Thanks.
Any of my fellow 'Mericans make something nice or different for Memorial Day ?
I did "Plank Salmon" for a few people, which was a first for me. I stumbled across a book that specialized in it a few days back, and I'd always wanted to try it, so I cast caution to the wind and gave it a whirl.
It basically involves smoke-roasting a marinated salmon fillet on an untreated pre-soaked plank of aromatic wood (in this case, a 7"x15"x1/4" piece cedar). I soaked the pank overnight in water, oiled the cooking side, pre-heated face down in my gas grill for 5 mins at 400F (I didn't feel like firing up my smoker for only 4-6 servings) until it began to smoke lightly, then turned it face up, added the salmon fillet, and closed the lid with all 4 burners on low. I roasted it for about 20 mins until the salmon hit 150F in the thickest part of the fillet (during which the plank slowly smoked & charred, and I occasionally had to lift the lid and extinguish the corners with a spray bottle of water), then lifted the whole thing out to a metal sheet pan, and then transferred the salmon to a serving platter.
Came out nice.
Next time I'll do 2 fillets at once, on longer & thicker planks (the one I had handy was a bit too thin and narrow), and I'll supplement the smoke with foil pouches of chips.
I'll enter the book that inspired me to try it into the database, and post a review.
MEAT: Favorite Butchering, Grilling & Smoking Techniques
Moderator: Darb
Here's the book.
It was sitting on the wall in a grilling supplies store, and I grabbed it on a whim. The authors appear to have several other books on the same subject - I'll enter some of those eventually.
It was sitting on the wall in a grilling supplies store, and I grabbed it on a whim. The authors appear to have several other books on the same subject - I'll enter some of those eventually.
-
laurie
- Spelling Mistress
- Posts: 8164
- Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:52 am
- Location: The part of New York where "flurries" means 2 feet of snow to shovel
Brad: What did you use to marinate the salmon? I love salmon, but most times I don't marinate it at all because I haven't found a marinade I really like.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
I know what you mean.
I didn't use any of the recipes in the book I linked above, because first of all it only has about 3-4 salmon recipes, and none of them appealed to me ... one appeared too strongly spiced, and another called for flavored butter, which I had little doubt would make a mess of my freshly cleaned grill - not to mention cause nasty flareups (it looked nice in the food photos, when raw, but it's actually kinda stupid. I'll be sure to mention that in my forthcoming review).
Lemme see if I can remember what I did ... I think I went with a oriental orange-sesame-ginger flavor, and rounded it out with a few extra little tweaks. It was a spur of the moment kinda thing - a little of this, a little of that ...
2 lb Salmon fillet, from the head end, skin-on, pin bones removed.
1.5 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tbs teriyaki sauce (I ran out of tamari, so I used teriyaki, even though it's not the best flavor match)
1 oz orange juice <--- or 1/2 oz lemon juice
1 oz bourbon (just for the hell of it - bourbon goes ok with orange)
1 tsp Freshly Grated Ginger Root
Zest of 1/2 Orange (microplaned) <-- lemon should work too
Dark Sesame Oil
Directions:
* Clean and trim fillet to fit plank, with at least 1" of room on all sides.
* Mix all marinade ingredients (except the oil) in a small bowl and whisk until mixed. Place salmon in a tupperware or plastic bag, add marinade, and refrigerate 2-4 hrs (I was running behind schedule and only had 1 hour, which wasn't quite enough for good flavor penetration).
* Drain fillet, but do not rinse. Brush generously w/sesame oil and let rest at room temperature for 30 mins to shed some of it's cold before roasting it.
* Continue as directed in the post earlier.
In any case, there's LOTS of room to play around with different flavors in a recipe like this. You could go for, say, a honey-lime-tequila flavor, with only a few minor changes. As I've mentioned elsewhere, it's all variations on a theme, once your learn the basic technique.
[Obiwan Kenobi]
Let go ... use the culinary force ...
I didn't use any of the recipes in the book I linked above, because first of all it only has about 3-4 salmon recipes, and none of them appealed to me ... one appeared too strongly spiced, and another called for flavored butter, which I had little doubt would make a mess of my freshly cleaned grill - not to mention cause nasty flareups (it looked nice in the food photos, when raw, but it's actually kinda stupid. I'll be sure to mention that in my forthcoming review).
Lemme see if I can remember what I did ... I think I went with a oriental orange-sesame-ginger flavor, and rounded it out with a few extra little tweaks. It was a spur of the moment kinda thing - a little of this, a little of that ...
2 lb Salmon fillet, from the head end, skin-on, pin bones removed.
1.5 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tbs teriyaki sauce (I ran out of tamari, so I used teriyaki, even though it's not the best flavor match)
1 oz orange juice <--- or 1/2 oz lemon juice
1 oz bourbon (just for the hell of it - bourbon goes ok with orange)
1 tsp Freshly Grated Ginger Root
Zest of 1/2 Orange (microplaned) <-- lemon should work too
Dark Sesame Oil
Directions:
* Clean and trim fillet to fit plank, with at least 1" of room on all sides.
* Mix all marinade ingredients (except the oil) in a small bowl and whisk until mixed. Place salmon in a tupperware or plastic bag, add marinade, and refrigerate 2-4 hrs (I was running behind schedule and only had 1 hour, which wasn't quite enough for good flavor penetration).
* Drain fillet, but do not rinse. Brush generously w/sesame oil and let rest at room temperature for 30 mins to shed some of it's cold before roasting it.
* Continue as directed in the post earlier.
In any case, there's LOTS of room to play around with different flavors in a recipe like this. You could go for, say, a honey-lime-tequila flavor, with only a few minor changes. As I've mentioned elsewhere, it's all variations on a theme, once your learn the basic technique.
[Obiwan Kenobi]
Let go ... use the culinary force ...
Last edited by Darb on Tue May 31, 2005 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I forgot to mention something important about that plank salmon recipe ...
Don't even *THINK* of trying it on an underpowered gas grill ... not unless you're confident it can maintain a stable 400-450F without struggling, and for heaven's sake leave the lid down - otherwise there's no smoke. It takes a little trial and error, with an oven thermometer handy (if the factory one on your grill is inaccurate) to figure out what knob settings are required.
I've got it relatively easy because I've got 64,000 BTUs to play with, and lots of cast iron for rapid heat recovery, so maintaining a stable 400-425F on a cool spring day is a cynch ... I just put the outermost 2 burners on near-max if I want indirect high heat, or all 4 on low, if I want direct even high heat. And if I lift the lid (to extinguish flames or test for doneness) it only takes about 20 seconds on high (with the lid closed) to replace the heat I lost.
So, bottom line - dont try the recipe on a gas grill unless your grill is able to incinerate a small wooden cutting board at your normal grilling height, because that's effectively what you're doing in the recipe. If in doubt, use a charcoal grill instead, and use the air vents to control the heat.
Don't even *THINK* of trying it on an underpowered gas grill ... not unless you're confident it can maintain a stable 400-450F without struggling, and for heaven's sake leave the lid down - otherwise there's no smoke. It takes a little trial and error, with an oven thermometer handy (if the factory one on your grill is inaccurate) to figure out what knob settings are required.
I've got it relatively easy because I've got 64,000 BTUs to play with, and lots of cast iron for rapid heat recovery, so maintaining a stable 400-425F on a cool spring day is a cynch ... I just put the outermost 2 burners on near-max if I want indirect high heat, or all 4 on low, if I want direct even high heat. And if I lift the lid (to extinguish flames or test for doneness) it only takes about 20 seconds on high (with the lid closed) to replace the heat I lost.
So, bottom line - dont try the recipe on a gas grill unless your grill is able to incinerate a small wooden cutting board at your normal grilling height, because that's effectively what you're doing in the recipe. If in doubt, use a charcoal grill instead, and use the air vents to control the heat.
Dag nam it, I had a whole longish post on salmon buying tips 80% written, and then the power blinked over here. 
Bottom line - for the best flavor, richness and juiciness, look for fillets cut from larger fish, rather than smaller ones. You want fillets with lots of 'marbled' fat lines that define the grain. Fillets with no visible lines are usually from smaller fish and tend to cook up dryish and with less flavor. That's only about 1/5 of what I'd written earlier, but it'll do.
Also, if you're going to cook them indoors, the best way to protect their juciness is to butterfly them horizonally into 1/2" thick cutlets, and saute them fast over high heat ... or leave it whole and braise it in a foil pouch in the oven.
If you dont want to mess with marinades, here's something simple you can do ... remove the skin, butterfly into cutlets, pre-heat a nonstick pan with peanut oil until hot, sprinkle the cutlets generously with toasted sesame seeds and a little salt, and then flash-saute until GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious) and just opaque in the center, and par-cool on paper towels ... no flour needed. Then just serve crumbled over hot pasta, or crumbled into salad. Once cooked, the fillets will keep in the fridge for several days. If you're not going to eat them right away after cooking, chill them immediately in the fridge so that the juices gel and keep the fish moist for re-heating.
Bottom line - for the best flavor, richness and juiciness, look for fillets cut from larger fish, rather than smaller ones. You want fillets with lots of 'marbled' fat lines that define the grain. Fillets with no visible lines are usually from smaller fish and tend to cook up dryish and with less flavor. That's only about 1/5 of what I'd written earlier, but it'll do.
Also, if you're going to cook them indoors, the best way to protect their juciness is to butterfly them horizonally into 1/2" thick cutlets, and saute them fast over high heat ... or leave it whole and braise it in a foil pouch in the oven.
If you dont want to mess with marinades, here's something simple you can do ... remove the skin, butterfly into cutlets, pre-heat a nonstick pan with peanut oil until hot, sprinkle the cutlets generously with toasted sesame seeds and a little salt, and then flash-saute until GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious) and just opaque in the center, and par-cool on paper towels ... no flour needed. Then just serve crumbled over hot pasta, or crumbled into salad. Once cooked, the fillets will keep in the fridge for several days. If you're not going to eat them right away after cooking, chill them immediately in the fridge so that the juices gel and keep the fish moist for re-heating.
I was considering doing an impromptu BBQ this weekend, and inviting some of my local IBDoFian friends who are with in easy daytripping distance ... but unfortunately, my bug is still lingering. I'm still coughing, and I may have to start some antibiotics to get rid of it. 
Ah well ... we still have the rest of the summer to put something together.
[Mod Note: Thread split the plank salmon discussion out of culinary and re-merged it into this thread.]
Ah well ... we still have the rest of the summer to put something together.
[Mod Note: Thread split the plank salmon discussion out of culinary and re-merged it into this thread.]
Well, I was all by myself Sunday afternoon. I'd made brunch for my parents earlier in the day, and my wife was away in Maryland, so I had the place to myself. Most of my friends were tied up with Father's Day plans, so nobody was available to swing by on short notice.
Anyway, I got our weekly food shopping** out of the way, and around 4pm or so I settled down to test/refine a few recipes that I'd been meaning to play around with.
** Among the usual groceries, I grabbed a few extras: some live middle neck clams, 2 lbs of salmon fillet, and a pair of london broils. The steaks got a marinade of diluted surplus steak sauce, some chipoltle powder, and lime juice, and the salmon fillet got brushed with worchestershire and tequila, and left to air dry in the fridge.
First up, I've had 5 lbs of besan flour (a yellow flour made from ground lentils ... sometimes called "chickpea" flour, even though it's not made from chickpeas ... they did that because of the color) kicking around my closet for a few months, waiting for me to discover recipes to use it up. So, I finally found a dessert recipe that calls for making a sweetened roux/porridge in a sauce pan, flavoring it with green cardamom, and then serving it with toasted crushed nuts and raisins. I made a small, 1-cup batch. It's fast, easy, and pretty tasty - but a bit heavy. Definitely needs to be served with a little light cream or frozen yogurt. I was only able to finish half of it.
Next, I fired up the gas grill. I tossed on some asparagus marinated with a little balsamic, salt, pepper & olive oil. While those were grilling I tossed on the unopened middleneck clams ... and grilled em until they popped open wide, then I shucked them into the detached half of the shells. They come out nice that way ... they're essentially steamed in their own juice, right in the shell. I've done them this way before, and it wasnt so much an experiment as it was a craving for clams. Anyway, for a party, I'd probably just top them (after cooking & shucking) with either a little clarified butter, or a coarse pesto of parsley, shallots, olive oil & lemon juice, and just serve them as passed 'shooters', on the half shell. Pick it up, slurp, discard. Easy ... and dramatic, because most people arent used to seeing clams done fresh, on a gas grill no less.
The marinated steaks I just grilled off straight ... entree for several days, for when I get home too late to cook. No surprises there - just a pleasant culinary chore.
Then it was back to the fun stuff again - I did another recipe from the book on plank cooking I mentioned earlier ... this time, I topped the fillet with softened butter whipped with crushed garlic and honey, and topped with thin slices of lime. 25 mins at 400F and it was done. I decided that I han't marinated the salmon long enough, and that lime doesnt pair as well as orange with wood smoke, so I'll tweak the recipe again for next time. I also didn't get enough smoke out of the plank, so next time I'll supplement with foil pouches of soaked chips. In any case, I chilled down the cooked salmon, wrapped it in foil, and put it away for the next day - it was destined for my parent's fridge, so that they could get a few meals out of it.
Then I experimented with another recipe ... I'd spotted a recipe a few days earlier on one of alton brown's shows that called for making a foil pouch with ginger snap cookes, diced fresh plumbs, brown sugar, some chipped butter, and a little brandy, and then roasting it in a covered grill for 10 mins, to take advantage of leftover heat. Seemed interesting. Well, I didn't have any ginger snap cookies or plumbs handy, but I did have some nabisco nilla wafers, and a pair of white peaches (which I peeled and diced), so I made up a single serving pouch ... and I used dark rum instead of brandy. It was surprisingly good. The only thing missing was a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Anyway, I'll have to give it a whirl in a full size format on the grill, at my next big BBQ ... enough to serve 12-20 people. Should be fun, and dramatic. Heck, if I wanna really show off, I could finish it by opening the foil, still on the grill, pouring in a 2nd hit of rum, and then ignite it prior to serving it with ice cream. Could be fun.
Anyway, the sun finally set on me, so that was all the culinary fun I had time for.
Anyway, I got our weekly food shopping** out of the way, and around 4pm or so I settled down to test/refine a few recipes that I'd been meaning to play around with.
** Among the usual groceries, I grabbed a few extras: some live middle neck clams, 2 lbs of salmon fillet, and a pair of london broils. The steaks got a marinade of diluted surplus steak sauce, some chipoltle powder, and lime juice, and the salmon fillet got brushed with worchestershire and tequila, and left to air dry in the fridge.
First up, I've had 5 lbs of besan flour (a yellow flour made from ground lentils ... sometimes called "chickpea" flour, even though it's not made from chickpeas ... they did that because of the color) kicking around my closet for a few months, waiting for me to discover recipes to use it up. So, I finally found a dessert recipe that calls for making a sweetened roux/porridge in a sauce pan, flavoring it with green cardamom, and then serving it with toasted crushed nuts and raisins. I made a small, 1-cup batch. It's fast, easy, and pretty tasty - but a bit heavy. Definitely needs to be served with a little light cream or frozen yogurt. I was only able to finish half of it.
Next, I fired up the gas grill. I tossed on some asparagus marinated with a little balsamic, salt, pepper & olive oil. While those were grilling I tossed on the unopened middleneck clams ... and grilled em until they popped open wide, then I shucked them into the detached half of the shells. They come out nice that way ... they're essentially steamed in their own juice, right in the shell. I've done them this way before, and it wasnt so much an experiment as it was a craving for clams. Anyway, for a party, I'd probably just top them (after cooking & shucking) with either a little clarified butter, or a coarse pesto of parsley, shallots, olive oil & lemon juice, and just serve them as passed 'shooters', on the half shell. Pick it up, slurp, discard. Easy ... and dramatic, because most people arent used to seeing clams done fresh, on a gas grill no less.
The marinated steaks I just grilled off straight ... entree for several days, for when I get home too late to cook. No surprises there - just a pleasant culinary chore.
Then it was back to the fun stuff again - I did another recipe from the book on plank cooking I mentioned earlier ... this time, I topped the fillet with softened butter whipped with crushed garlic and honey, and topped with thin slices of lime. 25 mins at 400F and it was done. I decided that I han't marinated the salmon long enough, and that lime doesnt pair as well as orange with wood smoke, so I'll tweak the recipe again for next time. I also didn't get enough smoke out of the plank, so next time I'll supplement with foil pouches of soaked chips. In any case, I chilled down the cooked salmon, wrapped it in foil, and put it away for the next day - it was destined for my parent's fridge, so that they could get a few meals out of it.
Then I experimented with another recipe ... I'd spotted a recipe a few days earlier on one of alton brown's shows that called for making a foil pouch with ginger snap cookes, diced fresh plumbs, brown sugar, some chipped butter, and a little brandy, and then roasting it in a covered grill for 10 mins, to take advantage of leftover heat. Seemed interesting. Well, I didn't have any ginger snap cookies or plumbs handy, but I did have some nabisco nilla wafers, and a pair of white peaches (which I peeled and diced), so I made up a single serving pouch ... and I used dark rum instead of brandy. It was surprisingly good. The only thing missing was a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Anyway, I'll have to give it a whirl in a full size format on the grill, at my next big BBQ ... enough to serve 12-20 people. Should be fun, and dramatic. Heck, if I wanna really show off, I could finish it by opening the foil, still on the grill, pouring in a 2nd hit of rum, and then ignite it prior to serving it with ice cream. Could be fun.
Anyway, the sun finally set on me, so that was all the culinary fun I had time for.
Last edited by Darb on Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Steamed pork?!
Tasted something rather special, and large (small food industry style) kitchen may be required...
One of the local delicacies and party food deliverers served something extraordinary tasty on a party:
He had steamed a whole piglet, so that it was just about done.
Then it was roasted over a bonfire to get the surface right and to get a smoked taste to it. Very very tasty and juicy pork steak this...
KEE
One of the local delicacies and party food deliverers served something extraordinary tasty on a party:
He had steamed a whole piglet, so that it was just about done.
Then it was roasted over a bonfire to get the surface right and to get a smoked taste to it. Very very tasty and juicy pork steak this...
KEE
It is written.
Ah, that's one thing I miss about where I grew up. Our extended family always roasted one or two whole hogs (not mere piglets) for family gatherings/reunions/wedding receptions... My uncle always took care of that. He had a humungous roaster. It was always delicious--half drenched in BBQ sauce, the rest plain... :drool:
"A writer's chosen task is to write well and professionally. If you can't keep doing it, then you're no longer a professional, but a gifted amateur." L. E. Modessit, jr.
This past weekend, I grilled off a dozen double-thick (2") pork chops (rib chops only - no sirloin chops, or blade chops), using Bruce Aidelles recipe for Chops brined in diluted orange juice & soy, and dry-aged for a day and rubbed with oil, thyme and black pepper prior to grilling. I had to debone and belt several of the chops with butcher's twine, because the OJ slightly overtenderized a few of them ... but they all grilled up fine. I seared them over high heat to form a crust, and the turned them on edge, bone-side down, and I turned my middle 2 burners off and left the outer 2 burners on high, and roasted then vertically at 400F in a closed grill until they hit 140F ... nice med-well, with a hint of pink. I personally prefer them at 135, but in deference to my guests I cooked them a smidge more.
The only problem is that people were so full from all the appetizers, that most of the chops, however perfectly cooked, went uneaten, and are sitting in my fridge as we speak. As well ... leftovers for the week.
Anyway, I also wanted to show off my grill to a few friends who hadn't stopped by in a few years ... and being able to grill off roughly 12 lbs of pork loin, in 2" thick chops, in a single pass, and still have plenty of room to spare, made for some good culinary smackdown.
The other good thing about having heavy duty cast iron heat defusers (which I'd just replaced) is that flare ups are a snap to handle ... just move the meat directly above it aside for a moment, and give it a shot with a plant mister filled with water. WOOOSH ... the water hits the oil burning on the diffuser, vaporizes to steam (atomizing most of the fat with it), and then flares off in a fraction of a second, like an oil refinery burning off surplus natural gas. You get a 2 foot burst of flame, that's gone in half a second ... and the vaporizer is clean. No more flareup. Gone. Burned off in half a second, instead of guttering for several minutes. Move the meat back, and continue grilling, with virtually no loss of heat.
The only problem is that people were so full from all the appetizers, that most of the chops, however perfectly cooked, went uneaten, and are sitting in my fridge as we speak. As well ... leftovers for the week.
Anyway, I also wanted to show off my grill to a few friends who hadn't stopped by in a few years ... and being able to grill off roughly 12 lbs of pork loin, in 2" thick chops, in a single pass, and still have plenty of room to spare, made for some good culinary smackdown.
The other good thing about having heavy duty cast iron heat defusers (which I'd just replaced) is that flare ups are a snap to handle ... just move the meat directly above it aside for a moment, and give it a shot with a plant mister filled with water. WOOOSH ... the water hits the oil burning on the diffuser, vaporizes to steam (atomizing most of the fat with it), and then flares off in a fraction of a second, like an oil refinery burning off surplus natural gas. You get a 2 foot burst of flame, that's gone in half a second ... and the vaporizer is clean. No more flareup. Gone. Burned off in half a second, instead of guttering for several minutes. Move the meat back, and continue grilling, with virtually no loss of heat.
-
wolfspirit
- MST3K
- Posts: 3048
- Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 12:39 pm
First off, I'm assuming thisis the same grill you were bagging about in the Woof thread in 2004, I think...super mongo, shiny stainless steel, something that I don't think I could find a use for, elventy billion racks, room to cook an armys worth of food.Brad wrote:Anyway, I also wanted to show off my grill to a few friends who hadn't stopped by in a few years ... and being able to grill off roughly 12 lbs of pork loin, in 2" thick chops, in a single pass, and still have plenty of room to spare, made for some good culinary smackdown.
That is pretty impressive. My little charcoal grill is too small for doing large fancy things, but I can put the corn in tin foil, and place it in the coals while I do teh burgers/chicken/shish-ca-bobs/whatever up top. I've found charcoal to be useful in that you can do more with a smaller grill area, because the coals are userful for potatos and corn and most anything that you want to cook, effectivly giving you two to three times the top grilling surface in cooking area.
corn is the easiest thing to make in tin-foil in the coals, so I'm rather glad I have charcoal, because for whatever reason, corn tastes better which baked in it's own shell (which is wrapped in tin-foil)
magicfan241
Yep - same grill, and I love it to pieces. It's a 4 burner Beefeater discovery I-1000, which I got on a 25% markdown closeout. It has it's quirks and shortcomings, but I'm able to work around them ... and it's got as much, or more, power than most of the high-end 5 burner stainless steel rigs out there that cost 2-4x as much ... it only cost me like $650 (excluding the stuff I jury rigged onto it, like a condiment tray)
I've also done six 2-person double-thick (2") porterhouse steaks on it ... and there was room to fit 2 more. That was the weekend after I bought it, and I did a small BBQ to break it in.
Agreed about charcoal generally giving better flavor, in most (but not all) types of cooking.
I've also done six 2-person double-thick (2") porterhouse steaks on it ... and there was room to fit 2 more. That was the weekend after I bought it, and I did a small BBQ to break it in.
Agreed about charcoal generally giving better flavor, in most (but not all) types of cooking.
Here's a corporate stock photo:
Discovery I-1000 <--- 64k jpg
My version lacks the side burners (I have a 220,000 BTU coleman for that). The griddle is removeable and replaces with additional grating. Each of the 4 burners is about 16,000 BTUs.
Also, I have no idea why, but they took that photo with the full-width drip tray removed.
I added a bartender's speed rack to the front of mine, to serve as a tool/condiment tray.
Discovery I-1000 <--- 64k jpg
My version lacks the side burners (I have a 220,000 BTU coleman for that). The griddle is removeable and replaces with additional grating. Each of the 4 burners is about 16,000 BTUs.
Also, I have no idea why, but they took that photo with the full-width drip tray removed.
I added a bartender's speed rack to the front of mine, to serve as a tool/condiment tray.
Can you be a little more specific about what kind of meat (and cut) is involved, how easy or challenging you want it, and whether or not you have a specific country/ethnic flavoring style in mind ?
Also, do you want to finished kebabs to be sticky-sweet (usually reserved for pork and/or chicken), or just have a touch of sugar in them ?
Also, do you want to finished kebabs to be sticky-sweet (usually reserved for pork and/or chicken), or just have a touch of sugar in them ?
Nothing too fancy. I've just got some chuck steaks that I need to cook and I figured marinating them and grilling them with some squash, mushrooms, peppers, sweet red onions and pineapple would be tasty. Basically I just need something that will tenderize the meat a bit and give it a little oomph. I figured something sweet would go well with the vegetable combination but yeah, not anything too sticky sweet.
I'm open for most cuisine.
Thanks!
I'm open for most cuisine.
Thanks!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/styates/ChiefsArrowhead.jpg[/img]
That's pretty easy - sounds like you just want a basic all-purpose beef marinate.
You can either hie thee to a supermarket and grab a bottle of something like "Lawry's Marinade", and pick one of a wide assortment of flavors (ex: chipotle w/lime) ... just loosen it with a splash of water (they're invarably a tad too thick), and marinate away for 1-4 hours. Afterwards, you can drain and reserve the marinate and boil it down (while the meat cooks) until it's a thick dipping sauce, and serve it as a condiment.
Alternatively, you can toss together your own impromptu marinate from whatever you have handy, using this highly flexible & adaptable recipe:
You can either hie thee to a supermarket and grab a bottle of something like "Lawry's Marinade", and pick one of a wide assortment of flavors (ex: chipotle w/lime) ... just loosen it with a splash of water (they're invarably a tad too thick), and marinate away for 1-4 hours. Afterwards, you can drain and reserve the marinate and boil it down (while the meat cooks) until it's a thick dipping sauce, and serve it as a condiment.
Alternatively, you can toss together your own impromptu marinate from whatever you have handy, using this highly flexible & adaptable recipe:
I'll sometimes use that recipe to spruce up an otherwise boring "london broil" Top-round steak.Sweet Base (pick 1 or more):
A1 Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Tonkatsu Sauce
Ketchup (or tomato puree plus sugar)
Fruit Juice concentrate (omit vinegar below) or Juice sweetened with sugar or honey
Salty flavorizer-tenderizer (pick 1 or 2):
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Korean/Thai Fish Sauce
Worchestershire sauce
Black bean sauce
Oyster sauce
Salt
Acidic component (pick one):
Vinegar (balsamic or red)
Vinegarette salad dressing
Acidic fruit juice: Lime, Lemon, Orange or Pineapple
Other complexifying flavors (pick 1 or more):
Coarse Dijon Mustard w/w.wine
Freshly crushed/minced Garlic and/or Ginger
Leftover coffee or tea (cold)
Cracked Pepper
Whatever spices stoke your fancy
Directions: Combine your selections from the above categories in whatever ratio suits you, stir, taste, and adjust as needed for proper sweetness, saltiness, acidity, and flavor. Place steak & marinade together in plastic bag, and let marinate in fridge for 1-4 hours (or overnight, as long as it's not too acidic) until ready to grill. Periodically turn bag to redistribute marinade. If a dipping sauce is desired, drain and reduce marinade after use, over high heat, until thickend - for a glaze, add some additional sweetness and a knob of butter towards the end of reduction. Meanwhile, grill meat on a well oiled grill.
Quantity: If you want extra marinade for basting, glazing and/or for reduction into dipping (steak) sauce, figure about 1 ½ cups per 3 lbs steak ... otherwise, ¾ cup is enough for 3 lbs.
Last edited by Darb on Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:13 am, edited 3 times in total.
Well, tried out the marinating tonight and it came out very good.
Went with 2 parts worchestershire to 1 part soy sauce and one part lemon juice. Added brown sugar to taste and 4 cloves of crushed garlic and marinated it for about 6 hours. The meat came out very tender and not overpowered by flavor, but rather complimented by it.
Thanks for the tips. I'll have to try a different variation on the theme next time!
Went with 2 parts worchestershire to 1 part soy sauce and one part lemon juice. Added brown sugar to taste and 4 cloves of crushed garlic and marinated it for about 6 hours. The meat came out very tender and not overpowered by flavor, but rather complimented by it.
Thanks for the tips. I'll have to try a different variation on the theme next time!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/styates/ChiefsArrowhead.jpg[/img]
You're welcome, and glad it worked out.
It's very liberating to be able to just 'wing it', based on whatever you have handy.
Remember to decrease the marinating times for thinner cuts and/or marinades that are more salty/acidic ... and decrease it further still when marinating seafood - which is easily overseasoned or damaged by too much salt/acid. Also remember to cut back on salt if you're intending to reduce the marinade to a glaze/dipping sauce after cooking.
Other than that, it's a fairly good all-purpose marinade.
It's very liberating to be able to just 'wing it', based on whatever you have handy.
Remember to decrease the marinating times for thinner cuts and/or marinades that are more salty/acidic ... and decrease it further still when marinating seafood - which is easily overseasoned or damaged by too much salt/acid. Also remember to cut back on salt if you're intending to reduce the marinade to a glaze/dipping sauce after cooking.
Other than that, it's a fairly good all-purpose marinade.
I'm probably going to attend the 3rd annual Grill Kings BBQ Competition this weekend, in Hecksher State Park (Long Island), with a culinary friend or two ... as a guest, not a competitor.
Using a small outdoors smoke oven I've found that smoked char (a fish on the lines of trout and salmon tastewise) smoked with juniper is rather tasty. Juniper also lends a good taste to roe deer and moose meats (and probably other deer types as well, but I haven't tasted that yet).
KEE
KEE
It is written.