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Category Archives: Grilling

Some Indoor Barbecue – Oven Roasted Maple Chicken and Ribs

Those that follow this blog know I have long lamented about the inability I have to use an outdoor grill here. New York State laws don’t allow condos and apartments to own gas or charcoal grills, and the electric grill, while doing its job, didn’t really offer that much in the way of a good grilling experience. This has left me to my own devices when it comes to grilling, meaning I do what I can indoors with the oven and stovetop. While I will never get the great smell of outdoor grill cooking or the fantastic grill marks (though my grill pan does a good job, it just isn’t the same), I still like to make barbecue flavors when I can inside. For some reason not that long ago I had a craving for some barbecued chicken and ribs. Now, making barbecued chicken and ribs is nothing out of the ordinary – all you need are your chicken pieces, ribs and some barbecue sauce mainly – I wanted something that was going to give us some different flavor and a bit of that barbecue feel. I came across this recipe at New York Times Cooking from Nigella Lawson for oven roasted maple chicken and ribs that offered the unique flavor I was going for with that roasted, not-quite-barbecued method.

Oven Roasted Maple Chicken and Ribs

1 cup apple cider or juice

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

6 unpeeled garlic cloves

½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)

8 pork spareribs, separated

6 chicken thighs with skin and bone (or other chicken pieces)

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the apple cider, maple syrup, vegetable oil and soy sauce. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, garlic cloves and the hot pepper flakes (if using) and stir the ingredients to combine them well.

In a large freezer bag or bowl, combine the pork ribs and chicken pieces. Pour in the apple cider mixture, and seal the bag or cover the bowl. Refrigerate the meat overnight or up to 2 days.

Remove the marinated mixture from the refrigerator, and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the contents of the bag or bowl (including the marinating liquid) into a large enough roasting pan to avoid crowding the meat. Turn the chicken pieces, so they are skin side up.

Roast the meat until the chicken is opaque throughout and the ribs are tender, about 1 1/4 hours; 35 to 40 minutes into roasting turn the ribs over, but leave the chicken skin side up and turn the heat to 425 degrees to increase browning, if desired.

When the chicken and ribs are finished roasting, there will be quite a lot of fat in the sauce. Strain the sauce and use a fat separator to remove the excess. Place the meat in a large dish along with the strained sauce and serve hot.

While there is not much to the original recipe, I did make a couple of slight variations of my own. To the marinade, I did add 1/2 a teaspoon of liquid smoke so I could get a smokier flavor from the meat. It worked out quite nicely for both the chicken and the ribs. I did not add all the marinating liquid into the roasting pan when I put the meat in. Instead, I changed the cooking method a bit. I put half the marinade in the pan and covered the roasting pan for the first 60 minutes with aluminum foil to give the meat a chance to cook and keep some of the juices in, then removed the foil for the next thirty minutes and cooked the chicken and ribs this way. For the last twenty to thirty minutes, I basted the chicken and ribs with the remaining sauce so that the meat got a nice coating of the sauce and had more of a “barbecued” look to it. I then placed the meat under the broil for a minute or two for some final coloring. While I think working with the original recipe will turn things just fine, I believe that this method turned out moister meat and more tender ribs and chicken that were not dried out. I really liked the maple flavor of the ribs and the chicken, and you could easily make this for a crowd if you have a big enough roasting pan where the meat does not get crowded, so it steams. I served this with some grilling sides like green beans, cole slaw, and corn to round out the grilling experience (cornbread would go nicely here too).

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on April 12, 2017 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Pork, Poultry, Uncategorized

Tags: maple chicken and ribs, Nigella Lawson, Nigella Lawson chicken n ribs, NYT Cooking, oven barbecued chicken and ribs, oven roasted maple chicken and ribs

Say it With Steak – Pan Grilled Sirloin Steak with Ancho Chile-Coffee Rub

31 Aug

Finding different things to do with steak when you don’t have the option of grilling outside can be difficult sometimes. There is nothing quite like getting a steak nicely grilled, grill marks and all, and having the smell of the steak on your barbecue permeating the backyard. For those of us that do not have the grilling option, finding a good way to get flavor, grill marks and more out of a steak you make indoors is what you have to make the best of. For me, it usually means making use of a grill pan, finding a really good rub to put on the steak and doing some careful cooking to make sure the steak gets done correctly. There is nothing worse than overcooking a good piece of steak, considering how much they cost today. You can save a little bit if you can get yourself a nice sirloin steak, which I managed to do recently at our local farmers’ market. I got steak from Bishop Farms, a farm that promises no hormones, GMOs or antibiotics in the meat they sell. It was then a matter of finding a good way to cook it, so I decided to make use of part of this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for a grilled steak with ancho chile-coffee rubs and adapt for indoor use.

Pan Grilled Sirloin Steak with Ancho-Chile Coffee Rub

For the Steak:

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 ( 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pound) boneless sirloin steaks, about 1-inch thick

For the Spice Rub:

1 dried ancho chile. stemmed, seeded and flesh torn into 1/2-inch pieces

4 teaspoons cumin seeds

4 teaspoons coriander seeds

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground coffee

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

Vegetable oil spray

For the steak, combine the tomato paste, fish sauce, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, cut 1/16-inch-deep slits on both sides of steaks, spaced about a ½ inch apart, in a crosshatch pattern. Rub the salt mixture evenly on both sides of the steaks. Place the steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet; let the steaks stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

For the spice rub, toast the ancho chile, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns in a medium skillet set over medium-low heat, stirring the spices frequently, until they are just beginning to smoke, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the spices to a plate to cool for about 5 minutes. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or in a mortar with pestle until they are coarsely ground. Transfer the spices to a bowl and stir in the sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder.

Sprinkle about half of the spice rub evenly over 1 side of the steaks and press down to adhere until the spice rub is fully moistened. Lightly spray the rubbed side of the steak with vegetable oil spray for about 3 seconds. Flip the steaks and repeat the process of sprinkling with the spice rub and coating with vegetable oil spray on the second side.

Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Drop a few drops of water on the pan and if it sizzles loudly when it hits the pan, the pan should be hot enough for your steaks. Place the steaks in the hot pan and sear the steaks on one side for 5 minutes without moving the steaks. Flip the steaks and cook them on the other side for another five minutes without moving them for a doneness of medium-rare. If you prefer the steaks medium, add one to two minutes to your cooking time to desired doneness. Remove the steaks and allow them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing them thinly against the grain and serving.

If you didn’t want to go through the effort of toasting the spices and then grinding them you could certainly use spices that are already ground, but the toasting does add a different flavor to the spice mixture and it works well. You get a much deeper flavor this way. I really liked having two different rubs on there as the combination of the tomato paste, fish sauce, salt, onion and garlic really adds something special to the steaks and then it gets topped off by the coffee and chile spice rub for a really good finish. Spraying the steaks with vegetable spray serves a couple of purposes as it will help you to keep the steaks from sticking to the pan but it also helps to bloom the spices a bit more so you don’t get a raw spice flavor. I think the rub will work well on any cut of steak you want to make, something expensive or inexpensive, and still give you great taste. I only made one large steak for the three of us for this meal but if you make the two steaks indoors you will need to cook them in batches so you can make sure you get a nice sear and don’t overcrowd the pan so the steaks steam. Of course, if you have a gas or charcoal grill you could always cook them outdoors and get great results as well. Any steak goes well with roasted potatoes and roasted vegetables, and I made some roasted broccoli and beets to go with the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 31, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Herbs, Spices

Tags: ancho chile-coffee rub, cook's illustrated, Cook's Illustrated grilled steak with ancho chile-coffee rub, grilled steak with ancho chile-coffee rub, pan grilled sirloin steak, pan grilled sirloin steak with ancho chile-coffee rub, sirloin steak, sirloin steak recipe

Steak and Summer Go Hand in Hand – Sirloin Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

13 Aug

There are always some meals that I immediately associate with the summer. Naturally people think a lot about things like hamburgers and hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, watermelon and all of the great summer fruits and vegetables you can get. One of the things I always associate with summer is steak. Even though I made steak throughout the year and I don’t even have a grill to use, the idea of grilling a nice piece of steak is something I love. Since I need to do next best around here, I very often use one of my grill pans when making steak to get that same feeling. As much as I love steak, the price keeps me from buying it too often. Every once in a while I will treat us to a rib eye steak for dinner or a New York strip, but that’s about it and only if they are on sale. When I last went to the farmers’ market here in Monroe, I picked up a meat package from Bishop Farms, a farm out of Fulton, NY that offers some great beef, pork, lamb, chicken and more that are all-natural, no steroids and antibiotics. I had purchased a few things from them before and got a package of ground beef, short ribs, beef kebabs and sirloin steaks that looked awesome. I decided to make one of the sirloin steaks the other night and used this recipe from Martha Stewart to make a quick and easy meal.

Sirloin Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus wedges for serving

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large sirloin steak (about 1 1/2 pounds and 1 inch thick), trimmed and cut into 4 equal portions

1 pound red new potatoes, halved (quartered if large)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Place the mustard mixture in a resealable plastic bag. Add the steaks, and rub the steaks to coat them well. Let the steaks marinate at room temperature for about 10 minutes or refrigerate them for up to 1 day.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then add the asparagus to the sheet pan and toss them with another tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the asparagus with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until the potatoes and asparagus are tender, about 15 minutes more.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or grill pan over high heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Cook the steaks for about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. If the pan darkens quickly, reduce the heat. Let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes. Serve the steaks with the vegetables or slice the steaks into thin slices and serve over the vegetables on a large platter. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

It’s a very simple recipe that comes out nicely. I used Yukon gold potatoes in my recipe because that is what I had on hand to go with the asparagus. I chose to keep the steak as one large steak and then slice it after it rested, but you could certainly do whatever is best for you. The steak was perfectly cooked and the marinade was quite nice with the mustard and garlic. The marinade would be good on other things like chicken or lamb, but I think I might add a touch of soy sauce to it next time to really boost up the flavor. The whole meal only takes about 30 to 40 minutes to cook, which is great for a weeknight and if you have a grill you could easily do it all outside without having to heat up the house.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 13, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Potatoes, Vegetables

Tags: Bishop Farms, Bishop Farms Fulton NY, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart sirloin steak, roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, roasted potatoes and asparagus, sirloin steak, sirloin steak recipe, sirloin steak with roasted potatoes and asparagus

It’s Getting Fishy – John Dory with Artichokes and Peppers and Pan Roasted Tiger Prawn Shrimp

08 Aug

Getting fresh fish in the summertime or really any time of year is a great thing, but finding really fresh fish can always be something of a challenge. I know the supermarkets in my area primarily have a very small selection of prepackaged, frozen fish. If I drive about 20 miles I can go to markets that have regular fish counters, but they do not always have the greatest selection to choose from. That is why I was so happy to learn that there is a real fish market right near my house now, Hudson Valley Seafood, that offers some fantastic fresh fish. They had been wholesalers in the area for many years, supplying restaurants in the region with their fish and have just recently opened a retail store. They get fresh fish daily so there is always something new to see. The store is great, with that fresh fish and not fishy smell that you like to see in a market and the prices are very reasonable. When we ventured over their for the first time a couple of weeks ago, they had some great selections, including John Dory fish and some truly immense colossal Tiger prawns. We decided to try a little of each, using a recipe from Food Network for the John Dory while using a quick recipe from Bait to Plate for the prawns.

John Dory with Artichokes and Peppers

Olive oil, to saute
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 onion, small diced
1/2 carrot, small diced
4 artichoke hearts, diced
3 (3-pound) whole John Dory fish, scaled, eviscerated, and filleted with the skin on
2 ounces white wine
3 ounces chicken stock
1 pepper of your choice, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/2 lemon, juiced

Saute the garlic, onion, carrot, pepper, and artichoke hearts in the olive oil in a saute pan set of medium heat until the vegetables just begin to brown and soften, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and chicken stock. Simmer the mixture for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender.

After cooking the vegetables , puree about half of the mixture in the blender. Add the pureed half back to the mixture and stir to combine.

Season the fish fillets with salt and coriander. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick saute pan set over medium heat. Carefully place the fish fillets in the pan, flesh side down, and cook the fish until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook until the skin is crispy and the fish is cooked through and no longer translucent, about another 2 minutes. Remove the fillets from the pan and set them aside. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice. Add the lemon juice to the artichoke mixture and stir well. Serve the fish with the artichoke mixture on the side.

Pan Roasted Tiger Prawns

2-3 U-3 Colossal Tiger Prawns

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon, for serving

To clean the tiger prawns, remove the head of the prawns (be careful, they have a very sharp horn on the front), but leave the chest plate and legs on the shell in tact. Split the pawns down the back with a sharp knife and thoroughly clean out the intestines (think of it as deveining a shrimp, just on a much larger scale). Rinse the prawns thoroughly and place them in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, chili powder and fresh parsley. Pour the marinade over the prawns and toss them until they are well coated. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat a grill a pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with salt and pepper and add the prawns to the pan and allow them to cook until they begin to turn pink and the shell looks nicely roasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the prawns and cook them on the opposite side, about 2 to 3 minutes more or until the prawns are cooked through and pink. Serve the prawns with lemon wedges, if desired.

The John Dory was a very mild fish that tasted wonderful. The mix of the artichokes and peppers were a nice compliment to the fish itself. If you want a fish that is not going to taste fishy and is a firm but delicate white fish, this could be for you. They went very nicely with some rice pilaf and corn on the cob. The Tiger prawns are something of a treat, since they can be quite expensive. The best way I can describe them is that it is like eating a lobster tail. The meat is very similar and has wonderful flavor to it. We cut them up and shared 2 of them among us and it was more than enough. Make sure you clean them out well when you go to devein them as it is a large amount to remove and you do need to be careful handling them. These would be great on the barbecue as well as the grill pan and cooking them in the shell is the best way to go.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 8, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Seafood, Uncategorized

Tags: Bait to Plate, colossal Tiger prawns, food network, Food Network John Dory recipe, Hudson Valley Seafood, John Dory, John Dory recipe, pan roasted John Dory with artichokes and peppers, Tiger prawns recipe, u3 Tiger prawns

50 Easy Weeknight Summer Dinners, So You Can Relax – Bon Appétit

22 Jul

It’s summer and it’s hot out so avoiding the elaborate dinner becomes almost a necessity for most of us. Bon Appetit is here to help you out with 50 easy weeknight summer dinners so you don’t have to slave in the kitchen to have a good meal. Check it out!

Source: 50 Easy Weeknight Summer Dinners, So You Can Relax – Bon Appétit

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Posted by MikeG on July 22, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Picnic Fare, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Produce, Rice, Salad, Sandwiches, Sausage, Seafood, Slow Cooker Meals, Stir Fry, Vegetables

Tags: 50 easy weeknight summer dinners, Bo Appetit 50 easy weeknight summer dinners, bon appetit, dinners to make when it's hot, easy weeknight summer dinners, summertime easy dinners

Our 20 Most Popular Shrimp Recipes Right Now – Recipes from NYT Cooking

21 Jul

Summertime and seafood go together really well and there’s nothing better than making use of shrimp for one of your weeknight meals. Shrimp is easy to make, very versatile and just takes a few minutes to cook so you can have a great meal on the table in no time at all. NYT Cooking has 20 great shrimp recipes you can try for all kinds of occasions to make something fun, different and delicious with your shrimp. Check it out!

Source: Our 20 Most Popular Shrimp Recipes Right Now – Recipes from NYT Cooking

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Posted by MikeG on July 21, 2016 in Appetizers, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Rice, Sandwiches, Seafood

29 Grilled Steak Recipes – Bon Appétit

19 Jul

If you have plans to break out the grill any time soon and want to go beyond just making hamburgers and hot dogs, you can’t go wrong with making a steak. With so many choices to go with, you could make something different all summer long with these 29 steak recipes for the grill from Bon Appetit. Check it out!

Source: 29 Grilled Steak Recipes – Bon Appétit

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Posted by MikeG on July 19, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling

Tags: 29 grilled steak recipes, 29 steak recipes, bon appetit, Bon Appetit 29 grilled steak recipes, grilled steak recipes, steak on the grill

Tips for Hosting a Budget-Friendly Barbecue | MyRecipes.com

18 Jul

Everyone loves to cook out and host a party in the summer, but sometimes it can seem pretty overwhelming to your budget when you happen to invite a big crowd. This is especially true if you want to be able to do this several times over the summer. Luckily, they are plenty of great options available to you so that you can have a fantastic summer barbecue where everyone will enjoy the food and you don’t have to spend a fortune each time. MyRecipes.com has put together some really helpful hints and tips so you know just what to do and how to plan for your next summer party. Check it out!

Source: Tips for Hosting a Budget-Friendly Barbecue | MyRecipes.com

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Posted by MikeG on July 18, 2016 in Cooking, Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling, Lunch, Picnic Fare

Tags: budget-friendly barbecue, have a summer BBQ on a budget, myrecipes.com, Planning a barbecue, tips for hosting a budget-friendly barbecue

No Smoker, No Problem – Make These Oven-Smoked Spare Ribs

13 Jul

Not having a grill at your disposal to use in the summertime is a big disappointment, at least for me. Living condo life in New York prevents us from having a charcoal or gas grill to do any outdoor cooking on. I tried the electric grill for a number of years and it did a good job cooking, but it just isn’t the same as using charcoal or even gas. You get the grill marks but you don’t get the same sear and smell that you do from other ways of cooking. That is why I often try to make the best of the grill pans I have without setting off the smoke alarm or use the oven. It may not be the ideal way to do it in the summertime, but it’s the best I have available. One of the things I really miss is the ability to do racks of ribs on the grill. There is something about the great smoky flavor you can get when you cook ribs on the grill that make them spectacular. I have been looking around at different methods to do some smoking in the oven. I considered stovetop smokers and smoking guns, but they seem a little expensive to me for something I may only use a handful of times a year and since we are already tight for space in our small kitchen, it may not be the most practically thing to have. When I came across this recipe at New York Times Cooking from Mark Bittman for oven-smoked ribs, it seemed too easy and I was skeptical about just how well it might actually work out.

Oven- Smoked Spare Ribs

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons paprika

1 rack spare ribs, 2 to 3 pounds

Your favorite homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce

Heat the oven to 225 degrees. While the oven heats, mix together the salt, brown sugar, pepper, cumin, chili powder and paprika in a small bowl until the ingredients are blended. Rub the spice mix all over the pork.

Layer the bottom of a roasting pan with hickory or oak chips (or any other wood chips you prefer) and add enough water to create a shallow pool coating the bottom of the pan and moistening the chips; do not drown them.

Put a rack over the chips and put the rubbed meat on the rack. Cover the entire roasting pan tightly with foil, making a tent at the top so the smoke-flavored steam can circulate around the meat. Bake the ribs for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is cooked and tender.

Carefully remove the foil from the pan and, if desired, paint the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. Run the ribs under the broiler, watching them carefully, until they are nicely crisp and browned, about 5 minutes.

It did seem almost too easy to me. I was naturally worried that there would be a lot of smoke in the oven and was prepared to race to the smoke alarm but I never had to once. The foil kept the smoke trapped in the roasting pan with the meat and did a wonderful job. I used some hickory chips I had purchased at the supermarket and they added some great flavor to the meat. I read on the website that some people had done the ribs this way in their slow cooker, which trapped the smoke in better because of the seal that the cover provides, so this certainly could be an option for you to try. Are they going to be ribs that are better than what you can do on a grill or in a smoker? No, they aren’t; but if you don’t have those as options and really want to get some smoke into the ribs, it is a pretty good alternative to try. You might also want to add a little bit of liquid smoke to the water in the roasting pan to help amp up some of the smoke flavor you get. The ribs come out with definite smoke flavor and smell. I found I had to cook mine for a little over 3 hours to get them as tender as we like them, but other than that the recipe worked out really well. Like any rib recipe, you can always go with corn on the cob, coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad to make a great meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 13, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Pork

Tags: mark bittman, New York Times Cooking oven-smoked spare ribs, NYT Cooking, oven-smoked spare ribs, smoking ribs indoors, spare ribs recipe, spare ribs smoked in the oven

Whipping Up Some Whiskey Glazed Steak with Grilled Potatoes

07 Jul

If you are a meat-eater then steak is probably at the top of your list of foods that you love to have for dinner. We love steak in our house and while we each seem to have our favorite cuts (Michelle loves New York strip, Sean likes London broil and I like Rib-Eye) just about any type of steak can do really well for a meal if it’s prepared correctly. The big problem with steak of course is that it tends to be very expensive. I try to get it on sale when I can and make the most of some of the less-expensive, lower cuts of meat and make them work, which is why London broil can be such a great choice. If you prepare it right it can be just as tender as any other steak and it costs much less than what you will pay for tenderloin, rib-eye, strip steak or sirloin. Very often when I see steak recipes that I really like I look for ways to adapt it for lesser cuts of beef. That is what I did with this recipe from Guy Fieri of Food Network. The original recipe calls for flat-iron steaks, which can be kind of pricey around here. I decided to give it a try with a London broil I got on sale instead to see how it would come out. Also, since I don’t have a grill to cook everything outside, I had to break out my trust cast-iron grill pan for this one. I think it did just fine.

Whiskey Glazed Steak with Grilled Potatoes

1/2 cup whiskey, such as Jack Daniels ( I used Maker’s Mark myself, but whatever you have is good)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Four 8-ounce flat-iron steaks, filet mignon steaks or other cut of steak ( I used a 2 pound London broil)
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

If you are cooking on a grill, pre-heat a grill to medium-high heat. Whisk together the whiskey, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic. Add the steak, turn a few times to coat the steak with the marinade and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, quarter each potato lengthwise to form wedges and put them in a medium pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water to cover by 1-inch and add salt until the water tastes like sea water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes well and toss them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Remove the steak from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Pour the marinade into a small pot and bring it to a boil. Boil the marinade for 2 to 3 minutes until it is slightly reduced, making sure the sugar does not burn, to make a glaze and sauce for the steak.

Grill the steaks until an internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer reads about 130 degrees F, 3 to 4 minutes per side, brushing with the boiled marinade several times in the last few minutes of grilling time. If you are cooking the filet mignon steaks or another cut of steak , you will need to increase your cooking time to account for the thicker cut of the meat. For the London broil, I cooked it for about 6 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a large plate to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. While the steaks grill, add the potatoes to the grill and grill until they are well-marked and crispy, turning to grill all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the potato wedges to a bowl.

Toss the grilled potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the chives, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the garlic cloves from the remaining glaze and serve it drizzled over the steaks with the potatoes on the side.

Since I used my grill pan, I did the steak first and while it rested I put the potatoes on to grill them up. The glaze for the steak is a little on the sweet side and there is definite dominant flavor of the whiskey so if that’s not your thing the glaze might not be for you. However, I loved the flavor it imparted onto the steak and everyone else seem to really enjoy it as well. The potatoes were the big hit, with all of them getting gobbled up right away. The London broil worked out quite well with this dish so I think you could easily substitute in whatever cut of steak you prefer here to fit the recipe. I served it with some fresh green beans, sautéed onions and corn on the cob to round out the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 7, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Potatoes

Tags: food network, grilled potatoes, Guy Fieri whiskey glazed steak, whiskey glazed flat iron steak, whiskey glazed steak recipe, whiskey glazed steak with grilled potatoes

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Some Indoor Barbecue – Oven Roasted Maple Chicken and Ribs