven ways to add flavor to everyday dishes... with today's quick heating infrared grills, gas cookers, etc, you can grill out on weeknights... try some of these tips and if you come up with something new, post it on here and help make the blog more interesting for all of us!
Ideas and recipes,techniques, etc. that have worked for me in my 35 year journey as a cook, wife, mom and Grammy!
I began cooking when I was about 11 or 12 years old, and it was almost therapuetic, even then. After I got married, in 1982, I began really trying to come up with recipes and menus of my own.
I catered a few parties here and there, but I have no artistic abilities, so cake decorating wasn't my thing, and that limited my opportunities.
I do make a lovely display of food, and can, given time and space, make a lovely buffet or tablescape, but my food is what I focus on. After all, the beautiful cakes, etc. only look that way until they are cut... it is then that the true test of the cook begins. I'm not saying my food is ugly, because it isn't. You eat with your eyes first, so it has to be visually appealing.
I cook some really fancy things, and I will include those recipes here and there. But everyday food is where the majority of cooks need help. It is the newly married couple, or the beginning cook I want to reach; those struggling to come up with tasty dishes for the average Sunday meal or a dish they can make over the weekend and re heat or restyle during the week, to broaden their menu on a smaller budget.
I love to smoke foods, grill a steak, etc. But I am a southern "if it ain't fried, it ain't supper" kind of gal. Most of my dishes aren't typically low fat nor are they figure friendly. They are comfort food... pure and simple.
One of the hardest things I learned to make was a good mashed potato dish... sounds simple, but there are so many potatoes out there, and some are great for roasting, but few lend themselves to that creamy texture we love when sitting down to a true "Sunday supper at Grandma's" taste.
So it is the everyday cook who should most enjoy my dishes. I certainly don't advocate fried food everyday, but I truly enjoy my share of country fried steak and gravy, fried chicken, pot roast, pork shoulder, etc. I love to eat, I love to cook for others and my motto is "Never trust a skinny cook; if they don't eat their own food, why should I?'"
There are plenty of folks out there who can show you how to make a standing rib roast, and I may publish my own version, but I want you to be able to take that unexpected afternoon off or that lazy Saturday and turn it into something that takes you back to your childhood, or makes you think of your Grandma or Great Grandma when you eat it.
Please let me know how these recipes work for you and your family. Tell me and the followers if you put your own spin on a dish. I'd love to know if the tips, recipes, etc are helpful....comment on individual recipes or post as you like. I love to hear how someone has made a dish their very own.
The photos of recipes you will see here are pics of the actual dishes I have made and served my family... if you look closely, you may see a dirty dish or two, or a hand in the photos... I think you should only publish a recipe you have tried and tested on your own family. ENJOY!
I catered a few parties here and there, but I have no artistic abilities, so cake decorating wasn't my thing, and that limited my opportunities.
I do make a lovely display of food, and can, given time and space, make a lovely buffet or tablescape, but my food is what I focus on. After all, the beautiful cakes, etc. only look that way until they are cut... it is then that the true test of the cook begins. I'm not saying my food is ugly, because it isn't. You eat with your eyes first, so it has to be visually appealing.
I cook some really fancy things, and I will include those recipes here and there. But everyday food is where the majority of cooks need help. It is the newly married couple, or the beginning cook I want to reach; those struggling to come up with tasty dishes for the average Sunday meal or a dish they can make over the weekend and re heat or restyle during the week, to broaden their menu on a smaller budget.
I love to smoke foods, grill a steak, etc. But I am a southern "if it ain't fried, it ain't supper" kind of gal. Most of my dishes aren't typically low fat nor are they figure friendly. They are comfort food... pure and simple.
One of the hardest things I learned to make was a good mashed potato dish... sounds simple, but there are so many potatoes out there, and some are great for roasting, but few lend themselves to that creamy texture we love when sitting down to a true "Sunday supper at Grandma's" taste.
So it is the everyday cook who should most enjoy my dishes. I certainly don't advocate fried food everyday, but I truly enjoy my share of country fried steak and gravy, fried chicken, pot roast, pork shoulder, etc. I love to eat, I love to cook for others and my motto is "Never trust a skinny cook; if they don't eat their own food, why should I?'"
There are plenty of folks out there who can show you how to make a standing rib roast, and I may publish my own version, but I want you to be able to take that unexpected afternoon off or that lazy Saturday and turn it into something that takes you back to your childhood, or makes you think of your Grandma or Great Grandma when you eat it.
Please let me know how these recipes work for you and your family. Tell me and the followers if you put your own spin on a dish. I'd love to know if the tips, recipes, etc are helpful....comment on individual recipes or post as you like. I love to hear how someone has made a dish their very own.
The photos of recipes you will see here are pics of the actual dishes I have made and served my family... if you look closely, you may see a dirty dish or two, or a hand in the photos... I think you should only publish a recipe you have tried and tested on your own family. ENJOY!
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