Grilling & Smoking Association's online newsletter for June 2018
MEAT Insider
June 2018
Steak Challenge
Every Cut of Meat Tells a Story Generations of Meat and Smoke With Danny McTurnan
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’ve been grilling and smokingmeat most of my life. I grew up on a farm and I learned a lot firsthand frommy father and grandfather. They grilled and smokedmeat and passed the tradition down tome, just Some of my earliest memories are of hauling wood to the smokehouse for my grandfather or father. The older I got, the more responsible I got, but they were sure to start me off with some of the heavy lifting. Today, grilling and smokingmeat has become more than just a hobby. It’s a way a life. As much as I love tomake the food, the real love comes from sharing that food. I know that when I grill up some meat and folks leave with a smile, I’ve done what I set out to do. as I pass the tradition down tomy own son. And, as a lot of grillers know, it takes a lot of work to get to that point. It’s more than throwingmeat on the grill and turning it. There’s a process. Youmight even call it an art. I put a lot of thought intomy spices. I even grow a lot of my own spices right at home! Putting that much thought into your spices and rubs canmake a huge difference. Of course, the spices are nothing without the meat. Even though I’ve been aroundmeat my whole life, there is something to say about every cut of meat. Each cut tells a story. It has a personality. Think about the age of the cow when it was butchered, or how the butcher processed that meat, or how the meat was aged.
By the time that meat gets to your smoker or grill, it may be as fresh as can be, but it still has a lot to say. It’s a story that really comes alive when it hits the heat. Every one of your senses gets to“hear”that story. You watch as it sizzles and the juices bubble up. You smell the aromas of the meat, the fire, the charcoal, the wood, the smoke, and the seasoning, and then your mouth begins to water. It goes on and on. One of the great things about grilling and smokingmeat is that you are in charge. You get to experiment and find the flavors you like the best. Sure, certain seasonings work better with certainmeats—and some work really well —but there is no denying individual taste, because, as I always like to say, to each his own. When it comes to experimenting and developing your flavors and techniques, something that I do is keep a logbook. It’s something I learned frommy grandfather. Every time I grill or smoke, I log it. And thanks to bothmy grandfather and father, our family has logbooks dating back to the 1930s. Whenever they did a cook, they logged it —and it wasn’t just the time and date, but temperatures, seasonings, wood, and weather conditions. If there was a detail that influenced the meat, they wrote it down. And I can tell you, the more detail, the better. When you grill the perfect steak, you are going to want to be able to recreate that.
Some of his entries were written on whatever he could find, frompaper bags to scraps of cardboard. A lot of those old recipes have faded with time—or we couldn’t figure out what he meant! I’ve gotten together with family and we’ve sat down with his old recipes to try to interpret what he meant. It can be a big puzzle, but it’s a puzzle worth completing. Together, my grandfather and father left us with around 30 logbooks. I startedmy first logbook in the mid-’70s. Today, I’mwell onmy way to 30. That’s a lot of meat and a lot of stories, many of which I’ve shared and continue to share in our private Facebook group forum.
If you’re not in the FB forum yet, go to gsa.life/June2018 to learnmore!
I sure hope to see you in the group soon and hope you’ll joinme on a few of my Facebook live Q&A sessions coming up soon.
When it comes to recreating some of my grandfather’s recipes, it can be a challenge.
–Danny McTurnan 1 grillingandsmokingassociation.org
with a possible subheader right underneath Is that a knife in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me? Fast-forward to modern times in which our pockets are unfortunately filled with nothing but smartphones and credit cards. We still The ‘MAN CARD’ Redemption
to defeat said gift guardian and save the day. Sure, you could open a letter with your finger, but when you’ve got a knife in your pocket, you don’t have to risk a potential paper cut. (Soft hands, remember?) Need to slice an apple? Want to open an orange? If you’ve always got your knife on you, you’re one step closer to getting your daily allotment of vitamins anytime, anywhere. Not manly enough for you? Flip your blade over and use the spine as a flathead screwdriver for quickly securing the leg of a wobbly bar stool (now we’re talkin’!). Going camping? Grab a stick and carve the tip into a sharp point for stabbing your prey (or ... hot dog). The possibilities are endless! Join the revolution! Redeem your man card by packing a blade wherever you go — it’s sure to come in handier than you could imagine. And besides, what else are you gonna clench between your teeth as you swing from a rope? Upcoming Ask A Pro Sessions • Sunday 6/3/18, 5:00pm
In a time when the “manliness” of men seems to be dwindling into a generation of soft-handed “Googlers”who call Dad (or a plumber) any time a pipe leaks or a tire blows (although we’re not quite sure why they’re calling a plumber to fix a flat), it’s time for our foldable friend to make a comeback once more. The first men to tote a foldable pocketknife were none other than the red-plume-rockin’ Roman soldiers of the first century. After a bit of a dry spell, pocketknives regained their popularity — and then some —
use the term“Swiss army knife” regularly enough, but when was the last time you actually picked one up? The tough guys of the TSA may not be fans of them (along with nail clippers and reasonably sized bottles of shampoo), but the reasons to add a blade to your day-to-day ensemble far outweigh any inconveniences they may present. You know that pesky, curly ribbon-thing that just won’t budge as your daughter is trying to open her birthday presents in front of all her friends? Swoop in with your trusty blade
when they were sported by the likes of George Washington, issued to the U.S. Navy during the Civil War, and provided as standard issue to all GIs in WWII. From farmers to lawyers, it was rare to catch a man without one of these handy little contraptions in his pocket.
FREE MONTHLY Grill Giveaway! We are giving away a Pit Barrel Cooker! Details here: gsa.life/June2018
Central time - Maple-Infused Pork Steaks
• Sunday 6/10/18, 5:00pm
Central time - Reverse-Seared Ribeye Steak
• Sunday 6/24/18, 5:00pm Central time - Tips & Techniques for Perfectly Grilled Steaks
Pit Barrel Cooker
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A Classic Family Recipe Maple - Infused Pork Steaks
Have you ever grilled with maple leaves or twigs? You might not realize it, but these come with a surprising amount of maple flavor. You can use these twigs and leaves right along with the charcoal and grill up pork steaks in about an hour, and you’d swear they were cooking all day long with maple wood.
Ingredients
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1 pack center cut pork steaks
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2–3 handfuls of maple twigs with handful of green maple leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Maple syrup
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1 chimney full of charcoal
Instructions
1. This is a recipe where you only want to use salt and pepper to season the steaks. They are neutral spices that won’t overpower the maple flavor we are looking for. 2. To get started, place the chimney full of charcoal in the grill. You want the ambient temperature on the indirect heat side of your
3. With the grill hot, place the pork steaks over indirect heat. Next, add a handful of twigs and leaves to the charcoal, then move the
5. When both sides of the steak are seared to your liking, finish them over indirect heat, spritzing themwith water every 3 minutes. Make sure the temperature on the indirect heat side of your cooker remains at 225–230 F before spritzing. If needed, add more twigs and leaves to keep the heat up. 6. Once the internal temperature of your pork steaks hits 155 F (this can take about an hour), pull the pork steaks off the grill. Then brush with a light coat of maple syrup. Wrap in foil and let rest for 20 minutes before serving. 7. Your patience will be rewarded! This recipe has always been a family favorite, and I hope it becomes one of yours.
pork steaks over the direct heat. Do this quickly! It may flame up, but the twigs will burn fast.
4. Once you have a good sear on one side, pull the pork back to the indirect heat. Spritz the steaks with water and let them rest for
cooker to be at approximately 230 F. And because you will be searing the pork steaks with the twigs and leaves, along with the charcoal, you want to make sure you have enough. The twigs and leaves burn quickly!
about a minute. Then, flip and add another handful of twigs and leaves to the charcoal, and quickly pull the steaks back over the direct heat.
Any support questions? Email us at members@grillingandsmokingassociation.org If you are not in the Facebook forum yet, go to gsa.life/June2018 to learn how!
–Danny McTurnan
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1180 N. Town Center Dr. Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89144
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Every Cut of Meat Tells a Story
The ‘Man Card’ Redemption Win a FREE Pit Barrel Cooker!
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A Classic Family Recipe From Danny McTurnan
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The Killer Reverse-Seared Ribeye Steak
The Killer Reverse-Seared Ribeye Steak HOW TO TAKE YOUR STEAK FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY!
It’s time to sear! Once the steak has reached 130 F (or your desired temperature) and when the charcoal is screaming hot, you’re ready for the last step. There are different methods you can use to achieve the sear, but for this recipe, we used a cast iron flat top. You can also use a cast iron skillet or screaming hot grill grates. Place the flat top on the grill and let it heat up. Then add some clarified butter to the griddle top. The butter will help the steak form the perfect caramelized crust.
There is nothing quite like a reverse-seared steak. It’s a technique that goes back about a few decades, and it’s still a relatively unknown cook to most, but it’s guaranteed to knock your socks off with the mouthwatering flavors it produces. When you want tomaximize that steak flavor —not tomention that juicy tenderness— the reverse sear is the way to go. It’s all about cooking the steak low and slow first, before giving it a flavor- defining sear. Inmost cases, you can use the steak of your choice, but this recipe was developed for ribeye. Feel free to adapt it to your tastes. Let’s get started! Start by preparing themeat. Let the steak come up to room temperature. While it’s out, season the steak with freshly ground black pepper and coarse-ground kosher salt. Then, light up your cooker and preheat to 250 F.
on the cooker and insert a meat thermometer. Cook until the inner temperature of the steak reaches 120 F. At temperature, quickly remove the steak from the cooker and wrap it loosely in foil to rest for a few minutes, or long enough for the steak to reach 130 F for medium-rare doneness. As the steak rests, open the dampers and leave the lid open. You want to get the charcoal to get nice and hot for the upcoming sear.
Add the steak! Sear for about one minute per side. For thick-cut steaks, sear all the sides as well.
And that’s it —serve immediately and enjoy!
If you’re not in the FB forum yet, go to gsa.life/June2018 to learnmore!
Now it’s time to smoke the steak. With the steak at room temperature, place the ribeye
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