Here’s the skinny on what you’ve been doing wrong at the grill: Never season the steaks before putting them on the grill (it’s useless), always rub oil on to the steak to evenly cook the meat, and NEVER flip the steak before rotating it 90° and placing it in a new spot on the grill. These rules will change your life. I promise.
Chef demonstrated on Day 1 this week how to break down the side of a cow, and it was awesome. From this section of cow came the intercostal muscles (rib meat), bones for stock, fat for lard and rib-eye steak which is made up of the side muscle, the center muscle and, what Chef called the “Maserati of meat”, the rib-eye cap . C’était super génial! And it was delicious. The class fees were definitely worth while, just for that char-grilled steak.
Close to the beginning of Chef’s demonstration, he mentioned how each rib-eye steak would have to be sold at around $90 a piece in order to make a profit. But, I’ve never paid for a $90 steak in my life! This is where a chef’s knowledge of versatility comes in handy. In order to decrease the price of that individual steak, you have to know how to get the most out of that section of cow. 1 petit filet could be charged at a rate that would lower the cost of that rib-eye. I found this to be truly intriguing, but perhaps my readers have fallen asleep.
Anyways, Day 2 of Week 3 was all about fish. The same principles that applied to beef applies to fish. The salmon we got to eat was fantastic. Chef went off on a passionate tangent on sustainability about how fish hatcheries had been feeding their salmon chicken bones, making the meat white. Then they added red food coloring to compensate for the color problem. Gross. I already stated that the salmon was good; I’d just like to add that that beef was WAY better. Just personal preference I suppose.
AHA Moment
My AHA moment this week occurred when we finished grilling the beef and I got a taste of it. Mom always said to slow down and enjoy my food, but something about this particular day made that point stick. As Chef Mark said, “Tasting food is the gateway to understanding how to cook”. There is so much joy to be found in this rough world, and we must cherish those moments. Cooking and eating can be one of those moments, we just need to slow down and appreciate it. Don’t eat. Taste.
Maison de Gastronomie 