Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [34]
Remove the pan of brisket from the heat and let rest for 20 minutes.
While the meat is resting, make the grilling sauce. Trim any excess fat from the brisket and slice across the grain (don’t trim too much fat, though; the crispy bits taste great). Serve with the grilling sauce.
CHUCK STEAK/CHUCK
Herb-Crusted Chuck Steak and Slow-Baked Potatoes
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
What’s so great about chuck steak? Rich, beefy flavor. The chuck or shoulder is the most exercised muscle group on a steer, and exercise is what develops a complex, meaty taste. Any bone-in or boneless chuck steak will do, such as seven-bone, blade, flat iron, Denver, or chuck-eye steak. Depending on how they are cut, chuck steaks can be tender or somewhat chewy, so we sear them over medium-high heat, and then move them over to low heat to finish cooking slowly. Our favorite for this recipe is flat iron steak because it has a deep, brawny flavor.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Salsa-Beer Marinade
1½ to 2 pounds chuck steaks, about 1 inch thick
4 russet or other baking potatoes, scrubbed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup Fresh Herb Rub
1 cup salsa (any heat level)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Sour cream or butter for the potatoes (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Put the marinade and steaks in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out the air, seal, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.
Light a grill for bilevel medium-high/low heat, about 425/275°F. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Pat the potatoes dry, then prick each about 6 times with a fork. Coat with about 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Put the potatoes on the grill as far away from the heat as possible, cover, and cook until tender, about 1 to 1½ hours.
About an hour before serving, remove the steaks from the marinade and discard the marinade. Pat the steaks dry and spread all over with the mustard. Combine the herb rub and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and spread over the mustard. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Simmer the salsa in a small saucepan over medium heat until most of the liquid is gone, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter. Keep warm.
When the potatoes are nearly done, grill the steaks directly over medium-high heat until nicely grill-marked, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to low on a gas grill or move the steaks to the low-heat area on a charcoal or wood grill. Cover and cook to an internal temperature of 135 to 145°F for medium-rare to medium, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove and let rest about 5 minutes.
Using a fork, make a lengthwise line of prick marks on one side of each potato. Squeeze the ends toward the middle to crack open. Serve the steak with the salsa butter. If you like, serve the potatoes with sour cream or butter.
SHOULDER TENDER/CHUCK
Grilled Carpaccio of Shoulder Tender
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Shoulder tender (a.k.a. petite tender or clod tender) comes from the beef chuck and rests on top of the shoulder, near the top blade. It’s a fairly narrow strip of beef similar in size and shape to pork tenderloin. Thank God butchers figured out how to separate this one shoulder muscle from the many others in the beef chuck. It’s a rarity because it’s both tender and flavorful, making shoulder tender excellent served raw. But it’s somewhat uncommon, so hunt around for a butcher who can cut it for you. If you can’t find it, use the same weight of beef tenderloin. It goes without saying that you should buy the best-quality