10:56 AM
The Substitute Chef
Well, yesterday I participated in a cooking contest. I entered the local Cattleman's Association Steak Cook-Off. For a few weeks we've tried several recipes to come up with the best of the best that I could offer. After several tries, we finally decided upon THE recipe - it was the Asian inspired recipe. Part of the decision process was first, to find out the cut of steak that I'd have to cook. Of course, not all cuts of steak are equal, some are thicker, some have more fat, and all of this is important to the recipe. So, when I found out we were using flat iron steak (usually very thin), I knew I had to have some sort of marinade in order to keep the steak juicy. My biggest worry with this cut of steak is over cooking it. Since it's so thin, one extra minute on the grill could mean a disaster.
So, I saddled up and headed out to the contest with my Asian marinade, broccoli stir fry (for added flavor and color), and the family in tow. Points were given for presentation, taste, and ease of preparation. I'd planned a colorful plate (should have taken pic's, sorry!) - with the dark steak, presented on my white, square plate with broccoli and red pepper stir fry, then I added some chopped green onions over the entire plate. I also added a very neat touch - you take the tops of the green onions, and slice them into little slivers keeping the bottom attached. It kind of looks like a party favor, all frilly.
Here's how it all went down:
Arrived early to scope out the place.
5:45 we entered the prep kitchen, grabbed a spot, and readied the kitchen area as best we could. I had my trusty sous chef with me (aka - my daughter), and she helped out tremendously when it came to the broccoli stir fry and helping to make our plate clean and perfect to present to the judges.
We fired up the grill. I was at a disadvantage at the grill, since we were using charcoal and I haven't cooked on a charcoal grill in years (I use our gas grill at home). But I still felt calm and ready to get cooking!
6:00 preparation began. I had already prepared the marinade at home, so all I really needed to do was to dump it into the zip bag and go. I glanced around the kitchen to see what others were doing. Most of my competition had the usual salad dressing, packaged dry rubs, and A-1 or similar sauce. First thought was we are certainly 'different'. Maybe it was a good thing, maybe not.
6:30 steaks onto grill. Our grill was a perfect temperature! Thanks to my hubby, he monitored it to be certain that it was ready just in time for us. I flipped the steak every few minutes, and checked it often. I didn't want it to overcook. The steak was very thin, and I was nervous about making shoe leather instead of steak! I pulled it off at 6:48 and when the temp reached 120 and immediately tented it with foil. I knew that was rare, but I also knew the steak was going to continue to cook and reabsorb the juices over the next 15 minutes.
7:00 plating begins. Out of 9, I was number 7, which ultimately meant 6 others would present to the judges before me, and if I started plating then, my steak would be stone cold by the time it reached the judges. So, while everyone else in the kitchen raced to cut, plate their steak, I stood around and just watched. The majority of the plates had corn, baked potato and steak. Some had salad, but in looking around, we were the ONLY ones with something different. One other person had a beautiful presentation of tacos. They looked tasty and great! I figured he was some serious competition for us.
We were required to have your recipe on a card to bring with the dish. I was sort of shocked to see some of the others had only one or two lines written for preparation. Certainly cooking a perfect steak requires more than just dumping it into salad dressing, tossing it onto the grill, then serving.
As the plates left the kitchen I finally assembled our plate. My sous chef plated the broccoli, and assisted in making sure we didn't have any sauce splatters etc. Some of the fellow competitors gawked at my knife. I'd brought Big Red - my professional meat knife (that has sliced through frozen, raw chicken - including bones!) Both husband and daughter won't go anywhere near Big Red since he's so sharp. I love him! Despite waiting so long after cooking, our steak was PERFECT! Medium (with some slices of Medium Rare - toward the thicker end), and still hot (Even Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsey would've approved!). My worries evaporated!
7:20 our time had finally come. We were called to bring our plate. Our steak was warm, and I was very pleased with the outcome. We had a stunning plate, warm food, and perfectly cooked steak. I approached the judges table and my voice shook slightly as I explained our steak. A few murmurs of 'wow' escaped their lips as they passed around the plate. I watched as they passed the recipe around pointing at the ingredients, then the preparation.
Finally after all steaks had been sampled, the judges turned in their score cards, and the organizers tallied the votes. They offered three prizes, and we didn't receive any of them. Neither did the taco guy, which surprised me. Every winner had the most basic steak, with potato, corn etc., some of which I thought were overcooked. I'm certain there was more going on than just awarding the best steak. Perhaps it was a who knows who thing, or maybe our dish was just waaayyy to complicated. I know we probably lost points due to the complex ingredients, or details in preparation (I included the removing when internal temperature reaches 120, tent to allow juices to reabsorb - everything word for word that I did to that steak).
So, while I am disappointed in the outcome, I am thrilled with our performance. We cooked the most perfect steak, had a gorgeous plate, and we weren't panicked. We were working in an unfamiliar kitchen, with a charcoal grill, on a time limit, but managed to pull it all together perfectly. Yes, there will be more cooking contests in our future, and now that we've been through one, we have the confidence to try it again!
So, I saddled up and headed out to the contest with my Asian marinade, broccoli stir fry (for added flavor and color), and the family in tow. Points were given for presentation, taste, and ease of preparation. I'd planned a colorful plate (should have taken pic's, sorry!) - with the dark steak, presented on my white, square plate with broccoli and red pepper stir fry, then I added some chopped green onions over the entire plate. I also added a very neat touch - you take the tops of the green onions, and slice them into little slivers keeping the bottom attached. It kind of looks like a party favor, all frilly.
Here's how it all went down:
Arrived early to scope out the place.
5:45 we entered the prep kitchen, grabbed a spot, and readied the kitchen area as best we could. I had my trusty sous chef with me (aka - my daughter), and she helped out tremendously when it came to the broccoli stir fry and helping to make our plate clean and perfect to present to the judges.
We fired up the grill. I was at a disadvantage at the grill, since we were using charcoal and I haven't cooked on a charcoal grill in years (I use our gas grill at home). But I still felt calm and ready to get cooking!
6:00 preparation began. I had already prepared the marinade at home, so all I really needed to do was to dump it into the zip bag and go. I glanced around the kitchen to see what others were doing. Most of my competition had the usual salad dressing, packaged dry rubs, and A-1 or similar sauce. First thought was we are certainly 'different'. Maybe it was a good thing, maybe not.
6:30 steaks onto grill. Our grill was a perfect temperature! Thanks to my hubby, he monitored it to be certain that it was ready just in time for us. I flipped the steak every few minutes, and checked it often. I didn't want it to overcook. The steak was very thin, and I was nervous about making shoe leather instead of steak! I pulled it off at 6:48 and when the temp reached 120 and immediately tented it with foil. I knew that was rare, but I also knew the steak was going to continue to cook and reabsorb the juices over the next 15 minutes.
7:00 plating begins. Out of 9, I was number 7, which ultimately meant 6 others would present to the judges before me, and if I started plating then, my steak would be stone cold by the time it reached the judges. So, while everyone else in the kitchen raced to cut, plate their steak, I stood around and just watched. The majority of the plates had corn, baked potato and steak. Some had salad, but in looking around, we were the ONLY ones with something different. One other person had a beautiful presentation of tacos. They looked tasty and great! I figured he was some serious competition for us.
We were required to have your recipe on a card to bring with the dish. I was sort of shocked to see some of the others had only one or two lines written for preparation. Certainly cooking a perfect steak requires more than just dumping it into salad dressing, tossing it onto the grill, then serving.
As the plates left the kitchen I finally assembled our plate. My sous chef plated the broccoli, and assisted in making sure we didn't have any sauce splatters etc. Some of the fellow competitors gawked at my knife. I'd brought Big Red - my professional meat knife (that has sliced through frozen, raw chicken - including bones!) Both husband and daughter won't go anywhere near Big Red since he's so sharp. I love him! Despite waiting so long after cooking, our steak was PERFECT! Medium (with some slices of Medium Rare - toward the thicker end), and still hot (Even Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsey would've approved!). My worries evaporated!
7:20 our time had finally come. We were called to bring our plate. Our steak was warm, and I was very pleased with the outcome. We had a stunning plate, warm food, and perfectly cooked steak. I approached the judges table and my voice shook slightly as I explained our steak. A few murmurs of 'wow' escaped their lips as they passed around the plate. I watched as they passed the recipe around pointing at the ingredients, then the preparation.
Finally after all steaks had been sampled, the judges turned in their score cards, and the organizers tallied the votes. They offered three prizes, and we didn't receive any of them. Neither did the taco guy, which surprised me. Every winner had the most basic steak, with potato, corn etc., some of which I thought were overcooked. I'm certain there was more going on than just awarding the best steak. Perhaps it was a who knows who thing, or maybe our dish was just waaayyy to complicated. I know we probably lost points due to the complex ingredients, or details in preparation (I included the removing when internal temperature reaches 120, tent to allow juices to reabsorb - everything word for word that I did to that steak).
So, while I am disappointed in the outcome, I am thrilled with our performance. We cooked the most perfect steak, had a gorgeous plate, and we weren't panicked. We were working in an unfamiliar kitchen, with a charcoal grill, on a time limit, but managed to pull it all together perfectly. Yes, there will be more cooking contests in our future, and now that we've been through one, we have the confidence to try it again!
