Weeknight Steaks And Jessie
One of the things I love about steaks….besides the fact that they’re steaks…is that they cook quickly. And steaks are very versatile. No grill? No problem. Oven on the fritz? No problem. Stove not working? No problem. I mean you can even eat the stuff raw. Although, I’d be choosy about that. Steak goes with pretty much everything across all the continents. You really can’t go wrong.
I prefer no fuss steak (big surprise considering my laziness) so I prefer better quality beef. I want to taste the actual beef, not everything it was slathered/marinated/dry rubbed in. So for steaks and steak roasts, I tend to stick to seasoning that enhances the beef flavor rather than disguise it or distract from it. Sure, there are some fancy French steak sauces and whatnot that are dandy when made from scratch, but this is a weeknight. Focus!
During the week, I stick to broiling steaks. Clutch your pearls ladies! Yes, I know searing in a cast iron is all the rage and sure it’s fun when you’re cooking just two steaks. But I had to make nine at once and I didn’t feel like standing out in the freezing cold for some grill marks. Yes, I know broiling doesn’t give you a crust like searing in cast iron, but maybe some of us don’t want crusty beef. Did you ever think of that? No.
Before broiling, I like to let my meat sit in some sauce. For a long time. Hours, even. While I have some tricks I’ll probably never share with anyone ever, last night I did a simple red wine soak with a little powdered onion and garlic and a some salt and pepper. You can swap the salt for some fish sauce or coconut aminos or soy sauce or whatever your heart desires. I just like eating the crispy fat broiling a marinated steak produces. Top it with a little blue cheese and I am in heaven.
Last night was Jessie’s birthday and steak was what she requested for dinner. See? Even farm girls like my broiled steaks! And since it was a Friday, technically it’s a week night. Ha! Yeah, yeah, we had a little partay, but it was just a little one! We all missed her husband, Joe, who was called away to the other side of the country and had to miss her 40th. We were all sad so we made sure to drink lots of wine. Cheers! And happy birthday to the most beautiful farm girl I know!
Broiled Steak
2-10 steaks of your choice
Any oil~less marinade of your choosing…I used red wine with a splash or so of fish sauce and black pepper…just mix up enough to bathe the steaks in
Cover the meat in the marinade and leave it open to the air for about 4 hours, flipping the meat every hour or so.
Put the oven on broil and cook the steaks on a baking sheet covered in foil until the fat edges start to brown, about 5-10 minutes, oven depending.
Flip the steaks over and return to the broiler until th fat edges get a nice crispy, but juicy look to them, about another 5-10 minutes. Thicker steaks will take longer, thinner steaks less.
Remove the steaks and let rest for about 5 minutes. If you prefer your steak cooked more than medium rare, leave them in a bit longer. I always err to an underdone steak because you can always just pop it back under the broiler. An over cooked steak can’t be fixed.