The Pigeon's Perfect Steak

ADMIN NOTE:  I'll be offline tomorrow, spending the day at the Colorado Renaissance Festival with the Hummingbird and minions.  Back on Sunday!

Summer's in full swing and while anyone can slap a slab of meat on the grill, cooking a steak that really sizzles is no easy task. Make your steak a cut above the rest with these 8 tips for the perfect grilled steak from Ari Rosenson, the executive chef of Wolfgang Puck's restaurant CUT.  CONTINUED

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure, you can follow the above tips, but after many years of trial and error, I can unequivocally state I've mastered the art of grilling steak--In fact, I'm so confident of my recipe I'm willing to share it with my readers!  I guarantee with this recipe that even if cooked well done the steak will come out so tender you'll be able to cut it with the handle of a butter knife:

The Mad Pigeon's Slow Grilled Steak

Ingredients:

Favorite steak cut (I like ribeye, sirloin, or NY strip)
~ 2 cups of wood chips
1 stick butter
~ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
1-2 bottles of beer

Cooking:

• Soak wood chips for at least an hour
• Wrap wood chips in aluminum foil; poke several small holes in foil (if the holes are too big the chips will burn too fast)
• (Optional) if you don't have a spare hour to soak the chips, just place the foil bag farther from the heat source
• Place wrapped chips as close to gas burner as possible
• Light all burners and keep on high heat until chips start to smoke
• Once chips start to smoke, leave the burner under the wood chips on, and turn off all other burners
• (Optional)  Start with searing both sides of steak over hot side of grill
• Place steak at the highest, farthest point from the remaining lit burner
• Close lid; leave steak alone for 20 minutes.  This is where you'll get most of the smoke flavor
• While waiting, melt the butter and add garlic.  Increase./decrease proportions to taste (you'll need enough butter for at least two bastings, though)
• Open grill after 20 minutes and baste both sides of steak with garlic butter
• Drink one bottle of beer.  Increase/decrease proportions to taste.
• Open grill and baste steak every 20 minutes until cooked to your preference.  You can also decrease basting time the closer you get to your preferred level of doneness
• (Optional)  End with searing both sides of steak over hot side of grill
• To hell with the resting bit--start carving away while it's hot!
• Drink 2nd (or 3rd...) beer, preferably from a pint glass

Final notes:

This recipe isn't for the impatient:  expect a thick cut steak to take an hour or more just to reach medium rare!  On the plus side, this is the kind of recipe meant for chilling out with a book and beer between bastings.

ALL ingredient proportions above can be adjusted for personal preference.  I've also had similar success dry rubbing the steak with various seasonings an hour before grilling. 

But ultimately, the secret's in the woodchips and garlic butter.

Testimonials:

Last academic year I shared my recipe with both my Geopolitics and American Government classes, and several students tried the recipe--with great success!  The best testimonial, though, was when a student came to my office and asked to come in and talk: closed door, that is.

I invited him in, he sat down, looked guiltily over his shoulder, and extolled:  "Sir, the most amazing thing happened this weekend!"

"Rrrlly?" I replied

" Yes Sir," he returned, "I visited a friend at a college up in Denver, and we tried to go to a Frat party across the street from his apartment; but despite pleading and offers of beer, they wouldn't let us in.  So we decided to have our own party at my friend's apartment, and I told my friend, 'Hey!  We can try this new streak recipe I learned from Capt Pigeon!'

We got some friends over, soaked some chips, fired up the grill, and got the chips smoldering.  Wouldn't you know it, the smoke drifted over the fraternity party, and a bunch of women decided to leave the Frat house and see what we were up to.

In the end, the steak was fantastic, the apartment was packed, 20 women spent the night, and I got 5 phone numbers.

Sir, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for your mentoring!"

That, my fellow pigeoneers, is a testimonial Wolfgang Puck will never top!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, DeMediacratic Nation, 123beta, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, Stuck On Stupid, Webloggin, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, , Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, Nuke's news and views, Wyvern Dreams, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Public Eye, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Comments

[Perri Nelson]

Awesome testimonial. I will have to try the recipe... far away from frat houses though. I don't need any women other than Mrs. Nelson :)

[Butch]

Sounds delicious... I would add only one more step; seems the recipe' calls for more beer...

Disclaimer Only a recommendation...

[MOGS]

I need to try this one Pidge, and I think I know just the place to do it...

[canuckistani]

Damn those military boys know how to adapt and overcome an adversary in any situation. You instructiors at the AFA must be teaching some amazing techniques, starting with the slow grilled steak!

[The Mad Pigeon]

Perri: Being a domesticated male, I definitley concur; but it sure did bring a tear to my eye!

Butch: As much as I like stouts and porters, they're a little thick for this recipe. I recommend marinating yourself with a Tetley's, Anchor Steam, or Fat Tire. Moose Drool is the darkest I'd go.

MOGS: In you case, try a Yuengling (I can't find it here! Do they sell it west of the Mississippi?).

[Alex]

Slow-cooked? How do you keep it rare while slow-cooking it?

And don't you dare tell me you cook your steak beyond rare. That would be culinary blasphemy!

[The Mad Pigeon]

Sorry man... used to be a rare pigeon but now I favor medium rare. Actually, I don't care how red and bloody the center is, just as long as it's warm all the way through--brings out more flavor for my palette.

If I were gonna go the rare route, I'd sear first, smoke it for 20 minutes, lather it up good with garlic butter, let it cook for maybe another 10-20 minutes, and give it a last slick of butter right before putting it on a plate. I think a thick cut will still have a cool, red center after a mere 30 minutes, but still get the benefit of the smoke.

But I certainly can't see how folks eat steak past medium: might as well chew on shoe leather.