Sizzling Grilled Dry Aged Ribeye & New York Strip Steak

中文菜谱：

铁板dry aged ribeye & new york strip steak 牛排

Dry aged steak is one of our favorite.  But they are hard to find on the market.

When beef has been aged in a carefully temperature and humidity controlled room for a certain amount of time ranging from weeks even to months, beef will be broken down by enzymes to produce amino acids, fatty acids and sugar.  That is to say, the beef will transform into good eats with better taste, tendered texture and intensified flavors.

It is a very expensive and time consuming process.  Besides, the beef needs to be trimmed before selling or cooking.  All costs add up quickly.  No wonder dry aged steaks on steakhouse menu are always so pricey.

Imagine how exciting I was when I found out Central Market in Houston sells dry age beef! O(∩_∩)O~

There are two types of dry aged steak available in Central market.  One is ribeye, and the other one is New York strip steak.  

Marbling is gorgeous

Price is more expensive than regular steak.  But it is quite reasonable when compared to what you paid for aged beef served in a steakhouse. 

I bought one piece of each so that it would be convenient to compare them side by side.  

Leave the steak out on the countertop for about 20 minutes to warm up to room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 450F/232C with 2 sizzling plates in it. 

The one on the bottom is ribeye.  The other one on top is New York strip steak.

Sprinkle with generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

Add sea salt to taste.  Lightly press down the salt and pepper.

Add to the grill.  Grill for 2 minutes.

2 minutes later, flip the steaks over and grill for another 2 minutes.

Remember, we are making sizzling steaks here.  The extremely hot sizzling plates will continue to cook the steak later.  So you don’t want your steaks in the grill for too long.

All sizzling plates are different.  Some are cast iron; some are aluminum; some are thick; and some are thin.  All of that needs to be considered when we decide how much time for steak to cook in the grill.  I am using two thick cast iron sizzling plates.  And I know from prior cooking experience that 2 minutes each side is perfect for my medium rare steaks.

Transfer the steaks to sizzling plates.

And now get the plates and steaks out of the grill and serve.  That beautiful sizzling sound is like wonderful music to a foodie like me O(∩_∩)O~

Do use extra caution because the plate is really really really hot!

This one is ribeye.

It is very tender, juicy, and buttery with an intense beefy and meaty flavor.

This one is New York strip steak.

The texture is a bit tighter than ribeye, with a nuttier and more intense beefy flavor.

The one on the left is New York strip steak, and the one on the right is ribeye steak.

The reason I love sizzling steak is that even when it comes to the last bite, it is still perfectly pink, tender and juicy on the inside.  And there would not be any unpleasant red color juicy running in the plate at all.  

Give it a try and you will love it too! O(∩_∩)O~

Stir-fry Smoked Pork Belly and Garlic Leaves

中文菜谱

蒜苗炒烟熏五花肉

Garlic leaves taste a lot like leeks, with a more intense garlicky and spicy flavor.  We usually use them in stir-fries.  I personally consider garlic leaves pair best with pork belly in stir-fries.  They help to get rid of mild hog flavor in pork belly, and add refreshing herbal spicy garlic flavor to the whole dish. 

Pork belly I use here has been marinated, smoked, briefly soaked and then stir-fried in a wok.  All the extra effort pays off in the end. 

For pork belly smoking：

1 large piece of pork belly (weighs about 3 pounds)
1 to 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
1 teaspoon thirteen spices powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 to 4 tablespoon rice wine (sold in most Asian grocery stores)
salt to taste

Directions：

With a sharp knife, cut the pork belly into three thick slices.  Add Sichuan peppercorns, thirteen spices powder, sugar, rice wine and salt.  Rub the spices on to pork belly.

Cover with lid or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for a couple days.

I twist some stainless steel paper clips to hook pork belly onto smoker racks.

Add smoking chips.  Preheat smoker to 200F/93C

Add pork belly

Smoke for about 2 hours.  Pork belly turns to beautiful golden amber color.

Please remember to tightly hook up the meat.  One of the three pieces slips off and half of it is burnt before I realize it.

When the smoked pork belly has been cooled down, we can slice and stir-fry it.

Ingredients：

Smoked pork belly
4 to 5 stalks of garlic plants
1 small piece of ginger root, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoon Pixian chili paste
1 to 2 low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar
a handful dried chili peppers, cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt to taste

Directions：

Clean and rinse the garlic leaves under running water.  Cut into 1 inch pieces.

They look and taste similar to leek, just smaller sized and come with a stronger flavor.

With a sharp knife, thinly slice the pork belly.  If they are too tough to slice, soak them in the water for twenty minutes.  That will help. 

Heat a cast iron wok over high heat.  Add oil, and then Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers.  Sauté for 1 minute.  Add pork belly.

Stir fry for several minutes.  Pork belly turns golden brown.

Add garlic leaves, along with oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, Pixian chili paste and salt to taste. 

Stir fry until the garlic leaves turn into deep dark green color.  That means they have been cooked through.  Once they are cooked through, garlic leaves’ flavor become mild and sweet.

Serve hot immediately.

The dish is served in a cast iron shabu pot. I use a Staub universal base with a candle or fuel burner inside to keep the dish hot through whole dinner time.  Pork belly taste best when they are hot.

Compared to the non-smoked version, smoked pork belly packs richer, more complicated flavors.  And the texture is pleasantly al dente.