One of our military duty stations was Kansas City.
To make things easier for our son prior to our move, I would do some research on the area we would be living in,
and share some tidbits of info with him in the hopes he would become more excited over the
prospects of moving. Again. And making new friends. Again.
Upon my research of KC, I discovered that this area was known for its BBQ.
Yoohoo. We LOVED BBQ. In fact, here in NC we consider ourselves the
BBQ Capital of the World.
(as does every other area of the South) 🙂
I mean – my son loved some good ole’ BBQ as well as anyone.
Maybe there was something “special” about the pork in KC – for it to tout itself as
having the best “BBQ” in the country.
Soon after moving, we excitedly hit a local restaurant famous for its BBQ sauce.
Excitedly, we opened up our menus and started reading.
I looked at my husband.
Confused.
My son looked at me.
Confused.
The waitress asked us what we wanted to order.
We looked at her.
Confused.
My son asked first.
“Where’s the BBQ?”
The waitress looked back at us.
Confused.
“It’s all right there in the menu,” she replied. (with a strong undertone of “duh!”)
“No, this is all beef steaks and ribs and something that sounds disgusting called Burnt Ends. Where’s the BBQ?”
The poor waitress. I know she thought “Here we go. Tourists!”
In the meantime, we were all looking at each other.
Confused.
I was quickly catching on though. I may be from the South but I still have a head full of smarts.
Most of the time.
🙂
I asked the waitress… “what do you call it when you get out a grill and cook meat on it?”
She really at me strangely. I am sure she thought it was a trick question.
“It’s a BBQ,” she answered, again with that tone of “duh!”
“And what do you call cooked pork that is shredded and often served with cole slaw?” I asked curiously.
“Shredded pork.”
I started laughing. My son looked at me.
Confused.
“Welcome to the Midwest, Baby. You see in the South – BBQ is a noun.
Here in the Midwest – BBQ is a verb.”
It took him a few minutes to catch on – then he asked..
“What the dickens are ‘burnt ends’ and what ‘end’ are they from?”
We later enjoyed one of the best steaks we have ever had, and continued to do so for the next 3 years.
When we went back home to NC to visit family, the first place we hit up was Smithfield’s BBQ for some of the
best-ever “Shredded Pork.”
So, I know what you’re asking yourself. Cause you are now, too, officially…
confused.
What does NC Pulled Pork BBQ have to do with cooking a darn good steak indoors on the stove?
Good question.
You see, while living in Kansas City – I happened to pick up a few tips on cooking
the perfect steak. I mean, those folks know their beef!
I start out with a simple but tasty marinade I created from trial and error…
- (This marinade is for 4 steaks. Add more wet ingredients as needed for more steaks.)
- 1/2 Cup quality Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 Tsp Crushed Ginger
- 1 Tsp Cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp onion powder
- pinch of salt and pepper.
- Place steaks in a large ziplock bag. Add all ingredients to the bag and seal. "Smoosh" and roll steaks around to make sure the surfaces of all of the steaks are well coated with the marinade.
I am by no means a professional chef when it comes to cooking steaks.
All I know are some tips and tricks I have picked up along the way that work for me.
Besides my marinade recipe above…there are two important steps when cooking a steak.
This is true regardless of the cooking method – a hot flaming grill outdoors (or a BBQ for you non-Southerners) –
or inside on your stove top.
1) Always cook your steaks at room temperature.
I am not saying leave your steaks sitting out all day. No, no, no.
But, while you are marinating your steaks, leave them sitting out on the counter for a
half hour or so to get to them at room temp.
2) Work with a sizzling hot pan that has been prepped with oil.
I HIGHLY recommend one of these cast-iron grill pans. But, if you don’t have one,
a regular cast-iron pan will also work.
I like to use olive oil so it can withstand the heat of the pan instead of burning like butter will do.
When the pan is sizzling hot, gently lay the steak on the pan at a 45 degree angle.
Ok, you can ignore the 45 degree angle part. I just like the looks of angled char lines. haha
I won’t journey into the age-old argument of rare or well-done.
I will share though, that my hubby says I like to chase my steaks around the plate,
if that indicates the doneness I prefer. 🙂
I cooked the above steaks for about 2.5 mins per side for a medium rare center.
(they were also thinner cuts of beef, btw)
Never, ever use a fork to poke the steak and lift it up to turn it.
I’m pretty sure this is illegal in most states.
Use tongs! Don’t puncture that meat and lose any of those yummy juices.
Once the meat is cooked to your preferred doneness…
remove them to a cutting board or platter to allow them to rest.
Oh, I know. Trust me. You will wanna just dive right in and start eating this
pile of deliciousness. But trust me, allowing it to sit for a few minutes before serving
will allow the juices inside to settle back in – instead of running out onto the cutting board they are sitting on.
(Not a good thing!)
This will give you time to put the finishing touches on those yummy Caramelized Onions you are
fixin’ to serve on top of that perfectly, INDOOR-cooked steak.
*** I’ll share my tips for creating these amber-colored gems later this week. ***
So even if it is pouring down raining –
(they are predicting Eastern NC will be experiencing its first Tropical Storm of the year this July 4th)
– or even if its 10 degrees outside and the grill is under 2 feet of snow.
You can still enjoy a darn good steak! Prepared on the stove!
Happy Eating, my friends.
I would love for you to pin this to your favorite Pinterest boards…
And please follow along with me as I pin some of my fave projects in Blogland…
The Everyday Home on Pinterest
I will be revealing a new blog design soon.
I am very excited about it. Please stay tuned!
Sharing with:
Kim at Sand and Sisal for Inspire Me Monday
Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict for The Scoop
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
If you didn’t catch it last week, hop over and take a look at the
Twenty Easy and Budget-Friendly Ideas for July 4th.
And here is a simple Patriotic Message Banner I made a few years back
using PAINT CHIPS!
You can also follow me on:
…and Bloglovin’
Don’t forget to check out my online shop…
Yvonne @ StoneGable says
Oh, yummy! We are such steak eaters! I’m going to make this recipe next week Barb! Wonderful tips too! Thanks for a cute story to start my day and a really yummy recipe!
View CommentMarty@A Stroll Thru Life says
Oh I love this and I love a good steak. Being from Texas we know that a good cast iron skillet is the only way to cook a steak indoors. Thanks for the marinade recipe and Thanks for linking to Inspire Me.
View CommentSandra says
We have a charcoal grill and I love to throw just about everything on it. What I don’t like is starting the fire, usually it’s the Mr.’s job. With this method I’m good to go. Thank you!
View CommentMary Ann Thompson says
Marty, I love your style and your home. Thank you for sharing.
View CommentI’m trying to find your organized pantry, HELP!
We just downsized and OH MY GOODNESS, I don’t have room for
anything. Want to see your organized fridge, too.
Thank you so much for all that you do!!!
Chloe Crabtree says
I am without an outdoor grill for the first time in many, many years, and I already bought myself one of these cast iron grill pans, but I sure appreciate the steak-cooking tips! I like chasing mine around the plate too!
View CommentJamie says
That looks yummy – I sure love my grill pan! Thank you for sharing this with us at the #HomeMattersParty
View Comment