PERFECT STEAKS

Here are tips for making the perfect steak. Following it is a recipe for a gorgonzola butter that is awesome when served on grilled steaks.

First, buy BLACK ANGUS steaks (I prefer Ribeye or NY Strip, my wife prefers Tenderloin) Black Angus is always $2 to $3 more per pound, but I just prefer it over CHOICE beef. PRIME BEEF would be even better (but not by much in my opinion), but the cost is prohibitive.

Second, and really the most important is the cooking process itself..... Most people aren't very patient when it comes to grilling. For the very best from your grill (other than Brats or dogs) you need to follow these steps.....

1) Let your grill get VERY hot (maximum settings if using a gas grill), then using an old rag or t-shirt wipe the grates with a heavy oil (I use olive oil) before starting the grilling itself.

2) Do NOT pre-salt any meat - this will pull all of the moisture to the surface and out of the steak, chop or whatever (unless you let it stand for over 60 minutes.) Wipe the surface of the steaks with olive oil and used some McCormick's Steak seasoning and some fresh ground black pepper.
You can get creative here and do almost anything - just NO salt.

3) Once you put the steak or chop on the grill, close the lid and forget about it. Most people ruin the steaks right here by trying to turn them too soon. All you do is "tear" the surface of the meat (leaving bits and pieces stuck to the grill) and boom.... there goes all the juice of the meat. You want to "SEAR" the surface of the meat by keeping it inside the meat. Depending on the thickness, and how hot your grill is, you should probably leave them on the first side from between 3 to upwards of 6 minutes. A great way to tell when they are ready to turn is they will start to "sweat" a bit on the surface. Now, I don't mean that all of the internal juice is coming to the surface... they just start to look a bit "glassy." Once you get used to it, you can also tell by temperature by just touching them.

4) Turn the steaks or chops and again FORGET about them. You are doing the same thing to this side.... searing the outside to hold in the natural juice and flavor. Once again, most "grillers" want to keep flipping or turning stuff when it's on the grill.... DON'T! You tear the surface and lose juice and flavor. Anyway, about the same amount of time on this side and you will be right at Medium Rare. (again, depending on thickness or grill temp) For Medium, turn them once again laying them perpendicular to how you had them before and go about another minute or two and so on all the way to well done, where you would turn them a fourth time for the last couple of minutes. Even well done (brown all the way through) steaks done carefully, will be juicy, tender and flavor full.

5) Be sure to let the steaks 'rest' after removing them from the grill - at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. You can place a dollop of the following recipe on the steaks while they 'rest' for AWESOME flavor!

Gorgonzola Butter (for steaks)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Stick REAL butter
1/4 lb. GORGONZOLA cheese
1 or 2 shallots
1 TBS. FRESH parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Shallots- I chop them and then tame them up a bit. I melt a little butter or use a little oil in a saute pan and let em "sweat" a little. Do not saute.

Throw all ingredients into the food processor and "whip" until well blended.

A little (or a LOT ) brushed on the steak right after placing on the serving plate is just unbelievable. We also like to substitute this for butter on our baked potatoes when having our steaks.

Yummy! You really should try it!