Raising the Steaks - Recap

Alton sits before a small table on which rests a steak dinner, incongruously in the middle of a meadow. He has no doubt John Wayne, that fundamentally American man, ate steak. Steak suggests wide open spaces, big skies and big... wallets?!? Of course John Wayne ate it! He was a millionaire and steak is the favorite chow of the rich and famous since the days when refrigerated boxcars and feedlots took the meal away from the cowboy and brought it to the rest of us.

Alton finishes his meal and accepts his check. The amount shocks him but no matter, he hands the waiter a card. Uh oh! This “restaurant” does not accept gas cards! Alton digs through his wallet, extracting bill after bill before finally handing all of his cash to the waiter in dismay. The waiter moves away as Alton continues: Steak doesn’t have to be a budget buster. Cooks willing to consider some overlooked cuts can get top drawer flavor without breaking the bank. To illustrate what he means Alton finds a nearby “cow” in which has been painted a picture of cow anatomy. Reminding viewers of his previous episode "Steak Your Claim" Alton points out that the tenderest meat comes from the muscles that don’t actually work that hard. These are the muscles furthest from horn and hoof. Cuts taken from the working muscles are tougher and possess more connective tissue.

The muscles of the back don’t work that hard (on a cow). Those of the abdomen work harder because they draw breath. But they’re far from the hardest working muscles and with the right technique they can yield a tasty meal. From the abdominal muscles, which butchers call the plate, we get flank steak and skirt steak. Before World War II plate cuts were often known as “butcher’s cuts” because they did not sell well, so the butcher often took the home on Saturday to enjoy himself. After World War II something called London broil appeared and the price of flank steak has risen since. (Interestingly, London broil did not originate in London).

For this reason Alton selects a skirt steak. Anyone who has had fajitas knows about outside skirt steak. Alton prefers the inside skirt steak. Typically over two pounds, this piece of meat serves eight. It has a pronounced crosswise grain structure that offers challenges and advantages to the cook. And the fat? That will melt right off.

Noting the high surface to mass ratio and vertical grain, Alton pronounces his skirt steak an excellent candidate for a marinade. He starts with a little olive oil to lubricate the muscle fibers and dissolve the fat soluble flavors. To that he adds soy sauce, scallions, a couple of large cloves of garlic, some lime juice, red pepper, ground cumin and dark brown sugar. He puts all that in the blender and spins it to a liquid.

Alton prefers to marinade in a zip top bag rather than a dish. He cuts his steak into three pieces so it fits into the bag, then pours in the marinade and seals the bag most of the way. Then he squeezes out as much air as he can before closing the bag fully. A little “squishing” ensures the marinade gets in and around all the meat; Alton drops the bag into a container and slides that into the refrigerator for an hour.

While waiting for the meat Alton discusses brine versus marinade. A brine is chiefly a salt solution. Meat placed in a brine absorbs salt and water and becomes more tender. Marinades contain acids: wine, vinegar or citrus. Common misconceptions aside, these acids don’t really tenderize meat. Commercial tenderizes use enzymes such as papain (from the papaya) to break down meat. These are far more effective than acids. But acids can help YOU tenderize food. The tangy flavor they impart signals the production of saliva, and saliva is loaded your enzymes your body produces to digest food.

Alton heads to the backyard next. En route he explains that the wafer thin steak must be cooked quickly or it won’t develop a crispy crust before the inside turns to toast. And he wants to avoid flame ups that deposit unpleasant soot. He starts by tossing away his grill. Then he covers the meat and uses a blower to get the fine powdery ash off the coals. He uncovers the meat and drops it on the coals for sixty seconds per side – no matter what you hear don’t move the meat until the sixty seconds are up. Once the meat is cooked he brushes off any clinging bits of charcoal and wraps the meat in a double layer of foil. This will braise the hot meat, encouraging the breakdown of connective tissues. Alton drops a skillet directly on the coals to heat for five to ten minutes and carries his meat back inside.

Inside Alton cuts up peppers (red and green) and onions, then tosses them will oil. Back outside, he puts these on the skillet and cooks them until they are soft and slightly blackened around the edges.

Now the meat is ready for slicing. Alton cuts it across the grain, not with the grain or on the bias. This yields pieces with very short meat fibers that are tender and juicy. Once he’s done cutting the meat he puts it back in the pouch to pick up more of the sauce. Then he returns to the grill with a fajita wrapper to chow down!

Back at the meadow Alton talks about transitional neighborhoods. In real estate, buying into such a neighborhood is chancy. One must know where to look and what to look for. Certain parts of the cow have the same issues, but with careful selection, delicious and inexpensive cuts can be found. Alton recommends top sirloin (never bottom sirloin) as an example. It may also be called top butt steak, center cut sirloin or hip sirloin. Avoid tri-tip, ball-tip and anything that has the word “butt” without the world “top.” These steaks world well under the broiler and Alton intends to demonstrate how.

Often underutilized, the broiler can be regarded as an upside down grill. It has advantages: the rack can be moved near or far away and the fat drips downwards, not upwards onto the heat source, preventing flare-ups. Sirloin tastes best medium rare (or rarer), and the broiler works well for this.

Alton pulls out army men to demonstrate various approaches. One might strike with all the forces at one’s command, cooking right under the heat. Or one might strike hard and then retreat, cooking right under the heat and then moving the food lower to finish. Alton prefers a third choice. His approach infiltrates commandoes to slowly bring the heat up, then finishes with an all out attack – a sear.

He puts a rack in the lowest slot with a foil covered pan, and puts a tray right above that. The steak goes on that and the foil catches the drippings. He cooks the steak this way for five minutes, then flips and cooks for five minutes more. A foil snake keeps the burner from shutting off. Then he moves the meat rack to the top position and the drip rack to just below it, and cooks each side for another three minutes – the sear. (These times are for a steak cooked to medium doneness.) To serve, Alton cuts the steak on the bias to keep the fibers short. He cuts inwards, towards himself. This gives him better control over the knife.

These aren’t the only cuts of steak worth trying, but they’re definitely... (Alton looks at the “cow” on the set behind him). He continues – there are a dozen homemade sauces that would work well with this, but that’s another episode of... He can’t say the name of the show with that cow staring at him! But that’s okay – the viewers know what he means!

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