2007-09-23 - By Steve Graves, Ask-A-Butcher.com
"Philly Style Cheese Steaks revisited!"
In the article published on 8/12/07 http://www.swfl-news.com/askabutcher/id/4 I was discussing the futility of finding a decent Philly Style Cheese Steak 'outside' of Philadelphia. My suggestion was to make it yourself using the recipe from Pat's, which is one of the originators.
Since that time I have run across a Cheese Steak variation that looks extremely intriguing. It's called a "Cheese Steak BLT" and it was developed and served at Vesuvio's on 8th Street in Philadelphia. The only thing in common with the original is beef, onions and possibly Provolone cheese! This one has 'real' steak, sautéed onions, mushrooms, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise on Ciabatta bread.
Here is my variation based on Vesuvio's famous "Cheese Steak BLT". This recipe is for one sandwich. For more servings, add to the recipe accordingly.
1 6-8 oz Beef Filet Mignon (Tenderloin steak)
2-3 slices of apple smoked bacon (I bought Neuske's)
1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 TBS olive oil
3 slices smoked Provolone cheese
2-3 TBS garlic mayonnaise
Sliced Beefsteak Tomatoes
Lettuce leaves
6" hunk of Ciabatta bread
Set your grill up for indirect cooking, medium-high heat. Optional: add some apple smoking chips or chunks.
Season your steak simply, just Kosher Salt, ground black pepper and some granulated garlic, as we don't want to mask the flavors coming from the other ingredients.
Place the bacon on an upper rack away from the fire with a pan or foil underneath to catch the drippings. After about three minutes, place the steak right over the heat source (direct). When you flip the steak to cook the other side, the bacon should be done* (see note below). Remove it from the grill and drain on paper towels. As to the doneness on the steak, most times I prefer it to be medium rare, however this will be in a sandwich setting and I don't think you want too much 'bloody' juices corrupting the bread. I suggest for this recipe, to cook it until an internal meat temperature of 145-150° is reached, or medium-well. Remove the steak from the grill and let rest on a plate for at least five minutes before slicing. Turn or adjust the grill to medium heat, as we'll be using it one more time.
* Due to the thickness and size of the bacon, it may take longer to cook on your grill. I suggest pre-cooking the bacon in the microwave for a minute or two fiirst.
While the steak and bacon are cooking, you can make the Garlic Mayonnaise and start the onions/mushrooms in a medium sized sauce pan.
Garlic Mayonnaise: finely mince one clove of garlic and mix into it 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Sautee the onions and mushroom with the olive oil in a medium sauce pan, season with salt and pepper if desired. Add more olive oil, if needed. We don't want to burn these, so just cook until the onions turn a golden brown. Drain.
Okay, every thing should be done cooking, so let's build us a Cheese Steak BLT!
Split the Ciabatta bread in half and spread both sides with the mayonnaise mixture.
Slice the steak in about 1/4" thick slices. It doesn't matter if it's sliced vertically or horizontally, as the Filet will be tender. Spread the steak over the bottom half of the bread, drizzle any remaining juices from the plate over the meat. If you have left over meat, eat it for breakfast or a snack!
Spoon your desired amount of onions and mushrooms over the sliced steak. Now, lay the cooked bacon on top and then the Provolone cheese goes on last.
Carefully take the loaded half sandwich back to the grill. Place it on a rack away from the heat source and close the lid. Check it after a couple of minutes to see if the cheese is melted to your liking.
Once the cheese is melted, back to kitchen we go. Top with tomato slices and lettuce. Put on the other half of the Ciabatta bread and cut it in half. Serve with onion rings or sweet potato fries. Enjoy!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/askabutcher/pictorials/aabchstk-10.jpg
"Are Cube Steaks the same as Pounded Steaks?"
"Cubed Steaks" are lean pieces of meat from the Round (Top Round, Bottom Round, Eye Round, Sirloin Tip) and sometimes from the Chuck (Shoulder Clod, Mock Tender) that have been put through a mechanical cubing machine, normally twice. The purpose of the cubing is to break the connective tissues in the meat, rendering it more tender than the original state.
"Pounded Steaks", on the other hand are typically Top Round, Sirloin, Top Loin (NY Strip), Rib Eye, Chuck Eye and sometimes Shoulder Clod. 'Pounding' the steak sometimes, but not always, makes it tender by breaking the connective tissue. The other reason for 'pounding' is to flatten the meat out and make it larger for stuffing purposes or other uses deemed necessary by the various recipes (Braggiole, for example). Pounding is good to make a smaller piece of meat larger, i.e., veal cutlets, chicken cutlets, chicken fried steaks, etc.
"What are Boneless Beef Chuck Country Style Ribs and how do I cook them?"
More than likely those are not 'real' beef ribs, but just a boneless Chuck or Shoulder Roast that has been butterflied and then cut into chunks/strips. However, they should all be cooked basically the same way.
I recommend marinating them for about 4 hours, over night is even better, give them a little seasoning and then cooking them. Your favorite marinade is fine, as is just a zesty Italian salad dressing.
Now, as far as cooking. I always grill mine. You will need a medium fire on just one side of your grill and place the 'ribs' on the side opposite the fire (we call this "indirect cooking"). Place some foil or an aluminum pan under the meat to catch any drips.
Cook for approximately two hours with the lid on the grill closed. At this time, turn the meat and put them over the side with the fire, about 8" above the heat source would be good. Turn and flip them about every 15 minutes, trying not to let them get too dark. When they are almost done, you can brush on bbq sauce, if you like.
You can also cook/braise them on top of the stove at med-low heat with a cover on the pot. Make sure to put some liquid in with the meat. Some bbq sauce mixed with a little apple juice works well. Cook until tender.
Crock pot? Same method as the stove.
You can also cook them in the oven by placing them in an oven pan with some liquid (see above) just to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and cook about 2 hours at 250°. Remove the foil, baste the meat, and turn the heat up to 300-325 ° and finish cooking until tender.
