Or db shares one of his best kept secrets.

We’ve all been there. At the market, in the meat department. There it is. What looks like a brilliant cut of beef and it’s only $3.99 - $4.99 per pound. You snatch it up, bring it home, season and grill it and it ends up being exactly the same as grilled shoe leather.

Well friends, today I am here to help.

There is a reason why cuts like London Broil and Top Round are so cheap. They are nothing but muscle. Very tough muscle. But, they have great flavor. And, since it can’t be Filet Mignon and Top Sirloin all the time, I have developed a great method for making the tougher pieces of beef not so tough.

Sure, you could marinade them overnight to break down the connective tissues. But, really, that’s a lot of work. Also, what if you don’t want the marinade flavor. Check this out.

First thing you have to do is season those steaks up. Plenty of salt (Kosher works very well) and many grinds from the pepper mill. Vacuum pack them if you can, but a good zipper freezer bag works just as well. Pack them in a bag (I steak to a bag, please) and put them in the freezer.

Once frozen, you do have to think ahead just a little to when you want to use this meat. Count on 2 days thaw time in the fridge at least, 3 would be better. Don’t even think of power thawing these (running under cold water until product is thawed) or worse, using the microwave.

Here is why this works so well. The salt pulls some of the moisture out of the meat. When that freezes, it essentially makes tiny dagers that cut into all of that connective tissue. It’s the connective tissue that makes it tough, so this really helps.

Once thawed, cook it on the grill or in a pan to the desired doneness. The rare side of medium to medium is idea. Overcooking will cause this piece to get really tough.

If done properly, you should get a piece of meat that has great flavor and almost the same tenderness as a nice New York strip.

6 Responses to “The Sunday Post XXIV”

1. Josh Says:
   November 25th, 2007 at 6:17 am

   DB you should post up a couple recipes using red wine. Mainly because I’ve come to the realization that I’ve got a lot of cheap red wine I’m never going to drink because I bought it when I didn’t know any better (However I did pick up a good bottle of cabernet that I do intend on drinking yesterday)

2. db Says:
   November 25th, 2007 at 8:41 am

   Great idea! Although, if the stuff is too rank to drink, there is a good chance that cooking with it won’t be any better. But I will do a recipe or 2 that use wine, just for you.

3. cj Says:
   November 25th, 2007 at 8:42 am

   looks good- thank god you didn’t decide to make a hamburger instead!

4. db Says:
   November 25th, 2007 at 9:06 am

   That stuff is rank and why I never buy pre-formed patties. Paper separation is bad bad bad.

   Ask your butcher (or go to CostCo) for some good patties. Or, make ‘em yourself.

5. Josh Says:
   November 25th, 2007 at 11:43 am

   It’s not so much rank as it is cheap. I’ve just come to the realization that I’m probably never going to drink it, I can’t just throw it out, and I hardly ever see the hobo that visits our garbage dumpster any more. Maybe I’ll go hang around the local high school, see if I can’t sell it to some kids in bulk.

   I buy the pre-formed patties because I hate touching raw ground beef. I don’t like the feel of it. But I’ve got an iron constitution, I can handle a little thing like E. Coli.

6. J/C Says:
   November 25th, 2007 at 12:03 pm

   Sounds good. I’ll have to try it some time.

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