I have a complicated relationship with red meat.
I confess, I was a picky eater for longer than I'd like to admit. I didn't even like trying food, much less committing to new food for an entire meal. The only way you could get me to eat red meat was with a Steak 'n' Shake burger or my grandmother's burnt bistec empanizado. For me, it was a texture thing. I always found red meat to be incredibly chewy and difficult to gnash between my teeth. Instead, I would end up taking a bite and continuously chew, then store what was left in the back corner of my mouth behind my molar. I would take another bite and repeat the process until I looked like a chipmunk. It also didn't help that I wasn't a big fan of the flavor of red meat. As an adult, I can identify that I was turned off by the kind of metallic-y taste from the iron. I don't know why my youthful palette was attuned and adverse to that taste, but it was.
So you can imagine my horror when I was invited to dinner at my friend Eliza's house and they served filet. Filet.
I was mortified. I was embarrassed. I was starving. I was eleven, I think.
The last thing I wanted to be was rude. I had spent the entire morning and afternoon at Eliza's, and I had a good standing relationship with her parents since they directed the summer theatre program I was a part of for several years. I didn't know they were serving steaks, or I would have mentally prepared myself. How does one politely decline the main course of friends that play a big part of your life? If I was at my grandparent's, my abuelo would bribe me with $20 or a puppy (no lie, I got a puppy once for finishing my dinner, but it's a much more complicated story than that so I'll save for another post).
The clock struck 5 and we were sat at the dinner table. Upon my plate sat a dollop of smooth mashed potatoes, a bright green vegetable I would later learn to call "asparagus," and a hefty hunk of meat several centimeters tall.
I started with the safest thing, the mashed potatoes. I typically favored my potatoes deep fried or hash browned, but had at least reached the point in my culinary discoveries to know that mashed potatoes weren't lethal. Smooth, salty, a strong taste of butter. At least I wouldn't go completely hungry. The decision came next - do I try my same chipmunk technique with this meat boulder, or do I risk choking on something greeeen?
The choice became clear. I had at least consumed steak before. I could handle this. With steak knife in hand, I went to slice an unnoticeable sliver of beef and discretely shove it in my mouth. The beef practically melted upon contact with my knife, so any chances of stalling were effectively gone. Slow and steady, easy does it. Like molasses, I went in for the taste, trying my best to make as little contact with my tastebuds.
Something was different about this steak. It was.... not chewy. It was instead quite soft, but not to the point where it had no integrity. Is this what it means for a steak to be "tender"? And the flavor wasn't metallic. Instead it was very salty and peppery, probably from all the salt and pepper. But also, butter? How do you get steak to taste like butter? I didn't see butter. Wait a minute. Is this steak... good?
The answer: hellz yes. Mr. Nicholson had grilled a mighty fine steak. And I went for more. And more. And more. My enthusiasm didn't go unnoticed. I exclaimed, "I've never really had steak before!" A lie, but if we are being honest, it was the truth. No offense Mom, but this steak was on another level, and it helped curate my palette. I found myself going through a phase of ordering sirloin at fast-casual dining restaurants and voluntarily eating my Mom's steaks, even if they weren't the same as that oh so special filet.
Hilariously enough, I still don't seek out red meat. Whenever I get that craving for beef due to a lack of iron, I often opt for a quality burger or some other ground beef recipe. Red meat is not in our regular rotation the same way chicken, shrimp, and fish are, but my wife loves red meat, so I have to include it occasionally.
Cooking beef scares me, as I have a personal fear of overcooking or undercooking it. Plus, people (myself included) can be so discerning about the temperature of their beef, and it's hard to go back and cook more, and obviously impossible to un-cook if you've gone too far. My solution was to find a cut of steak that I can cook confidently and flavor the heck out of, that way if it doesn't live up to my ideal it can still be delicious. I chose the steak my mother opted for when fajitas became a weekly staple in my high school years: skirt steak. Skirt steak is always tender as long as you cook thin slices along the grain (thus cutting through those tough fibers), and the large surface area makes it ideal for marinades. Plus, skirt steak is a meat you want on the rare side, so a high heat cook untampered for a short time always produces perfect results. I actually go so far as to set a timer so I don't run any risks of overcooking. Not to mention the sundried tomato marinade on its own is delicious, and it clings to the meat nicely for maximum tomatoey flavor.
Do yourself a favor: revisit something you thought you didn't like. Try it a new way. You may surprise yourself.
Oh, and make someone hold you accountable so you have no excuses. Like me. Because then you at least have to be polite.
With meat and manners,
~c.j.
TOMATO SKIRT STEAK
PREP TIME: 5 mins
INACTIVE COOKING TIME: 70+ mins
ACTIVE COOKING: 6 mins
YIELD: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 lb skirt steak (If cooking in a cast iron skillet, check to make sure it will fit. If it doesn't, slice in half along the grain to get two equal sized pieces that will fit in the skillet.)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. + 1 tbsp sundried tomatoes, divided
2 tsp honey
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder (optional)
4 garlic cloves
4 tbsp (half stick) unsalted butter, room temperature.
1 tbsp chopped chives
DIRECTIONS
Place skirt steak in a freezer bag. In a food processor, place olive oil, 1/4 c. sundried tomatoes, honey, onion powder, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, kashmiri chili (if using), garlic cloves, and 1 tbsp water. Blitz until homogenous, then add to bag with skirt steak. Zip the bag closed, getting as much air out as possible, and mash the marinade into the steak until the steak is fully coated. Let sit in the fridge at least one hour, if not overnight.
Meanwhile, make the compound butter: In a food processor, place butter, 1 tbsp sundried tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, and chives. Blitz until fully combined. (You can also finely chop the sundried tomatoes and combine with a whisk in a bowl). Set aside at room temperature.
To cook the steak, preheat a cast iron skillet or grill over medium-high heat. Place steak in skillet and cook 3 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 3 minutes for a nice medium to medium-rare. Remove from heat, tent with foil, and allow to sit 10 minutes. Slice against the grain, and serve with a dollop of butter on top.
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