Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of grilling season. But here in California, grilling can be restricted or even prohibited in some areas. Here are some great recipes that will make you look like a “Killer Griller” without having to fire up the grill!
Pan-Seared Rib Eye Steak
2 Beef Ribeye Steaks (USDA Choice, at least 16 oz. each)
Beef Rub of Your Choice (My favorite: Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning)
2 TBSP Canola Oil
½ Stick Butter
Let the steaks come to room temperature before seasoning them with the rub. Once the steaks are at room temperature, moderately coast both sides of the steaks with the rub. Set the steaks aside for at least 30 minutes. Add the Canola Oil to a large skillet or grill pan, making sure it completely coats the bottom, and heat over medium-high heat (do not let the oil get hot enough to start smoking – that is too much heat and will just burn your seasoning without flavoring your meat). Add the steaks to the heated pan. The steaks should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Sear the steaks to get a good, caramelized brown color on each side. This should only take about 5-6 minutes total.
Once you’ve got a good sear, spread the top side of each steak with 1 TBSP of butter. It will melt off the top and onto the sides and bottom of the pan. Add the other 2 TBSPs of butter to the pan and let it melt. Tilt the pan a bit to one side so that the butter makes a pool, and with your other hand use a spoon to ladle butter over each of the steaks. Do this repeatedly, on both sides of the steak, until you have a good coating on each one. Turn off the heat. Follow the guidelines below for the desired doneness of your steaks.
RARE TO MEDIUM-RARE: Remove the steaks from the pan at this point and put onto a plate to rest for 3-5 minutes.
MEDIUM: Cover the pan at this point and allow the steaks to remain covered in the pan for 3-4 minutes. Remove the steaks from the pan and put onto a plate to rest for 4-5 minutes.
WELL-DONE: Cover the pan at this point and allow the steaks to remain covered in the pan for 5-7 minutes. Remove the steaks from the pan and put onto a plate to rest for 10 minutes.
Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs
1 Slab of Pork or Baby Back Ribs (about 3 lbs.)
Your Favorite Rub/Seasoning (I use Pampered Chef’s Smoky Applewood Rub)
Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
Preheat the oven to 225°. Rinse the ribs and dab lightly with paper towels to get most of the water off. Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. Thoroughly and generously coat the meat with the rub/seasoning on both sides. The ribs should take on a beautiful reddish color from the rub/seasoning. Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap the ribs and seal firmly. Place the wrapped ribs on a shallow baking/roasting pan (a cookie sheet with sides, or a broiler pan works just fine). Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 225° for two hours. Pull ribs from the oven and open the foil. Liberally brush both sides of the meat with your favorite BBQ sauce – carefully, so as not to burn your fingers! Close the foil back up and return the ribs to the oven for another hour.
Remove the ribs from the oven and increase the temperature to 350°. Open the foil and again liberally brush the ribs with BBQ sauce. Leaving the foil open and peeled back from the meat, return the ribs to the oven at 350° for about 45 minutes. When done, the ribs should have a beautifully dark, sticky glazed appearance. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. NOTE: These ribs will be extremely tender (i.e., fall-off-the-bone tender). If you like your ribs a little more intact, reduce the first cooking time to 90 minutes, the second cooking time to 30 minutes, and the third cooking time to 30 minutes.
BBQ Salmon Foil Packets
4 Good-sized Salmon Filets (about the size of your hand)
4 TBSP Butter
4 Tsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Lemon Pepper
1/2 Tsp Dried Dill Seasoning
1 Tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
Lemon wedges (optional)
Fresh Veggies (optional)
Liquid Smoke
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, lemon pepper, dried dill, garlic salt, and paprika to make a rub for the salmon. Tear four rectangles of foil from the roll, approximately four-to-five times the size of the salmon filets. Place one tablespoon of butter in the middle of each piece of foil. Sprinkle the rub over both sides of each piece of salmon, coating well. (If more rub is desired, increase the amounts of the dry ingredients.) Place one rubbed salmon filet on top of each piece of butter on the foil sheets. If you want to add fresh veggies (such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots, and green beans), place them next to the salmon. Carefully add two to three drops only of liquid smoke to each salmon filet. Fold up sides of the foil over the salmon and close tightly to make “packets.” Place the foil packets on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven, open the foil packets to expose the tops of the salmon, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!!
Categorized in: General
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