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The common flat top barbecue was designed exclusively
for grilling and is perfect for cooking steaks over the volcanic
rocks under the open (slotted) metal plate and sausages, onions,
eggs or meat patties over the other (solid) surface. Kettle barbecues
(charcoal heaped in centre) and Hibachis are also ideal and offer
the slightly more intense flavour that comes from cooking over charcoal.
I rarely use the solid plate on my flat top barbecue
except when cooking high fat content items such as bacon or sausages.
These can cause constant flare ups if cooked on the open plate.
However, if you're addicted to charred black sausages that are still
raw inside, then go for it.
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Use the open (slotted) plate
to cook a great steak. Fry onions or sausages on the solid one.
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The open plate is the only place to cook the great
steak. The sound and smell of hot juices dripping on to the volcanic
rock (on a flat top barbecue) or charcoal (kettle barbecues or Hibachis)
are the absolute essentials of barbecue.
Add some hardwood chips and you will notice most
people go quiet when the sizzling starts and the little puffs of
wood smoke and atomised juices perfume the air while adding that
unmistakable barbecue taste to the steak. Their eyes tend to glaze
over and their nostrils twitch excitedly.
What is happening is that their 'speciel' memory
is kicking in. They are faintly remembering traces of other gatherings
of their species around fires in primordial times. "The tribe has
meat and fire, we will not perish today" - that is the ancient whispered
message that is carried by the sound and smell of barbecue. Trust
me on this.
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Great steaks are
striped not stewed!
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As to what messages vegetarians receive, I have
no idea.
THE PROCESS
The great steak - full of juices and with a delicious
brown crust -depends on a few variables. These include the type
of meat, the temperature at which it is cooked and the length of
time it is cooked.
THE MEAT: No amount of 'grill skill' can
make skirt steak as tender as fillet and too much heat and time
can ruin the best piece of prime beef.
Choosing the right steak is never easy and a lot
of people I have met hold very strong views on the subject. I used
to swear by rib fillet for many years until I started to become
a bit worried about the amount of marbling and the residual fat
that remained after it was grilled. Delicious and tender - but with
potential to further silt up the Blue arteries.
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There are millions of vegetarians
in the world but only one George Bernard Shaw. You do not
obtain eminence so cheaply as by eating macaroni instead of
mutton chops.
George Bernard Shaw
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On the advice of a good friend whose family owns
one of Queensland's most successful cattle studs (Belmont Red -
the best beef breed) I turned to rump. It has a great taste and
most of the fat is visible so it can be cut away - preferably before
it is cooked. Sirloin is right up there with rump in regard to flavour
and eye fillet is on the bottom rung needing some sort of sauce
to give it any taste at all.
THE HEAT: We have all seen the meat botherers
at work. These are the ones who constantly fiddle with the temperature
setting on gas barbecues and incessantly move steaks all around
the cooking surface. While they might keep themselves busy, they'll
never turn out a great steak.
The only temperature required is very high (around
300 to 350 degrees C) and this should remain consistent for the
entire cooking time.
Because of the high heat, never leave steaks on
the barbecue longer to cater for those who want their steaks medium
to well done etc. I also avoid sending them to Siberia - the far
flung corners of the plate where it is hoped the temperature is
lower and the steaks can be cooked longer. Both are sure fire ways
to end up with tough, dry steak.
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King Charles 11 is said to have
honoured this cut of beef with the accolade of knighthood
hence the name Sir-Loin:
'Our second Charles, of fame facete, On loin of beef did dine;
He held his sword, pleas'd, over the meat "Arise, thou famed
Sir-Loin".'
Sir John Barleycorn's Ballad
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Instead, I simply cut the steaks more thinly so
all are ready simultaneously with the same crusty coating while
the centres can vary from blue (very,very rare indeed) to a light
pinkish hue.
The actual thickness will depend a lot on your personal
preferences and type of barbecue. I personally prefer steaks that
are somewhere between 4 to 5 cm thick (around 1.5 to 2 inches).
While the meat is coming to room temperature (15
to 20 minutes in Queensland), trim away any visible fat (this cuts
the risks of flare-ups as well as cardio vascular disease). Pat
it dry with paper towels then rub the steak very lightly with the
tiniest amount of canola oil - no pepper, no salt, no steak sprinkles,
no garlic, no wattleseeds. You do not want anything between the
steak and the surface of the plate while it is cooking except for
the thinnest possible film of oil (canola is kinder to cast iron
than olive oil because of acidity levels).
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The heat is about right when you cannot hold your
hand over the grilling surface for more than a second or two. Another
time-honoured test to make sure the grill surface is ready is to
spit (expectorate, Virginia) on the plate and watch for a small
ball to form instantly. If you're caught doing this, simply claim
you are celebrating your ethnicity as your grandfather was a drover
and they always spat at fires.
Sprinkle a handful of pre-soaked hardwood chips
over the charcoal or place in foil over volcanic rock. When they
are starting to smoke, place the steaks gently on the barbecue and
don't touch them for at least a couple of minutes.
They are ready to turn when they come away easily
from the cooking surface - use tongs for this not forks. Never pull
a steak screaming from the plate surface - the crust will stay stuck
to the metal instead of on the steak where it belongs.
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After a couple of minutes on the other side, gently
press the centre of the steaks with the back of the tongs. A rare
steak will be noticeably soft. Medium will be a bit springy (some
firmness) and well done will feel like rock (and probably be as
tender). Turn the steaks just once for rare and maybe twice for
medium (a lot will depend on your equipment and how it retains heat
- but, as a general rule, the fewer times the meat is turned the
better).
For those who like their steaks medium to well done,
it's worthwhile letting them 'rest' for a few minutes on a warm
plate. This helps the fibres in the meat to relax and allows the
juices to distribute evenly. Don't worry about this step for rare
to blue steaks as the true carnivores are sure to howl about the
bit of additional cooking that takes place while the steaks rest.
INGREDIENTS
Steaks (rump or sirloin for the best flavour/tenderness
balance)
Canola oil
Hardwood chips
Absolutely nothing else
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