Best Steak Ever - Ribeye Caps

in #food7 years ago (edited)

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Grilling Up the Best Steaks - Ribeye Caps

I've been around the block about 20 times when it comes to great beef - corn-fed, aged, Kobe - Ruth's Chris, Chops, Majestic, Hereford House - All Legends in the Steak game. I've had them, savored them, induced myself into a food coma with them. None of them - Porterhouses, ribeyes, filet mignon, prime rib included beat the pure flavor of a ribeye cap.

If you don't know what a ribeye cap is, you can check out an article here that explains it better than I can: https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/meet-the-ribeye-cap-the-tastiest-cut-on-the-cow.html

In short though, it is the strip of beef at the top of the rib that is cut away when the butcher slices up some ribeyes or prime rib. This thinner tender piece bequeathed to us by the meat and flavor Gods is then "pinwheeled" into cuts that are about 5 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches thick. Add some sea salt and let it soak all day and you are in for a tastebud treat that is almost as good as sex (if it is better than sex, you're doing the sex thing wrong).

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The Occasion and Prep

One of my best friends, Andrew, had a birthday the day before I needed to return home to St. Petersburg. Therefore, we planned a manly day that included shooting, food, drinks and pool. After working up an appetite target shooting for a few hours, we headed back to the house to start dinner.

Andrew picked up the Ribeye Caps the previous day and then sprinkled a good layer of sea salt over the pinwheels including the sides. During the day, the salt absorbed into the meat to release more of the trapped flavor goodness. We also picked up about 2 lbs of portobella and shitake mushrooms and about a dozen scallops.

The scallops and mushrooms were cooked in a skillet and a wok respectively, but the steaks were cooked on a charcoal grill with extremely high heat. In order to get the high temperature, use a charcoal chimney to start your coals and wait until all of them are white (including the top layer of the chimney). Next spread them out on the grills in a small square stacking them on top of each other. It is great if the flames from the charcoals are licking the bottom the grill grates. Ultimately, you want your charcoal to have the grey coating before adding on the steaks.

For the scallops and mushrooms, only a stick of butter is needed. Depending on the quantity of mushrooms 1/2 to 2/3 is needed to get them done nicely. This also leaves the 1/3 of a stick for the scallops in the skillet.

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Cooking the Mushrooms

In the wok or a large skillet, add the mushrooms with butter. It's okay if the pan is a little overfull because the mushrooms are going to shrink as the water in them evaporates. Add garlic and salt as you prefer and keep them stirred regularly on low to medium heat. Depending on the quantity (we had a couple pounds), it may take about 30 to 40 minutes to get them completely sauteed.

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Take a taste of the mushrooms to make sure they are cooked all the way through. If they are ready, you can keep them on very low heat on the stove until everything else is ready, but if you timed it correctly all your food should come out at the same time. Here's a look at our finished 'shrooms.

P1000940.JPG A little blurry, sorry. However, the color should be clear enough as a guide.

We team cooked so while the mushrooms were cooking, we had someone throw the steaks on the grill and started the scallops as each of these takes much less time.

Cooking the Steak and Scallops

Once you have your grill super hot, the steaks are actually pretty easy. I Strongly suggest rare/medium rare on the ribeye caps. Anything more and your losing flavor. "But J.R., I like my steak well done and no blood." - My answer to this is a hamburger. Steak isn't meant to be well done or burnt. If that is your taste, stick with burgers or better yet, beef jerkey. Also, it isn't "blood" that you're seeing when meat is red, it is the natural coloring of the meat when it meets oxygen and heat. All of the blood was drained from the beef long ago when it was butchered.

To get the rare/medium rare finish on your steaks and still get a dark, seared crust on the outside I suggest about 3.5 minutes on each side. In most cases, 3 minutes is enough if your charcoal is super hot like I suggested earlier. Don't over cook them or you'll kill the flavor. Trust your time and temp. It's like landing a plane when flying through clouds. You have to trust your instruments to guide you home.

The scallops are even easier, but just as quick. In your skillet, you need to melt the butter and then add in the scallops. Cook for a few minutes and then flip them over the first time. Next, you will want to try and lift the side of one scallop after a few minutes. If the scallop resists slightly, then it is done. If it is stuck to the pan then you waited too long. When you flip it, you should see a golden brown char on the top of it. You want that same color on the bottom side so give it a couple minutes and repeat the process. Once they are browned on both sides (should be 5 to 8 minutes maximum) then take the pan off the heat.

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The steaks should sit for about 10 minutes before eating, but once that is done - Serve it all up!

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Time to Eat!

You'll notice that for our birthday feast, there is nothing green anywhere on the plate. If you want to fool yourself into thinking you're eating healthy, then add a salad or your favorite green vegetable, but we went with the full "man plate" - no lies, just great taste. For some great salad suggestions, go here: https://steemit.com/food/@cooknbake/5-delicious-and-simple-salad-ideas-and-recipes-for-your-next-meal

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Yummy stuff! Enjoy.

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Wow! Super cool to be featured AJ's - @ajala I'm heading over to check out the other featured posts. ;)

Not only do the steaks look amazing, those mushrooms would sound fantastic! I have yet to cook scallops, although I've heard great things. I will definitely use your recipes for the next time I pick up these ingredients!

Thanks for the compliment! The mushrooms a definitely a treat. Scallops aren't hard to cook, but a bit pricey depending on where you get them. We actually found these at Aldi's and saved some money.

Got to love the steak. The selection at many of the stores here has dwindled over the years, and so hard before then to find meat not full of hormones and antibiotics. Do they do that over there with the hormones and antibiotics?

I know you are feeling jet lag from the trip because

We teamed cooked

I remember you saying how you prefer to do everything.

I was a little taken aback when you said you went shooting as well. I am learning all kinds of things about Russia I never would have thought from your sharing. Faster internet, lower taxes, now shooting/gun possession.

*clears throat...but at least I am living in the land of the free *tries to keep straight face.

I will have to see if I can even find a store here with that cut of meat. Probably will have to find an actual meat store as the grocery stores here have limited selection so you will be more prone to buy the high fructose corn syrup concoctions.

Good morning! Thanks for the great comments. Yes, clearly I'm "jetlagged" or senile because I proof read the post twice before posting and yet, I have made 4 or 5 edits since posting. lol

Hormones, antibiotics, and GMO's are handled much differently here in Russia. I can't say for 100% certainty that these don't exist in the meat, but I'm told they are not supposed to be in there. There is a huge drop in the flavor of beef here compared to the U.S. That is definitely true, but it is getting better. Some cattle ranches have even been certified by U.S. and Australian Beef Councils and have some good quality (more expensive than in the U.S. though).

Haha. I went shooting in Kansas City before I returned here. The post is about Saturday the 24th. It was my last day before I came back. However, Russians are allowed to own guns. Shotguns and rifles only as I understand, but many Russians go hunting regularly especially in the regions (Russian version of the "sticks"). They have shooting ranges here in St. Petersburg where people can fire handguns, but I don't know anyone that has a handgun legally.

Go to a butcher shop or to Costco. They will have them and the quality will be pretty good. You just have to know what to ask for.

Yes, clearly I'm "jetlagged" or senile because I proof read the post twice before posting and yet, I have made 4 or 5 edits since posting. lol

I had to take a second look. I assure you, I am about as far from being a grammar nazi as one can get. I hadn't thought about it being taken that way, lol.

I meant in a previous post you had mentioned you don't like help when you are doing the cooking as you love it so much it doesn't feel like work to you. So when I saw you had people helping you (and erroneously thought this was right after you got back) I was making a joke you must really be tired to allow others to help you, lol.

That is still awesome on the firearms. For defense and hunting, shotguns/rifles are much better than handguns (imo). I will definitely check out some of the butcher shops around here. I have never gotten a Costco card. I have went there a few years back to help my mom (she has a membership) and it seemed mostly the same gmo/full of corn syrup items found in the stores, only in bulk. While not a purist (can't afford it yet) I try to minimize that as much as I can, convinced it is the cause of the rise in diabetes and obesity, among many other health issues.

Hope you have settled back in ok. I know once we disrupt our routines (especially as long as you did) it can seem a little off trying to get back into them. I am sure having your morning coffee with your wife is helping relax you back into it as you begin sharing your journey here with her more in depth.

oh yum I love scallops!! they are so tender and juicy. and even better if they're paired with mushrooms and steak :D!!! I'm starting to salivate

Thanks for comment. ;) Glad you enjoyed the content. Looking forward to seeing more of your drawings/comics.

Those steaks, scallops and mushrooms look juicy and yummy! 🤤

Thanks for the comment and compliment Aaron. ;)

Ribeye Caps...you have no idea how much I wanted to know the correct name for these. Never see them, but had them as a BBQ at a friend of a friends. We all drank the rest of the day so totally forgot the name of them by the next day.

Next time I went to buy steaks I wanted to get these and couldn't remember the name...very annoying!

Know what I'm going to be picking up at the butcher next time I go!!

BTW, those look perfect and now I'm hungry.

Thanks so much for the compliment! Yes, I never knew the name of them either. After all these years, I am still learning something new about cooking meat every week. Sometimes at the butcher shop, they will call them "butcher's butter" (at least that is what I've read). We got ours at Costco and they weren't too pricey.

Wow, wouldn't expect a better cut at Costco...never had a membership but always think of buying clubs in more of a lower end light for anything fresh. May need to rethink that.

Wonder if it wasn't to pricey because most people don't know about the cut so demand isn't super crazy. I mean everyone knows a filet and they price them high because of it, but really it's not the most flavorful cut of meat and the price to me isn't justified.

Grilling Up the Best Steaks . this is healty food really like it . my fevaret food ,upvote & resteemit done.

Thanks for the comment. I'm not so sure about the "healthy food" part, but okay.

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