The animal I chose was cow. I always wonder around high
end grocery stores such as Loblaws in their meat sections as well as Cumbraes,
Pusateris or the Summerhill Market and see their amazing selection of dry aged
beef and while I ponder that I also look at the price tag at the outrageous
prices. It made me wonder what could possibly be the reason behind the large
price tag. While I was at the Loblaws by College and Carleton I asked an
associate working in the meat section what is the reason behind dry aging and
he just said basically it just makes the meat more tender. I thought well
that's an odd reason to pay at such a steep price surely there must be a better
reason. I thought I should try to dry age my own beef.
After doing some research I discovered I have perfect
conditions to dry age my meat, I have a cantina (a cold room) that has cold air
circulating from outside in a secure part of my house where no rodents or bugs
will get to and remains consistently cold throughout the winter months.
We purchased a 3 rib 11 pound prime rib from the local
grocery store. I placed it on top of a cooling rack which was placed over a
small layer of salt on a baking sheet. I placed the salt there so as to dry a
lot of the moisture out of the prime rib as well as if any blood was dripping
off the salt would dry it immediately eliminating any unwanted bacteria growth.
I checked on it everytime I had a chance and would rotate
the meat around sometimes just to ensure that air is being circulated evenly
around the meat. At times when I saw blood starting to form a tear on a side of
the meat I'd rub some salt on that area to draw anymore moisture out. I knew
that even though that part of the meat would probably end up salty I would
eventually have to cut it off seeing as mold would be formed around the outer
parts of the meat anyways. I aged the roast for 23 days since it was my first
dry aging experience and wanted to see how it would go. I am currently aging a
20 pound 6 rib roast in my cold room and can't wait to cook it.
This was the prime rib of the beef and as such the cost
of it was much higher than say a hanger steak. I cut the steaks pretty thick
into about 1 - 1.5 inches thick like they do in the steakhouses. When I served
the steaks I wanted my family to feel like they were dining at a steakhouse
with the steak being extremely succulent and juicy, cooked to perfection with
the delicious side dishes that would enhance or add flavours to this delicious
piece of art that I have invested a lot of time and energy into.
After I trimmed off the mold I was left with the ribs.
The ribs were extremely easy to take off just with alittle pull and some few
slices with a knife I was able to have the meat come free. I was able to get 8
nice cuts of steak from this roast.
I let the steaks come to room temperature as should any
meat before you cook it should be like. This helps ensure even cooking. When it
came to cooking the steaks I used just a simple herbes de provence as it just
enhanced the meat ever so slightly so we can taste the flavours of the meat. I
grilled them to a perfect medium rare and let them rest for about 10 minutes. I
didn't care if my parents and sister thought their steaks were not blazing hot I
was more concerned with keeping the juices inside the steak instead of having
them ooze all over their plates and create a bloody mess.
I feel the best way
to deal with a steak is to cook it over a super blazing hot charcoal heated
grill however it was snowing outside and my fire pit in the backyard that I typically use to cook in the summer was all
tarped over for the winter so I cooked it on a blazing hot cast iron skillet. The rule of thumb for cooking any type of meat
is that you should really let it rest for the amount of time you cooked it. For
example if you cook a whole chicken for an hour and a half you should let it
rest for an hour and a half. The amount of flavour and juices that you find in
the chicken after an hour and a half of resting time is incredible and
intoxicating. Cooking chicken is another
matter that is dear to my heart.
I
served the steaks with some roasted brussel sprouts that were cooked in the
pancetta that I made myself and cured for about 2 months. At the end of cooking
I added a bit of maple syrup to give a nice sweet and salty contrast. I also
made a spinach gratin topped with gruyere, some creamy roasted garlic mashed
potatoes, some roasted brown mushrooms roasted in butter, white wine, and
garlic, and lastly served with a delicious 5 year old pinot noir from Sonoma
County.
 |
| My Final Product: Grilled Steak served with Spinach Gratin, Roasted Garlic Butter Mushrooms, Maple Glazed brussel sprouts with pancetta, and creamy garlic mashed potatoes |
I
also topped the steak with some shoe string potatoes that I made earlier that
day. I did some research on different steakhouses and what side dishes they
serve with their steaks and those were the most popular. Now was the time for
me to finally taste the fruits of my labour. When I cut the steak it was
incredibly juicy and cooked to perfection. After I took the first bite I couldn't
believe how unbelieveably tender it was. Another thing that surprised me was
the crust that formed around the steak when I cooked it. My dad is the one that
typically grills steaks for the family but tonight I grilled it and the steaks
that my dad makes are incredible and flavourful however I never noticed a crust
on his steaks. I feel that because of the dry aging technique that aided in
forming a crust when the steaks cooked in the cast iron pan. I didn't even need
to add any clarified butter on top of the steak it was that tasty and
delicious.
 | |||
| The decadent shot of a slice of the steak |
RECIPE: Grilled Prime Rib
4 Dry Aged Prime Rib Steaks
3 tablespoons of Herbes de Provence
Maldon Salt to taste
1. Take steaks out of the fridge and leave it on the counter for about an hour. At the same time take out a cast iron skillet and place it on the burner on a medium heat.
2. Take your steaks and pat them dry with a paper towel just to make sure its not wet and the seasoning can adhere to it. Season it with the herbes de provence individually.
3. Grill the steaks on each side for about 5 minutes on high heat. Don't forget to turn the steaks 90 degrees to get nice criss cross grill marks.
4. Take out the steaks once they are cooked to medium rare and let them rest for about an hour.
5. After an hour serve immediately!
Enjoy with a nice glass of red wine.
Eat Well,
K.M.W.
