Brining Beef - ????

[cjs]

A fellow on a cooking forum I’m a part of brined a Wagyu steak (don’t ask…. ) and raved about it. So I had to give it a try! Evidently my tastes buds are not as discerning as I would like – I couldn’t really tell it had been brined with seasonings, but I do have to say it was the best flavored steak I’ve ever done, so maybe I could detect some of the nuances?

My brine for one 14 oz. steak is 2 cups water/2 T. kosher salt/1 T. gran. sugar/1 T. br. Sugar/1/2 tsp. garlic powder/1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary and I brined it for 4 hours.

His cooking method was: put in the oven first with a temp probe set for 110° then seared at the end. As this is completely opposite of what I do when doing steak in the house, I went with my method of searing (with lots of salt & black pepper) 2 ½ min. on each side in cast iron skillet, then with a temp. prob set at 108° in a 450° oven. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice.




I will certainly do this again – the flavor is wonderful and the texture – fork-tender. Thought this might be interesting to some. Here’s the rest of the dinner – made a pasta dish out of the l/o cauliflower Alfredo mixed with pesto sauce, which was very tasty.
[URL=http://s3.photobucket.com/user/cjdacook/media/2016%20COOKING/mar%2023%20005_zpsraehxqtk.jpg.html][/URL

[Mare749]

Funny, I was just thinking about this recently and wondering if anyone ever brines beef. We had some strip steaks a while back that could have used some help.

Thanks for posting this. Copied and saved.

[cjs]

It is interesting.

[Cubangirl]

Jean, we've used this one for year. It is fantastic. I keep the recipe on my fridge door, we like it that well.

BETTER THAN A-1 STEAK MARINADE*****Servings:4 Yield:enough for 2 lbs. of steak

The reserve marinade poured with the added vinegar poured over the hot steaks creates a wonderful sauce without having to be cooked. No salt is added and the sauces provide it.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Inactive Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

MARINADE:
4 garlic cloves (4 tsps.)
1 tsp. fresh chives
1 tsp. garlic chives
1/3 cup Mediterranean Blend Oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 TBS. dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsps. ground black pepper
SAUCE:
2 tsps. balsamic vinegar

TO MARINADE:
Peel, degerm and crush garlic with press. Hold chives together and slice very thin, then do a quick chop to mash and avoid large bits.

Whisk together all ingredients except vinegar in medium bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of marinade and place the rest of the marinade and steak in gallon-sized zipper-lock bag; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate 1 hour and up to 90 minutes, flipping bag halfway through to ensure that steaks marinate evenly.

TO COOK:
Remove steaks from marinade, letting any excess marinade drip back into bag. Discard bag and marinade. Grill steaks as desired.

Transfer steaks to shallow pan and pour reserved marinade over top. Tent loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes, turning meat halfway through. Slice steak or serve whole, passing reserved marinade if desired.

Recipe Type: Alina's Adaptation, BEST, Cook's Illustrated, Fresh Chives, Marinade

Source: Cook's Illustrated 5-2007 page 20
Web Page: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/...k-marinade

[karyn]

We love that as well, Alina. It's a terrific way to prepare steak!

[Mare749]

Thanks, Alina. Copied and saved.

[cjs]

I think most are not with me on this - I wasn't trying/testing a marinade, I wanted to test brining a piece of beef which I've never done before.

That was the fun part - doing something I'd not done before and I was quite pleased with it.

[Guest]

[cjs]

Susan, I rarely buy a 'less tender' steak, but I'm tempted to and try this again. Could be interesting.

I'm with you - can't imagine messing with a Wagyu!!

[Cubangirl]

Jean, I was not trying to step on your toes, rather to point out that I marinate beef regularly. Regular steaks using the CI marinade and Cuban steaks in onions, garlic, a bit of olive oil and lime juice.