I posted a thread a couple of days ago on the process I went through aging a 20+ pound rib roast, stated that dinner would be served yesterday, and I'd get the the results of that posted ASAP. I was given no choice but to post it quickly and with detail because Chilerelleno said he has his eye on me. Well...I don't wanna get stared down by no Chile stink-eye. No sir, no way, no how. This one is all for you Chile
Okay, maybe I want to gloat a bit also because this meal came out amazingly well. This is likely to get lengthy but here's is what was on the menu:
-Appetizer plate with 4 dry aged meats and 2 smoked cheeses
- 2+ pound 45 day aged ribeye steaks
-Stuffed mushrooms
-Twice baked potatoes
-Salad made with all fresh veggies out of a friends garden, who also made the salad
-Homemade cheesecake (provided by one of our guests)
Let's start with the appetizer plate. From left to right: Bresaola, Soppressata, smoked Gouda, smoked extra sharp cheddar, ginger salami, and Lonzino
Baking dish with a quarter pound of melted butter and about a third of a cup of fresh minced garlic
Mushrooms with stems removed, cleaned out, and filling mixed up in the bowl (basic recipe for filling to follow later)
'Shrooms stuffed and sprinkled with parsley
5 large baked potatoes cut in half, "meat" removed, put in a bowl and mixed for stuffing the taters (basic recipe for the stuffing to follow)
Taters stuffed and topped with chopped green onions
The whole spread (minus the salad) ready to cook
Don't mean to gloat but I'm kinda proud of these steaks
Seasoned with salt and pepper, that's it.
Everybody in the pool!!
Shrooms done first. Going into the oven at 150* to keep warm while the rest of the stuff finishes
Steaks after the flip
Steaks all done and off the grill to rest for a few minutes before serving. There are actually 2 in the middle
Taters done
The whole spread (2 pics) laid out buffet style. Finally ready to serve
The small white bowl is garlic butter. Never made it or served it before but the stuff was a HUGE hit and went really well on top of the steaks
Money shot. This is my 2# of steak left after my wife took her share of it. I've been waiting two months for this and cannot wait to sink my teeth into it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've prepared and served thousands of meals but this was by far my best ever. We had a total of 8 people (4 couples) and since each steak was well over 2#, I just cooked 4 steaks, one for each couple to share. The steaks had a very deep, rich aged flavor that is absolutely beyond words...at least with my very limited vocabulary. Originally I intended to cook them sous vide then sear on the grill but a serious lack of planning on my part forced me to drop back 10 and punt. I didn't have a vessel large enough for the steaks or strong enough to hold the amount of water required to get them fully covered. They were also so heavy that the binder clips I was trying to use to hold them in place were not strong enough. I spent over an hour trying different things but just did not have what I needed. There has always been great success just cooking them on the grill so that's what I did....and I have grilled quite a few steaks
Interestingly enough, as amazing as the steaks were, the flavor highlight of the show was the mushrooms. At one point I was ready to set aside the steak and just eat 'shrooms. Here are the basic recipes for the fillings.
MUSHROOM FILLING
8 oz softened cream cheese
A coupe ounces of Lonzino finely chopped
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of oregano
Black pepper
Salt
Shredded gourmet Parmesan cheese
POTATO FILLING
The meat from the potato halves
Sour cream
Milk
Butter
About 4 oz. smoked ham finely chopped
Cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
For those of you that are perfectionists and want exact amounts and measurements, please don't ask
I didn't measure or weigh anything. It was all shoot from the hip based on what it tasted like.
Well....by the time I finished my meal (I was only 1 of 2 people to finish their steak), I looked across the table and everybody was pretty much face-down in their plates from a food induced coma. Needless to say, I was very gratified that our best friends got to enjoy a meal like that. You couldn't come close in a restaurant without spending a fortune on each meal...and even then I doubt you could find some of the stuff we enjoyed. There is just nothing like doing it yourself, even if it takes months to put it all together. The time was well worth it and I WILL be doing it again....and Lance, you'll get the first invite, I promise. My only take-away from this is that next time I'll let the meat age for 60 days. I read where SmokinAl has done 45 day aged meats and is planning to let the next one go for 60 days. I have to agree with him. There was definitely a distinctive aged flavor but I was kinda hoping for just a bit more. That's OK though. This was still an amazing meal and it gives me something to look forward to. By the time the next one is ready, we will be eating on the patio, frolicking in the pool, and enjoying adult libations lounging poolside. Can't wait!!
Still in a food coma,
Robert
(NOTE: This one has a lot of stuff going on and could fit into any of several sub-forums. I'm gonna trust the mods to move it as they deem necessary)
-Appetizer plate with 4 dry aged meats and 2 smoked cheeses
- 2+ pound 45 day aged ribeye steaks
-Stuffed mushrooms
-Twice baked potatoes
-Salad made with all fresh veggies out of a friends garden, who also made the salad
-Homemade cheesecake (provided by one of our guests)
Let's start with the appetizer plate. From left to right: Bresaola, Soppressata, smoked Gouda, smoked extra sharp cheddar, ginger salami, and Lonzino
Baking dish with a quarter pound of melted butter and about a third of a cup of fresh minced garlic
Mushrooms with stems removed, cleaned out, and filling mixed up in the bowl (basic recipe for filling to follow later)
'Shrooms stuffed and sprinkled with parsley
5 large baked potatoes cut in half, "meat" removed, put in a bowl and mixed for stuffing the taters (basic recipe for the stuffing to follow)
Taters stuffed and topped with chopped green onions
The whole spread (minus the salad) ready to cook
Don't mean to gloat but I'm kinda proud of these steaks
Everybody in the pool!!
Shrooms done first. Going into the oven at 150* to keep warm while the rest of the stuff finishes
Steaks after the flip
Steaks all done and off the grill to rest for a few minutes before serving. There are actually 2 in the middle
Taters done
The whole spread (2 pics) laid out buffet style. Finally ready to serve
The small white bowl is garlic butter. Never made it or served it before but the stuff was a HUGE hit and went really well on top of the steaks
Money shot. This is my 2# of steak left after my wife took her share of it. I've been waiting two months for this and cannot wait to sink my teeth into it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've prepared and served thousands of meals but this was by far my best ever. We had a total of 8 people (4 couples) and since each steak was well over 2#, I just cooked 4 steaks, one for each couple to share. The steaks had a very deep, rich aged flavor that is absolutely beyond words...at least with my very limited vocabulary. Originally I intended to cook them sous vide then sear on the grill but a serious lack of planning on my part forced me to drop back 10 and punt. I didn't have a vessel large enough for the steaks or strong enough to hold the amount of water required to get them fully covered. They were also so heavy that the binder clips I was trying to use to hold them in place were not strong enough. I spent over an hour trying different things but just did not have what I needed. There has always been great success just cooking them on the grill so that's what I did....and I have grilled quite a few steaks
MUSHROOM FILLING
8 oz softened cream cheese
A coupe ounces of Lonzino finely chopped
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of oregano
Black pepper
Salt
Shredded gourmet Parmesan cheese
POTATO FILLING
The meat from the potato halves
Sour cream
Milk
Butter
About 4 oz. smoked ham finely chopped
Cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
For those of you that are perfectionists and want exact amounts and measurements, please don't ask
Well....by the time I finished my meal (I was only 1 of 2 people to finish their steak), I looked across the table and everybody was pretty much face-down in their plates from a food induced coma. Needless to say, I was very gratified that our best friends got to enjoy a meal like that. You couldn't come close in a restaurant without spending a fortune on each meal...and even then I doubt you could find some of the stuff we enjoyed. There is just nothing like doing it yourself, even if it takes months to put it all together. The time was well worth it and I WILL be doing it again....and Lance, you'll get the first invite, I promise. My only take-away from this is that next time I'll let the meat age for 60 days. I read where SmokinAl has done 45 day aged meats and is planning to let the next one go for 60 days. I have to agree with him. There was definitely a distinctive aged flavor but I was kinda hoping for just a bit more. That's OK though. This was still an amazing meal and it gives me something to look forward to. By the time the next one is ready, we will be eating on the patio, frolicking in the pool, and enjoying adult libations lounging poolside. Can't wait!!
Still in a food coma,
Robert
(NOTE: This one has a lot of stuff going on and could fit into any of several sub-forums. I'm gonna trust the mods to move it as they deem necessary)