Better Steaks With Meaty Food Hacks

After a winter that refuses to let go of its grip on the city, grillmasters are chomping at the bit to fire up their barbeques. With the chance of snow or rain constantly looming in the forecast, you may want to treat yourself to a dry-aged steak when you finally do get to cook outside.  Dry-aging removes moisture from a piece of meat and causes a breakdown of the muscle tissue - basically, this process causes your steak to decompose. As disgusting as this process may sound, it also tenderizes the meat, and gives it an amazing flavour. Aged steaks can be bought, or be made at home, but while you're waiting for the snow to melt, or the backyard to dry out in order to get to your grill, you can experiment with these cheaper and faster food hacks.

Mushrooms
Chefs who don't have the time to wait 30+ days for that extra burst of umami suggest you season your steak with mushroom powder. Get some dried porcinis or shiitakes and grind them up using a food processor or blender, then season your steak with it, along with some salt and black pepper. Wrap everything in plastic wrap and let the steak sit in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it.

Koji
Koji is a rice grain that has been introduced with a live culture and is used in the making soy sauce and miso paste. When koji is added, the live culture helps break down the carbohydrates, amino acids, simple sugars, and proteins.  If the live culture is used to break down beans, it stands to reason it can be used to break down the connective tissue in your steak. As with the dried mushrooms, you will need to turn the koji (check your favourite Asian supermarket or order some online) into a powder and rub it all over your steak. Once that's done, put the steak on a plate and place it in your refrigerator for three days. This will cause your meat to become fuzzy in appearance, and leave a pungent smell in your fridge so you may want to place your steak in the crisper if you don't want to deal with the smell, or in a separate refrigerator like your beer fridge (give the fridge good cleaning while you're at it). After three days, rinse all the koji from the meat, pat it dry, and then season it with salt and pepper as normal.

Fish Sauce
This hack takes longer than the others but is one used by Nathan Myhrvold of "Modernist Cuisine" fame, so you know it's legit.  Place your steak in a Ziploc bag, pour in about 15 mL of fish sauce per steak to coat the meat, then seal the bag as tightly as possible, getting out as much air as you can; if you have access to a vacuum sealer, now would be the time to use it. Put the meat in the refrigerator for three days. Take the steak out of the bag, wrap it tightly in cheesecloth, then put it back in the fridge for another three days. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper when it's time to cook.

Blue Cheese
As good as fish sauce is for replicating the rich funky flavour of an aged steak, blue cheese can also be used. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a baking sheet, then place an equal-sized piece of cheesecloth on top. Place your steak on the cheesecloth. Fold a thin layer of the cheesecloth over the steaks, then top with some crumbled blue cheese. Fold over the plastic wrap to secure the cheese on top, then refrigerate the wrapped steaks overnight. When it's time to cook,  unwrap the steaks, take off the blue cheese, and pat the steaks dry with paper towels before seasoning both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. You now have steak that is ready for cooking and some blue cheese to use in a sauce for them when it's time to eat.

Ingredients: Blue Cheese Sauce

180 mL heavy cream
35 mL Worcestershire sauce
140 g blue cheese
15 g unsalted butter
1 shallot, sliced
3 g kosher salt
3 g coarsely ground black pepper

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce and cook for another minute. Add the salt, pepper and blue cheese and stir well. Just as the cheese begins to melt, remove from the heat.
   
   To serve, spoon the sauce over the steaks or whatever else needs blue cheese added to it.

Fish Sauce - Your New Best Friend

I first became aware of fish sauce when I received a bottle of Cock brand fish sauce as a gag housewarming gift several years ago. The name and the smell of the product was too much for my friend to resist not giving to the single man I was at the time, so I laughed, thanked him, and put it under the sink where it stayed for several years until I threw it out. Because I wasn't as savvy about food as I am now, I never used it in anything I cooked. Today, it is something I would consider a pantry staple, as it adds a funky briny flavour to any recipe it is used in. Made from small fish such as anchovies, the fish is packed between layers of salt in either earthenware containers or wooden barrels. Bamboo racks are then placed over the final layer with a weight on top to keep the fish from floating around. The container is then covered with an airtight top and set in a warm spot where it is left to ferment for 12-18 months; the salt used in the process kills any bacteria that could grow during this period. As the fish break down, it produces a brown liquid which is drained from a spigot at the bottom of the container and then bottled as fish sauce. Sweeteners like sugar or fructose are sometimes added, as well flavour enhancers such as MSG, or preservatives, most commonly sodium benzoate. High-end fish sauce is the first liquid to be drained off the fermented fish and is best used in dipping sauces. The less expensive varieties come from secondary drainings (salt water is added and the sauce is collected after a shorter second fermentation period) and can be used for regular everyday use. I like to use fish sauce in marinades and hamburger and meatloaf mixes, or whenever I see a recipe that requires soy sauce. As the taste and smell can be quite pungent, it's best to use it like Grandpa did with his Brylcreem - a little dab'll do ya. Use it as a way to add a savoury note to your favourite recipes - if you're still as skeptical as I was all those years ago, try this recipe, and be wowed by the results.

Ingredients - Braised Lamb Shank with Fish Sauce

4 454 g lamb shanks, fat and silver skin trimmed
230 g baby carrots, scrubbed or 230 g larger carrots cut into smaller pieces
220 g cilantro, Thai or sweet basil, and/or celery leaves, divided
30 g finely chopped cilantro stems
950 mL chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
120 mL fish sauce divided (plus more for serving, optional)
60 mL vegetable oil
12 garlic cloves, 6 smashed, 6 finely chopped
6 dried bird chiles
5 medium-sized shallots, thinly sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves (lime zest can be used as a substitute)
2 bay leaves
2 large fennel bulbs, quartered

1. Place the smashed garlic in a resealable plastic bag along with the lamb shanks and half (60 mL) the fish sauce. Seal the bag, pressing out the air, and give it a good shake to coat the meat. Place it in the refrigerator for at least four hours and up to one day.
2. Remove from the fridge and let the lamb sit at room temperature for an hour. Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Heat the vegetable oil in either a large Dutch oven or a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Take the shanks out of the bag (discard the marinade) and add them to the pot. Cook the lamb for 14-18 minutes, turning occasionally until they are browned evenly on all sides.
3. Transfer the meat to a large plate. Reduce the heat on the pot to medium, and cook the shallots, cilantro stems, and chopped garlic, stirring often and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until the shallots are golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add the chillies, lime leaves, bay leaves, chicken stock/broth, and the remaining fish sauce, all while stirring and scraping up from the bottom of the pot.
4. Bring everything to a simmer,  return the lamb to the pot, and cover the pot with a lid. Transfer the pot to the oven, and braise the meat until it pulling away from the bones, but not quite fork-tender, about 50 minutes to an hour. Turn the shanks and the fennel and carrot, submerging them in the liquid. Cover and continue braising the minute for 40 to 50 more minutes.
5. Let the shanks rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Serve with the fennel and carrots, and some of the braising liquid. Top with cilantro, basil and/or celery leaves, and seasoned with a few drops fish sauce if desired.