Tales from the grill...

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,237
An oldie but goodie. My signature dish is Beef Tenderloin. Make a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, thyme and cinnamon (my secret ingredient). Toss tenderloins in mixture and pat. Using tongs, sear all sides on a hot pan with melted butter. 30 seconds per side (minimum 6 sides). Preheat oven to 400 (or grill) and depending on meat thickness, cook 6 to 14 minutes per side. Test with tongs. Meat should give but be firm.DC20EC6C-173C-46ED-B139-7708FCDD9FFE.jpeg
 
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wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
18,111
An oldie but goodie. My signature dish is Beef Tenderloin. Make a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano thyme and cinnamon (my secret ingredient). Toss tenderloins in mixture and pat. Using tongs, sear all sides on a hot pan with melted butter. 30 seconds per side (minimum 6 sides). Preheat oven to 350 (or grill) and depending on meat thickness, cook 6 to 14 minutes per side. Test with tongs. Meat should give but be firm.View attachment 230134
That's beautiful!

This lasts summer beef prices got weird. Hamburger disappeared for a while early on, then prices of all beef went crazy - no sales. Later around July or so, I found filet mignon for $9.99/lb while more pedestrian cuts were only a dollar or two cheaper. Seemed like a no-brainer opportunity. Results were a huge hit.

I'd never cooked a filet in my life and so I learned to do the reverse sear method, which is a lot like your method except for reversing the steps, and it spends longer in a lower-temp oven before hitting the hot pan. I highly recommend it for the convenience aspect.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
18,111
Down here in Dixie, fancy plating meant throwing a sprig of parsley on the plate even if it was only a paper plate. Note: NEVER try to eat the parsley sprig.
It cracks me up that we're almost 1000 posts into this thread before the subject of "plating" even came up, and then sarcastically. How appropriate for a thread devoted to "the grill".
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,237
That's beautiful!

This lasts summer beef prices got weird. Hamburger disappeared for a while early on, then prices of all beef went crazy - no sales. Later around July or so, I found filet mignon for $9.99/lb while more pedestrian cuts were only a dollar or two cheaper. Seemed like a no-brainer opportunity. Results were a huge hit.

I'd never cooked a filet in my life and so I learned to do the reverse sear method, which is a lot like your method except for reversing the steps, and it spends longer in a lower-temp oven before hitting the hot pan. I highly recommend it for the convenience aspect.
Interesting... but I’d be afraid of searing last. Too much moisture from the steak would be lost in the oven. Searing first holds in those delicious juices.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
18,111
Interesting... but I’d be afraid of searing last. Too much moisture from the steak would be lost in the oven. Searing first holds in those delicious juices.
Check the science - it's actually the opposite. Don't believe it? Try weighing the meats yourself, or more importantly just eat it.

If you're afraid of moisture loss, you'll lose your mind over the first step: You place the uncovered, salted meat on a rack in the fridge overnight to dry out the surface. This makes the final sear step go much faster because you don't need to drive off the surface water. I know it goes against normal handling, but it works very well.

Here's roughly the process I followed:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how-to-reverse-sear-best-way-to-cook-steak.html
another angle
https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/how-to-reverse-sear-filet-mignon/
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,237
Check the science - it's actually the opposite. Don't believe it? Try weighing the meats yourself, or more importantly just eat it.

If you're afraid of moisture loss, you'll lose your mind over the first step: You place the uncovered, salted meat on a rack in the fridge overnight to dry out the surface. This makes the final sear step go much faster because you don't need to drive off the surface water. I know it goes against normal handling, but it works very well.

Here's roughly the process I followed:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how-to-reverse-sear-best-way-to-cook-steak.html
another angle
https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/how-to-reverse-sear-filet-mignon/
I actually follow the first step already. I leave it out in the fridge and then bring it to room temperature on the counter
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,237
I read article. It states that the reverse sear is better than cooking in a fry pan. My technique slow cooks in the oven and not in a pan at all and can’t be compared to the technique comparison in the article. If I cooked everything in a fry pan, I’d agree much more easily.
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,491
cooking in a fry pan.
Just about anything is better than the old fashioned sop it in egg, dredge it in flour, and fry it in lard! I still remember seeing those 5 lbs. tubs of lard in the grocery stores. When they sold my wife's grandmother's house they had to gut the kitchen because all the cabinetry and walls were soaked in grease.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
18,111
I actually follow the first step already. I leave it out in the fridge and then bring it to room temperature on the counter
Yeah, that step is probably a bigger factor. After that I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between first-sear or last-sear. Anyway I just got back from Costco with some sirloins. All this talk of steak was overwhelming.

I also got a box of lobster tails for the holiday and beyond. I haven't tried them from Costco yet, but it's the cheapest source of lobster meat I can find. Fingers crossed.
 

killivolt

Joined Jan 10, 2010
836
Anyway I just got back from Costco with some sirloins. All this talk of steak was overwhelming.
I also got a box of lobster tails for the holiday and beyond. I haven't tried them from Costco yet, but it's the cheapest source of lobster meat I can find. Fingers crossed.
All this talk of steak was overwhelming lol :rolleyes:

I do that... you can almost smell it ”Pavlov's Dog“
kv
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,875
Off topic for the grill thread, but on the (sub)topic of plating (thanks for adding to my vocabulary by the way) this is the heart shaped box of "chocolates" I got my wife for Valentines day:

20210214_111229.jpg

She's not that into chocolates but she loves crawfish so I went out yesterday and bought the Valentine's day 30 ct Chick-fil-A nuggets just for the heart shaped novelty tray that they come in. Fed the nuggets to the kids, and ferreted the tray away. Went out this morning and bought crayfish to fill the tray with. It was a solid win. She loved it.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
30,680
There are lots of crayfish in the lakes here, but nobody seems to be aware or even eat them, they generaly are used as Jack fish bait.
There a law now about catching them as there is evidence of an invasive species that takes over the native kind, although they are considered a delicacy in Europe.
Variety Known as Rusty Crayfish and fisheries are worried about people spreading them.

"The Rusty crayfish is a large, aggressive species of freshwater crayfish which is native to the United States,
in the Ohio River Basin in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Its range is rapidly expanding across much of eastern North America, displacing native crayfishes in the process."
Max.
 
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