March 2004 Archives

The Great American Meatout

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I was reading an Austin Chronicle while I was at lunch, and one of the letters to the editor was about today's "Meat Out".

Somehow that made John Mueller's pork ribs plate taste that much better. It's days like this that make me proud to be a Vegetarian Sponsor.

The first steak of the season

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I fired up the pit today in honor of the weather being so outstanding...I've grilled a few steaks on the Char-Broil in the last few months because I hate broiling them in the oven, but they just can't compare to what I cooked tonight.

I started baking the potatoes at about 6:45 and lit the charcoal shortly after. While the potatoes were baking, I set up my router that was a birthday gift from my friends coordinated by Mike (who had better update his domain registration).

I let the steaks (two New York Strips) warm up a little on the countertop before rubbing them with some Montreal Steak Seasoning. I just learned McCormick makes a spicy version, hey ya!

By the time I got the steaks on the grill, the coals had cooked down nicely but were still putting out plenty of heat. I had trimmed the fat from the beef, so I didn't have the annoying flare-ups that usually mar the finished product.

I threw some rolls in the oven as the baked potatoes finished cooking, doused some spinach with balsamic vinagrette dressing, and assembled a plate.

I opened the bottle of Seghesio Zinfandel (actually a 2000) that Mark gave me for my birthday in 2002 and enjoyed the best dinner that I've had in months. This bodes well for the rest of the spring and summer - Mary Alice says I may put Ruths Chris out of business. <grin>