Fernet Flank Steak

Perhaps it was a long night, but it occurred to me that the dark amaro (bitter) flavor of Fernet might go well with a strongly-flavored beef steak, especially one with a little metallic edge; think of it like a BBQ sauce for adults. This has just a faint Fernet flavor, certainly not overwhelming.

A slight fernet edge, served with grilled polenta and radicchio

We got a cut that looked like a Flank Steak from Carnisseria Cruz Morales in el Mercat de Sant Antoni; it was 640g so we split it into a 310g piece for this, and the 340g piece for our usual rosemary/garlic marinade.

310 g   Flank Steak, or other flavorful cut appropriate to the grill
100 ml  Fernet Branca
        Salt

Poke holes on both sides of the Steak with a fork.

Sprinkle generously with Salt.

Put in a zip-top bag and add the Fernet.

Marinade overnight.

Pour off the Fernet marinade; optionally reduce and strain for a sauce (it loses its color!)

Grill hot and fast, cook to medium rare.

Slice and serve, with the reduced liquid.

This wasn't overwhelming as I feared, and I wouldn't mind a more assertive flavor. With only 100ml of Fernet, it's not an expensive investment. If I were competing in a BBQ competition, I think I'd use Fernet as a secret ingredient. I'm considering adding Sugar to it next time to give a slight BBQ-sauce-like glaze.

Jerk Pork from Fine Cooking

 This recipe came from Fine Cooking, June/July 1994 (text at Internet Archive).

Jerk: the process

Jerking is a two-step process. First you marinate the meat for at least four hours; overnight is better. Then you slow-cook it, preferably over hardwood coals, be- cause the sweet hardwood smoke contributes half the flavor of the finished jerk. Here in Texas, I use pecan, apple, or my favorite, peach. Maple, walnut, almond, or hickory would be fine, too.

The traditional Jamaican way is to dig a pit about two feet deep and set stones or cinder blocks at each end to support the green sticks of the grill frame- work about eight inches above the coals. The fire is started and when the coals are ready, the sticks are set in place, and the meat is put on the barbecue. Banana leaves used to be placed on top to help trap the smoky heat; nowadays it’s more likely to be a sheet of galvanized zinc. The meats are “jerked,” or turned, every 15 to 20 minutes. Pork takes two to four hours and chicken 45 minutes to two hours, de- pending on the fire. The slower and longer the cooking process, the better the finished jerk.

To make jerk pork at home, I marinate the meat and refrigerate it overnight. I use a lot of jerk in pro- portion to the amount of meat, normally two to three cups of jerk rub for a 6-pound pork butt roast. I prepare the pork butt by removing the bone (you can have the butcher do this). Then I place it skin-side down on the cutting board and cut it at 11⁄2-inch intervals straight down to, but not through, the bottom layer of fat next to the skin. I rotate the roast 90° and again cut at 11⁄2-inch intervals. This makes a lot of stubby, square fingers of meat, all connected on one side by fat and skin. I rub the jerk deeply into these pieces of meat.

About an hour before I begin cooking the roast, I start a fire in my covered grill with mesquite. When the mesquite coals are ashen, I add peach or pecan wood (I do this because there’s always more mes- quite available than fruitwood). I put a drip pan directly under the meat to prevent scorching. I often pour half a bottle of Jamaican Red Stripe beer into the drip pan (I drink the other half). I set the pork on the grill rack 6 to 8 inches from the coals, cover it with a pot or lid, and “jerk” it every 15 to 20 minutes until the meat is tender, spicy, and succulent. By the time the pork is done, the pan’s contents are a great dipping sauce.
 

Jerk Rub

You’ll get a better texture if you chop the herbs and pep- pers by hand. A food processor or blender is a time-saver, but it tends to make an overly smooth purée. If you want to use a machine, be sure to pour in the half cup of oil first, and then add the herbs. The thyme and peppers should always be chopped by hand and added at the end. Be care- ful with the peppers, however. Their oils can really burn your eyes and skin, so be sure to wash your hands when you’re finished chopping. And don’t add the seeds unless you like a lot of heat.

If you grind the spices in a coffee mill or spice grinder, start with the nutmeg and cinnamon. Grind these until coarse, then add the other spices, and grind them all to- gether until fine. If you use preground spices, you might need to use more—up to double—depending on how long they’ve been sitting in your cupboard.

Jerk rub is best after a few hours, when its flavors have had a chance to meld. The rub keeps for up to three months in the refrigerator. I tend to jerk everything in sight for a week and then have to make more. Makes 3 cups.

30 scallions
5-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 head fresh garlic cloves, peeled
6 bay leaves
6 to 8 Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded, chopped fine by hand (substitute habaneros if necessary)
2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg, preferably Jamaican 

2 tsp. freshly ground cinnamon (about 1 stick)
1 Tbs. freshly ground allspice, preferably Jamaican 

2 Tbs. black peppercorns, ground fresh
2 Tbs. whole coriander seeds, ground fresh
1 Tbs. sea or kosher salt
1 cup fresh thyme leaves, chopped fine by hand
OPTIONAL:
1⁄2 cup oil (only if using a blender)
1 tsp. apricot jam or honey (only if using habaneros instead
of Scotch bonnets)

Chop the scallions, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, and peppers separately until moderately fine. Combine these ingredients and chop until fine. Put in a bowl and add the ground spices. Stir in the chopped thyme and mix well.

2024-12-29 Sous Vide then BBQ

We wanted to use sous vide because we were planning to serve this for a party and didn't want to fuss over a BBQ for hours.  We got two hunks, one from Bon Area and another from Cruz Morales in Mercat Ninot, and split them into 3 pieces, each 400-500g.  We made the rub with a food processor, leaving the Scallions in fairly large chunks; we used just 2 habañeros and some Italian chili sauce, and the heat turned out well.  We sliced and applied the rub, then bagged for sous vide, and let marinate overnight. 

The next day we cooked one for 4 hours at 80c (176f). We then finished on the BBQ to give it some crunch and color, and dried out the vegetables. We reduced the liquid from the bag to a spicy sauce and served over black eyed peas and rice, along with the crispy veggie rub. The meat was drier than I'd like, and wasn't hard to cut, but could have been more tender. The amount turned out about right for the two of us.

You can see some of the meat is a bit dry and grainy

Most of the recipes I found for "sous vide pork shoulder" used around 75c for up to 24h, but tended to focus on shreddable BBQ texture: Serious Eats 18-24h@74c, Savoring the Good 24h@63-74c, Anova 18-24h@63-74c, and Amazing Food has good qualitative descriptions for 18-48h@57-80c. I hadn't planned ahead for a long cook, since we frequently make pork tenderloin "puerco tonnato" with 2h@58c, which is why I chose the high 80c temperature -- clearly too high for my taste.

Next time, let's try 18-24h@70c, then maybe 18-24h@60c and see which we like best.

2025-02-20 24h@70c tender, not as dry

Sous vide for 24 hours @ 70c was tender (but not mushy) and not as dry as 4h@80c above, but a little drier than I'd like. The meat threw off a lot of liquid, which we whizzed with the veg in the bag and reduced a bit as a zesty sauce. We put the meat over a hot BBQ for a few minutes on all sides to crisp up, but lost some of the veg rub as it stuck on the grill. It's improving, and we'll try again.

Next time us 24h@60c, and do the an initial BBQ sear of the meat on a sizzle pan to (hopefully) set the veg rub, before putting over an open flame to char.

Mallmann's Mustard Lamb

Lusty flavors and a a deep char give this a great taste on the BBQ; quick and easy. Adapted from Francis Mallmann's "Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way". Serves 2.

 16 oz  450 g     Lamb Leg
                  Salt
                  Pepper
1/4 cup  60 ml    Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup  handful  Fresh Oregano, fresh (omit if you only have dried)
  1       1       Lemon
                  Oil

Cut one or two inch-thick slices from the Lamb, across the grain; if you end up cutting more small pieces, that's fine.
Remove any obvious gristle and excess fat.
Cover with cling film and pound flat to an even 1/2 inch thickness.
Season both sides generously with Salt and Pepper.
Brush both sides evenly with Mustard.
Press chopped Oregano onto one side only, and press a thin Lemon slice on each piece.

On the BBQ, get a cast iron griddle or pan ripping hot.
Drizzle with oil and when smoking, slap on the Lamb, Lemon/Oregano-side down.
It will smoke a lot.

Let cook undisturbed until the Lemon and Oregano are charred (you'll have to peek carefully).
Flip and finish cooking to your desired internal temperature, about 135F is good: it should retain a bit of pink.
Serve with a rich Malbec, and vegetables grilled on the griddle.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Confit

We're riffing on chef Suzanne Goin's Pork Confit, which is first marinated, then conifitted, and finally flashed on a barbecue to crisp up. We got a lovely pork tenderloin from a heritage pig breakdown seminar, and are cooking it sous vide with her marinade's herbs so it will confit in its own fat: our pork has plenty of fat that will melt. We finish on a hot grill for texture.

1/4 tsp    Juniper berries
1/4 tsp    Allspice berries
1/4 tsp    Fennel seed
1          Clove
1          Bay leaves
1/4 tsp    Black Pepper
1/4 tsp    Granulated Garlic
2          Chile, fresh
2   slices Onion
2   sprigs Thyme, fresh
2   sprigs Parsley, fresh

500 g      Pork Tenderloin, about 2cm thick (1 pound, 1 inch)

Grind hard spaces: Juniper, Allspice, Fennel, Clove, Bay, Black Pepper and rub this powder into both sides of the Pork.
Add the other spices and flavorings with the Pork to a sous vide bag and seal.
Cook at 54C/130F for 4 hours; this will be cook to a rare pink, but that's all we want since we'll finish it later.

Pork bagged with spices and aromatics

When done, let the pork rest in its flavorful fat for an hour in the fridge.
Remove the pork from the bag, saving any tasty juices; you may need to let it warm up a bit to pour off the fat.
Season the Pork generously with Salt, which we omitted from the sous vide because many people say it draws out the liquid and harms the texture.

We like to cook this on a hot BBQ fire, but if the meat is too tender, or you're concerned about fat dripping onto coals causing a flare-up, or you're cooking inside, use a bitchin' hot cast iron pan filmed with a bit of fat.
Sear the outside to develop a bit of a crust, just 2-3 minutes a side; you don't want to cook it more, just bring it up to serving temperature.
Serve.

Results: Great aroma, needs work

The external layer of fat on the pork did not liquefy at this low temperature, so we did not get a cooked-in-fat confit. The aroma was great, however.  The internals were a beautiful faint pink, but this cut was surprisingly chewy:  it may have been due to a heritage pig that got to walk around, rather than being boxed in feed lots. We could sous vide it an extra hour, or bring the temperature up slightly, and add a bit of solid (frozen) fat to ensure a confit. 

BBQ Rosemary-marinated flank steak

This is an easy, flavorful and aromatic prep for a lusty steak. You can use beef flank, or the similarly tastey flap (vacio) cut  as in these photos -- both are toothsome but beefy. It just needs a night in the fridge for the flavors to penetrate, then cooks up quickly on the BBQ.  We once cooked this (after marinading) sous vide to very rare, then froze in its bag, and took to a party where we finished it on a hot BBQ to sear -- worked fabulously.

From Cooks Illustrated, May & June 2005, by Elizabeth Germain, serves 4-6. Other marinades suggested in the article include Garlic-Ginger-Sesame and Garlic-Chili.

Rosemary beef flap steak with grilled asparagus and smashed baby potatoes

  2 pounds Flank Steak (one whole), patted dry
  2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
  6 cloves Garlic
  1 medium Shallot
  2 Tbs Rosemary Leaves, fresh
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, ground

Poke each side of the steak about 20 times with a fork.
Sprinkle the Salt over both sides.

Poked and salted

Blend Oil, Garlic, Shallot, Rosemary Leaves until a smooth paste.

Whiz the ingredients into a paste, no need to be fussy about this

Smear both sides with the paste.

Smear the marinade on both sides, then wrap tightly

Wrap tightly with cling film (cellophane).
Marinade overnight up to two days.

Wrapped and bagged, you can freeze it after marinading overnight

Wipe paste off steak so it doesn't burn during cooking.
Sprinkle both sides with Pepper.
Grill directly over very hot barbecue coals until well browned, 4-6 minutes.
Flip and grill 3-4 minutes.
It should still be quite pink, any more and it will become tougher.
Cover loosely with aluminum foil and allow juices to redistribute
about 5 minutes; it will cook a bit more from carry-over heat.
Cut across the grain into very thin slices and serve with a robust red wine.

Octopus sous vide and grilled

We've had some excellent octopus at Dino's and Zaytinya in DC -- tender and charred. When we enquired, both said they were first slow cooked, then charred over open flame; Dino said he then sautés his quickly for service. We wanted to replicate that at home and figured sous vide would be the way to cook until tender, and the barbecue would give it a good char.

We found 1.160 Kg (2.5 Lb) frozen Spanish octopus for $10/pound at Mediterrafish. We defrosted it overnight, then cut off the legs and head (already cleaned), tossing the middle containing beak and eyes.

We bagged it with some frozen olive oil, then chilled in the freezer an hour before vacuum sealing to prevent sucking out all the water.

Typical tenderization methods include smashing the octopus on rocks, beating with a mallet or even a daikon. Cooking techniques usually are to bake in a covered pot (to collect liquid and self-braise) at a very low temperature for a long time, or to boil (with the old wives tale addition of a wine cork, debunked by Harold McGee).  Boiling would lose any liquid that would be released from the octopus, so we used sous vide to keep the beast immersed in its own liquid while slowly cooking at a low temperature.

Different folks seem to sous vide octopus for 3-8 hours between 74-83c (165-180F), some reporting chewiness at lower times and temperatures. We went with 75c (167F) for 5 hours.

We'd read that octopus releases a lot of liquid when it cooks, and it sure did. Our long fat legs seemed to lose half their length and girth, and the vacuum bag was full of a reddish liquid.  We let the bag cool slowly on the counter in hopes the legs might reabsorb some of the liquid, before chilling overnight in the fridge.

The next night, we drained the liquid and weighed the octopus: 315 g.  We'd ended up with 27% of the weight we'd started out with -- that jacks up the price for the meal quite a bit!  What we figured might feed four or more would not be barely enough for two for dinner.  We strained the liquid and will make risotto from it: at least it's not going to waste.

At the barbecue, we brushed the legs and head with olive oil and dusted generously with pimenton, like a pulpo a la gallega presentation. I used skewers to keep the octopus parts from falling through the grates, and grilled for a few minutes a side.

What worked, what didn't

The octopus turned out tender enough, with a slight mucilaginous-ness which may be due to not rinsing off loose skin after cooking.  We didn't get the crisp char we wanted at all, and the octopus stuck a bit to the grill: these may be connected, as I didn't scrub and oil the grates.

The skewers worked well at holding things together and removing them to plates quickly.

It's also disappointing that $25 worth of octopus barely fed two people. I'll look around the Asian markets, and our local Brazilian/Portuguese store says they carry it.

Next Time

If I could determine a way to reduce loss to liquid I would, even if I sacrificed a bit of tenderness.

Thoroughly rinse off the loose skin after cooking so we don't have any mushiness on the outside.

Get the coals really hot and close to the grill grates, then clean and oil them before adding the octopus. Use the skewers for cooking again.

Irene's Salmon Bacon Burgers

Irene whipped these up with some provisions we had in an otherwise bare pantry from frozen salmon filet, bacon, and some burger buns I'd made. The smokey bacon worked really well with the salmon which is frequently smoke-cured too. A rustic salad of arugula from the garden rounded out the al fresco dinner.

Ingredients

6 ounces Salmon filet, frozen
6 ounces Bacon, smokey
1 whole Shallot, cut into a few pieces

Procedure

If you don't chill the Bacon first it will schmear so cut into cubes and freeze for about 30 minutes to firm up.
Process the Bacon until it looks like ground beef.
Cut the thawed Salmon into chunks and process it and the Shallot with the ground Bacon as little as possible, so it too looks like coarse burger meat.
Gently form into 2 patties pressing just enough that they come together.

Grill on ripping hot cast iron sizzle pans (fajita pans): these release a lot of fat from the bacon and you don't want that dripping onto the flames and incinerating your burgers. Flip when browned on the first side to brown the second. Repeat until it's cooked through. Lightly toast the split buns.

Results 

The texture was great, the smokey aroma immediately enticing, and texture quite good -- toothsome, burger-like with a slight crust. The proportions of salmon to bacon were good, nothing dominated. We were concerned that the fish would feel dried out, but the combined meat was moist. As it cooled, it felt a bit more dry and we thought it could use a garlic-tartar sauce or something.

Next time

I'd whip up an aioli tartar sauce to slather on the buns as soon as they came off the heat.

The buns I made were designed for big beef burgers and they may have been a bit substantial for the more delicate fish/bacon; somewhat more delicate buns would work, but certainly not something as insubstantial and nugatory as commercial burger buns.