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No Ketchup

Started by US71, July 18, 2018, 09:34:46 PM

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sparker

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 21, 2018, 08:34:45 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on July 20, 2018, 08:32:02 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 20, 2018, 05:32:10 PM
President Trump famously orders his steak well-done with ketchup. I think both are foul (I like mine medium-rare), but if he's paying and he likes it that way, why shouldn't he be allowed to have what he wants?

As detailed by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, if you order a well-done steak, they'll use the steak that was going to go bad in the next 5 minutes (or the steak that went bad 5 minutes ago), because you won't be able to tell the difference. So, at minimum, you're not getting the most bang for your buck by ordering it well done.

I've heard that sort of thing as well, but who cares? If he's paying for his own steak, he can get what he wants.

My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe. 


abefroman329

Quote from: sparker on July 21, 2018, 02:48:15 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 21, 2018, 08:34:45 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on July 20, 2018, 08:32:02 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 20, 2018, 05:32:10 PM
President Trump famously orders his steak well-done with ketchup. I think both are foul (I like mine medium-rare), but if he's paying and he likes it that way, why shouldn't he be allowed to have what he wants?

As detailed by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, if you order a well-done steak, they'll use the steak that was going to go bad in the next 5 minutes (or the steak that went bad 5 minutes ago), because you won't be able to tell the difference. So, at minimum, you're not getting the most bang for your buck by ordering it well done.

I've heard that sort of thing as well, but who cares? If he's paying for his own steak, he can get what he wants.

My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe.
Make sure you have a well-ventilated kitchen or, at the very least, neighbors who don't mind you setting off your smoke alarm repeatedly.

Rothman

Quote from: abefroman329 on July 21, 2018, 09:02:55 AM
Quote from: cjk374 on July 20, 2018, 10:22:14 PM
Chili ain't chili without beans!

Or hunks of meat. Cincinnati-style chili sucks.

I never thought I'd miss any of the food in DC, but I really miss Hard Times Cafe.
Hard Times was going downhill by the time I left the area in the mid 2000s.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Flint1979

Detroit Chili Company makes the coney sauce for the Detroit style coney. They sell it at Gordon's.

1995hoo

Quote from: sparker on July 21, 2018, 02:48:15 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 21, 2018, 08:34:45 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on July 20, 2018, 08:32:02 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 20, 2018, 05:32:10 PM
President Trump famously orders his steak well-done with ketchup. I think both are foul (I like mine medium-rare), but if he's paying and he likes it that way, why shouldn't he be allowed to have what he wants?

As detailed by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, if you order a well-done steak, they'll use the steak that was going to go bad in the next 5 minutes (or the steak that went bad 5 minutes ago), because you won't be able to tell the difference. So, at minimum, you're not getting the most bang for your buck by ordering it well done.

I've heard that sort of thing as well, but who cares? If he's paying for his own steak, he can get what he wants.

My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe. 

Sounds great, but damn, I'd have to put fans blowing out all the windows before trying that–unless I set a cast-iron pan or plancha outside on the grill and cooked the steak there.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

sparker

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 21, 2018, 10:24:58 PM
Quote from: sparker on July 21, 2018, 02:48:15 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 21, 2018, 08:34:45 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on July 20, 2018, 08:32:02 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 20, 2018, 05:32:10 PM
President Trump famously orders his steak well-done with ketchup. I think both are foul (I like mine medium-rare), but if he's paying and he likes it that way, why shouldn't he be allowed to have what he wants?

As detailed by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, if you order a well-done steak, they'll use the steak that was going to go bad in the next 5 minutes (or the steak that went bad 5 minutes ago), because you won't be able to tell the difference. So, at minimum, you're not getting the most bang for your buck by ordering it well done.

I've heard that sort of thing as well, but who cares? If he's paying for his own steak, he can get what he wants.

My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe. 

Sounds great, but damn, I'd have to put fans blowing out all the windows before trying that–unless I set a cast-iron pan or plancha outside on the grill and cooked the steak there.

Precisely!  My grandfather really didn't give a shit about such things -- he'd just invite the neighbors over for a steak dinner.  Myself -- outdoor gas grill and a big-ass fan (general description, not the brand!) shooting the smoke over the fence into the street rather than the neighbors' yards.  And, with an average 45 seconds per steak and another 30 seconds between them, the whole process is done for a party of 6 (I won't go through all that without enough folks to enjoy the feast, which invariably includes baked potato & salad) in about 25 minutes maximum (allowing time to render the slab of bacon).  Put it this way -- in 40+ years of cooking the stuff (started in college) nobody's called the fire department on me yet!  Oh, BTW:  make sure you have a long pair of tongs and decent gloves so you don't burn the hell out of your forearms!   

ghYHZ

#56
Canada imposed retaliatory duties on US products and one item is imported US Ketchup....Heinz in particular. People are starting to call it "Trump Ketchup" and some restaurants are now making the point that they have switched to Canadian made French's Ketchup.

http://time.com/5327864/canada-trump-retaliatory-tariffs/

" Speaking Sunday in Leamington, Ontario, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Canadians for standing united against President Donald Trump's sanctions. He urged Canadians to "make their choices accordingly"  in considering whether to buy American products"

"The selection of Leamington, known as Canada's tomato capital, was no accident. The town is home to a food-processing plant that supplies tomato paste and other products to French's, a major competitor of Kraft Heinz. Heinz left Canada and sold its Leamington plant in 2014, after 105 years of Canadian operations"


abefroman329

Quote from: Rothman on July 21, 2018, 08:57:36 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on July 21, 2018, 09:02:55 AM
Quote from: cjk374 on July 20, 2018, 10:22:14 PM
Chili ain't chili without beans!

Or hunks of meat. Cincinnati-style chili sucks.

I never thought I'd miss any of the food in DC, but I really miss Hard Times Cafe.
Hard Times was going downhill by the time I left the area in the mid 2000s.
I thought it was still tasty when I left in 2013.

wanderer2575

Quote from: sparker on July 21, 2018, 02:48:15 PM
My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe.

That's not even cooked.  A friend of mine would love them.  His standard order, when asked "How would you like that cooked?" is "Walk it through a warm room."

english si

Quote from: hbelkins on July 21, 2018, 01:22:04 AMTo the denizens of that area, there's only one way to make pizza, and it's the deep dish stuff that New Yorkers and Jerseyites ridicule with great disdain.
And wait until you see what real Italians think of deep-dish!

Then again, actual Italians also don't think much of New York and area's 'Italian' food either.

Rothman

Retaliatory deities?  I did not know that Canada had them at their disposal.  This might alter the whole global power scheme.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

1995hoo

Quote from: ghYHZ on July 22, 2018, 08:20:20 AM
Canada imposed retaliatory deities on US products ....


Gives new meaning to Romans 12:19 ("Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'").  :-D
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

ghYHZ

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 22, 2018, 10:52:54 AM
Quote from: ghYHZ on July 22, 2018, 08:20:20 AM
Canada imposed retaliatory deities on US products ....


Gives new meaning to Romans 12:19 ("Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'").  :-D

Good one! Fixed!

abefroman329

Quote from: wanderer2575 on July 22, 2018, 10:13:26 AM
Quote from: sparker on July 21, 2018, 02:48:15 PM
My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe.

That's not even cooked.  A friend of mine would love them.  His standard order, when asked "How would you like that cooked?" is "Walk it through a warm room."
Or, as Penn Jillette put it, "My friend likes his steak so rare, he and the cow share a cigarette afterwards."

sparker

Quote from: abefroman329 on July 22, 2018, 11:18:11 AM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on July 22, 2018, 10:13:26 AM
That's not even cooked.  A friend of mine would love them.  His standard order, when asked "How would you like that cooked?" is "Walk it through a warm room."
Or, as Penn Jillette put it, "My friend likes his steak so rare, he and the cow share a cigarette afterwards."

Cute!  Back in college, I wasn't even thinking about cooking steaks (this was a few years after my grandfather's passing), but for a while I had a girlfriend who when we went out to dinner ordered her steak "burnt on the outside and raw in the middle, please!" (so polite!).  I casually mentioned this method of cooking steak, and she immediately pressured me to do a batch for her -- and this was a tiny girl, barely 5' tall and 95-97 pounds sopping wet, but who could outeat almost anyone I've ever met -- must have had the metabolism of a hummingbird!  So after weeks of nagging, I went home and expropriated one of my mother's iron skillets, took it back to Riverside, and wheedled one of my buddies who was renting a house with a commercial stove into using his kitchen.  I made about eight of the things that afternoon (my then-GF wolfed down two with positive comments between bites); I generated a reasonable amount of smoke (vented with fans through an adjacent patio door), but it was a breezy day and it dissipated quickly (thank God!).  Everyone involved liked the steaks, so it became a yearly tradition at the end of the next couple of school years, even after that lady and I parted company (she ended up marrying her graduate advisor!).  In any case, I haven't made these for about three years now; but right now it's just too damn hot around here to consider it.  Maybe later this fall if we get some consistent cooling.  It'll be a special occasion; we're trying to cut down on red meat around here (my propensity for gout and her hypertension), so bacon-fat-cooked-steaks may be at best a once-per-year treat!

1995hoo

What sort of bacon do you use for that? Slab bacon?
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

sparker

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 22, 2018, 02:41:43 PM
What sort of bacon do you use for that? Slab bacon?

Yeah -- get it from Winco out here; they have it in bulk and cut it behind their butcher counter.  Usually get a bit over a pound; figure you need about an ounce per steak to be cooked.  For the steak coating, I use EVOO, crack black peppercorns using a roller and wax paper, and use full-leaf dried oregano (no powder).  A bit of prep work, but it's worth it.  BTW:  Greek salad:  mixture of romaine and butter lettuce, crumbled feta cheese, pitted black kalamata olives, and the dressing is a mixture of EVOO and fresh lemon juice, seasoned with a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  If you want a hint of sweetness in the salad, use Meyer lemons.  Bon appetit!

freebrickproductions

Quote from: abefroman329 on July 22, 2018, 11:18:11 AM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on July 22, 2018, 10:13:26 AM
Quote from: sparker on July 21, 2018, 02:48:15 PM
My grandfather, a Greek immigrant; had his own way (apparently common in Greece) for cooking steaks:  Get a NY cut, at least 1.25" thick, trim it down.  Pat olive oil onto both sides and coat it liberally with coarse cracked black pepper & oregano; plate it and put it into the refrigerator overnight.  Cooking:  Take a chunk of bacon, put it in a big iron skillet, and render it down so it's just a bubbling liquid at the bottom of the skillet.  Get it so hot the bacon fat is bubbling and cracking; take the steaks out and cook them in the skillet for about 15-30 seconds (depending upon how hot you can get your stovetop) on either side, run them around the edges of the skillet to sear the sides, and serve them. 

Sorry to all you well-done fans, but these will invariably be charred on the outside and quite rare in the middle (this method doesn't lend itself to overcooking!).  Outside of a couple of Midwest steak houses, these were the best steaks I ever ate!  If you dare (and don't have a prohibitive cholesterol issue), feel free to use the recipe.

That's not even cooked.  A friend of mine would love them.  His standard order, when asked "How would you like that cooked?" is "Walk it through a warm room."
Or, as Penn Jillette put it, "My friend likes his steak so rare, he and the cow share a cigarette afterwards."
Apparently, my church used to have a pastor who loved to have her steaks almost raw. According to my parents, they (or some friends of theirs) were eating at a restaurant with her when the waiter and chef started to get fed up with her due to the fact that she kept sending her steaks back as "too overcooked". Eventually it got to the point where the waiter just simply asked, "Do you want us to send out the raw steak, ma'am?"

To which she replied, "Nah, just wave it over the grill on the way out."
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

1995hoo

sparker, thanks for the info. I won't be trying that unless and until I get a plancha or other outdoor griddle, but I copied your post and e-mailed it to my brother because he loves super-rare steaks. (So does our father, but I won't send it to him because he's dealing with some medical issues right now.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

sparker

You're more than welcome.  Over the years I've accumulated a few recipes (most of which were in the form of verbal lore rather than written instruction) from the Greek side of the family, including stufata, a meat (lamb or beef) and string-bean ragout full of pureed tomatoes, onion and garlic that I've screwed up more times than have gotten it right!  My late uncle (son of that same grandfather) was making browned-butter and mizithra cheese pasta years before the Old Spaghetti Factory started featuring it (also an outstanding potato/egg/mustard salad that I've come close to duplicating).  He (uncle) used to describe himself as "half Greek and half people who can't cook!"  However, my mom was a very good cook and got recipes from both sides of her heritage (Greek and Belgian).  Besides the steaks, I cook Szechuan & Hunan dishes on occasion; I use Henry Chung's Hunan Style Chinese Cookbook (from the founder of the original Hunan restaurant in San Francisco) as a guide.  Also a cooking style that can result in the generation of a sizeable amount of smoke!  However, the results are worth it -- sometimes I'm convinced that's among the reasons that my GF sticks it out with this particular audiophile & roadgeek! 

inkyatari

Quote from: abefroman329 on July 21, 2018, 09:02:55 AM
Quote from: cjk374 on July 20, 2018, 10:22:14 PM
Chili ain't chili without beans!

Or hunks of meat. Cincinnati-style chili sucks.

I never thought I'd miss any of the food in DC, but I really miss Hard Times Cafe.

BLASPHEMY! I LOVE Cincy style chili.  Of course, it's more of a Hungarian dish than a Tex-Mex dish.  That having been said, I like all chili.

We have a great chili place in Westmont, IL called Bishop's.  I love the food at this joint. 
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

abefroman329

I've tried Skyline, at two different locations, and just can't get behind it.

hbelkins

Quote from: abefroman329 on July 23, 2018, 10:28:58 AM
I've tried Skyline, at two different locations, and just can't get behind it.

At a restaurant, I can't tell the difference between Gold Star and Skyline. I'm told that puts me in a very distinct minority. Most people have a distinct preference for one or the other, much like Coke vs. Pepsi.

Both firms sell frozen chili/spaghetti dinners in this area. You have to add the shredded cheese, or beans and onions to make it a "way," however. In those frozen dinners, I can tell a distinct difference between Skyline and Gold Star. And of those two, I prefer Gold Star -- which is fortunate for me, since it's sometimes available at a local grocery store, but the Skyline is only available at Walmart Supercenters down toward the central part of the state.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

tribar

Quote from: hbelkins on July 21, 2018, 01:22:04 AM
Quote from: Rothman on July 20, 2018, 11:11:21 PM
Cincinnati chili on a dog? :D

Pretty much. Both Gold Star and Skyline have cheese coneys on their menus, although the hot dogs are smaller than the normal wiener.

Part of my issue with onions is that I'm borderline allergic to them. Not only do they cause me a lot of gastrointestinal distress, but they give me a headache as well.

And I really don't care what the food snobs say, I want my meat well-done. I will accept medium-well, but want no part of raw or undercooked steaks.

I think the whole "no ketchup" thing is similar to the same argument you'll get from Chicagoland about pizza. To the denizens of that area, there's only one way to make pizza, and it's the deep dish stuff that New Yorkers and Jerseyites ridicule with great disdain.

And of course I know that ketchup and catsup are the same thing, I was just being tongue-in-cheek. When I was growing up, the preferred spelling was catsup and that's the way you saw it on bottles of the tomato-saucy condiment. I'm not really sure when ketchup took over, and I don't know if anyone sells it as catsup these days anyway. I'd be interested to research when the popular spelling changed. And since I found my AP stylebook when I recently relocated to a new office, I might have to look it up in that reference manual. (The book's eight years old and I know a lot has changed with AP style, but I doubt catsup/ketchup has changed in that time frame.)

This isn't really true. Chicagoans love Chicago style thin crust just as much, if not more than deep dish.

Rothman

Nah.  Deep dish rules the day in Chicago.  I am sure it isn't a matter of exclusivity, but there is a general preference for deep dish there.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.