Serves: 5
Most food cravings live short but intense lives. If the real thing isn't available, you can usually be placated with a reasonable facsimile or a close-enough relative. But when you're struck by the deep, maddening yearning for juicy grilled beef, you just gotta have the real thing. Nothing else will do.
If beef is your passion, these moments can border on crisis. Details such as texture, the degree of doneness, and seasonings are sacrosanct. This desired beef serving must not merely be. It must be just so.
No wonder so many beef lovers turn to the grill for true satisfaction. Whether you're preparing steaks, filets, burgers, or a roast, the grill is the best--some would say only--way to sear the outside quickly, giving it a wonderfully caramelized surface that yields to the tenderness within. But that's only half the story. Without a doubt, beef reaches its fullest flavor when steeped in the smoke that rises up when fat and juices drip onto the flames below. This is the stuff that cowboy dreams are made of.
Then, of course, there is beef's appeal to the chef: versatility. Bovine topography is vast and varied, with a range of textures and flavors that's impossible to replicate. From the tender valleys of the short loin to the massive peaks of the chuck, there's a lot of territory to work with here. This affords the chef the luxury of choosing not only the cut, but the preparation method as well.
Let's say you're craving a rich, tender helping. How about a filet mignon, a tenderloin roast, or a sizzling rib-eye? Easy, fast, delicious. Or let's say it's Saturday and you want to treat yourself after a busy day of errands and chores. Just slip a flank or skirt steak into a tenderizing marinade when you wake up and dine on thin slices of beef dripping with seasoned flavor that evening. And who doesn't appreciate the simplicity of the burger, which you can dress up or down depending on your mood. Fine-tuned to your craving-of-the-moment, the burger can be bliss.
Got more time on your hands? Spend some of it rubbing or stuffing a roast or marinating some beef ribs. You won't regret a minute invested. And wouldn't a savory sauce--say, a velvety blend of red wine, mushrooms, and butter--be worth the effort to create? We think so!
There are even choices today about the quality of beef you start with. We're not talking about the grade and cut, but rather the purity of the cattle's feed and water, whether or not the cattle ever receive growth hormones, how they're treated for illness, and how they're handled over the course of their entire lives. Marketed under the label of "natural" beef, there is a variety of products to choose from. Each producer has specific standards and definitions, however, so read the labels carefully or ask your butcher about them. These products usually cost more, but you may very well find a line of beef products that you'll want at your dinner table every time.
Whatever you decide to season, slice, and devour, look for cuts with the most generous marbling. Trim off the excess outer fat. And ditch the guilt trip. We promise to put the fun back into a menu choice that has been met with a raised eyebrow in the past several years. Beef is about enjoyment. If you've ever wondered how to get there, we've got the inside scoop on how to shop for the good stuff, how to trim it up, and how to grill it to meet your expectations. From the homestead of the classic mouth-watering T-bone to the Elysian fields of garlic- and herb-crusted prime rib, there's something here for every beef lover. But don't take our word for it. Indulge!
From Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.
This *Beef recipe is from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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