Cooking the Perfect Steak

Unless you pay close attention, grilling is perhaps the quickest way to ruin pastured
beef. It is always leaner than its conventional cousins, requiring a delicate balance
of heat and timing, and a lot less latitude as far as cooking times go. You cant
throw it on the grill and walk away. Grilling may be sexy, but we beg, we plead, we
cajole customers to follow our instructions: pan-sear and finish it in the oven. Our
favorite steak is dry-aged top sirloin at least 1 inches thick. With a thinner steak,
dont transfer to the oven.
v Preheat the oven to 300F.
v Bring to room temperature, then salt each side of the steak and let it sit for 5 to
10 minutes before cooking.
v Heat an ovenproof pan (French steel or cast iron is preferred) over high heat until it
starts to smoke (oil is not necessary, but add a tablespoon of organic canola oil if
you like).
v Sear the steak in the hot pan for 2 minutes per side. (Never use a fork to turn the
steak; use your fingers or tongs.)
v Put a splash of olive oil, a pat of butter, a dollop of bone marrow, or a mixture on
top of the steak.
v Transfer the pan to the oven.
v Cook for 4 to 8 minutes to desired doneness (it depends on the steak, so go by
internal temperature, not timewe recommend 120F for a perfect medium-rare).
v Take the pan out of the oven, place the steak on a cutting board, and let it rest for
5 minutes.
v Slice and serve.

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Quick Lamb Meatballs

Everyone who visits our house on a regular basis has these meatballs at least once. Served with
pita, a green salad, Israeli couscous, and a yogurt sauce, this is one of Jessicas go-to meals:
quick, cheap, and easy to make. If you have the time, grind your own meat; its easy when you
use a KitchenAid with an attachment. Start with a not-too-lean cut like shoulder (remember, fat
is flavor). Cut the meat into small chunks, discarding any hard pieces of fat or sinew. If all you
have is a food processor, then process, pulsing the machine on and off a couple of times to get the
consistency you need (you may have to run the grind through again if you are using a stand
mixer). If you want to get fancy, throw a small onion or garlic in with the meat as you grind it.
v Serves 4

1 pound ground lamb (shoulder or stew

meat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
(optional)
2 teaspoons harissa (see Note)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows)
Note: Harissa, a North African spice paste,

varies from region to region, so there is no definitive recipe, but a mixture of 1 teaspoon
ground cumin, teaspoon ground chile, and
1 teaspoon smoked paprika is a good substitute.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, combine the lamb,
garlic, cilantro if using, harissa, salt, and
pepper. Roll 1-tablespoon balls between
your palms and place on a rimmed
baking sheet.
Set a large ovenproof pan over
medium heat. When the pan is hot, add

the meatballs and sear on all sides, 3 to

5 minutes total. Transfer to the oven and
cook the meatballs for 4 to 6 minutes,
until the insides are pink and the outsides are golden brown. Transfer to a
serving dish, drizzle yogurt sauce over the
top, and serve.
Yogurt Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or
mint (optional)
1 teaspoon harissa
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt,
cilantro if using, harissa, and lemon
juice; season with salt and pepper. Whisk
until the yogurt is thin and creamy. Keep
in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

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flanken, fleishers style

We marinate very few things at the shop; we dont want to overmarinate and lose the true flavor
of the meat. We prefer that our customers do it themselves. Flanken (or short ribs cut Korean
barbecue style) is one of the few exceptions. It takes well to marinating, so you can leave the ribs
in the marinade for up to 12 hours without losing that big, beefy taste.
Flanken has a funny place in our hearts. It appeals to both our Jewish sides and our foodie
natures. Most older balabustas, or Jewish housewives, know flanken (a Yiddish term for flank,
or side) as a flavorful, inexpensive cut to be braised. A good Jewish cook didnt dare serve borscht
without a good chunk of flanken in it to add that earthy, rich feel. For years we were traumatized
by this cut; older Jewish women would walk into our store and order flanken. We would say,
Short ribs, right? and get berated. Sometimes we would be able to convince them that we were
talking about the same thing. Its the same bones, but a different cutflanken is cut horizontally
across the rib plate so that you get long, thin pieces of meat studded with many ribs. More recently
foodies have been ordering this cut and grilling it Korean style. They call it kalbi. Given the
choice between borscht (which, according to my grandmothers recipe, is meat cooked until it is
tasteless accompanied by mushy beets) and kalbi, I go Korean every time. v serves 4
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-inch-long) piece fresh ginger, peeled
and grated
cup soy sauce
cup mirin
cup rice vinegar
cup canola oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons toasted Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce, such as
Thai Sriracha or Korean gochujang

3 pounds flanken, cut 1 inch thick,

2 to 3 ribs across
cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 head butter lettuce (optional)
cup coarsely chopped scallions (white
and green parts)

188 the butchers guide to well-raised meat

Put the garlic to taste, ginger, soy sauce,

mirin, vinegar, canola oil, maple syrup,
sesame oil, and chili sauce in a bowl and
mix well. Pour the marinade into a thick,
sealable bag, place the flanken in the
bag, and marinate for 30 minutes at
room temperature, or up to 12 hours in
the refrigerator.
Heat a grill to high. Oil the grill
grates. Remove the meat from the marinade and put it on the grill; reserve the
marinade. Grill the meat until done,
about 3 minutes on each side. Be careful
not to burn the ribs; the high sugar con-

tent of the marinade makes them char

easily. Transfer the ribs to a platter and
set aside.
Pour the reserved marinade into a
saucepan set over high heat. Bring it to a
boil and cook until it becomes thick and
syrupy.
To serve, drizzle the flanken with the
reduced marinade and sprinkle with the
cilantro, sesame seeds, and salt. To eat,
pull the meat off the bones, wrap it in
lettuce leaves if using, and sprinkle with
scallions.

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