Beef Tartare Blues

To the dismay of foodies and chefs in New Brunswick, it is now illegal to serve raw beef in a restaurant. This means that beef tartare is now off the menu. Beef tartare is made from raw minced beef and is served with onions, capers, and a raw egg yolk on top.  Along with the risk of getting salmonella from the egg, the provincial concern focuses on the fact that uncooked meat can contain bacteria that make people sick. While there haven't been any cases of anyone from the Picture Province getting sick from some tartare, health officials are erring on the side of caution after the year and a bit of dealing with a pandemic. However, when fresh meat is used and basic hygienic rules are followed, the risk of bacterial infection is low. With the recipe below, you can find out what New Brunswickers are now missing.

NOTE: IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM INGESTING RAW MEAT OR RAW EGGS, DO NOT EAT THIS DISH.

Ingredients

400 g beef tenderloin or top round
45 mL olive oil
30 g whole-grain mustard
15 mL red wine vinegar
15 g capers, chopped
7 g flat-leaf parley, chopped
5 g Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1 shallot, finely chopped
sriracha, to taste (if you can get some sambal oelek, use that)

1. Place the beef in the freezer for about an hour, until it starts to form ice crystals and gets really firm but not frozen solid; you should still be able to pierce it with the point of a sharp knife. Wash and dry your hands.
2. Combine the olive oil, mustards, vinegar, and whatever hot sauce you're using in a bowl. Season everything with salt and pepper, and set it aside. Wash and dry your hands.
3. When the meat is firm enough, take it from the freezer, and slice it thinly against the grain. Cut each slice into fine strips, then dice those strips as finely as you can. Continue chopping the meat with your knife until it has a coarse ground consistency, then place the meat in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the shallots, egg yolk, chopped parsley, chopped capers, and the dressing from the bowl you set aside to the beef and mix everything delicately until it is well combined. Wash and dry your hands. 
5. Divide the mixture into four equal servings and press each serving into either a burger press, a round cookie cutter or a cleaned tin can open at both ends. Lightly press down on the meat with a fork and then remove whatever you used to mold the dish into shape. Serve cold with fresh endives or toasted croutons.

Father's Day Spice Rub

Kid Franklin's Special BBQ rub

A spice or dry rub is a great way to get a lot of flavour onto a piece of meat. They add a nice crust to the food and work well whether the meat is grilled, roasted, broiled, or baked. On this Father's Day, I'm going to share the recipe for the all-purpose rub my son made for me at elementary school.

Ingredients:

45 g sugar
30 g brown sugar
30 g smoky paprika
30 g Kosher salt
15 g cumin
15 g chili powder
15 g black pepper
15 g onion powder
15 g garlic powder
15 g celery salt
5 g oregano

1. Mix all the ingredients well. Rub on all sides of any meat you want to eat before cooking.

Slow Cooker Brisket

At some point if you watch enough BBQ shows on TV, you're going to want to cook a brisket. This is the problem that presents itself to me. Though it's considered the holy grail of barbecuing, brisket can be cooked many ways. By far the most popular way is by cooking it slowly over indirect heat from a wood fire. By smoking the meat, the smoke from the wood and the burnt dripping juices further enhance the brisket's flavor, along with marinating the meat, or rubbing it with a spice rub. Brisket done this way is popular in Texas; once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends, which are popular with fans of Kansas City-style barbecue. It can even be featured as a main course option in a traditional New England boiled dinner. But as a New York Jets fan, I don't care much for anything that comes out of New England. Because I also don't own a smoker, I'm going to use my slow cooker to break down the connective tissue in the meat to make it taste good. Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue fame may consider what I'm doing sacrilegious, but the grilling the brisket will get on my gas grill while I'm grilling up some vegetables to go with this meal will have to do. I'll make it up to him the next time I'm in Austin, TX.

Ingredients  

beef brisket (I used about 750 g from a beef brisket pot roast cut in strips)
1 284 mL can beef broth
1 284 mL can beef consommé
1 packet of onion soup mix

1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat with some olive oil. While the pan is heating up, take the brisket out of its packaging and pat it dry. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. 
2. Sear the brisket until a golden brown crust appears on both sides of the meat. Remove and place the meat in the slow-cooker, fatty side up.
3. Pour in the beef broth, the beef consommé, the contents of the soup packet, and 284 mL of water. Cover and cook in the slow cooker on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or until the brisket is very tender. 
4. Let the brisket rest for at least 20 minutes before serving in the slow cooker set on the "warm" setting, or transferred to a baking dish and covered tightly with aluminum foil while resting. The meat can be served with its juices.

Where's the Beef? Oh There It Is...

Ever wanted to know what part of the cow your favorite cut of beef came from, but were too shy to ask the butcher at where you shop? Wonder no more, thanks to this handy guide from the good people at Visual.ly. It comes in handy if you want to know how to cook a particular cut of meat, and gives a general idea on how much that cut will cost. Let the BBQ season commence!

Mountain Man Stew

As the days grow shorter and colder, the desire to cook and eat comfort foods grows exponentially. A perfect meal for this time of year is a recipe my wife discovered online several years ago, that we have since made a few changes to, Mountain Man Stew. It's good and hearty, and it's a great way to use some of the seasonal vegetables found at your local farmer's market.

Ingredients

1.5 sticks of butter
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
454 g. baby carrots, chopped
454 g. mushrooms, sliced (I suggest the crimini or portobello mushrooms for their earthy flavour)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
454 g. stewing beef
1.35 kg. white potatoes, thickly sliced
900 mL beef broth
5 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
120 mL beef bouillon concentrate
120 mL red wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large deep skillet over medium heat, cook the bell pepper, onion, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms in the butter, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the basil, oregano, Old Bay, salt, pepper and stewing beef. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are softened, and the meat is browned. Stir frequently.
2. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and stir the potatoes into the vegetable/beef mixture.
3. Pour the beef broth, the beef broth concentrate, and the red wine into a saucepan, and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the liquid. Bring to a boil.
4. Carefully combine the liquid component with the vegetable/beef mixture until both are well combined. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with a warm baguette and butter.