Grill the Perfect Steak

A sizzling steak right off the grill is something few can resist. Follow these tips to make your home grilled steaks fabulous.

1. Choose a Cut

For these recipes, we work with ribeye, tenderloin, and flank steaks. We use ribeye for the Basic Grilled Steak (top left) and the Grilled Herb Steak, since it's a tender, flavorful cut and needs little adornment. True to their name, tenderloin steaks offer exceptionally supple meat, but because of their lack of fat, they benefit from added flavorings, as in the Grilled Steak with Teriyaki Glaze. Flank steak lends itself nicely to salads when sliced very thin, as in Summer Steak Salad. Lean flank steak can be tough, which is why it requires thin slicing. When you take the flank off the grill, transfer it to a cutting board with a moat in order to capture juices as you slice.

2. Salt the Meat

Salt sprinkled on a raw steak draws out the juices and makes the surface of the meat moist, which in turn makes it difficult to brown. To avoid this, salt the meat when you start to bring it to room temperature, and pat it dry with a paper towel just before you put it on the grill. This allows the salt to seep into the steak and eliminates water drawn out by the salt.

3. Fire Up the Grill

Charcoal and gas fires each have advantages, so it's a toss-up as to which is best. A charcoal grill cooks hotter than gas, but it requires building a fire with briquettes. Gas grills are convenient because they need no fire building and it's easy to control the heat. In terms of flavor, charcoal and gas are on par.

The best grills for individual steaks are those that allow you to adjust the distance of the rack from the coals. Set the distance between the coals and the steak according to the thickness of the meat–three inches or less for a steak thinner than an inch, three to six inches for thicker steaks. Thinner steaks require intense heat to form a desirable crust before the heat has a chance to penetrate and overcook the meat, whereas thicker cuts need less heat and longer time to allow the middle to cook without burning the exterior. While the grill is preheating, let the steak come to room temperature before cooking, which helps ensure the meat cooks evenly.

4. Don't Overcook!

Because each grill's fire is different and cooking time depends on the size and shape of the steaks, it's difficult to give exact times. But there are four basic ways to determine doneness. The first two of these methods are best for novice cooks, while the last two can be learned through experience:

1. Cut into the steak in an unobtrusive place, and examine the interior to check the doneness.

2. Slide an instant-read thermometer through the side of the steak into the center to check the temperature. Keep in mind that the temperature of meat will increase five to 10 degrees after resting.

3. Use the touch test. A rare steak will feel fleshy, like an unflexed muscle; a rare to medium-rare steak will just begin to bounce back to the touch; a medium-rare to medium steak will feel firmer still.

4. Look for juices on the steak's surface. A rare steak doesn't release any juices. As the steak approaches medium rare, you'll begin to see red juices forming on the surface (you might also hear them sizzle as they drip over the coals). As the steak approaches medium, it releases more juices. As it approaches medium well and well, the juices will turn brown.

Remember, you can always put a steak back on the grill if it's too rare, but you can't uncook a well-done steak. Err on the side of undercooked.

5. Let the Meat Rest

"Resting," or standing, after cooking allows the meat to reabsorb its flavorful juices. If you serve the steak right away, those tasty juices will spill out onto the plate as soon as you cut into the meat.

After the steak is done, transfer it from the grill to a platter, and loosely cover with foil. (Don't cover tightly or stack steaks, or they'll overcook.) Let rest for five minutes per inch of thickness. Residual heat will cook steaks five to 10 degrees more during resting.

A Word on Portions

As a rule, we call for four ounces raw red meat per person, though we make an exception with the ribeye steaks. Markets typically don't sell ribeyes much smaller than eight ounces (unlike tenderloins, which are easy to find in four-ounce portions, or larger flank steaks, which are intended to serve several people), and you may not want to split a ribeye steak between two people. Although this is a bit more than our usual serving size, an eight-ounce ribeye steak is considerably smaller than portions commonly found in restaurants.

An eight-ounce ribeye steak yields about six ounces of cooked meat–350 calories, with about 39 percent of calories from fat. And sides will help balance the nutrition. For instance, the Basic Grilled Steak, a baked potato with one tablespoon of light sour cream, and a four-ounce serving of asparagus is a 407-calorie dinner, with about 35 percent of its calories from fat.

Grilled Steak and Roasted Pepper Salad

1-1/2 lb. beef flank steak
2 roasted red peppers *
6 T vegetable oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
3 T white vinegar
1 T minced garlic
1-1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 cups chopped watercress
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
* roasted red peppers can be bought in specialty food shops or
in the condiment aisle of your grocery store
Preheat broiler. Place flank steak on broiler tray and sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Broil for about 5 minutes per side. Cool. Halve steak
lengthwise. Slice across the grain of the meat into thin strips.
Cut roasted peppers into thin strips. Halve strips crosswise.
Blend oil, vinegars, garlic and dry mustard in a large bowl until well-
mixed. Add steak strips, roasted pepper strips, watercress and onion;
toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least two
hours or up to eight hours. Mix in tomatoes and serve.
Makes 6 servings.

Grilled Steak and Roasted Pepper Salad 

This recipe is courtesy of The LowCarbRecipeBox
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LowCarbRecipeBox/


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Cauliflower Salad

1 head of cauliflower
1 lb of bacon
1 pack of cheddar cheese (2 cups)

Mix the above in large bowl and ref. over night. Mix the following in small bowl and ref. over night.

1 cup mayo
2 tablespoon splenda
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small onion chopped.

Mix all together and serve.

Low Carb Recipes...and More: Cauliflower Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yield: 4 Ethnicity: New American   Occasion: Tailgate, Labor Day   Preparation Method: Grill   Product Type: Turkey Burger, Ground Turkey   Dish Type: Burger

Cilantro Pesto

1 Clove garlic

1 Cup cilantro leaves, washed, dried & well packed

1/4 Cup English walnuts, chopped

1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Cup olive oil

Finely chop garlic in the food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Add cilantro and process thoroughly. Add walnuts, Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon salt; continue to process. Scrape sides of bowl. With motor running, slowly pour in oil and process well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Turkey Burgers

1 Pound GROUND TURKEY

1/2 onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 Cup prepared chunky salsa

1 Clove garlic, minced

1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 Teaspoon salt

Preheat grill, using the direct heat grilling method. Combine turkey, onion, pepper, salsa, garlic, oregano and salt. Evenly divide mixture and shape into four burgers. Grill burgers over medium heat, 4 inches from the heat, for 5-6 minutes per side until poultry is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

To Serve

Place cooked burgers on lettuce leaf and top each turkey burger with 2 tablespoons cilantro pesto.

Recipe Source: Recipe by The National Turkey Federation

 

 

 

Smoked Salmon Crepes

Makes 2 servings.

 This is perfect for a weekend breakfast or parties. 

2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup snipped fresh dill or 3 tablespoons dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil spray
1/4 pound sliced smoked salmon
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
Several sprigs fresh dill for garnish (optional)

Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, egg whites, and dill in a medium-size bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set an 8- to 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil. Add half the egg mixture, and swirl in the skillet to form a thin layer. Cook 1 minute and place under broiler for 1 minute, or until the crepe is cooked on top. Remove from broiler. Slide the crepe onto a plate and repeat for the second one.

Place the smoked salmon and tomato slices on one half of each crepe, letting some of the salmon peek out from the edge. Spoon sour cream over the salmon and add sprigs of dill, again letting them peek out from the crepe. Fold the crepe in half once, and then in half again to form a triangle. Serve hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 batch Sicilian-Style Hot Turkey Sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 medium zucchini, julienned, about 1 1/4 pound before trimming
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch fresh basil, optional
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, 2 ounces

In a large skillet, brown the sausage with the garlic; drain off any excess grease. Add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes. Add the zucchini and cook just until it is tender but not mushy. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the basil and parmesan cheese to serve.

Makes 4 servings

Per Serving: 369 Calories; 25g Fat; 28g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs 

This recipe is from Fran McCullough's "The Low-Carb Cookbook" page 267. I doubled the amount of meat to make 4 servings instead of just two and also to reduce the carbs from the tomatoes. I also simplified the cooking method. Fran used two different pans (three if you count the one to brown the sausage which she cooked separately) and cooked the zucchini separate from the sauce. There seemed to be too many steps when everything ends up in the same skillet in the end anyway. This dish is simple yet tasty. You can use commercially made Italian sausage and the carb count will remain about the same but the calorie and fat count will be a lot higher. Click the photo to see a close-up.

 

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

 

 

 

 

Grilled Garlic Rosemary Chicken

We love Mexican food...maybe that's why we invent so many different salsas here at The Manor. This simple salsa is nothing more than all the ingredients and tastes that we love in our "South of the Border" menus... combined into salsa!
The "heat" in this recipe can be easily adjusted simply by adding or subtracting jalapenos... make it your own way. Served with lc tortilla chips or pork rinds, this is virtually a meal in itself!

Black Soy Bean and Avocado Salsa

1 cup black soy beans, soaked overnight OR
1 can black soy beans, drained
2 jalapenos, seeds carefully removed (wear gloves!),chopped
3 Tablespoons cilantro, minced
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
1 or more cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 ripe avocado, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Chill to combine flavors.
Serve with lc tortilla chips or pork rinds.

 

The Yelton Manor Bed & Breakfast

Baja Bob's Ultimate Margarita

This recipe is via Baja Bob, maker of the low-carb bar mix. The margarita is aimed at those who want refreshing flavor without all the sweetness and calories of a regular margarita. Each of the Baja Bob's drink mixes contains approximately 1/3 the calories of regular mixes and only one to four grams of carbohydrates.

Squeeze the juice of 1 Mexican lime or key lime (the little yellow ones) into a shaker
1 Part Tequila
1/4 Part Controy (use Triple Sec if you can't find Controy)
Shake Briskly.
Pour over ice.
Salt Rim of Drinking Glass (optional)

 

CarbWire - Baja Bob's ultimate margarita

 

This recipe is courtesy of The LowCarbRecipeBox
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LowCarbRecipeBox/

If you would like to request a recipe from the LowCarbRecipeBox,
click here ~~>  I have a Recipe Request!

 

Japanese Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel 1 teaspoon orange extract 1/2 cup seltzer water or club soda 1/3 cup dry sherry 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup Splenda 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root 12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast halves 8 green onions Soak twelve 6-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. In a small mixing bowl combine the orange peel, extract, club soda, sherry, soy sauce, Splenda, garlic, and ginger root. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade mixture to serve with the cooked kabobs. Cut chicken breast halves into 1-inch pieces. Cut green onions into 1  1/2 inch lengths. Thread 3 chicken pieces and 2 onion pieces onto each wooden skewer, alternating chicken and onions. Place kabobs in a shallow dish and pour marinade over kabobs. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning kabobs once. Remove kabobs from marinade, reserving marinade. Preheat broiler. Place kabobs on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 8-10 minutes, or till chicken is tender and no pink remains, turning and brushing with reserved marinade once. Makes 12 skewers.   3.2 carbs each. c o m m e n t s : Serve these as appetizers, too -- warm or chilled. Allow 1 kabob per serving. When weather permits, cook the kabobs on the grill instead of the broiler. As a main course, offer the kabobs on a bed of finely sliced/shredded cabbage.

 

 

 

 

Kabob How-To

Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey Sausage

If you grow zucchini in your garden, and you're the kind of wonderful person who brings your neighbors a share of your bounty, and such bounty includes foot-long several pound zucchinis, might I suggest that you include a recipe to accompany such a welcome gift? I'm not kidding! Seriously, we have such a wonderful neighbor, Pat, who not only brings over freshly picked, glorious produce, but tried and true recipes as well. The following stuffed zucchini recipe is adapted from one that Pat brought us last week, along with a 2-pound zucchini, and we loved it. It tastes like it is stuffed with Italian pork sausage, but the stuffing is actually lean ground turkey with garlic, herbs, and mushrooms. Enjoy.

• 1 zucchini about 12 inches long, or 6 medium ones
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper

1 Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving shells about 1/4 inch thick. Reserve about half of the insides.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides, and saute another 2 minutes.

3 In a separate skillet heat a Tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the ground turkey. Lightly brown the turkey, stirring only occasionally. After the turkey browns on one side, stir it so that it has a chance to brown on other sides. Cook until the ground turkey is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the onion and mushroom mixture from the other pan. Add the wine. Stir in tomato, basil and rosemary and cook 1 minute longer. Drain any excess fat. Remove mixture from heat and set it aside.

4 When mixture has cooled, add cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Fill a baking pan with 1/4 inch of water. Place filled zucchini halves in pan and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove zucchini from pan and serve while hot.

Serves 4.

 

Simply Recipes: Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey Sausage Recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/4 cup almond flour, 1 ounce
1/4 cup wheat protein isolate 5000
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded, 1/2 cup *
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1 cup *

Mix all the crust ingredients with a spoon until there are no longer any dry bits of flour and it looks a bit like dough. Spray a 14-inch pizza pan with cooking spray then line with parchment paper and spray the paper again lightly. Drop the dough in somewhat of a circle on the pan. Cover with a second piece of parchment. Roll out to a 12-inch round, 1/8" thick, with a rolling pin. Remove the top piece of parchment and bake at 375º 10-20 minutes.

Top crust with:
1/4 cup pizza sauce *
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1 cup
12 slices pepperoni
Italian sausage, optional
Green pepper, optional
Mushrooms, optional

Spread the pizza sauce over the hot crust then add the cheese and other toppings. Sprinkle with some Italian seasoning and garlic powder, if desired. Bake an additional 12 minutes or until the toppings are bubbly.

Makes 4-8 servings

* I used all Italian blend cheese in and on mine. Kevin used part cheddar, asiago and fontina cheeses in his crust and Italian cheese blend for his topping. Kevin used 6 tablespoons of pizza sauce on his pizza and I cut mine back to 1/4 cup because too much pizza sauce gives me heartburn and I also wanted to reduce the carbs a little.

Per 1/4 Recipe: 338 Calories; 25g Fat; 23g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
Per 1/6 Recipe: 225 Calories; 17g Fat; 15g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 Recipe: 169 Calories; 13g Fat; 12g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; .5g Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carbs
Whole Pizza: 1352 Calories; 102g Fat; 93g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 13g Net Carbs

Kevin said to bake the crust for 20 minutes but mine came out very dark after only 15 minutes. Even then, the center of the crust wasn't crispy. I think I'd try baking it only 10 minutes next time and not let the edges get so brown. The crust is hardly brown at all in Kevin's photos. My pizza tasted good except for the burnt edges which are the only really crispy part of the crust. The flavor of the crust is very similar to the Pork Rind Pizza crust that I've made before, but not as greasy. It will be interesting to see how this pizza comes out when it's reheated in the toaster oven later. If you don't have wheat protein isolate 5000, I think that any bake mix or Carbalose flour would serve the same purpose. You may need to adjust the carb count though. Click the pizza slice photo for a close-up.

UPDATE: The pizza reheats very well and would be even better if my crust hadn't gotten so dark. The crust was nice and sturdy and I could pick up a slice to eat it. I reheated it in my toaster oven at 350º for 5 minutes.

Here are some pictures of the crust before baking and after the first baking:

 

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

 

 

Soy Wasabi Glazed Tuna

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

4-6 ounce fresh Ahi tuna steaks, about 3/4-inch thick
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp. prepared wasabi

Procedure:

Tuna:

Brush tuna steaks on both sides with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a heavy, nonstick frying pan over high heat. Place the tuna in a very hot pan and sear until crispy and brown.

Turn and sear the other side. Approximately 2 minutes per side.

You don’t want to overcook the tuna as it is best rare to medium rare.

Soy Wasabi Glaze:

Combine the butter, onion, lime juice, soy sauce and wasabi in a small pan.

While the tuna is cooking, heat the butter mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and emulsified.

Serve the tuna immediately, covered with the sauce.

Carbohydrates: 3 grams
Net Carbohydrates: 2.5 grams
Fiber: 0.5 gram
Protein: 41 grams
Fat: 32 grams
Calories: 463

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Peel and slice the onion; peel and mince the garlic.
2. Dice 2 of the bacon slices.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the catsup, ThickenThin, tomato paste, vinegar, splenda, mustard, salt and spices.
4. Drain beans and place into ovenproof casserole, pour catsup mixture over beans, add garlic, onion, and diced bacon, and stir to combine ingredients thoroughly.
5. Lay the remaining bacon slices across the top of the beans and cook in 325-degree oven for at least 30 minutes. Finish under broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp top bacon, if desired.
6. Serve immediately.

 

Grilled Peppered Tomatoes with Lemon and Garlic

4 vine-ripened tomatoes
1/4 cup freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, basil, or mixture of both
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
6 dashes Tabasco sauce

1. Stem the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Sprinkle them with pepper and grill over a hot fire for about 2 minutes, turning occasionally, or until they are lightly browned.
2. Remove the tomatoes from the grill and place them in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, toss gently, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

 

Cooks Recipes | Grilled Peppered Tomatoes with Lemon and Garlic Recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Forwarded Message:

Subj: Chill Out on Labor Day Weekend  Date: 8/29/2007 6:02:09 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time From: FOOD Magic To: FOOD Magic Right-click picture(s) to display picture options

The Low-carb Cook's Nook Presents

Labor Day Weekend

How do YOU celebrate?
Take it easy and cook out with friends and family?
Enjoy the last days of summer poolside?
Low-carb cooking doesn't have to be hard work!
Join Magic and Angel for a picnic feast of easy-to-make summer foods
to celebrate Labor Day.

When: Thursday, August 30, 2007, 9-11pm EDT

Where:   lowcarbcooksnook 

Who: FOOD Magic, F00D Angel, and YOU!

HOW TO GET TO THE CHATROOM:

If you are on AOL, just click here:  lowcarbcooksnook 

or IM FOOD Magic (those are capital o's in FOOD) 

or F00D Angel (those are zero's in F00D).

If you are on AIM, send yourself a Chat Invitation,

to go to the room "lowcarbcooksnook" (without the quotation marks). 

 

If you have any difficulty with that, IM Kasparcat or WildAngel6,

we will lasso you into the room

 

Can't wait till then?  Try our low-carb boards:

Atkins Diet Support

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and  South Beach Diet  

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 How to Grill Zucchini - Perfect Every Time!