feel free to ask questions.

hey y'all.
i was thinking i'd throw this thread out there.
i'm a cook who trained at the culinary institute of america
and has cheffed in restaurants for the last 10yrs or so.
i decided i wanted to participate more here in the community on ats
so i thought i'd offer to answer any food/cooking related questions
you might have.
i'm not eric ripert
but my food is solid.
so if anybody needs help in any way, let me know.

s

For a really really traditional fajita beef, what is the best type of marination?
If you do not know, what would you suggest?

Originally posted by Anttyk47
For a really really traditional fajita beef, what is the best type of marination?
If you do not know, what would you suggest?

if i were going to do a beef fajita,
i would go with a skirt steak or even better a hanger steak.
keep the marinade simple and fresh.
olive oil and lime juice. 1:1 ratio.
a splash of water.
a spash of apple cider vinegar.
i'd finely slice a fresh serrano chili or two
i'd grind a few dried ancho chilis and make a powder.
one large clove garlic minced
black pepper
salt
maybe a little, good, onion powder.
cilantro stalks
bag it
over night in the fridge.
i'd grill it whole and slice on a bias after it sits for about 10min.
get some good char on the exterior. keep it med rare.
hope that helps.

I cant understand why we are all so sure of ourselves.

Originally posted by OccultScience
I cant understand why we are all so sure of ourselves.

i don't understand what you're getting at with this one.
a dig?

reply to post by OccultScience


You have posted this in other threads. What is the meaning of this? Here we have someone who appears qualified who has offered help in something that everybody regardless of political persuasion has an interest in, food!. Give their thread a break!

Originally posted by OccultScience
I cant understand why we are all so sure of ourselves.

listen dude(or chick)
we all have our areas where we've trained or qualified.
food happens to be mine. i'm not god's gift to food, i'm merely a solid, competent, cook
who felt he'd offer what he knows to the people on ats....for what it's worth.
this is an off topic community board.
i figured i'd open the door to anyone(everyone) if they'd like.
you don't have to participate.
no one has to...but i thought i'd throw it out there.

Thanks
I've been trying to find someone with good marinate.

EYE appreciate it.

Unlike someone ._.

I'll let you know how it goes

Originally posted by Anttyk47
Thanks

I've been trying to find someone with good marinate.

EYE appreciate it.

Unlike someone ._.

I'll let you know how it goes

sounds good.
hope that works out for you.
should be straight forward and delicious.
good luck!

I would think ATS is a place where CIA credentials would carry some clout. Thanks for sharing your "secrets" with us. Cooking is somewhat of a hobby now that I am retired. I have learned that when I share some kitchen tricks, certain ingredients, etc., it takes away from the magic, even turns some people off when they know what goes into their food sometimes, so that is why chefs have secrets.

I like the "popular" foods best rather than gourmet-type haughty cuisine. A simple dish prepard with care toward texture proper "done-ness", execution over innovation, to me is the best course. I have a handicap in that I live in Mexico now and some foods and cuts of meat are very different here. Sometimes the meat is just TOO fresh, not aged and tough. I have been to carnicerias where I have seen freshly prepared sides of beef hanging on the hook with muscles still twitching - that to me is VERY fresh. Often at the tianguis - outdoor marketplace - you can select your chicken while it's still walking around and they will prepare it for you as you watch.

My question right now is about aging beef. What should you do with very fresh meat to age it properly? And for how long?

If you would, keeping with my passion for simple and popular foods, please share any favorite recipe of yours that is simple, uses very common ingredients, and is sure to make a hit with your dinner guests.

I would like to be coming back to this thread with other questions I will have in the future and even to share some cooking stories if that is OK. I appreciate your offer. Thank you.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


hey, thanks for joining in!

i'm right there with you. when i was younger i thought that i really wanted to cooked in highest end restaurants. those attaining michelin stars and the like. it wasn't until i started getting out into the field and working in different kitchens did my thoughts and opinions on food change. i absolutely respect haute cuisine and it does have it's place within the food landscape. but in my opinion working in those joints requires a level of pretension that i do not possesses. it's cooking fine food for those that can afford it and after a while it became distasteful to me. don't get me wrong, those that are successful in that arena of cooking are some of the best in the world.(thomas keller, eric ripert, etc) but dudes like that don't come around very often. i'm a simple guy when it comes to food, relying on only the freshest and most local ingredients i can get my hands on. i cook to the season and am happy to do so. i've been fortunate to travel through mexico on multiple occasions during my life and i have to say that i am envious that you get to enjoy that beautiful food country on a full time basis. i'd much rather eat off a cart in mexico city or at any tiny joint in oaxaca than any restaurant in nyc. mexico, as a whole, as a much greater respect for the power of food, cooking, and community, than we do here in the states. it's something to be admired.

as far as aging beef, i'll first say that i'm not a butcher and have my limitations when it comes some areas. basically there are two types of aging. dry aging and wet aging. dry aging is something that can be very difficult to do properly. it involves a temperature and humidity controlled environment. you're basically letting the exterior of a large sub primal cut of beef slowly age without rotting. this concentrates the 'beef' flavor into the interior muscles of the cow. when it's done aging you trim and cut your steaks. this is very difficult to do at home.(something i myself have never attempted) i save the time and headache and purchase dry aged beef from a good butcher who does it properly. on the other hand, you can absolutely wet age your beef. this is something anyone can do and is effective at aging your steaks. wet aging is simply done by vacuum packing your individual steaks. the juices from the beef, with their natural enzymes, will break down and tenderize the meat. you don't get the same concentration of 'beefiness' as one would with dry aging, but it's far safer and able do be done properly by the home cook. once vacuum packed it can sit in your fridge for a week or so before it's to be used. i hope that helps.

you can look into some of the least popular, cheaper, cuts. shanks, short-ribs, tails. these all make for great braising meats. cooking in a wet environment for extended periods of time will break down connective tissue, impart a lot of flavor, and make a very tender bit of beef.

as far as a particular recipe you could do a braised short rib with polenta(grits/maize). it's simple, straight forward and delicious. and best of all, easy.

take your short ribs and lightly dust with a little flour.
brown the meat in in a big, heavy pot, with a bit of oil.
when browned on all sides remove the meat and set aside.
chop onions/carrots/celery 2:1:1 ratio
cook in the same pot as the beef...about five minutes.
add a bay leaf, a bit of thyme, some whole black peppercorns and a garlic clove or two(just crushed)
this should cover the bottom of the pot.
place the beef back in on the bed of veg.
pour a couple cups of chicken stock into pot along with one bottle of dry red wine. bring up to a boil on the stovetop
cover the pot and place in 350 oven for about an hour forty-five.
remove cover, drop temp to 300 and cook for another 30-45mins
turning over the ribs ever now and then. liquid should reduce by about half.
at this point the meat should be super tender and the bones should be easily removed.
remove the meat from pot and set aside for a moment.
strain liquid and discard vegetables/herbs/peppercorns/garlic
you should have a beautiful rich sauce. place sauce in a smaller sauce pan and place meat inside.
this should keep everything moist and warm as you make your polenta.
for home cooking i recommend using a quick cook polenta. it's best to follow the recipe, although i go a bit heavier with the butter. it's cook relatively fast.
to serve just place a portion of polenta in the middle of the plate. place a portion of short ribs on top and spoon some sauce over.
it should tender, delicious, warming to your gut. the way food should be.
hope that works brother. i don't write recipes down so i can't really say 'so many cups of this' 'x amount of that'.
cooking is very intuitive....baking on the other hand...now that's SCIENCE!

anyways...good luck. feel free to come on back whenever.

cheers.

reply to post by slowisfast


Thank you for that. Our Xmas dinner will feature BBQ pork ribs which are something mi esposa sampled recently on a trip out to Zihuatenejo. It would seem very non-traditional, however the traditional foods here for the Navidad would be bacalao and pork loin, so we are not too far off course. I will give your suggestion for short ribs a shot here pretty soon since the idea is not far removed from our BBQ ribs as either are really not that common here. I will be pre-cooking our BBQ ribs but finish them off on the gas grill.

I am with you about cooking being an intuitive task. And yes, baking is more a science in comparison. I spent a long time working on getting a chewy pizza dough with a bit of a crunch. Pizza is another popular food idea and it certainly didn't hold back Wolfgang Puck's reputation at all.

Season's best wishes to you. I will be re-visiting here soon. -Eron

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


my pleasure..hope it all goes off well for you!