Can you say Porterhouse?

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08-04-2011, 05:04 PM
kc7jty

Can you say Porterhouse?

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/1948/1000101u.jpg

This entire region is so culinarily dead you can't buy a "Porterhouse" steak here. They are all called T-bone. The only descriptor the local bone heads can relate to. While they are all grabbing the T-bones (often with some of the tenderloin removed) I'm grabbing those weird looking Porterhouse steaks.
It's been a good summer for steaks here. The high enders are regularly on sale for $6/lb and this week NY strip is $5/lb. Life can be tough. :rant:
08-04-2011, 07:00 PM
n2ize

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc7jty

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/1948/1000101u.jpg

This entire region is so culinarily dead you can't buy a "Porterhouse" steak here. They are all called T-bone. The only descriptor the local bone heads can relate to. While they are all grabbing the T-bones (often with some of the tenderloin removed) I'm grabbing those weird looking Porterhouse steaks.
It's been a good summer for steaks here. The high enders are regularly on sale for $6/lb and this week NY strip is $5/lb. Life can be tough. :rant:

When my folks came to this area ages ago they found the most awesome butcher who had the best porterhouse steaks in the universe. A small, old fashioned butcher shop, The guy used to cut the steaks on the block right in front of you. No gimmicks. No fads. Just good quality meats, good old world butchering, and, the greatest steaks which I will never forget.

Its long gone now. The old butcher shop has long closed down. And the very spot where ol Mike stood and cut the steaks now stands a bunch of clueless yuppies who wouldn't know a quality Porterhouse from a McDonalds burger.. Yes, the place where the butcher shop once stood is now a trendy yuppie bar. Nothing is sacred anymore ;)
08-04-2011, 07:29 PM
ki4itv

Two steaks in one. It's almost done too!
08-04-2011, 08:18 PM
NQ6U

Quote:

Originally Posted by ki4itv

Two steaks in one. It's almost done too!

Funny—I was gonna say "it's overcooked..."
08-04-2011, 08:27 PM
kc7jty

Believe me, it didn't get much more done than what you see. Just some grill marks is all.
08-04-2011, 10:45 PM
N6YG

2 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc7jty

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/1948/1000101u.jpg

This entire region is so culinarily dead you can't buy a "Porterhouse" steak here. They are all called T-bone. The only descriptor the local bone heads can relate to. While they are all grabbing the T-bones (often with some of the tenderloin removed) I'm grabbing those weird looking Porterhouse steaks.
It's been a good summer for steaks here. The high enders are regularly on sale for $6/lb and this week NY strip is $5/lb. Life can be tough. :rant:

Now your talking!!! I love grilling, BBQ and cooking and love steaks even more :)

But please tell me thats not the best you have available to you, If so then i feel your pain, It's Kinda hard to judge from the picture but to me that cut looks to be low end grade maybe USDA select with little if any marbling. Don't get me wrong I don't always do premium cuts myself but every once in a while I like to pick up some high grade USDA choice or prime Ribeyes and trek them on a ceramic BBQ... Of course the true art of BBQ is taking a junk cut of meat and making it taste like a high dollar premium cut...

i did a quick search and found a picture of a steak I grilled. I think this was a USDA Choice++ that was on sale for $8.00 a pound. I can tell by the grill marks that it was one that was grilled at between 750 and 850 degrees on one of my ceramic BBQ's. It's a process thats called trekking and it produces a phenomenally good steak. Probably far better then anything you could ever get in a restaurant.

The process is simple. First you need a BBQ that's capable of very hot inferred temperatures. We are talking no flame temperatures between 750 and 850. Keep in mind that in ceramics the actual grill temps will be closer to a 1100 degrees. By the way you probably can't do this on normal propane BBQ's...

Anyhow once the coals are glowing without visible flame and grill hits the target temp its time to throw the steak on. Now depending on the thickness of the steak we let it sear for about 2 min a side at between 750 and 1100 degrees. I usually pull the steak when the internal temp reaches 90 degrees and place the steak in a sealed container. By the way the steak really should be about an 1.5 to 2+ inches thick to do this properly as thinner cuts will cook to fast at such high temps. At a dome temp of 750 (grate temp of 1100) Your typical 3/4 inch thick grocery store steak will be thoroughly overly cooked in less then about 1 min each side.

Anyhow now that we have pulled the steak we wait, This is the rest stage and it's very important because this is where the natural enzymes breakdown the tough collagen into flavorful proteins and where the flavors concentrate. The steak will be ready to go back on the BBQ when the internal temp peaks and then begins to drop again. It will usually climb 10 degrees to about 100 internal and when it drops to 99 its ready to go back on the grill. The actual pull temp is not critical. You can pull at 100 and let rest to 110 before you throw it back on. Now keep in mind that your cooking over extremely high temps and the difference between a perfectly seared steak and a burned steak can be a matter of seconds so don't burn the steak.

If your not a very experienced griller then you should probably have an accurate commercial meat thermometer such as a Therma pen to do this but a seasoned griller should easily be able to wing it. In the mean time while the steak is in the rest period its time to bring the temp of the BBQ down to about 350-400. When the rest period is over throw the steak back on the grill a few more min a side and indirectly and cook to desired doneness.

Attachment 4424

I hate well done and prefer my steaks very rare. This steaks even though it looks well has only been grilled to about 125. By the way be forewarned asking for steak sauce or cooking a good steak above 135 around here is considered sacrilege :)

Attachment 4425

Heres a picture of a new Grill Pod being brought up to searing temps for the first time. I let her sit at 750 for several hours. With 750 dome temp the measured grate temps were closer to 1100 degrees which almost instantly burns off any seasoning present on cast iron. For this reason I have a special very heavy cast iron grate thats only used for searing steaks.
08-05-2011, 02:19 AM
kc7jty

Sounds good, and that steak looks crunchy, the best way to go. The Porterhouse in my photo was purchased at Safeway. It's not choice but Safeway's meat is close to choice and often better tasting than some "choice" beef at other stores.
When I said high enders I meant Porterhouse, T bone, NY steak, and rib (preferably small end). The local supermarket here sells only Choice beef.

I grilled it over birchwood that I hand cut from local trees and burned down to the coals before placing the meat on. I can't afford $800 for a ceramic bbq.
08-05-2011, 08:50 AM
PA5COR

Back to my spaghetti al uovo then....;)
08-05-2011, 10:22 AM
N6YG

5 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc7jty

Sounds good, and that steak looks crunchy, the best way to go. The Porterhouse in my photo was purchased at Safeway. It's not choice but Safeway's meat is close to choice and often better tasting than some "choice" beef at other stores.

At one time our local Safeway's were probably one of the worst places to buy beef. They had a very limited selection and the quality was poor. Then about 5 years ago that all changed and today our local Safeway has some surprisingly good beef. Now their fish on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired.

Needless to say we don't buy our sea food at Safeway. Anyhow talking about sea food how about some oysters and a shot. (sorry for the poor quality it was a camera phone)
Attachment 4431

Quote:

When I said high enders I meant Porterhouse, T bone, NY steak, and rib (preferably small end). The local supermarket here sells only Choice beef.

I grilled it over birchwood that I hand cut from local trees and burned down to the coals before placing the meat on. I can't afford $800 for a ceramic bbq.

I don't think I've ever grilled or BBQ'ed over birchwod but it sounds really good!! Hey any steak grilled over real wood coals is going to be hell of a lot better then anything grilled over propane or kingsford regardless of the cost of the grill :)

Much like you I can't afford nor can I justify spending $800 on a ceramic. The cost of ceramic BBQ's is insane. BGE really milks the market and has driven prices of ceramics much higher then they should be. Nonetheless I always wanted one so I built one. I built my first ceramic BBQ out of refractory cement and to be quite honest it worked really well. Heck over the years I've grilled, BBqes and smoked meats over lots of strange contraptions from large clay flowerpots to old freezers converted into electric smokers and they all worked well.

Anyhow one day I really got lucky and found a fantastic deal on a brand new Ceramic BBQ. I picked it brand new in the box for whopping $150 from the widow of the man who imported them. It was the last one and was missing some nuts and bolts and the hinge bands were the wrong size so I had to cut them down, re bend, and drill them which took a few hours..

Attachment 4427
Anyhow heres what she looks like after I finished building her. It took a few days to source all the hardware and like I said the two main steel bands were the wrong size. They were for the XL version and were about 4 inches to big. I had to cut them down re-bend, re drill and finally paint them with stove paint. It sounds like more work then it really was. Of course the fact that I have a well equipment metal shop makes jobs like this a lot easer. Of course this job only required an angle grinder, hand drill and a vice. To bad too, I was looking for a good excuse to fire up the horizontal metal cutting band saw ;)

Attachment 4428

Yup!! shes a virgin, But not for long :)

Attachment 4429

These things are amazingly efficient. The fuel in that small stainless steel bowl is enough to fire this thing up to 750 degrees for an hour or so and 450 degrees for 5 hours. Two bowls like that will run this BBQ for well over 24 hours at 230 degrees for doing pulled pork or brisket which is more then enough time.

The heat retention of these ceramic BBQ is amazing. Even when the internal temps reach 750 degrees the outside temps never gets much above 350. I can bake 3 or 4 loaves
of bread with the fuel pictured and still have enough fuel left over to bake a lasagna and then roast a chicken.. Just like using a wood burning hearth oven. You first bring her up to 550+ and bake your breads when the temps drop into the 400s you bake your lasagna and when it drops to 350 roast your chicken...

Attachment 4430

And here she is all loaded up with Charcoal, and waiting to be fired up for the first time.

Anyhow if you've made it this far, then thanks for taking the time to read my post. Like I said I love grilling and cooking in general and can talk about it all day so my posts can get kinda long..
08-05-2011, 10:47 AM
n2ize

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc7jty

Sounds good, and that steak looks crunchy, the best way to go. The Porterhouse in my photo was purchased at Safeway. It's not choice but Safeway's meat is close to choice and often better tasting than some "choice" beef at other stores.
When I said high enders I meant Porterhouse, T bone, NY steak, and rib (preferably small end). The local supermarket here sells only Choice beef.

I grilled it over birchwood that I hand cut from local trees and burned down to the coals before placing the meat on. I can't afford $800 for a ceramic bbq.

Better off using the wood.
08-05-2011, 11:23 AM
W3MIV

Costco here sells prime as well as choice. If you want to pay the difference and take the added cholesterol and serum-glucose hit from the prime fat (which I occasionally do), it is priced at minimum market, but you gotta buy four to six steaks at a time.
08-05-2011, 11:49 AM
KG4CGC

Cattle meat was the food of kings. Now kings eat those things that are not nearly as deadly while letting the paupers think they're eating like kings when the buy their fatty processed cattle slaughter.

Much of what the average slob eats today was considered king food during the Middle Ages. Today Joe Pauper eats butter while the select wealthy eat hemp seed butter. Quite the flip. Not only do they want us stupid but they want us fat so that we die off faster.

You know, they've been looking for ways to wipe the population in Africa off the map for the last 80 years. At least that's how it appears on paper. Instead, by not developing it for fear of the natives propping themselves up with a better and healthier life and lifestyle, they have made thing worse. They're good at that, making things worse. It was about 28 years ago when I asked a few people what Reagan was trying to do to this country. By the time we got to Bush One I was certain that there was a hidden agenda that went beyond mere globalization.

Aw carp. There I did it again. I'm sorry. I just ruined another thread.
Never mind ...
Carry on.
08-05-2011, 12:04 PM
W3MIV

Why in hell cannot I not delete a post should I desire to do so? What nonsense is built into this new software that removes my ability to change my mind for whatever reason I choose?
08-05-2011, 12:11 PM
W3MIV

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG4CGC

Today Joe Pauper eats butter while the select wealthy eat hemp seed butter. Quite the flip. Not only do they want us stupid but they want us fat so that we die off faster.

That's because the nabobs need fewer laborers now than earlier. They can derive their abundant profits offshore, cultivating a new herd of willing ants to do their bidding, buy their produce and grow fat with the envy their imagined lifestyles inspire. Invidia inevitably leads to disappointment as the scales drop, but by then it is too late. Everyone owns an LCD TV on which to catch the latest spews from Fox, thus lowering the national IQ and beginning the process anew.
08-05-2011, 12:21 PM
KG4CGC

Quote:

Originally Posted by W3MIV

That's because the nabobs need fewer laborers now than earlier. They can derive their abundant profits offshore, cultivating a new herd of willing ants to do their bidding, buy their produce and grow fat with the envy their imagined lifestyles inspire. Invidia inevitably leads to disappointment as the scales drop, but by then it is too late. Everyone owns an LCD TV on which to catch the latest spews from Fox, thus lowering the national IQ and beginning the process anew.

The huge televisions remind me so much of Bradbury's, Fahrenheit 451.
08-05-2011, 02:06 PM
kc7jty

The birch here is abundant and adds a nice mild flavor to the meat but it is a relatively soft wood which doesn't give off the higher heat of maple which is also plentiful here. When my latest supply of birch is used up I won't harvest it anymore. My favs are Red Oak, and Honey Mesquite. VERY tasty, but alas not available here except for a few ornamental oaks.
08-05-2011, 05:41 PM
n2ize

Quote:

Originally Posted by W3MIV

Why in hell cannot I not delete a post should I desire to do so? What nonsense is built into this new software that removes my ability to change my mind for whatever reason I choose?

It could be that the government wants a permanent record of everything we type. So they co-opted the software developers to remove the delete function.
08-05-2011, 05:48 PM
N6YG

1 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by n2ize

Better off using the wood.

Grilling and BBQ'ing over raw wood burned down to hot coals produces very good results. I've done it for years in my stick burners. But you don't need raw wood along with the associated chainsaws, axes, headaches and the long wait times to do this.

Attachment 4437

You realize that the lump charcoal shown in that pictures is 100 percent wood. In this case it's mesquite. Lump Charcoal is just wood thats had all the wood volatiles burned away which is basically all crap you don't want anywhere near your food. While lump charcoal is 100 percent wood Kingsford is mostly corn starch with a bit of saw dust mixed in.

When you buy Charcoal briquettes such as kinsgford you're buying mostly corn starch I believe its a 70/30 mixture of corn starch and sawdust, the amount of ash left over from Kingsford would seem to support the high levels of binders and extenders. On the other hand lump charcoal produces very little ash. In fact this container of lump in my pictures will only produce about a tablespoon full of ash. Now if this was Kingsford there wouldn't be enough charcoal in that bowl to grill a hot dog and it would produce several cups of ash which would quickly plug up the vents in the firebox of the ceramic BBQ making it impossible to get very high temps.

I've also experimented around at making home made charcoal briquettes from the leftover lump charcoal dust. In fact I'm about ready to start making another batch. I now have three 33 gal trash cans full of charcoal flakes and dust which is good for several 100 pounds of briquettes. I simply mix corn starch, charcoal dust and water in a blender and then pour the mixture into molds and allow to dry...

The problem is I have no real use for the briquettes anymore. I used to use them in my weber but since I've started using the ceramic BBQ I hardly ever use it anymore. Compared to the ceramic the weber is a massive unadulterated fuel hog which burned between 400 to 800 percent more fuel for the same BBQ job. Like I said ceramics are amazingly efficient..
08-05-2011, 06:46 PM
N6YG

Quote:

Originally Posted by W3MIV

Costco here sells prime as well as choice. If you want to pay the difference and take the added cholesterol and serum-glucose hit from the prime fat (which I occasionally do), it is priced at minimum market, but you gotta buy four to six steaks at a time.

I've grilled some of Costco's USDA prime and while it's very good to be honest compared to the USDA choice++ that I've picked up from the local Bell-Air I don't think it's really worth spending the 100 percent premium on.

We can get USDA Choice++ at Bell-Air on sale for $7.99 a pound "Normally 14.99" If it's not on sale we go for the USDA select over at Safeway.. But every once in a while for a B-day or a special occasion I will splurge on some USDA prime from Costco for the guest of honor.
08-05-2011, 09:53 PM
kc7jty

OMG! You're in brother Dave's neck o dee woods.
08-08-2011, 10:01 AM
W3WN

Quote:

Originally Posted by n2ize

When my folks came to this area ages ago they found the most awesome butcher who had the best porterhouse steaks in the universe. A small, old fashioned butcher shop, The guy used to cut the steaks on the block right in front of you. No gimmicks. No fads. Just good quality meats, good old world butchering, and, the greatest steaks which I will never forget.

Its long gone now. The old butcher shop has long closed down. And the very spot where ol Mike stood and cut the steaks now stands a bunch of clueless yuppies who wouldn't know a quality Porterhouse from a McDonalds burger.. Yes, the place where the butcher shop once stood is now a trendy yuppie bar. Nothing is sacred anymore ;)

We had a butcher like that right down the road from us.

Unfortunately, PennDOT wiped out the little shopping mini-mall they were located in when the widened and repositioned State Route 88 a couple of years ago.
08-08-2011, 10:13 AM
K7SGJ

When I was a kid, Grandma used to go to a very good little butcher shop down the road. His motto was "you may not like the fish, but you can't beat our meat".
08-09-2011, 05:00 AM
n2ize

Quote:

Originally Posted by W3WN

We had a butcher like that right down the road from us.

Unfortunately, PennDOT wiped out the little shopping mini-mall they were located in when the widened and repositioned State Route 88 a couple of years ago.

it's sad that we have lost so many of those small businesses, those little sole proprietorships, Ma & Pa kind of grocery stores, variety stores, hobby shops, candy stores, etc. I remember so many of them when we were living in Brooklyn and in my present area. They were more than just butcher shops, they were also mini community centers. They hired local kids for summer help making deliveries. Local people would come there to buy and meet one another and talk about stuff that is going on.
08-18-2011, 11:20 AM
W1GUH

Quote:

Originally Posted by K7SGJ

When I was a kid, Grandma used to go to a very good little butcher shop down the road. His motto was "you may not like the fish, but you can't beat our meat".

Maybe a little behind times? Nowadays I'm sure the last clause would be different.

Besides, if you don't like fish...don't you want to?
09-01-2011, 02:49 PM
kc7jty

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5481/1000135j.jpg

Another Porterhouse sold as a T-bone. Choice this time. Note almost ALL the fat has been removed. It's a wonder they don't outlaw all steaks here and promote 100% lean turkey burger.
Cookin this puppy on oak lump charcoal today.
09-01-2011, 03:07 PM
NQ6U

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc7jty

Cookin this puppy on oak lump charcoal today.

Looks plenty cooked already.
09-01-2011, 07:47 PM
KG4CGC

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc7jty

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5481/1000135j.jpg

Another Porterhouse sold as a T-bone. Choice this time. Note almost ALL the fat has been removed. It's a wonder they don't outlaw all steaks here and promote 100% lean turkey burger.
Cookin this puppy on oak lump charcoal today.

Go to the market and read the labels around here and you'll see that they actually ADD FAT to the processed turkey products they sell. They still advertise it as lean though.
You just can't get a big dumb redneck to eat a turkey burger unless it's marketed with a name like "Bubba" and tastes like sausage.
09-02-2011, 07:55 AM
W3MIV

I can hear my arteries crying out for the sheer lust of suffering the pleasure of that flesh!
09-02-2011, 08:07 AM
ki4itv

A Bubba Burger is one of the nastiest things I've ever had the pleasure of spitting out. They're awful, and don't even remotely resemble the texture of a real burger. Food mimic FAIL.
09-02-2011, 08:23 AM
KG4CGC

Quote:

Originally Posted by ki4itv

A Bubba Burger is one of the nastiest things I've ever had the pleasure of spitting out. They're awful, and don't even remotely resemble the texture of a real burger. Food mimic FAIL.

Those are horse IIRC. I've seen so many varieties now.
09-02-2011, 09:34 AM
K7SGJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG4CGC

Those are horse IIRC. I've seen so many varieties now.

After eating one of those, you get the urge to run. Usually about 220 yards. But the urge doesn't last furlong.
09-02-2011, 11:23 AM
NQ6U

Quote:

Originally Posted by K7SGJ

But the urge doesn't last furlong.

I've killed people for less than that... :lol:
09-02-2011, 12:15 PM
K7SGJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJ6BSO

I've killed people for less than that... :lol:

Sorry, the debil made me do it.
09-02-2011, 12:46 PM
KG4CGC

Quote:

Originally Posted by K7SGJ

Sorry, the debil made me do it.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...f98064b71a.jpg

The Debil is serving the drinks.
09-02-2011, 01:03 PM
K7SGJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG4CGC

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...f98064b71a.jpg

The Debil is serving the drinks.

Hey, Now. In that case, I'd like a Devil's Advocate. Add a pitchfork and hold the umbrella.
09-02-2011, 01:06 PM
KG4CGC

Quote:

Originally Posted by K7SGJ

Hey, Now. In that case, I'd like a Devil's Advocate. Add a pitchfork and hold the umbrella.

Liability issues.
You'll put your eye out, kid!
09-02-2011, 01:24 PM
K7SGJ

Well shit. I guess I'll take a beer then.
09-02-2011, 01:30 PM
KG4CGC

Quote:

Originally Posted by K7SGJ

Well shit. I guess I'll take a beer then.

Would you like that to go? After all, with our palm leaf covered bamboo and wicker pedal cars on the Island ... what's the worst thing you can do?
09-02-2011, 01:33 PM
NQ6U

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG4CGC

Would you like that to go? After all, with our palm leaf covered bamboo and wicker pedal cars on the Island ... what's the worst thing you can do?

Drive off the pier and drown?
09-02-2011, 01:35 PM
K7SGJ

Probably skewer myself.