Saturday Skirt Steak

Dear readers, I thank you for listening to my meat fuelled ramblings, since I have been eating meat again these last few years, I have made a part of the pact to myself that I would try to understand meat more, and learn how to get the best out of the different variety of cuts that are available from a good butcher. And in understanding the cuts, learning how best to cook them.

Skirt is a much undervalued cut of steak from the  ribcage area called the plate and is a fraction of the price of the more usual cuts, and usually destined for mince or pies. It’s very lean, packed with flavour, and if treated right melt in the mouth tender. If you like you steaks cooked past medium, then I’m afraid this isn’t the cut for you as it needs to be cooked ideally rare to medium rare otherwise it will toughen right up.

To get the best flavour, go for a dry aged outdoor reared steak, you’ll need to remove the tough outer membrane, which peels away with your fingers, or ask your butcher to do this for you. This wonderful steak was dry aged Aberdeen Angus from Andrew Gordon Butchers.

Heat a griddle pan to screaming hot, it should be smoking. Season up the steaks with coarse sea salt and crushed black pepper. Cook the steaks for 2 minutes each side, and leave to rest on a warm plate, drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil.

I served mine simply with some toasted sourdough with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and a plain rocket salad.

Cut the steak against the grain, you should be able to see the lines of the grain easily in this steak. The deep beefy flavour is truly something to behold.

 

Do you know what’s in your burger?

So….. do you?? With the recent scandal of extra ingredients appearing in supermarket burgers, have you lost confidence in the meat you buy there?

Well if you haven’t already, there’s no better time to get acquainted with your local butcher, and if you build up a good relationship with them, you can trust your meat, and what goes into your burger.

Since I started to eat meat after being a vegetarian for so long, it has always mattered to me where the meat I eat comes from, so I always discuss the meat with the butcher, what beef is it? where has it come from? I was very fortunate to have been offered these Gordonian Luxury Burgers to try, they are dry aged Aberdeen Angus, from Andrew Gordon are a huge 200g each. The aroma was deep and beefy as they cooked, with no rubbish in them, they cooked to perfection on a griddle, and the taste was outstanding, seasoned perfectly, I was quite confident to serve it medium rare, to keep it moist, but with a thick savoury crust from being cooked on a high heat on the griddle.

So, without preaching, maybe it’s time you got to know your local butcher?

 

 

Man V Food Steak and Chilli night

I’ve always wanted to do a Man V Food style eating challenge, so when I heard Andrew Gordon Aberdeens Fine Butcher was holding a Man V Food Steak and Chilli night, I had to be there!

6 hungry diners, including the reigning champion from the previous burger challenge had turned up with a hungry gleam in their eyes, and a hungry expectation. We knew we would be in for a good evening as the quality of Andrews steaks are legendary.

Andrew weighed up 6kg of prime Aberdeen Angus Sirloin 1kg per person, 8 steaks each…..eek, but this was only a part of the challenge,  a fragrant chilli was bubbling away and would be mounded with cheese and chunks of bread on a large platter for our delectation. Taking the total weight up to an enormous 1.8kg,  (63.5 ounces in old money).

The steaks were cooked to perfectly medium rare and were a delight as they were dry aged for a month. We all ploughed our way through the steaks, the chilli and cheese was just too much for some as well, but I managed this, but I hit the wall when it came to the bread, the “dirty carbs” were just too much, however the reigning champion was able to finish his entire platter, a much deserved winner. It was an awesome evening, with beer aplenty to wash the food down and lots of banter.

Andrew will be holding further of these wonderful events over the winter months, get involved!

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