BBQ Steak and Twice Baked Potatoes

BBQ Steak and Twice Baked Potatoes



A Picky Eater Finds a Piece of BBQ Perfection

Ok, let me start this by saying, I was never a big fan of steak (give me a good hamburger any day)!  However, after many years of constantly hating steak; I, Mac have finally found one that I think is absolutely amazing!

I went to a friend’s house two weeks ago and when I was told we were having steak I thought to myself… “Oh great, another steak I need to choke down.”  I have always found steak either too chewy, fatty or the marinade was not to my liking.  Thankfully, the horrors of BBQ past were not to be repeated and I was pleasantly surprised that the steak I was served was delicious.  So much so that I had to find out what it was and I needed to have it again for a nice end of summer BBQ right before the start of school; and of course, blog it on my Nana’s website.

So, at my request, I asked my Mom for a repeat dinner this past weekend.  The menu was BBQ Steak, twice baked potato, house salad, and garlic bread. A simple but delicious meat!  For this blog, I will focus on the steak and the twice baked potato.  If you need help with house salad or garlic bread, best step away from the kitchen now! lol

I was served at our friend’s house what the butcher or grocery stores call a “Tenderloin Grilling Steak” marinated in President’s Choice Memories of Kobe Marinating Sauce.  (http://www.presidentschoice.ca/LCLOnline/products.jsp?type=details&catIds=106&productId=9343.

This is available in Canada only but it is basically a Tamari Garlic Asian Marinade.  While not an exact duplication of the sauce, the following is close substitute:

1/4 cup Tamari

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 scallion, sliced thin,

(about 2 Tbs.)

Ground black pepper to taste

For the steak you’ll obviously need the Tenderloin Grilling Steak; one or two small (4 oz) pieces per person should do the trick!

MARINADE DIRECTIONS:

Place the steak in zipper-lock freezer bag or in shallow, nonreactive pan and pour marinade over the meat (approximately 2/3 of the bottle) and seal or cover.  Place in the fridge for 30 mins to 4 hours depending on how strong you want the flavour of the steak. Turn zipper-lock bag or stir contents of pan occasionally to evenly distribute marinade. When you have marinated the steaks to your liking it is time to fire up the Grill!

Now, open flames and new cooks can often make for an interesting story but thankfully we had my Mom’s friend Warren, so all went well.  I will give you a quick rundown on how he grilled the steak, according to Mac!

GRILLING DIRECTIONS:

I have always been told that good contact on the grill is important but don’t let your steak stick. This means that you need a clean grill that is well oiled. Next, to get your steak cooked right you need to do this hot and fast. This sears the surface giving the steak a crisp, caramelized surface while letting you pick how well you want it done in the middle. This means that you need to get you grill as hot as it will go.  Ok, once the BBQ is glowing (not literally but you get the idea), he is ready to put steak to grill.

While there are lots of techniques about grilling steaks to get that perfect cross hatched, the key in my mind is get the things cooked with all my hair on my arms and face in tacked!   With me watch, he opened the grill and place the steaks on and closed it.  As the steaks are not overly thick he cooked them for approximately 3-4 mins per side. Turning the steaks quickly (this is to keep the grill hot but also to avoid unnecessary hair loss) and closing the lid again and started watching the time again.  To check for doneness, a meat probe can be used:

The steak temperatures are:

• Rare – 120 to 130 degrees F. (50 to 55 degrees C.)
• Medium Rare – 130 to 135 degrees F. (55 to 57 degrees C.)
• Medium – 140 to 150 degrees F. (60 to 65 degrees C.)
• Medium Well – 155 to 165 degrees F. (68 to 74 degrees C.)
• Well – 170 or higher degrees F. (77 or higher degrees C.)

Once the steak was grilled to my likely (and of course others in the family) it is time to get it off the grill and onto a plate. Resting a steak is one of the most important steps when grilling so we let our steak rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow the meat to relax, the heat and juices to spread out, and the meat to become more tender. This is a vital step to the perfect steak so don’t forget it!

TWICE BAKED POTATO DIRECTIONS:

To make the twice baked potato you will need (keeping in mind that this makes 4 servings) the following:

4 Lg             Baking Potatoes

¼ c              Butter

½ c              Herb and garlic cream cheese

1 c               Cheddar cheese (grated)

Salt and Pepper to taste

You must first wash the potatoes and then poke each potato with a fork all over.  You then proceed to microwave each on high until partially cooked (about half the recommended time).  We finish the cooking in the oven at 450 degrees for 30-45 mins or until the outer skin is crisp and the potato can be squeezed.

Once cooked, they are removed from the oven and left to cool for 20 mins.  Using an oven mitt (as they will still be hot) cut an oval shape on the top, remove the lid and scoop the inside of the potato into a bowl, leaving a ¼ of an inch of border in the potato.

Once all four potatoes are hollowed out, combine the butter, cream cheese, ½ cup of grated cheese and salt/pepper inside the bowl and mash.  After mashing, spoon the potato back into the shells and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top; once assembled you can put aside until ready to reheat.  To reheat, place the lid of the potato back on the potato then wrap in tin foil.  Place them on the BBQ or oven until warmed through (around 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees).

In the end, the meal turned out to be spectacular! My Mom and Warren did a great job, and we all had a simple yet delicious meal….just what everyone needed just before the end of summer!