Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Meat is sweet

Oh, boy, it's been a busy few days!!! I got back from my Hawaii trip late last night, and I was back to work in full force today. I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed to say the least! I'm organizing my photos from my trip for Sam's $40 day meme, but in the mean time, today's post is about the best steak ever. And I mean it. I've had a lot of steaks, but this one is the best steak ever.

The Mogurin cooked up a super-duper steak last week when I was in NC. He is the Master of the Iron Skillet, and his steaks are consistently the best I have ever had. He got the method from Alton Brown, but he's taken it to a new level by perfecting it and customizing it. I tried to reproduce it many times here in CA, but I have yet to find that sixth sense that he has.

steak
Carefully and artfully, he fine tunes the timing and the temperature to sear and cook the steak to that perfect point of slightly warm juiciness with the utmost tenderness inside and flavorful grilled exterior. This is exactly what makes the Mogurin's steak so amazing - that dichotomy of the meaty cooked layer on the outside balanced perfectly with the inside, which remains only slightly heated to transform the fat into juicy goodness. The outer layer provides the appetizing aroma of grilled meat while the tender inside layer oozes with melting fat and gives in softly to the bite. Both the primordial urge to sink my teeth into raw meat and the social, human conditioning to appreciate grilled meat are both satisfied with each bite.

There's more to the magic, though. The Mogurin always uses the best quality steak he can find - organic and free of hormones, antibiotics, and all the stress a cow experiences in massive, dark feed lots. He picks the perfect marbling he needs to ensure the perfect balance of fat and flavor. A little bit of salt and pepper are added to enhance the sweetness of the beef. And the skillet is always seasoned with bacon a few days before the steak. Goodness, I've never found a steak like his anywhere in any of the fine restaurants I've eaten at - his steak needs no sauce, no accompaniment. It's perfect as it is.

I learned how sweet beef can taste from him. With every bite, the sweetness comes through even more, and with every chew, juices trickle out into my mouth. The experience is blissful. The cow's sacrifice is given the highest respect when treated with such care to be as delicious as this piece of steak.

And thank you, Mogurin.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe if the Mogurin would consider giving a 2-day workshop on how to do this. I'd be the first one to sign up...

Anonymous said...

Oh, that makes me so hungry for a steak.

I am a beef-eater, through and through. Given my druthers, I'd eat a steak 3 - 4 times a week.

A properly made steak at home is a joy to behold.

Alice said...

Papa,

He says it's just a sixth sense thing. I tried learning from the master, but obviously I have failed...

Fatemeh,

I am 100% a beef-eater too! A good steak provides so much nourishment for the body and spirit!