Headhunter Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Thanks for this! I had no idea, but I will certainly be giving it a go with cheaper (is that possible anymore!!!!??) cuts. As far as BBQ'ing in the winter, well anything below minus 15 and I won't BBQ as it is just too cold for the BBQ to retain heat. Slightly off topic... I spoke to the butcher at my local Metro. Just a heads up! When meat goes on sale there, it has been aged for 28 days prior to the sale. They order what they think will last for the entirety of the sale. When they run out, they just order in whatever they can get to meet consumer demand and that usually means meat that is not aged as long! So, if you see a sale that you want to take advantage of, be sure to buy in the first three days of the sale and you will be getting a better quality of meat. Now I gotta go replenish my stock of Kosher Salt!!!! HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adempsey Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Just a side note, if you have an Asian supermarket in your area, beef tenderloin can be found pretty cheap. I used to get it for <$10/kg from a Korean supermarket. Of course, now that I moved out of Toronto the Asian stores near me don't even carry it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tender52 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 A true Canadian barbeques year round John! Keeping the back patio cleared of snow and the barbeque going is my way of saying "screw you winter!" Cheers Mike. And the smoker doesnt stop either. But yo gotta pick your days with that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonidstalker Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Have you actually tried this? I'm a butcher of 15 years, and in my experience, salt dries it out too much causing the meat to be tougher, you want to keep all the juices in it that you can. Another tip for cooking any meat other than birds, leave it sit on your counter top for at least 2 hours prior to cooking, bringing it to room temp causes the the muscle fibres to relax and cook more evenly and be more tender and juicy. You can also pick up a pack of Frenchs Marinade for $1.50, just add water, or any other liquid you want, let the meat sit in it for an hour or so. When it comes to meats, you truly do get what you pay for. Try to buy AAA or better, pick out a steak or roast with good marbling, don't pick out the leanest piece in the counter. Animal fats are natural fats and are actually good for you and for your joints. There's a reason why prime rib is more tender than sirloin, and its because of that marbling. Agree 100%. except for animal fats being natural fats part. They are not good for you. Fat from fruits, vegetables, some oils, seeds and nuts are your healthy fats. Sorry to sidetrack the OP's post. I think if you have to let a steak sit in salt for an hour and a half, you've got a crappy piece of meat. Unless you're making some kind of jerky or salt cured salmon, but even doing that requires more seasoning than salt to maximize flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey buoy Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Also need to try that,as well Mike ,barbecue here 52 weeks a year.Limited to weekends during the winter . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 My bbq runs all year as well. And animal fats are good for cholesterol production, which plays a vital role in steroid hormone production. Of course, moderation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esoxansteel Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 My back deck is 50' x 14' and is the 1st thing shovelled after every snowfall and the BBQ is used all year long. Nuthin better than looking out the window and watching the Mrs. BBQ T-Bones in a snowstorm. OMG you have Diane trained well Lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esoxansteel Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm an all year round BBQer and definitely going to try this, likely tomorrow night. I've bought poor quality steaks and left them in the fridge for a week to 10 days until they have a slight grey/ green tinge. This helps too. another day in the fridge the hair would start to form Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Nah.. nothing better than waiting for the 50% off in the meat counter because they're not BRIGHT red anymore! Then a night spent marinated with Olive Oil and the Keg secret receipe, then out to warm up before hitting the Q. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livinisfishin Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Mmmm bbq steak..snow should be melted off the deck by next week..then its grilling time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatnFly Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 That's awesome Mike! Definitely gonna try that with one of those cheaper blade steaks. By the way I am fussy when it comes to good quality steaks but when rib eyes are $40.00/kg I get nervous. I purchased a whole loin the other day - all steaks $7.99/ lb. Aged 21 days. Most grocery stores age their beef only 7 days. no need to do that with blade steaks, they are awesome on their own. the blade comes after the prime rib, and its basically the poor mans prime rib, it has great marbling, and loose fibres, making it very very tender, and its why its used to make pulled beef sandwiches! also, $7.99 for a loin of beef is little pricey! we just had to raise our price to $6.39/lb that AAA aged minimum 21 days Ontario beef, no growth hormones added or antibiotics. Nah.. nothing better than waiting for the 50% off in the meat counter because they're not BRIGHT red anymore! Then a night spent marinated with Olive Oil and the Keg secret receipe, then out to warm up before hitting the Q. Butchers secret! take the darker steaks, they have the most age on them. We had a customer buy a whole prime rib, but had us age it, he would take a steak a week off of it. it made it to 87 days old, reached its peak flavour at around 65 days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) I'm not easily swayed by "best before" FnF... I grew up from the age of 4 in a butcher shop! Damn near had a heart attack in Foodland yesterday when I picked up a pack of strip loins marked $34.28/kg! Edited March 14, 2015 by irishfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER_016 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 A true Canadian barbeques year round John! Keeping the back patio cleared of snow and the barbeque going is my way of saying "screw you winter!" Damn skippy!!!!! I'm out there @ -40 with a 1500 watt electric heater blowing on my tank so the propane will vaporize!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER_016 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Hey Mike ... I know you wouldnt buy cheap coffee .... He's not the only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck2fan Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm not easily swayed by "best before" FnF... I grew up from the age of 4 in a butcher shop! Damn near had a heart attack in Foodland yesterday when I picked up a pack of strip loins marked $34.28/kg! +1 I wouldn't even look at strip loins these days. When "lean" ground beef is supposed to be super special at 3.99lb beef is pretty much off the menu for me. LOL Also everyone knows Strip Loin is for people who don't know the "secrets" like you posted earlier. The cheaper cuts done right will almost always have more of a BEEF flavour than strip loin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishwilly Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Never tried the salt to tenderize but I know for a fact baking soda is what most chinese restaurants use to tenderize the beef. I use it to make flank steak for fajitas super tender. Give it a try, you'll be amazed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirCranksalot Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I think if you have to let a steak sit in salt for an hour and a half, you've got a crappy piece of meat. Well, the thread title is "Poor Man's Filet Mignon" , after all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cram Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I would salt an expensive piece of meat as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatnFly Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) I'm not easily swayed by "best before" FnF... I grew up from the age of 4 in a butcher shop! Damn near had a heart attack in Foodland yesterday when I picked up a pack of strip loins marked $34.28/kg! we actually use the saying best before, not bad after at the store. if you're shocked now, wait til June, prices are on the rise again. we've already been prewarned by our suppliers. we currently have striploins on special at 29.80/kg reg price 33.04/kg groundbeef is 5.49/lb now, it was 2.29/lb when i first started for lean/extra lean and would go on sale for 1.19/lb at this rate, people aren't going to be able to afford to eat. a lot of it has to do with the american dollar right now, farmers are saying, oh, i can get 45,000 for my truck full of cattle by selling to a Canadian processor, or I can get 100,000 for that same truck load by selling to the US. Edited March 14, 2015 by FloatnFly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) Never tried the salt to tenderize but I know for a fact baking soda is what most chinese restaurants use to tenderize the beef. I use it to make flank steak for fajitas super tender. Give it a try, you'll be amazed. Baking soda and boiling water for 2 minutes is also the quick fix for leaching out the blood and tenderizing liver. Edited March 14, 2015 by bigugli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Time to make friends with a local farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr blizzard Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Mike tried it tonight, 20 dollars worth of steak down the drain , had hi gh expectations but not what we expected. Glad it worked out for you but I would take tube stakes on the bbq anytime lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Time to make friends with a local farmer Funny I was trying to tell people that last year with the shortage of animals running through the auctions that prices were going to keep going up. Lot of herds in Ontario were downsized over the past 2 years, and more of what was available was going south. The few herdsmen I still know are not planning on raising their head numbers any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cram Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Mike tried it tonight, 20 dollars worth of steak down the drain , had hi gh expectations but not what we expected. Glad it worked out for you but I would take tube stakes on the bbq anytime lol Has to be on long enough for the moisture to come out and go back in. At least an hour. If you use the amount of salt hthat Mike did, you need to wash it off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Anyone else try tumeric or bromelain? They break down proteins pretty good as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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