Steak

Steak Seasoning Recipes

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Steak Recipes

There are few foods that elicit the passion that a good steak can. There are even fewer foods that can have their apparent quality “raised” by proper preparation and spices. Add in the number of different cuts of meat, hundreds of cooking methods, and proper steak preparation can practically become a religion upon itself.

Steak Seasoning Recipes
Picture by Robert S. Donovan, Creative Commons License

Every good cook has their own preparation style, my personal favorite is pretty simple but I’m not above shamelessly using someone else’s style. Celebrity Chef Alton Brown has two great styles, grilled “with out the grill“, and his more famous “Cast Iron Steak” recipe. Another popular cooking style was published in Cooks Illustrated Magazine.

But what really makes steak good is the seasonings, or in many cases, the lack of seasonings. Most cooks like to go with the basic, salt, pepper and “garlic if you really need it,” seasonings. Especially if the quality of meat is excellent in the first place. But if you want to mix it up a little, or have a cheaper cut of meat you’d like to fancy up a bit here are some great options.

*Note; cooking instructions have been left out for each recipe. Feel free to use one of the great ideas above. Just substitute the following ingredients.

Each recipe below assumes 1 1/2 to two pounds of meat. Comment below with your favorite steak seasoning recipe!

Basic
“Generous amounts” of Kosher Salt – use more then you think nesseccary. Salt should cover the meat to the edges.
Fresh Ground Pepper

Brazil (Garlic)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Brazil (Northern)
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

Canada (Montreal)
(This is essentially the famous Mccormick’s famous steak seasoning)
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon crushed coriander
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Canada (Quebec)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup real maple syrup
ground pepper
1 tablespoon beef bouillon concentrate

Chinese (Kung-Pao style)
2 tablespoons Hoisin
1.5 tablespoons sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions, minced
1 ounce white vinegar

English (Pub Style)
1 packet of beef base (soup bouillon)
2 ounces olive oil
1.2 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced

English (London Broil)
5 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey

Japanese (Hibachi)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2″ (5 cm) daikon radish
1½ Tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 green onion/scallion for garnish
3 Tbsp. ponzu sauce

Japanese (Teriyaki)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Korean (Kalbi)
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ onion
1 tablespoon garlic
1 green onion
¼ tablespoon black pepper

Malaysian
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
1 inch ginger, grated
1/2 inch turmeric, fresh, grated
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 stalk lemon grass, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 dried red chili

Mexican (Carne Asada)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried ancho pepper, ground
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
4 tablespoons dark Mexican beer (optional)

Mexican (Tequila Carne Asada)
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

North Africa
2 tablespoons dark chili powder
1 tablespoon harrissa paste
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

Spanish
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 oranges, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Tex-Mex
1 cup ancho chile powder
1/3 cup smoked paprika
3 tablespoon dried oregano
3 tablespoon dried mustard
3 tablespoon dried coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
zest of 2 limes

Other #1
1/3 cup Honey
1 tablespoon whole seed mustard
1/3 cup oyster sauce

Other #2
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
sprinkle oregano

Steak Fingers

Posted by Rick on in food, Misc 0 Comment

Steak Fingers

Take “finger” sized (or more accurately bite sized) pieces of steak. Tenderize the heck out of them. Dip them in a salt/pepper based batter and deep fry. Totally bad for you but tasty.

It seems that as a kid I ate them all the time, at least I remember seeing them often. But I’ve literally eaten these twice in the past twenty years. Once was about 1999 or so, visiting Union Oregon and a little diner called Gravy Dave’s. Passing through last weekend, they were so busy that I couldn’t afford the delay in my travels so I missed out on seeing if they even still had them.

But on the way back, I accidently found some in Wells, Nevada at the 4 Way Casino and Cafe. It was one of two (non-fast food/C-store junk food) places open. Being chosen as my place of dining was merely happenstance as it was based on it’s relative distance to the road I wished to travel, and the fact that it was not attached to one of the two brothels in town.

Fortunately (or perhaps more unfortunately for my poor non-beef eating wife) recipes, including the purported original version, are on line! The nice thing about this is that they can be prepared and frozen for quick dinners down the road.

So I see a future full of breaded, deep friend steaks!

Bread and Ink Cafe Review

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Bread and Ink Cafe Review

Originally posted: 11/11/02:

3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214 On Hawthorne, I’m currently at a toss up about this place. It’s busy, crowded, and the wait staff is harder to find then a good Sylvester Stalone movie. But… the food is good enough that it almost makes up for it. Dinner dishes range between $10-$15 each. Apparently the Coconut crusted chicken is their most popular dish, my date liked it a lot. I had the pork medallions, and while they were pretty good, I was disappointed in the portion size. Especially when compared to the chicken dish, or the steaks the couple at the next table had. Over all I’d give about 3 stars. When I say the wait staff is hard to find… I mean it. Somebody came by the table a total of 4 times, once to get our order, once to deliver drinks, then to deliver the meal, then the pay check. In the two hours I was there I feel that’s a little slow, especially when wanting a refill on the drink. Perhaps on a weekday when they’re not so busy, the service is better.

Originally posted; 11/5/03:

So a year later I try again. We went for Sunday breakfast. There was a line out the door and a 45 minute wait when we got there at 10am. Wandered down Hawthorne for a while and came back at about 11:30, was seated at 11:45, and had food by 12:30. The service was better, still not as great as I’d like it to be – especially for that side of town. But the food was just as good as last time. Eggs were perfect, home-style potatos were cooked perfectly in olive oil. The side of Canadian bacon I had was very good, and tasted organic. They make their own ketchup – my GF didn’t like it, but I didn’t mind as it has less sugar then the major brands so it had a tangy quality about it. It tasted like it was made of sun dried tomatos. The bill was about $25 including tip, about as much as we would have spent at Elmers. While there was smaller portions, we did not go away hungry. Oh – and they have crayons and paper on the table to keep you entertained.

Originally posted: 10/10/05:

Yet another visit. New GF, better service, same good food. I had home made cinnamon raisin french toast dipped in a vanilla cinnamon custard with the side of Canadian Bacon. GF had a Mushroom spinach omelet with the side of potatoes mentioned in an earlier post. The service was MUCH better this time. Arrived at 10:30. Got seated right away, had food by 10:45, out the door by 11:15. The waiter came by several times, filled water glasses, etc. All in all, this place is just getting better.

Good smelling things

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Good smelling things

I’ve never been much of an olfactory dependent person, I think most people aren’t. On the other hand I do know that my sense of smell tends to be better then most other peoples.

Some recent good smells I’ve noticed:
Barbeque
Tomato Plants
The air when rain is coming (called “petrichor”)
Fresh cut Pine trees (vastly different then the typical Christmas Tree smell)
Garlic
Sautéed Onions
Good quality dirt

I’m sure a physiologist (and even a phycologist) might have something to say about the fact that all the smells are food related, or outdoorsy.

Grilled Steak Recipe

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Grilled Steak Recipe

For those who don’t know the meaning of the word “Vegetarian.”

I usually cook this on a charcoal grill. (with real charcoal, not briquettes the extra buck in cost per a bag is well worth the taste difference) But you can also use Alton Brown’s method of cooking in a cast iron frying pan although it doesn’t work as well in my opinion.

Ingredients:
About 1/2 pound of meat per person.
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 1/2 TBS of Soy Sauce (buy from an Asian store, most the US stuff is too weak.)
1 1/2 TBS of Teriyaki Sauce (as above – if you can’t read the label it’s good stuff)
2-3 pieces of garlic cut into slivers
1/4 cup of Apple Vinegar (helps add liquid to the soy sauce and teriyaki sauce and starts breaking down the meat making it more tender)

With a sharp knife poke holes into the meat. Insert garlic slivers into each one. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the meat. Turn the meat until each side is covered. Place in fridge for 15-20 minutes. I usually do this while the grill is heating up. Take this time to also prepare a piece of aluminum foil into a bowl shape. Fill half way with water and place on the grill, usually away from the hottest part.

After the grill is sufficiently hot (test by holding hand 3-4 inches away and count. You want to count to 3 or 4 which will be about 400 degrees F) shake the excess moisture off the steaks. Place on the hottest part of the grill. Wait about 5-6 minutes then turn over. The bottom side should be a reddish brown. 5-6 minutes more pull them off.

Between the vinegar and the water you should have a pretty tender and moist piece of meat. Buying organic meat helps a lot too.

Garlic Blue Cheese Sauce:

Make a basic white sauce base, milk, flour, little butter heated in a frying pan. Add garlic and crumbled blue cheese. Mix well but be sure to not over heat and melt the blue cheese. Makes a good topper for the above steak, fried potatoes, stuffed tomatoes, even a pizza dip.