You cannot petition the Lord with prayer
You cannot petition the Lord with prayer
Saturday, weather permitting, we are going on an epic hike. Something in in excess of 20 miles. I promise to take pictures.
For those of you who asked, I will write out my marinade recipie. If you like exact amounts, I never measure. Sorry. I will try to give approximate amounts for 2-4 steaks.
I like to use tenderloin/filet mignon, if I feel like throwing down the big bucks, but it is also good with new york strip, porterhouse or ribeye. I just cooked an entire, 5 pound tenderloin. The amount of marinade was considerable, and it was in a bowl big enough to boil a pygmie. Or a small child. Take your pick.
If you want to do a couple-three-four steaks, mix the marinade up in a bowl in a fitting amount, put the steaks in a good freezer ziploc and add the marinade. You'll get more bang for you buck that way. You're looking to get as much marinade on as much surface area as possible for maximum flavor. You can put a couple of fat ribeyes in each freezer bag, because you will also have peppers and onions in there. ((Again, if you have the cojones and disposable income for a full tenderloin, this takes place in the biggest, most massive bowl you have.))
If it feels like you are a little short on marinade, just add water. Trust me, this baby is savory enough that water isn't going to slow it down. It just spreads the goodness a little further.
Slice up a couple of bell peppers and an onion. If you're feeling snazzy, feel free to use yellow & red bell peppers. Lately they seem more firm and crispy, anyway. Cut the pepper and the onion in big enough chunks so they won't fall through the grill, and you can handle them with the tongs. (((If you're a pimp, and you have a grill basket, then slice them as small as you like.))) Put 'em in a bowl.
The base of the marinade is tamari sauce. It is a kind of soy sauce. If you want to save money, just get soy sauce and it will be a little more salty. For 2-4 steaks, use most of a bottle. ((((They sell it in large bottles at some stores, but it is a little harder to find.))))
Then I pour in some red wine vinegar. Somewhere between a quarter and a half cup, depending on how much meat you have. This will break down the muscle fiber in the steak and tenderize it... especially when you soak it for 24 hours.
Pour in some worcestershire if you have it. Same amount as the red wine vinegar.
Splash some olive oil in there. Not much, but a decent gurgle.
If you have a garlic press, press 4-6 cloves into the marinade, depending on how much you like garlic. Me, I like garlic. I use a whole head on a full tenderloin.
Pour in several generous shakes of ground mustard.
Shake in some ground ginger. Not that generously. Ginger can overwhelm.
Crack a whole bunch of peppercorns in there. If you don't have a peppercorn grinder like the dudes who serve you your salad, just go get one and some whole peppercorns. They aren't that expensive and fresh ground pepper is totally worth it.
If you feel like shaking in some dried basil, that's cool.
Put two steaks and half the peppers and onions in each freezer bag. Put 'em in the sink.
Stir up the bowl of marinade with a wooden spoon.
Have your buddy hold the bag as you pour half into one bag.
Stir it again and pour the other half in the other bag.
If you feel like you skimped on the liquids, turn on the faucet and add a little water.
Seal those bad boys, put them in a bowl in case of leakage, and put the bowl in your frig. This marinade will drop you to your knees if you do it for 24 hours. The minimum I would recommend would be 4 hours. You gotta let all these ingredients hang out together and do their thing.
((((((By the way, if you are thinking ahead, and it is summer, grab some corn on the cob IN THE HUSK, one for each person, fill up your cooler with water and a healthy pour of salt from the big container, throw the corn in there, and let it soak for 24 hours, too. It's not that hard, and they grill up so damn nicely.)))))))
Crank up your grill and get it hot. I have a gas grill, because I am lazy. There is an art to charcoal grilling, but I have neither time nor patience for it.
The corn takes 45 minutes or so, in the husk. Turn it with the tongs to get even cooking.
Move the corn to the upper deck, if you have that option and throw the steaks and peppers and onions on the grill. ((((((((You will have to fish them out of the marinade, so you may want to transfer to a bowl with a set of tongs.))))))))
Cook the steaks medium rare for maximum taste. Feel free to snack on the marinated peppers and onions as you grill.
Enjoy.
For those of you who asked, I will write out my marinade recipie. If you like exact amounts, I never measure. Sorry. I will try to give approximate amounts for 2-4 steaks.
I like to use tenderloin/filet mignon, if I feel like throwing down the big bucks, but it is also good with new york strip, porterhouse or ribeye. I just cooked an entire, 5 pound tenderloin. The amount of marinade was considerable, and it was in a bowl big enough to boil a pygmie. Or a small child. Take your pick.
If you want to do a couple-three-four steaks, mix the marinade up in a bowl in a fitting amount, put the steaks in a good freezer ziploc and add the marinade. You'll get more bang for you buck that way. You're looking to get as much marinade on as much surface area as possible for maximum flavor. You can put a couple of fat ribeyes in each freezer bag, because you will also have peppers and onions in there. ((Again, if you have the cojones and disposable income for a full tenderloin, this takes place in the biggest, most massive bowl you have.))
If it feels like you are a little short on marinade, just add water. Trust me, this baby is savory enough that water isn't going to slow it down. It just spreads the goodness a little further.
Slice up a couple of bell peppers and an onion. If you're feeling snazzy, feel free to use yellow & red bell peppers. Lately they seem more firm and crispy, anyway. Cut the pepper and the onion in big enough chunks so they won't fall through the grill, and you can handle them with the tongs. (((If you're a pimp, and you have a grill basket, then slice them as small as you like.))) Put 'em in a bowl.
The base of the marinade is tamari sauce. It is a kind of soy sauce. If you want to save money, just get soy sauce and it will be a little more salty. For 2-4 steaks, use most of a bottle. ((((They sell it in large bottles at some stores, but it is a little harder to find.))))
Then I pour in some red wine vinegar. Somewhere between a quarter and a half cup, depending on how much meat you have. This will break down the muscle fiber in the steak and tenderize it... especially when you soak it for 24 hours.
Pour in some worcestershire if you have it. Same amount as the red wine vinegar.
Splash some olive oil in there. Not much, but a decent gurgle.
If you have a garlic press, press 4-6 cloves into the marinade, depending on how much you like garlic. Me, I like garlic. I use a whole head on a full tenderloin.
Pour in several generous shakes of ground mustard.
Shake in some ground ginger. Not that generously. Ginger can overwhelm.
Crack a whole bunch of peppercorns in there. If you don't have a peppercorn grinder like the dudes who serve you your salad, just go get one and some whole peppercorns. They aren't that expensive and fresh ground pepper is totally worth it.
If you feel like shaking in some dried basil, that's cool.
Put two steaks and half the peppers and onions in each freezer bag. Put 'em in the sink.
Stir up the bowl of marinade with a wooden spoon.
Have your buddy hold the bag as you pour half into one bag.
Stir it again and pour the other half in the other bag.
If you feel like you skimped on the liquids, turn on the faucet and add a little water.
Seal those bad boys, put them in a bowl in case of leakage, and put the bowl in your frig. This marinade will drop you to your knees if you do it for 24 hours. The minimum I would recommend would be 4 hours. You gotta let all these ingredients hang out together and do their thing.
((((((By the way, if you are thinking ahead, and it is summer, grab some corn on the cob IN THE HUSK, one for each person, fill up your cooler with water and a healthy pour of salt from the big container, throw the corn in there, and let it soak for 24 hours, too. It's not that hard, and they grill up so damn nicely.)))))))
Crank up your grill and get it hot. I have a gas grill, because I am lazy. There is an art to charcoal grilling, but I have neither time nor patience for it.
The corn takes 45 minutes or so, in the husk. Turn it with the tongs to get even cooking.
Move the corn to the upper deck, if you have that option and throw the steaks and peppers and onions on the grill. ((((((((You will have to fish them out of the marinade, so you may want to transfer to a bowl with a set of tongs.))))))))
Cook the steaks medium rare for maximum taste. Feel free to snack on the marinated peppers and onions as you grill.
Enjoy.
posted by Joe at
5:13 PM
10 Comments
