The gear we've come to rely on......

[Dub]

I was recently reminded of how much I rely on my grilling gear.....especially the Thermapen.

I'd visited my parents home for Christmas.

I'd offered repeatedly to bring my Big Easy & Akorn to cook turkeys, yardbird, ribs, butts, steaks....whatever.

They told me each time not to worry....just come on. I figured that Mom wanted to cook in her new kitchen as they just moved.

Christmas Eve my Dad told me to look in the fridge and see what I thought (I'd figured he must have bought a 6-pack of Modelo or Shiner Bock for me)......I saw a huge piece of beef vacuum sealed. Looking closer at it I see it's a beef tenderloin.

He grins and says...."You are grilling that for all of us tomorrow".

"Awesome", sez I. Inside I'm thinking....."does Dad even own a grill? I've never cooked at beef tenderloin.....EVER.....and now I'm responsible for the main food that we are to eat on Christmas Day......this is the most expensive piece of meat I've ever cooked.......I'm going to need to make a serious beer run to pull this off".


I looked around in the new cabinets and pantry.....not much selection....there was salt n' pepper.....and Splenda and a gazillion Keurig coffee k-cups.....very little else.

Looking at my watch I became nervous that the stores would be closing for the holiday. I excused myself and hit a nearby Harris Teeter. All the ingredients for Paymaster's steak wet rub were procured along with an ample supply of cold bottles of sipping suds for when the coals were fired. Also a bottle of gas for the grill was needed.


I went back and enjoyed a couple of beers and visited with everyone......waiting patiently for Mom to clear out of the kitchen so I could do my prep work.

I have a ritual for cooking and grilling prep work that I ALWAYS adhere to. Couldn't do so that night and it was driving me nuts. My ritual begins with opening the drawer and pulling out a bluetooth jam box and pairing up my iPad or phone and playing some good music while I'm "working".

Even when cooking recent meals for a large crew at work.....my jam box travels with me.

Oh well.....In deafening silence I mixed up that largest batch of Paymaster's wet rub that I've done and commenced to coating that bad boy down.

I stepped back and sipped another bottle and decided the coverage wasn't quite sufficient. Back to the mixing bowl and out with more of that magic rub.


Looking down and grinning at my yet-raw masterpiece I saw a flash in my periphery......someone took a sneak pic. They were laughing and asking what I was humming/singing. Evidently I was unknowingly making my own music. Laughs were had. It was Mom. She said she was coming to see where her girls (dogs) had gone as they'd left the room where everyone was and she thought they were getting into trouble somewhere. I knew she was just checking to make sure I wasn't making a huge mess.

Mom & Dad's dogs had been sitting at attention and watching my every move for some time. Nothing like raw beef to get their undivided attention.


I covered the pan (biggest aluminum pan I could find at the grocery store) and put it back in fridge.

 

[Dub]

Next morning through mid day I kept hearing people comment every time they opened the fridge for any reason. They were loving how that wet rub was smelling. I'd added basil to Paymaster's recipe.



Noon came and I was getting closer to the moment of truth.


I fired up Dad's gasser. It was an older model....but did appear to have three zones. It was in need of a serious scrubbing though.

I ran it wide open for a while and went to clean it. I didn't have my trusty Billy Bar. He didn't own a brush, either. Okay....a couple of balls of aluminum foil worked okay to knock off the crud and then I oiled the grates with some olive oil.

I ran the grill hot on the left......hotter in the center and hotter still on the right to hopefully match the taper of the tenderloin slab.

I went with a hot sear and went to flip it. My trusty spatchulas were 450 miles away. He had nothing. Okay...back to the aluminum foil pond I fished....makeshift mitts were formed and the loin was flipped.


Sear finished I was somehow able to levitate the hot beast up to the bread rack....lid down and heat cut way back.


After a few minutes I was ready for a temp check. Hand went to pocket....came up empty. Thermapen was also 450 miles away.

Dad did have a thermometer that he liberated from Mom's yet unpacked kitchen tools crate.

Good news is that it appeared to be the same old-school one that I'd used a couple of years back when I was cooking at their place. I'd checked it in boiling water and it was legit.

Bad news is that the scale on it didn't begin until 130 degrees. My target meat temp in the thickest section was 125......ARGHHHHHHH.


I put the therm in the narrow section and when I saw it hit 140, a small cut (at least I had my Kershaw) was made in the thickest part....It looked nice and pink....slight red center. I pulled the loin off and let it rest a few mins on her chopping block in the kitchen.


Walking in from the grill through the den into the kitchen spread the aroma of that beef goodness through the crowd of folks.

Even the excited little kids dropped their new toys and looked up. My son....lost to his latest handheld gaming thing.....grinned at me and gave me the thumbs up. My confidence was rising. Dis gonna be good.


Mom & Sis had the table set and folks began gathering around for the Blessing. Dad laid down a righteous Blessing that was more of a church service than anything else.

I eased back in the kitchen and sliced the loin into steaks. I leaned them over to the right and revealed the perfectly cooked beef tenderloin. I knew it was going to be off the chain good. I'd hit it. I backed away and took my seat at the table and enjoyed watching everyone receive their loaded plates and hearing the comments coming from the kitchen.

My son ate the biggest slice....using only a fork to cut his. Everyone was very pleased. I just tried to act like I did this sorta thing all the time.


So, even though I'd been divested of all my trusty tools & pits.....I still conjured up Paymaster's wet steak rub and some good old aluminum foil. They were clutch.

 

[littlewolf]

My mouth is watering from reading that. Way to make do with what ya got - glad it turned out for you!

I'm assuming there is a link somewhere for Paymaster's wet rub? I think I will try that this weekend on some backstraps.

 

[fulldraw74]

Now im hungry.....
Good job on the beef and the story....

 

[Dub]

My mouth is watering from reading that. Way to make do with what ya got - glad it turned out for you!

I'm assuming there is a link somewhere for Paymaster's wet rub? I think I will try that this weekend on some backstraps.

Yup.....here it be:

Here ya go. I dare you to try my favorite marinade.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 teaspoon Espresso Powder(any finely ground coffee will work)

Mix all ingredients well and rub on both sides of one steak and let sit for at least one hour. More time is better.

I've been using his recipe (per steak) for a while now. I usually triple the amount when I cook three big ribeyes. I like to let it marinate overnight in the fridge.....the longer the better, it seems.

Good luck.

Now im hungry.....
Good job on the beef and the story....

Thanks.

 

[Hornet22]

Good job Dub; and great read.

Folks, I think we have found our very own "Ernest Hemingway of da Cafe' "

 

[Palmetto]

Awesome!!

 

[littlewolf]

Thanks Dub! I'll let you know how the backstraps turn out this wknd.

 

[Dub]

Thanks everyone.

Thanks Dub! I'll let you know how the backstraps turn out this wknd.

Cool.


Do better than I did, though.....by providing some pics of your success.


Christmas weekend I had my old cellphone....snapped a few shots of the loin cooking.


The following weekend I bought a new cellphone and my stuff hasn't been transferred properly.

 

[Keebs]

Good job Dub; and great read.

Folks, I think we have found our very own "Ernest Hemingway of da Cafe' "

here-here!

 

[NCHillbilly]

Good read, Dub. Yep, we get set in our own ways, don't we? I like my tunes when I'm doing prep work, too.

I encounter this a lot when I'm visiting, and at deer camp, too. It makes it even sweeter when you manage to pull it off without all the usual gadgets and junk over a campfire holding a flashlight in your teeth or some such, though.

 

[Moonpie1]

Good job DUB!!! Sounds like you nailed it for sure. I too have all of my tools for cooking at the house. Feel plumb nekkid when pressed into service like you were and don't have my stuff with me. Gonna cook some steaks tonight using PAYS magic. Good read thanks for sharing.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Good job Dub; and great read.

Folks, I think we have found our very own "Ernest Hemingway of da Cafe' "

Naw, more of a Robert Ruark. If it had been Hemingway, there woulda been more drinking and everybody except the dogs would have been consumed by a massive grill fire at the end.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Reminds me of tgiving at the bro inlaw house.
He wanted to do steaks on his new BGE. I arrived early he wasnt there. I ask sister inlaw where BGE was.
It's in the garage in the BOXES since JUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Put that dude to together all by my lonsome in record time.
Then got ready to season it, NO CHARCOAL. She didnt know we needed that.
Needless to say the gas grill got a work out.

 

[VANCE]

NICE READ DUB


it was if i was in the kitchen standing over your shoulder watching

 

[Chris 195 7/8 B&C]

Really enjoyed reading Dub, nicely done on the t-loin and the narrating.
You got to figure out how to post up all the pics you can get your hands on of this special cook. My opinion, this story along with pics would make this thread one of the cafe's "All Time Best" how-to threads.

 

[Agent 732]

Great read

 

[georgiadawgs44]

Great story Dub!!!
I walked into the big family Christmas gathering a few years ago and was asked
to carve the turkey. Not a big deal other than the fact that I had to pull it out of
the 400*oven, carve it with a dull knife with no cutting board and no gloves to
protect my delicate little fingers from a smokin hot turkey! Lol

 

[Dub]

Great story Dub!!!
I walked into the big family Christmas gathering a few years ago and was asked
to carve the turkey. Not a big deal other than the fact that I had to pull it out of
the 400*oven, carve it with a dull knife with no cutting board and no gloves to
protect my delicate little fingers from a smokin hot turkey! Lol

Improvise......Adapt......and Overcome.



Heck, 'round my folks when carving a turkey.....or especially when frying bacon.....the knife you need is to fight them away as you are almost done.

Dad and my son, nieces and nephew sneak in and will wipe out all the bacon you've cooked if you drop your guard for even a skinny minute.....

Naw, more of a Robert Ruark. If it had been Hemingway, there woulda been more drinking and everybody except the dogs would have been consumed by a massive grill fire at the end.

How about Peter Hathaway Capstick?????

 

[NCHillbilly]

Improvise......Adapt......and Overcome.



Heck, 'round my folks when carving a turkey.....or especially when frying bacon.....the knife you need is to fight them away as you are almost done.

Dad and my son, nieces and nephew sneak in and will wipe out all the bacon you've cooked if you drop your guard for even a skinny minute.....







How about Peter Hathaway Capstick?????

There would have still been a bunch of drinking, but you would have used a lot more exclamation marks and there would have been a lot more blood and gore and "action words." To begin with, you would have titled your post "Death in a Strange Kitchen."At some point during the meal, the dogs would have turned rabid and attacked, and began mangling people to and fro, and your inlaws' corpses would have been hanging off the chandelier and/or trampled into the linoleum.

You would have managed to put several 600-grain solids into them, but they would still have kept coming and backed you into a corner. Silent, your faithful tracker/spatula bearer, would have climbed on top of the refrigerator when the action started, but then he would have climbed down and saved you at the last minute with a well-aimed thrust of his Masai bbq fork. Then y'all woulda smoked a bunch of cigarettes and drunk some more.