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Cooking Techniques that will make you look good

Ice Chest Steak

Cooking a steak in an ice chest might sound crazy, but it might just be the best steak you have ever eaten, not to mention being very cool.

Never has there been two words that say manly like “ice chest” and “steak”. And never has there been a word more sissy than “sous-vide”. But follow these instructions and your’ll cook delicious, foolproof steaks that will rival the best steakhouse at a fraction of the cost (and you’ll equally impress your very manly friends)

Problem 1: Meat cooks from the outside in. Put a 40 degree piece of meat on a 500 degree grill or cast iron pan and the outer layers will be dry and overcooked before the middle is anywhere near done. But what if you sealed the steak in a vacuum tight bag and cooked it in a constant 130 degree water bath. Though it will take a lot longer for the steak to cook, when the middle reaches a perfect 130 degrees, so will the outside. Cooking longer also tenderizes tough pieces of meat.

Problem 2: It is very difficult when cooking steaks for a larger crowd to get all of them ready at the same time, especially when some like their meat rare and others like it well done (by the way, both of them are nuts, but more on that later). When food is cooked in a water bath, it can often stay there for hours without overcooking or drying out and will be ready to serve when you are ready to eat (well, almost).

Problem 3: Most of the flavor of a good steak (or hamburger) comes from the dark brown color and crunchy surface of the meat after cooking. This is due to the Maillard Reaction (when sugar and proteins are heated) and caramelization (when sugar is heated). The same reactions give bread its dark crust and toast a golden color. You’ll often hear, “I like my steak with good grill marks.” While it is true that the Maillard Reaction and caramelization are responsible for grill marks, sometimes the grill marks are too done (burnt) and the meat in between the marks is not near as good as it could be. What you want is for the entire surface to turn golden brown without overcooking any part of it (inside or out).

Solution: Sous-vide is a French word that means “under vacuum”. Chef’s around the world use this cooking method where food is placed in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath. After the food is cooked to the desired temperature throughout, it can be removed from the bag and seared to create the perfect dark brown crust.

  1. Season steaks (at least 1″ thick ) with your favorite rub and place in a single layer in a water proof bag.
  2. Fill an ice chest with at least two gallons of near boiling water. Make sure that the ice chest has a lid that seals well.
  3. If you have a vacuum food sealer, use it to seal the steaks. If you don;t have a vacuum food sealer, place the steaks in a single layer in a zipper lock freezer bag. Seal all but an inch of the bag. Please the bag in the water until only the unsealed edge is exposed. The pressure of the water will force out the remaining air from the bag and you can get a near vacuum seal.
  4. Drop the sealed bags into the ice chest and close the lid. You can put some towels over the top to help retain the heat. The cold meat will reduce the temperature of the water fairly quickly. Use a good instant read thermometer to check the water temperature every 30 minutes and add hot water as needed to keep the desired temperature (this won’t be necessary if you are using a Yeti or other heavily insulated ice chest)
  5. Remove the steaks from the ice chest and sear them on a very hot grill, cast iron pan, or blow torch.
  6. Accept the praises of your guests for a perfectly cooked steak.

Recipe

Credits: The Food Lab; Meathhead

What’s In Your Rub

Just a little dust adds magic to your meat

Every cook should have a signature rub to add deliciousness to everything he or she eats. When cooking meat, rubs also aid in the formation of a tasty, crusty bark and help attract and adhere smoke. A word of caution though; use rubs judiciously, you want to enhance the flavor of food, not mask it.

Rule 1: Use the freshest dried spices possible. As dried spices age, the volatile oils in them oxidize and lose their potency. Most dried spices should be replaced once a year. Keep rubs in airtight containers to keep out as much oxygen as possible and store them in a dry, dark place.

Rule 2: Basic Ingredients: Humans experience five basic tastes: salty, sweet (sugar), sour (lemons), savory-umami (soy sauce, MSG), and bitter (coffee). While peppers are not a type of taste, they are essential to any good rub. All of these flavors can enhance the flavor of the foods we eat. Here is a list of typical rub spices:


  • Salt – unlike other spices whose large molecules sit on the surface, salt penetrates deep into the center of meat. Therefore, the amount of salt required is directly related to the weight of the meat. In addition, cured meats and some poultry and pork have already been injected with salt during processing in order to retain water. So leave salt out of your rub and apply it separately. Seasoning salt is just salt with many of the spices listed below. Only use it if you are too lazy to add your own spices.
  • Peppercorns from the piper nigrum plant – Make sure and use a courser grade of ground peppercorns in your rub. Here are several types of black peppercorn commonly available: malabar has a pungent aroma and robust flavor, tellicherry has less heat but is more fragrant, lampong are hotter with an earthy and smoky aroma, vietnamese have a lemony/citrus aroma, penja black is hotter with a rich and pungent aroma and hint of Cumin. Colored peppercorns (green, white and pink) are also from the piper nigrum plant from various stages of the black peppercorn process and have different levels of heat and aroma. They also look real fancy in a clear spice grinder.
  • Sugar
  • Chili Pepper
  • Onion Powder
  • Garlic Powder
  • Dry Mustard
  • Cinnamon
  • Paprika for color
  • Turmeric for color
  • Oregano
  • Coffee

Finally: Rubs taste very different after meat is cooked, so try out different recipes with different meats until you find what you like. Then brag about how great your rub is, guard your secret recipe like David Copperfield protects his magic tricks, give it a catchy name, and give it as a special treasure to your friends.