Grilling/Recipes from the Ranch

 

Technique: Grilling the premier steaks

To get the most flavor out of our Prime Plus meats follow these simple tips for grilling, particularly for the premier steaks.

Think about quick-sear cooking techniques similar to grilling rare tuna and foie gras. Very hot direct heat to sear the room temperature steaks and then move the steaks to indirect heat to finish.  Wagyu steaks will cause significant flare-ups on the grill as the healthy, Omega-3 marbled fat melts away quickly and starts the flame.  

You cannot allow the steak to remain in contact with heat for long enough to melt all the fat. Wagyu is a fragile meat under heat. Treat it delicately and it will reward you with velvety perfection. We use an intensely hot cast iron grill pan to sear our steaks on the grill to avoid the flare-ups. 

Another good analogy to cooking Wagyu is that of a baked Alaska—you need to sear the outside, but if you let it sit under the heat too long, the delicacy of the good fat will be gone.  "Well done" and "Wagyu" are not words that should go together.

1. Meat Prep 

Room Temperature

As easy as this is, most people do not allow their meat to come to room temperature before grilling. Always pull the meat out of the refrigerator and allow it to lower to room temperature before cooking so that it cooks evenly.

 

Allowing the meat to be grilled when too cold will result in a burned exterior with a tough interior.

Salt Your Beef

Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides of your cuts an hour before grilling. This will help the cells retain water to make your meat juicier when cooked. Wagyu doesn’t need much more than a little salt and pepper.

2. Grill Preparation-Know thy Grill!

Two Heat Zones and a Cast Iron Grill Pan

When preparing your grill set up two zones of heat to allow different cooking temperatures. Set up a "hot" direct heat zone to sear the meats on their initial grill placement, and have a second indirect heat zone with medium high temperature for cooking the meat through. 

You will know when the grill is ready in this zone when you can hold your hand two inches above the grill for two seconds. If you can hold your hand for a longer or shorter period of time the temperature needs to be moderated.

Either the grill surface or the cast iron grill pan should be very hot as you place the steaks.  For best results use an intensely hot cast iron grill pan. We don’t think you need to oil the surface as Wagyu has plenty of excellent fat to coat the surface.

3. Cooking & Resting 

Temperature

Use an instant read thermometer to get the internal temperature perfect. Cook to rare to medium rare to showcase the Wagyu flavor. – 120-130 degrees F.  

10 Minute Meat Rest

Let your meat rest for 10 minutes once it is cooked. This allows the juices to spread though the cut and the meat fibers to relax. Go for the full 10 minutes. Don't deviate in order to achieve maximum flavor and tenderness.


Cooking – It’s what life is all about

Preparing the table’s bounty with healthy, delicious food is a lifelong journey and one that never ends but always gets better with time.  We’ve been blessed by our friends and family and the ranch has been a place to share with everyone.  Over the years, we’ve had family reunions, soccer camps, nature camps, annual branding week-ends, Wagyu convention (molten lava cakes for 150), to name a few keepsakes in our family album.  The best memories are those that center around our table.  Preparing a beautiful meal with those you love is one of life’s true pleasures. 

We’ve included a few recipes, centered around the beef, but I keep threatening to pull together a recipe book from all the great meals and great cooks that have graced our table.  Tiramisu - made from scratch, fresh focaccia bread from the oven, lemon bars, barbequed pork ribs, sautéed trout, rocky mountain oysters- makes me smile just thinking about the day, the people, the joy.

For now, we’ll start with the beef recipes but please share your spectacular recipes with us and we will make sure that they get posted for all to enjoy.

Roasts

Beef Bourguignon

3 lbs. Wagyu Chuck Roast, cut in large pieces

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

bouquet garni

1 bottle good red Burgundy or Pinot Noir

6 oz. lean salt pork

Salt and  freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup flour

1 lb. small white mushrooms

Pearl onions (optional)

Put beef, onion, carrot, garlic and bouquet garni in large bowl.  Add wine.  Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove beef and dry it with paper towel, season with salt and pepper.  Keep marinade.  Fry salt pork until crisp.  Brown beef on all sides.  Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.  Add marinade and 2 cups water, bring to boil for several minutes.  Lower heat to low and cover.  Cook until tender, roughly 3 hours.  Remove bouquet garni, add mushrooms and pearl onions and cook for 20 minutes.  Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes.

Close to Fred’s Steak Marinade – Tri tip and other roasts

I completely found this by accident as I marinated a tri-tip.  I ended up not using it that day and it stayed in the fridge for several days.  To my amazement, it ended up with a black/dark exterior and a flavor very similar to the popular Fred’s Steak or Black Beef Marinade.

½ cup Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup Olive Oil

3 Rosemary Sprigs

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or use garlic paste

 Coarse ground pepper and salt. 

The longer you marinade, the better – several days in fact.  Additionally, place the meat and marinade in a plastic bag and tumble meat often.  I am sure that the Fred’s Steak is marinated in a meat tumbler, which gives the exterior a stickier finish. 

Red Wine marinade for Roast or Loin Steaks

1 bottle Red wine

½ cup carrots

2/3 cups leek

½ cup onions

3 cloves garlic

Italian Parsley

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

Optional sauce:

¾ cup light cream

I cup crumbled Roquefort cheese

 

Place all top ingredients in a pot and boil.  Allow alcohol to burn off by tilting pan and igniting with match.  IF no flames than alcohol is burned off.  Cool and then cover meat, marinade as long as you can.  Strain marinade and grill/roast meat to your preference.  Put marinade on saucepan and reduce by 1/3.  Add in cream and cheese and stir until creamy. Serve with meat. 

 

Horse-radish Crusted Roast

3 lb. Roast – Sirloin/Round/Chuck

Paste for Oven Roast

½ cut ground horseradish (can used prepared)

2TBSP Chopped Parsley

2 TBSP Kosher salt

1 TBSP Coarse pepper

2 TBSP Dijon mustard

Vinegar

Sugar

Roast at room temperature.  Oven at 375 F.  Make paste by blending all together, spread tops and sides of roast.  Roast for 2 hours, meat should read 125F with a meat thermometer.  Rest for 20 minutes and slice thinly across the grain.

 

Braised Brisket/Chuck Roast – Oven style

My recipe is adapted from one by David Rosengarten. We’ve done this several times at the ranch for large groups of people, even the Wagyu Convention.

6 tablespoons simple olive oil or vegetable oil

3 lbs. onions, peeled and sliced evenly

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

8 tablespoons flour

One whole Wagyu brisket (first-cut), approx. 5 lbs.

1/4 cup crushed tomatoes

4 cups rich beef broth at room temperature

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

                  Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or sauté pan over high heat. When it’s hot, add half the onions, and cook them until they are nicely browned, just short of burned, and still a little crunchy. Don’t stir them until the brownness starts to take, then stir occasionally. The whole process may take 10-15 minutes. Remove and reserve. Repeat with remaining half of onions. Remove onions and combine with cooked and reserved onions. Stir in 2 teaspoons of paprika evenly. Reserve.

Season the brisket well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Coat evenly with 6 tablespoons of the flour. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan you used for the onions. Place over high heat. When it’s hot, add the beef. Sear well on all sides until the beef is brown-black; this should take about 5 minutes per side. Remove beef, and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 teaspoons of paprika.

Pre-heat oven to 300ºF.   Select a large pan for braising the beef. Spread the reserved onions out in the bottom of the pan, making a bed that’s about the size of the beef. Spread the crushed tomatoes over the onions. Place the beef on the onion-tomato bed.

Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a mixing bowl. Slowly blend in the beef stock, adding just a few tablespoons of stock at first to make a thick slurry. Beat in the rest of the stock quickly. After you’ve made sure the flour is blended, pour the stock over and around the beef. The size of your pan will determine the depth of the stock in the pan; an ideal depth is anywhere from 1/4 way to 1/2 way up the side of the beef.  Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Baste beef occasionally (once an hour or so) with braising liquid. Cook until beef is very tender; this may take 4-5 hours.

When the brisket is tender, remove it from pan, and let rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile, skim as much fat from the gravy as possible. You may strain the onions out, but I prefer to keep them in. Cut the beef, against the grain, into slices that are about 1/4” thick. Cover meat with gravy and serve.

 

Classic Chuck Pot Roast

                     1
boneless beef chuck roast (5 1/2 - 6 pounds), tied

                     4
teaspoons vegetable oil

                     3
medium onions, chopped

                     1
large rib celery, chopped

                     4
medium carrots, chopped

                     6
medium cloves garlic, minced

                     1
cup red wine

                     1
(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

                     2
cups low-sodium chicken broth

                     1/2
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

                     3
bay leaves

                     1
teaspoon dried thyme

                     2
tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

 

1. Season roast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned roast to slow-cooker insert.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to empty skillet, along with onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to slow-cooker insert.

3. Increase heat to high. Add red wine to empty skillet, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to boil. Add pepper flakes, bay leaves, and thyme and transfer to slow-cooker insert.

4. Set slow cooker to high, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 hours. (Alternatively, cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.) Transfer roast to carving board; loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Discard bay leaves. Allow liquid in pot to settle, about 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface (see related testing). Puree liquid and solids in batches in blender or food processor. (Alternatively, use immersion blender and process until smooth.) Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Remove strings from roast and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer meat to warmed serving platter. Pour about 1 cup gravy over meat. Serve, passing more gravy separately.

 

 

Thin Meats

Rosemary White Wine Marinade

4 steaks (about 100g each)


1 cup of olive oil

1 cup of dry white wine


1/4 cup of fresh Rosemary –

minced
1 clove of fresh garlic - minced
90% alcohol –

splash
fresh cracked black pepper
8-10 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

In a casserole dish (or large enough container to marinate your steaks) add the wine, olive oil & season generously with pepper. Stir together with fork. Place steaks into mixture and allow to marinade for 2-3 hours. Place in refrigerator & turn the steaks every so often. When steaks have marinated allow them to come to room temperature prior to cooking them. You can cook them either on the grill or in a grill pan over medium - high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Arrange your Rosemary Sprigs on tray. Place the steaks on top of the Rosemary. Add a splash of alcohol on top & set on fire. Once flame is extinguished serve immediately.

Hanger Steak with Shallots

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Sherry Vinegar

2 crushed garlic cloves

4 tsp Dijon mustard

1 TBSP Worchestershire sauce

5 shallots

Salt and Pepper

1 ½ lbs. hanger steak

 

Prepare marinade for meat with the first 5 ingredients. Sauté shallots in pan, until carmelized.  Either grill steak on BBQ or remove shallots and use pan.  Let meat rest 10 minutes or so after cooking.  Slice steak thinly and serve with shallots and extra mustard.

 

Soy-Garlic Marinade for Skirt, Hanger, Flank Steaks, Flat iron

2 cup soy

¼ cup Olive Oil

8 minced garlic cloves

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Black pepper

1/8 cup Brown Sugar (if you want it slightly sweeter)

 

Combine and marinade as long as you can. 

 

Miso Marinade

¼ cup miso paste

4-5 garlic cloves

2 TBSP each: Mirin. Sake, Vinegar, chopped green onions (scallions), oil (sesame preferred)

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 tsp black pepper

Blend together and make a paste.  Pour in pan and cover flat steaks such as Hanger steak.  Marinate for at least an hour.

 

Dipping Sauce

¾ cup soy sauce

½ cup sake

½ cup mirin

½ cup rice vinegar

Great Japanese dipping sauce for steaks after they are grilled!

 

Ginger/Soy Marinade for Flat-type Steaks

1/4 cup soy sauce

5 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided

1 garlic clove, pressed

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1 1/2-pound flank/flat-type steak

3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided

 

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Mix soy sauce, oil, 3 teaspoons ginger, and garlic in resealable plastic bag. Add flank steak and seal bag; turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Grill steak until cooked to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice steak thinly against grain.

Speciality

 

Roasted Marrow Bone

8 to 12 center-cut beef or veal marrow bones, 3 inches long, 3 to 4 pounds total

1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons capers

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Coarse sea salt to taste

At least 4 1/2-inch-thick slices of crusty bread, toasted.

 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put bones, cut side up, on foil-lined baking sheet or in ovenproof skillet. Cook until marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, about 15 minutes. (Stop before marrow begins to drizzle out.)

2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, shallots and capers in small bowl. Just before bones are ready, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle dressing over parsley mixture until leaves are just coated. Put roasted bones, parsley salad, salt and toast on a large plate. To serve, scoop out marrow, spread on toast, sprinkle with salt and top with parsley salad.

Braised Beef Cheeks

                     4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

                     4 (12-oz) beef cheeks, trimmed of excess fat

                     1 medium onion, finely chopped

                     1 medium carrot, finely chopped

                     1/2 celery rib, finely chopped

                     1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

                     2 cups red wine

                     1 (28- to 32-oz) can whole tomatoes including juice, chopped (3 cups)

                     1 1/2 teaspoons salt

                     1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof 6-quart wide heavy pot  until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, pat beef cheeks dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown beef, without crowding, on all sides, to a bowl. Pour off fat from pot, then add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cook onion, carrot, and celery on low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Stir cocoa powder into vegetable mixture, then add wine and scrape up any brown bits. Increase heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Return cheeks (with any juices) to pot and add tomatoes with juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then braise, covered, in middle of oven until very tender, about 3 hours.