So my buddy Zach
Misplaced Nebraskan
came to visit yesterday. His wife wanted him out of the house so she could get ready for company coming into town and my wife was out of town for a wedding. We decided to do some serious Surf & Turf. Since neither of our wives particularly like lobster and we both love it, that was gonna be part of dinner. The concept of getting together was to nail down some of the final details of our upcoming Cen Tex Que and Brew event, which can be seen here:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/first-official-centex-que-brew-august-9th-11th.288510/
I's a long read but well worth it!! So....the deal was that Zach would bring the Surf and I'd provide the Turf. I gave him his choice of over a dozen different steaks and/or roasts and he decided he wanted the last one of the 45 day aged bone-in rib eye steaks from a dinner I did a few months ago. The steak was over 2# so that along with the lobster tails and sides would be plenty. I also did an appetizer plate but it got totally forgotten until we were almost ready to put dinner on. Oh well...we were wrapped up in conversation and libations. Now to the "Twist" part of this: My house, my grills, but Zach is cooking!! Something about that just seems basically wrong. It's kinda like riding in the passenger seat of my own truck. Not an easy thing to do
I took a Prozac (that's almost a pun!!), chilled out, and let him take the reins...and boy did he ever produce!!
I started with some twice baked taters stuffed with cheddar cheese
Zach getting the proteins on a platter to start prepping
I made a basic salad that was dressed with a Balsamic reduction
Top the taters with homemade bacon crumbles
Close up of the tater. These look really good!!
Now to Zach's part: the proteins. Lobster tails smothered in butter, garlic, and lemon juice
Steak with Organic EVOO, salt, and CBP
Everything ready to go outside. Steak, tails, taters, Irish Red Ale for Zach and a margarita on the rocks for me
Close up of Zach's favorite home brew. He's become quite fond of this stuff
Steak onto the Santa Maria. Please remember this is his first time cooking on anything like this. Since it was his first time, I promised to be gentle
Steak after the flip. Looking really good so far!!
Zach tending the steak and the grill. Couldn't pass this one up :-)
Everybody in the pool!!
Basting the steak with garlic butter
Everything done and into the house for serving
Money shot!! This is my plate. I didn't bother taking a pic of his. I was just too intent on getting outside to commence devouring this. Maybe he can post one of his plate. I believe he set his up a bit differently
Somehow or another, the meals just keep getting better. This was nothing short of amazing. Steak had a flavor that's beyond belief with the aging, and Zach nailed the prep and cooking. Lobster tails added a fantastic dimension, and the taters were superb with all that melted cheese and homemade bacon. This one goes down in the history books as about the best tasting and flavorful meal I've ever eaten. Every time I think that it can't get any better, something like this comes along and changes my mind :-) At the end of the day, we ate great, shared some good libations, excellent company, and endured the world's longest food coma. This one did both of us in and I'm still about comatose. Another interesting factoid is that Zach showed up with an empty truck and left here depleting my cooker arsenal by one grill. He went home with my old work horse 30" Dynasty that has served me flawlessly for over 20 years. On one hand I hated to see it go but the grill has been sitting in the garage for several years not being used. It needed a good home with somebody with who would appreciate it, treat it with love, and put is to good use. It was my first-ever super high quality grill and a mainstay in my life for years. Congrats on your new acquisition!! Now to my final assessment of the day: I'm not a betting man but I give 3:1 odds that Zach's next cooking acquisition will be something along the lines of a Santa Maria grill. He had an ear-to-ear smile going the whole time he was cooking. Then came the eating part of it and there's just no comparison to the flavor of cooking over an open fire with Mesquite wood.
It's nap time y'all,
Robert
(p.s. since steak was the highlight of this, I opted to put it in the Beef forum)
Misplaced Nebraskan
came to visit yesterday. His wife wanted him out of the house so she could get ready for company coming into town and my wife was out of town for a wedding. We decided to do some serious Surf & Turf. Since neither of our wives particularly like lobster and we both love it, that was gonna be part of dinner. The concept of getting together was to nail down some of the final details of our upcoming Cen Tex Que and Brew event, which can be seen here:https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/first-official-centex-que-brew-august-9th-11th.288510/
I's a long read but well worth it!! So....the deal was that Zach would bring the Surf and I'd provide the Turf. I gave him his choice of over a dozen different steaks and/or roasts and he decided he wanted the last one of the 45 day aged bone-in rib eye steaks from a dinner I did a few months ago. The steak was over 2# so that along with the lobster tails and sides would be plenty. I also did an appetizer plate but it got totally forgotten until we were almost ready to put dinner on. Oh well...we were wrapped up in conversation and libations. Now to the "Twist" part of this: My house, my grills, but Zach is cooking!! Something about that just seems basically wrong. It's kinda like riding in the passenger seat of my own truck. Not an easy thing to do
I took a Prozac (that's almost a pun!!), chilled out, and let him take the reins...and boy did he ever produce!!I started with some twice baked taters stuffed with cheddar cheese
Zach getting the proteins on a platter to start prepping
I made a basic salad that was dressed with a Balsamic reduction
Top the taters with homemade bacon crumbles
Close up of the tater. These look really good!!
Now to Zach's part: the proteins. Lobster tails smothered in butter, garlic, and lemon juice
Steak with Organic EVOO, salt, and CBP
Everything ready to go outside. Steak, tails, taters, Irish Red Ale for Zach and a margarita on the rocks for me
Close up of Zach's favorite home brew. He's become quite fond of this stuff
Steak onto the Santa Maria. Please remember this is his first time cooking on anything like this. Since it was his first time, I promised to be gentle
Steak after the flip. Looking really good so far!!
Zach tending the steak and the grill. Couldn't pass this one up :-)
Everybody in the pool!!
Basting the steak with garlic butter
Everything done and into the house for serving
Money shot!! This is my plate. I didn't bother taking a pic of his. I was just too intent on getting outside to commence devouring this. Maybe he can post one of his plate. I believe he set his up a bit differently
Somehow or another, the meals just keep getting better. This was nothing short of amazing. Steak had a flavor that's beyond belief with the aging, and Zach nailed the prep and cooking. Lobster tails added a fantastic dimension, and the taters were superb with all that melted cheese and homemade bacon. This one goes down in the history books as about the best tasting and flavorful meal I've ever eaten. Every time I think that it can't get any better, something like this comes along and changes my mind :-) At the end of the day, we ate great, shared some good libations, excellent company, and endured the world's longest food coma. This one did both of us in and I'm still about comatose. Another interesting factoid is that Zach showed up with an empty truck and left here depleting my cooker arsenal by one grill. He went home with my old work horse 30" Dynasty that has served me flawlessly for over 20 years. On one hand I hated to see it go but the grill has been sitting in the garage for several years not being used. It needed a good home with somebody with who would appreciate it, treat it with love, and put is to good use. It was my first-ever super high quality grill and a mainstay in my life for years. Congrats on your new acquisition!! Now to my final assessment of the day: I'm not a betting man but I give 3:1 odds that Zach's next cooking acquisition will be something along the lines of a Santa Maria grill. He had an ear-to-ear smile going the whole time he was cooking. Then came the eating part of it and there's just no comparison to the flavor of cooking over an open fire with Mesquite wood.
It's nap time y'all,
Robert
(p.s. since steak was the highlight of this, I opted to put it in the Beef forum)
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