A study in reverse searing. Argentine style porter house steak.

FC Barcelona had just ransacked Bayern Munich during the first leg of the Champions League semi finals, and to celebrate the best football player in the world, I made steak with an Argentine kick.

 This was my first time making steak using the reverse sear method, and it came out wonderfully.  A good cook is always testing new techniques and learning new ways to make their favorite meals.

In a previous post I talked about making the perfect steak by using the sous vide method.  While steak cooked in that manner does come out pretty damn tasty for very little effort, the reverse sear gave me a much tastier steak, and for the same amount of work really.

The reverse sear is a similar ideology to cooking sous vide.  You cook the steak at a low temperature until the internal temp reads close to your desired doneness, then you do a hard sear at the end to get the crusty goodness.  By cooking at a low temperature, you reduce the grey banding that is found when steaks are cooked starting on a high heat.

The difference here is this low temperature cooking is done in the oven instead of in a water bath.  The dry heat of the oven helps to dry out the exterior of the steak, meaning when you sear, it'll get a much nicer crust.  You also get a subtle roasted flavor that is absent from cooking sous vide.  

Personally, I think the biggest difference came from pre-salting.  Most sous vide methods don't have you salt the steak until it comes out of the water bath.  Salting pre-bath can sometimes lead to a cured texture, especially if cooking for long periods of time, which can be off-putting.  However, I found that post salting just wasn't enough, and I had to add more salt at the dining table.  Pre-salting or dry-brining, leads to moist, juicy, flavorful steak.  The salt draws out the moisture from the steak and mixes with the salt, forming a brine. And, when given enough time, the salty liquid gets re-absorbed by the steak.

This was my first attempt at this method, and I think there's a ton more experimentation to be done, and a lot more steaks to eat.

Anyways, on to the instructions!  This is more of a technique thing than a recipe and can be adapted to however you like your steaks served.  I hope you try it out!

Reverse Seared Porter House.  
Serves 2.

1 1.5lb porter house steak
salt (about 1 to 1.5 tsp)
smoked paprika (optional)

1.  Liberally season the steak on both sides with salt and smoked paprika.  It should look like it snowed all over the steak.  Put the steak back in the fridge on a metal rack (to let air circulate around the steak) and let the steak rest for about an hour.  The salt will draw out the moisture in the steak, and after maybe 20-30 minutes, this salty liquid will get reabsorbed into the steak.

2. On a metal rack over a baking sheet, place the steak into a very low temperature oven, as low as you can go. My oven's lowest temp is 170F, but yours might be different.  Cook until the steak reads about 105-107F internal temperature.  Take the steak out and let it rest for 10 minutes.  The temperature will continue to rise during the resting period, and will rise even more after the searing stage, so you don't want to let the steak get any hotter or you'll end up over cooking it.

3.  Meanwhile, heat up a stainless steel or cast iron pan over medium high heat.  You'll want to get it super hot, smoking almost.  Squirt in a tiny bit of corn or vegetable oil (not olive oil since the smoke point is too low) and throw the steak on the pan.  Sear for 30 seconds per side.  Make sure you open a window or a door, and turn off your smoke detectors because there will be a LOT of smoke.

4.  Since the steak has already rested, you can carve and serve right away!  I served the steak with a chimichurri sauce and some grilled green onions.  Look at that beautiful thing.  Almost no grey banding to speak of.

Barça

Jamón Serrano

Chorizo

Spanish olives

Chorizo Frito

Pa amb tomàquet (Catalan Tomato Toast)

Tomato 

Avocado

Garlic chips

Young Mahon Matica
Bica de Queijo

The Hot Messi - An Argentine Burger

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this. The Hot Messi.  A 1/2 lb burger loaded with Argentinian flavors that will kick your ass.

I hope you give this a try because it was definitely one of my favorite burgers and so easy to make.

The Hot Messi - Makes 2 1/2 lb burgers

The Patty:
1 lb of 80/20 ground beef
1/4 cup parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste

Salsa Criolla:
1 bell pepper (or several mini bell peppers)
1 thai pepper (can omit if you can't handle the heat)
1 large shallot
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt to taste
Juice from 1/4 lime

Chimichurri Sauce:
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 cup fresh oregano (use 1/2 this amount of using dried)
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Toppings
1 Argentinian chorizo sausage (similar to Italian sausage)
2 slices of manchego cheese
arugula

To make the salsa criolla:
1. This step is optional, and by optional I mean mandatory, toast the peppers and shallots over an open flame, or in a very hot oven until the skin blackens and blisters.  Then under cool running water, scrub off the blackened bits.

2.  Dice into 1 cm pieces and mix together with the oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt.  Let it sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld, the longer the better.   Taste for final seasoning.

To make the chimichurri:
1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky, but you can go as smooth as you'd like

To make the burger:
1. Gently combine the meat, parsley, garlic, paprika and salt.  Be careful not to overwork the patty.  Form into 1/2 inch thick patties.  Make sure to indent the middle of the patty to prevent it from puffing up.  You'll want to make the patties last since the salt will denature the proteins and you'll end up with more of a meatloaf than a burger if you leave them for too long.  If you want to make ahead, omit the salt and just liberally season the patty before you cook.

2.  In a hot skillet, pan fry the patty, or take it the grill.  When you see that the cooked part reaches half way up the patty, it's time to flip.  Since there's very little to bind the patty, you don't want to flip it more than once.  Lay a slice of cheese on the patty and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes.  To be safe, check with a probe thermometer for a 140F internal temp (medium).

While cooking the patties, you can also cook the sausage.  Once the outside is crispy and blistered, butterfly the sausage to cook and crisp up the inside.

Final Assembly:
1. Toast the buns in the skillet, letting it absorb the meat drippings.
2. Put down a layer of arugula and spoon on some chimichurri. Then top with the patty and sausage.  Finally, spoon on some salsa criolla.

I hope you give this a try, I guarantee you you'll feel like this afterwards:

That's that Crack Noodle homie, that real Viet noodle homie. Hu Tieu Nam Vang

A year ago, I kept hearing my friends talk about crack noodles. "Oh my god, they're so good, it's like crack! It comes with this sauce, crack sauce, it's like crack."  First, how do they know what crack is like?  Second, how the hell do I order crack noodles at a Viet restaurant? "Cô cho cháu một tô crack noodle." 

Much to my surprise, crack noodles is just hu tieu nam vang, a Vietnamese take on a Cambodian dish (we do share a border).  My sister makes it all the time, and won't she be surprised when she hears what my friends call it.  

Hu tieu is a pretty versatile dish and can be made in tons of different configurations (including my personal favorite, hu tieu sate.)  It differs from pho in that it's usually made with a pork broth and contains seafood.  The noodles can be the exact same as pho noodles, or much wider ho fun noodles, and sometimes even clear tapioca noodles.  My sister's version is eaten dry, served with a sweet soy sauce mixture (crack sauce) and a bowl of broth on the side.  You can also eat this with the broth in the bowl and omit the crack sauce if you'd prefer.  

I'd also like to talk about my new favorite kitchen tool, my pressure cooker.  Amy bought me one after I scraped her in our gym competition, and I've used it more times in the last month than I can count.  People talk about a crock pot being the real convenience tool, nah brah, get yourself a pressure cooker.  A pressure cooker allows you to cook things in a fraction of the time of standard methods, so if you're short for time, or you suck at planning ahead, a pressure cooker will change yo' life!  I was able to make pho in an hour, when it used to take 8.  Amaze balls. Read more about it here.

Anyhow, onto the hu tieu!  This is a little involved, but worth it.

Hu Tieu Nam Vang (Makes 6-8 servings)

Broth
2 lb Pork Spare Ribs
2 Tbsp dried shrimp
1 Large onion
1 oz rock sugar
1 tbsp salt
4 quart water or crab stock
1 tbsp nuoc mam
1 tsp soy sauce

Crack Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp fried shallots
1 green onion stalk

Toppings
Shrimp (3 per person)
Squid (1-2 per person depending on size)
Char siu
Chinese celery
Bean sprouts
Green onions (diced)
Fried shallots
Noodles of your choice.

1. Soak dried shrimp in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain the shrimp.  In a small pot, add the spare ribs and enough water to cover them and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2-3 minutes to release all the gunk.  Drain and rinse the pork carefully.

2. Remove the paper from the onion and over an open flame, or in a very hot oven, roast until the onion is charred all over.  Rinse the onion under running water and scrub off all the charred parts.

 3.  In the pressure cooker, add the parboiled pork, dried shrimp, sugar, salt, fish sauce, soy sauce, onion and the water or crab stock.  Turn the heat on high and once it comes to pressure, turn the heat down to low.  Cook on low for 30 minutes.

4.  Allow the pot to depressurize before opening and taste for final seasoning.

5.  Turn the heat to high and poach the shrimp and squid until cooked through (about 3-4 minutes)

6.  Cook the noodles as per package instructions, then assemble your bowls!  Add a few slices of char siu and a few pieces of spare rib, poached shrimp and squid, green onion, bean sprouts, Chinese celery, and fried shallots.  If eating it wet, ladle the broth into the bowls, if dry, ladle out a small bowl of broth on the side and serve with a small bowl of crack sauce.

7. To make crack sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sugar dissolves and sauce slightly thickens.



Addendum: Shirataki Noodles
In an effort to eat healthier and get dat #CoachellaBody, I've been replacing high calorie and high carb noodles with these shirataki noodles.  They're made out of yams and have a very similar taste and texture to rice noodles, but with zero calories and zero carbs.  It's god damn magic I tell ya.

To prep these noodles, drain and rinse the noodles under running water to remove the weird liquid they're packaged in.  Then, in a dry non stick skillet, dry fry them for 3-4 minutes.  This dries them out a bit and allows them to better absorb whatever broth or sauce you eat them with.