Hey schutd...

[abomb]

Hey schutd, dont make it bad.
Take a bad cook and make 'em better



I think we need an "Ask Schutd" thread and here it is.

Hey Schutd,

I would like to get better at making grilled flank steak. Currently I am marinating a nice thin cut of meat in a plastic bag with a can of Rotel, some garlic, EVOO and spices.

I want to get to the point where I can make a killer street-syle carne asada taco. Any suggestions?

Yours truly,

abomb

 

[82CardsGrad]

Great idea!!!

 

[Dback Jon]

Evoa?

 

[abomb]

Evoa?

Ha, typo!

 

[Heucrazy]

Flank steak is easy. Flip it ONCE, and cut it on a bias.

 

[schutd]

Heu is right. But wth a couple caveats... If you like well done meat, stay away from flank. Flank suffers when its cooked for very long, unless of course you cook it REALLY long, at which point you shoulda bought a cheaper cut anyhow. And in addition to cutting on the bias, ALWAYS cut flank against the grain, otherwise its like eating beef bubblegum. Thin is a great call, in fact, if you get an uneven piece or a too-thick piece, you can butterfly it, by slicing against the grain, horizontally just til before you cut all the way through, and then open it up like a book.

The key for carne asada, is ******** high heat for a deep dark char on the outside, but keeping the inside nice and pink. And remember, always bring your meat to room temp before cooking, and allow it to rest for a 5-8 minutes (dependent on size) after cooking it, to allow the love to redistribute, rather than spill out all over yer plate.

And season well! Nothing ruins a dish more than poorly seasoned meat. Dont be afraid of salt. Love salt. Love it like you loved your prom date in the back of yer moms spankin new Maxima.... not that I know anything about that...

 

[Mulli]

SALT RULEZ!

thanks.

 

[schutd]

Also, buy some masa seca and give making your own tortillas a whirl. Nothing makes your tacos kick ass like homemade tortillas.

 

[abomb]

Thanks schutd! I have seen some marinades that feature orange juice and other citrus as well, so I guess I will need to up the salt.

 

[schutd]

When you can, see if you can find seville orange (dead of winter, most likely) otherwise known as sour orange. Terrible eating, but awesome marinades. Seville orange, onion, garlic, serrano chilies, cilantro... BTW, I never salt meat until right before it cooks, and I never use salt in marinades. It draws the moisture out of the meat. Boooooooo.

 

[Assface]

Schutd,

Do you ever listen to the Descendents "I Like Food" while cooking?

 

[schutd]

All the time, except, I change the last word to a whole hearted YES!!!!

 

[Linderbee]

******** high heat?

 

[schutd]

sorry, kitchen-speak. We never cook meat until the pan is ******** hot.

 

[AZZenny]

Meaning.... ? You may need to start a glossary thread here, too.

Can I speak up against salt-love, please? I like salt, but have to keep an eye on how much I get -- not restrict it, just watch it. As a result, it has returned to the status of a prized and much-enjoyed condiment. Eating out, I find it is often over-used to an extent that the real flavor of fresh, good quality ingredients suffers.

I ate at a well-reviewed Brazilian-style meat restaurant north of Tel Aviv in Sept. (It was kosher, which used to mean poorer flavored red meat, but doesn't so much anymore.) The rubs used on probably 6 out of the 8 or 9 meats I chose were so incredibly salty that any spice/herb/garlic components were totally drowned out, and the meat was lost in the process -- when I sliced off the outer 1/4 inch, the meat flavor was quite good, however. If it hadn't been for all the incredibly cute and sexy waiters it would have been an expensive and disappointing evening.

Salt, yes, but with good sense.

 

[schutd]

Meaning.... ? You may need to start a glossary thread here, too.

Can I speak up against salt-love, please?


Salt, yes, but with good sense.

******** <ADJ> synonym: (slang) wicked, (proper) incredibly "Man, that is some ******** delicious whiskey."

Im not in LOVE with salt, per se, it dont want to MARRY it. HA! But it is the most important spice in the cabinet. When I say season well, it means well. Not over. Over is gross. Ive been accused of having a heavy hand with the salt as a chef, so I try and lay off. Funny, before I learned to cook, I never used salt.... on anything. Man, was I missing out.

Blanching vegetables? The water you blanche in should taste like to ocean. Sounds gross, but it really cooks the veggies to the perfect seasoning point. Salt meat heavily as most falls off when it hits the grill. Those types of things...

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Schutd,

When you hear the phrase 'Man Burger' what do you think of?

Thanks,
DCR

 

[Mulli]

******** <ADJ> synonym: (slang) wicked, (proper) incredibly "Man, that is some ******** delicious whiskey."

Im not in LOVE with salt, per se, it dont want to MARRY it. HA! But it is the most important spice in the cabinet. When I say season well, it means well. Not over. Over is gross. Ive been accused of having a heavy hand with the salt as a chef, so I try and lay off. Funny, before I learned to cook, I never used salt.... on anything. Man, was I missing out.

Blanching vegetables? The water you blanche in should taste like to ocean. Sounds gross, but it really cooks the veggies to the perfect seasoning point. Salt meat heavily as most falls off when it hits the grill. Those types of things...

It should be note that Kosher salt and Fleur de Sel are the only good salts. The other stuff should mostly be used on icy roads.

 

[Mulli]

Hey, Shoot:

Any recipes for jazzing up boneless skinless chicken breasts?

only so much Milanese and piccata a person can eat.

 

[schutd]

Hey, Shoot:

Any recipes for jazzing up boneless skinless chicken breasts?

only so much Milanese and piccata a person can eat.

Sous vide! I know I know, you dont have a seal a meal and an immersion circulator at your house....

Ghetto seal a meal. Season a chicken breast with KOSHER salt, and pepper and place inside a ziplock bag with a crushed garlic clove, a sliced shallot, a sprig of thyme, and a tablespoon of butter (or just use chicken stock). Suck all the air outta the bag. This is the fun part.

Heat a pot of water to 140 degrees. You will need a thermometer to help make sure you maintain that temperature as well as possible. Poached the bagged chicken breast in the water for apx 40 mins. It will be so friggin tender you wont know what to do with yourself.

Serve it with some steamed rice, charred scallions, or slice it on the bias and drop it in a bol of seasoned chicken broth with some rice noodles and fresh herbs.

Sounds hard, it really isnt.

And DCR! Man Burger? I dont think of anything. Sorry, my IQ doesnt drop that low.

 

[Mulli]

thermometer! Boo! IF I get one I will try.

Anything else?

 

[schutd]

Hmmmmmm Good lord. Ive pretty much taken boneless skinless chicken breasts outta my diet. They just dont do anything for me.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

And DCR! Man Burger? I dont think of anything. Sorry, my IQ doesnt drop that low.

Nothing? That's kinda disappointing....

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Sous vide! I know I know, you dont have a seal a meal and an immersion circulator at your house....

Ghetto seal a meal. Season a chicken breast with KOSHER salt, and pepper and place inside a ziplock bag with a crushed garlic clove, a sliced shallot, a sprig of thyme, and a tablespoon of butter (or just use chicken stock). Suck all the air outta the bag. This is the fun part.

Heat a pot of water to 140 degrees. You will need a thermometer to help make sure you maintain that temperature as well as possible. Poached the bagged chicken breast in the water for apx 40 mins. It will be so friggin tender you wont know what to do with yourself.

Serve it with some steamed rice, charred scallions, or slice it on the bias and drop it in a bol of seasoned chicken broth with some rice noodles and fresh herbs.

Sounds hard, it really isnt.

And DCR! Man Burger? I dont think of anything. Sorry, my IQ doesnt drop that low.

Sounds interesting, although I don't have any current method of keeping water at 140...could you give me an approximate heat range on a stove or boiling/not boiling/close to boiling?

 

[Mulli]

Nothing? That's kinda disappointing....

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