Show Us Your Meat, and We'll Show You Ours

[CaptainHenreh]

Groundhog is super greasy and "gamey" doesn't even begin to describe it. I mean, knock yourself out but you're not gonna have a good time.

[Sully]

Groundhog is super greasy and "gamey" doesn't even begin to describe it. I mean, knock yourself out but you're not gonna have a good time.

Then I shall make a hat

But I wonder if you could cook it on a way that would minimize the greasyness kinda like streaming the duck first which is supposed to help with its oilyness.

Idk. I doubt he'll ever kill another one anyway

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[SlimKlim]

Groundhog.

[Evan]

I like groundhogs. They're hilarious.

[G.Irish]

I only want it if its dark meat....

Not sure how much of a foodie Gerald is, but maybe he could help out.

Came to thread expecting meat jokes, was not disappointed. :lol:

[Sully]

Ok, so I'm planning to give my girlfriend some of my meat for valentines day. I think we've decided to go with some filets unless someone can recommend something better that I'll be able to get in Harrisonburg. I was thinking of trying a searing method but it'll be my first attempt at it. I'm going to pick up one of those thermometers but what's the best way to do this. I want a piece of meat that melts in your mouth.

Here's the kicker, she's lactose intolerant so butter is out although I love a good butter seared steak

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[SlimKlim]

Ok, so I'm planning to give my girlfriend some of my meat for valentines day. I think we've decided to go with some filets unless someone can recommend something better that I'll be able to get in Harrisonburg. I was thinking of trying a searing method but it'll be my first attempt at it. I'm going to pick up one of those thermometers but what's the best way to do this. I want a piece of meat that melts in your mouth.

Here's the kicker, she's lactose intolerant so butter is out although I love a good butter seared steak

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Ok I've been honing this shit in for a while. I gotchoo. I usually do filet with this method too, that's definitely the cut you want to go with for the "make your meat melt in her mouth" experience we're all going after. In addition to the thermometer you're gonna want a good thick bottom cast iron skillet, which I'm sure you already have. Also, make sure the probe of the thermometer can withstand high heats, or at least wrap the cord in aluminum foil (it's what I've been doing and it's ok so far).

Getchoo some filets, I usually get thicker ones that are ~1.5in or even thicker. Doesn't really matter because that remote thermometer has your back.

Take them out of the fridge 45-60min before you're going to cook them and throw them on the counter. You want your meat to warm up so it cooks more evenly.

There's a big debate on salting at this stage, some say you definitely want to salt them before you cook them. Others say the salt pulls the moisture out of the meat, so you shouldn't do it. More people say you should do it, but you should do it when you first take them out of the fridge, so the moisture that comes out of the meat has time to soak back in before searing. I dunno. I usually just sprinkle a little on and throw em in the fuckin' pan, that debate is too heady for me. The one thing I have learned is you DO NOT want to put garlic and pepper on these babies before you cook them, you'll just burn the shit out of it when it hits the pan. No bueno.

So anyway, your steaks have been out for a while and you're ready to cook. Preheat the oven to 475 or 500 (I do 475 because the maximum temperature on the dial of the stove skeeves me out for some reason). The cast iron pan is heavy enough to warp your oven rack so the best course of action is to remove any drip tray so you can set the pan right on the bottom of the stove. Also, heat up the skillet on High or Med-High heat (We have a gas stove that will fuse atoms so I back it off a bit) until it's REALLY hot. It's ok if it's smoking a bit.

Add just enough canola or veggie or grapeseed oil (anything with a high smoking point, olive oil will 100% set off your smoke detector) to get a thin coat on the pan, then drop the steaks in and sear each side for around 60 seconds. You're just putting the char on it now, not cooking them. Tongs are handy to get a sear on the edges.

Once you've got a sear on 'em, throw them in the oven and set a timer for 5-6 minutes. Pull them back out, flip them, and stick the probe of your thermometer in one of 'em. No timer necessary now, just watch the display of the thermometer and wait for your desired temperature.

I like it medium rare, so I'll pull them out of the oven around 127-8*, then tent it in aluminum foil for 8-10 minutes and let them rest, which results in a rareish medium rare, because it'll continue to cook a little bit as it rests, adjust according to your preferences.

I've been doing the pan-sear oven finish thing for about 3 years. Lauren's birthday was the first time I used the thermometer and it was some next level shit, best steak I've ever made in my entire life. I legitimately cut it with a fork. The beauty of the thermometer is it makes you stop screwing with it and just let it cook in peace, so all those delicious juices stay inside the steak instead of ending up in the pan. She'll love your meat so much she might cry when she puts it in her mouth.

[Sully]

Good shit, I'll gather the necessary equipment. Surprisingly, I have not yet gotten a cast iron pan. I have looked at a few but my roommates fuck up all my cooking shit so I'm waiting to invest in good shit. Although I imagine it's hard for them to fuck up cast iron.

We need a new thread about cooking gadgets because I have read every review there is on all the pans and cookware and they are all shit. I may take the really expensive set from my parents house when I graduate though.

But Yea I'll pick up a cast iron skillet. This should be good. Filet mignon and a couple whole lobsters! :thumbup:

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[SlimKlim]

Nice.

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-Pre-S...B00006JSUB

I think it's the 12, might be the 13 1/4in. Your roommate's won't ruin it as long as you can prevent them from washing it with soap and make sure they don't let it sit around for a couple days with shit stuck to the bottom of it.

You'll want to season it before using it too. Heat the oven to 350*, coat it with a thin layer of veggie oil, put it in the oven for an hour, take it out, let it cool and wipe off the excess oil. You can do it 2 or 3 times if you want to. The best way I've found to clean it is hit it with a little hot water while the pan is still hot and use the spatula to scrape up anything that's stuck to the bottom. It'll all boil off and come away squeaky clean.

It's an awesome thing to have in the kitchen, I use mine several times a week at least.

[CaptainHenreh]

You'll want to season it before using it too. Heat the oven to 350*, coat it with a thin layer of veggie oil, put it in the oven for an hour, take it out, let it cool and wipe off the excess oil.

DO NOT DO THIS. USE ANIMAL FAT.


As for the rest, make sure you use enough high-smoke-point oil (I like avacado) that your meat doesn't stick but not so much that your meat fries.

Reality here is that if you season your cast iron pan correctly you will not need any oil for a good sear.

[SlimKlim]

You'll want to season it before using it too. Heat the oven to 350*, coat it with a thin layer of veggie oil, put it in the oven for an hour, take it out, let it cool and wipe off the excess oil.

DO NOT DO THIS. USE ANIMAL FAT.

OK, IM SORRY.

What kind of animal fat? I'll do it right next time something gets stuck to it and I have to re-season. Is bacon grease cool or will everything taste like bacon? Lard?

[JustinG]

Is bacon grease cool or will everything taste like bacon?

I don't see the problem.

[CaptainHenreh]

OK, IM SORRY.

What kind of animal fat? I'll do it right next time something gets stuck to it and I have to re-season. Is bacon grease cool or will everything taste like bacon? Lard?

Lard is traditional. Bacon fat works well also. There's also veggie based oils you CAN use (lots of fans of linseed out there) but get some lard and do it right. I like using stuff that's solid at room temp so I can make sure I have a good coating on all surfaces.

I actually need to strip and reseason mine, but I am le lazy.

[Sully]

Will they have Lard at walmart or martins? I'm assuming a shortening like Crisco is out? I am probably going to check out the Co-op again to look for some nice strawberries for chocolate covered strawberries. If I recall they didn't have meat but a lot of other specialty expensive things.

EDIT: Rexy, are there any good places to source meat around here other than like martins? Maybe Costco? They seem to have decent cuts from time to time.

[Evan]

Although I imagine it's hard for them to fuck up cast iron.

its real easy to fuck up cast iron. leave it in the sink, leave it wet, and it rusts.

[CaptainHenreh]

EDIT: Rexy, are there any good places to source meat around here other than like martins? Maybe Costco? They seem to have decent cuts from time to time.

ALL Costco steaks are pre "tenderized". If that doesn't bother you, go nuts. It's tasty enough. Martins is decent. Farmers market has some decent poultry, but...

Still looking for a decent local butcher. *sigh*. Ever since T&E closed...

Anyway, if you just want enough lard to season a pan or two, just let me know, I'll give you a couple of cups from mom.

[Apoc]

We switched to cooking every meat in lard a few months ago. I can't believe the difference it made in food tasting AWESOME. Not because of any inherent taste in the lard... there's just something about the makeup of the stuff that ensures a more magical Maillard reaction.

[Sully]

That'd be great Rex. At this point, I'm only going to buy one pan so I really just need enough to season one pan

So is martins or costco better? Pre tenderized bad?

Am I correct in assuming other than obvious cheap pieces of crap, most cast iron stuff is about as good as any other. I saw one at Walmart today for like $15. Had decent weight to it.
EDIT: NVM, it was actually the same brand that Joey Linked to on Amazon. It must have been the 10 3/4 one. I'll check back to see if they have a 12" but I think my girlfriends favorite family cornbread recipe goes in a 10" anyway.

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[Ken]

Is bacon grease cool or will everything taste like bacon?

I don't see the problem.

This.

[ScottyB]

anyone recommend a solid recipe for grilling goose breasts? bro-in-law bagged a couple for me, which was also sweet, righteous vengeance for the never ending harassment they would dish out to me in my old neighborhood when i was a kid walking home from school. those birds are total assholes.

i dig game meat and have cooked duck, partridge, and cornish hen but never goose. so far i'm pulling up some recipes that are similar to duck, usually orange glaze varieties. i'm not opposed to rubs if they're the hot ticket. would prefer to do these on my grill as I like the lump charcoal taste.

here's my rig. L-size Green Egg with a ceramic plate setter. absolutely love it. the learning curve has been steep though, because its actually REALLY hard to keep the thing from trying to nuke itself. after running the charcoal starter through it with the flues WOT, it catches quick and doesn't take long to spike up to 6 or 700 degrees. to do a brisket i ended up closing the bottom flue completely and it still sat dead at 275 for hours. that said, if you buy good lump it will sit at any temperature you want and burn really efficiently....in fact i often only have to refill the charcoal in the grill halfway each time because the previous stuff is only half burnt. buy crap, and it will take forever to start and you'll end up with lump that crumbles terribly as it burns and will clog your lower grate...it'll never go above 350. Evan put it straight...once you get used to the smokey, earthy flavor its impossible to not want it again.


5lb. costco roaster with a brown sugar chile powder rub. i do 2 at a time (giggity) on beer butt carafs, so i have one to eat and one i cut up and freeze for later. 375 for 1:45. i prefer apple cider in the caraf over beer, and i sometimes add celery leaves for aromatics. i'm gonna try injecting and see how that goes one of these times.


14oz. ribeye. nothing fancy, just EVOO, Himalayan pink salt and coarse pepper. 450 for a couple minutes, flipped once. i didn't have the temp high enough so it never seared on the grate right, but it still came out a nice medium. part of the problem was the top flue was closed too much, which partially smoked the meat. that's why it has that pinkish red hue instead of a dark brown char.


18lb. turkey - same rub as the chicken. nabbed it for $8 after thanksgiving! this was an experiment as i'd never grilled anything so big, and i was really pleased with the taste although it just didn't have quite enough flavor once you got into the breast. just too much mass to get the seasoning to permeate. next time i'll definitely brine or inject this one. it was also a little too big, i mean the breast cleared the lid by like an inch at best. next time i'll look for a 15 pounder. with the platesetter under the bird for indirect cooking, i had a drip tray sitting on it filled with water to keep some moisture around it, and as it cooked down it made some nice stock. we cut up half of it and used it in turkey tetrizini which tasted fantastic.