BarbecueStyle or just , Broiled, Planked, Hamburger Steak

If you wish to plank a hamburger or steak, please, please, do so this way. Many of the planks people are now placing their meat on, and allowing to char during the broiling process, can release deadly carcinogens which then penetrate into the meat being cooked. If you are one of those people that just "has to" char or burn something, in order to get that "authentic" out door smoked cooking experience; follow the recipe below to the point of planking the steak; then take that hardware store bought plank, of your choice--place it on your broiler, and let it char-- to your choice of doneness--then continue to follow the recipe and use the type of plank I suggest. You sill still have your smoked taste and smell; but the food will be a lot healthier to eat and you will get a lot more compliments on your presentation and "chef style".

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Canadian Russet potatoes
2 Tbsps butter
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 small carrots, cooked and buttered
2 cups peas, cooked and buttered
      Minced parsley

Instructions:
Peel and quarter the potatoes. Cook, covered, in boiling salted water till tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Add the butter and eggs to potatoes (Duchess); beat till fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
Shape ground chuck(usually, the ground meat of choice, flavour-wise) into 4 oval steaks about 1 inch thick. In skillet cook steaks till rare, about 5 minutes per side. Place each on a well-oiled seasoned steak plank (they are usually oval shaped, with a groove around the outer edge, and 3/4 to 1 inch thick--some are designed to hold a cast iron steak sizzler); sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush with butter to "finish". Place Potatoes in pastry bag; pipe onto plank to form border 1 inch larger than steak.
Place 2 planks under broiler or salamander, 4 inches from heat; broil till potatoes brown sightly, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining planks. Arrange "baby" carrots and peas (other vegetables may be added, if desired) within potato border; sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

Steak "American" and Steak Tartare

 Have you ever noticed that all the older cook books and recipes guarded against the over cooking of ground beef.


Dishes such as the previously mentioned Steak Tartare or Steak American consist of raw, shaved or shredded beef. (Shaved beef is very seldom seen today. It requires a very sharp knife and considerable skill--shaved beef is literally shaved off a larger cut that is kept; just at the freezing point; but not allowed to freeze). Nobody ever got sick. 


Today all cook books and recipes claim that ground beef must be treated like pork and very well cooked. The difference is in the handling. Canadians used to buy their meat freshly cut or ground, often "to order" this happy circumstance no longer exists.While "fresh" meat always was a misconception or myth-that most civilized people would eat or purchase (what was considered top quality meat was always aged, for flavour and tenderness); since  greedy marketers/producers started adding-and disregarding all health  concerns, governments and health boards have allowed pink slime shit-a frozen product that can be a year or more old-to be added to meat products "FRESH" no longer exists. One cut of meat is now virtually the same as another-non of it fresh and containing scraps from where ever/when ever.

Steak Tartare-

 The original hamburger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tatar-1.jpg

        For each serving allow six ounces freshly HAND SHAVED extra lean beef (usually fillet, sirloin, or round). Handle as little as possible, but arrange each serving in a mound. Make a shallow depression in the top of each mound and place in the depression a very, very,  soft (just barely starting to turn white) coddled egg. Garnish with capers or anchovy fillets. Have available: Worcestershire, mustard, salt, a peppermill, bottled thick meat sauce, ketchup, and separate dishes of capers, caraway seeds, and finely minced onion. Let each guest season his beef to taste. Serve plenty of buttered, thinly sliced rye bread or crisp toast.

Steak American

BROUGHT OUT BY THE U.S.A.; "Steak American" like "Salisbury Steak"is just another one of the"famous" copy-cat products and or recipes that country has built a reputation on; and is so well known for. Notice that the photo images shows a product that  uses GROUND BEEF--NOT SHAVED. Of course, the appearance, taste, and texture will all much different than the classic dish as served in the top EUROPEAN restaurants.

• Prepare Steak Tartare in the normal way and then place a raw egg yolk (yolk only- otherwise you go back to steak tartare) on top.

Meat Loaf Puff

Ingredients:
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1 medium onion diced (1/2 cup
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground round or chopped sirloin
2 medium tomatoes, peeled
6 Canadian cheese slices
3 eg whites
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dairy sour cream
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
Dash pepper


Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the 1 egg and milk; stir in soft bread crumbs, onion, the 1 1/2 tsp salt, and the 1/8 tsp pepper. Add meat; mix well. Pat the meat mixture into an 8x8x2 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350F or 25 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Slice the tomatoes atop partly baked meat loaf; sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cover with Canadian cheese slices.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks (tips bend over), 1 minute; set aside. In small mixer bowl combine the flour, sour cream egg yolks, the 1/2 tsp salt, and the dash pepper. Beat till smooth. Fold beaten egg whites into yolk mixture. Pour egg mixture over cheese-covered meat.
Return to oven till golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Spoon some of the sauce in the bottom of dish over each serving. Makes 8 or 9 servings.

Handling and Shaping of Ground Beef

Most cooks handle their ground beef far too much. A light touch is the secret to better burgers, meatballs and meat loaves. Too much handling gives them a compact texture (defeats the purpose of having ground the meat in the first place), so mix carefully. When shaping burgers, or meatballs  try to keep them uniform in size. Use a 1/3 of 1/2 cup measure for each burger. A 1/4 cup measure or 1 or 2 Tbsp can be used for meatballs. Another, (undoubtedly the fastest), shaping trick for burgers is to form the meat into a roll 3 inches in diameter and cut in 1/2 inch thick slices. For meatballs, cut a 1 inch diameter roll in 1 inch slices, or pat meat to a 1 inch thick square and cut in  inch cubes.

Ground Beef Tips

Ground Beef Tips

·   Read Grind your own Ground Beef, above.

·   To avoid ground beef sticking to your hands, dip them in cold water, before handling the meat.

·   Don't over handle the meat.

·   Keep a light touch and do not over-compact.

·   Form patties to desired thickness and then, make a deep depression in the center, with your thumb. As the meat cooks and expands, the depression will disappear, keeping your burgers from turning into Frisbee shape.

·   Never use the spatula, or a weight to press down on the burger patty as it cooks; while this practice is permissible with a thick steak; with  thinner hamburger patties you’ll squeeze out all the juice and flavour to go up in smoke.

·   Poking holes in the burger with a fork (as with any meat) also causes loss of moisture and flavour. Use a spatula, or thongs to turn them.

·   Be sure the pan or grill fire is hot before you add the meat. This helps sear the surface and seal in the juice. Most burgers do not require any grease in the pan, however extra lean burgers may stick without added lubrication. Since only very thin cuts of meat should ever be fried, many top chefs suggest a sprinkling of salt on the pan to prevent lean meat from sticking. This does not give the meat a salty flavour.

Broiling Hamburgers the Easy Way

Broiling Hamburgers the Easy Way

        These sandwiches should be made from freshly ground, chuck, top round, or chopped sirloin that has not been trimmed of all its fat before grinding. Most people handle the meat far too much while forming it into patties; this makes it too tough and defeats the purpose of grinding. To make sure the hamburgers are moist and juicy, put a small piece of ice in with each patty. Searing the hamburgers also helps keep them from becoming hard and dry. Outdoors, sear them by grilling over a very hot fire. Indoors, pan-broil them in a heavy skillet. On high heat, brown the hamburgers quickly on both sides to give them a light, tasty crust. Reduce the heat to medium and cook to the desired degree of doneness. (Well-done hamburgers must be turned two or three times during cooking). Hamburgers may be sprinkled with salt and pepper at any point after they have been browned.

Variations: Any of the following can be served in the bun with the meat patty: Sliced onion, sliced tomato, diced onion, green-pepper ring, sautéed of deep fried onion rings, sautéed mushrooms, slices of cheese If you prefer cheeseburgers, try grating the cheese of your choice and mixing it with the meat instead of placing a slice of cheese on top of the hamburgers.