Grilled Beef Tendon

中文菜谱：

烤牛筋串

Beef tendon is a rare ingredient in American grocery market.  But it is quite popular in Asian market for its unique texture.  Beef tendon has very tough tissue.  Maybe that is why it is underappreciated in American market.  After a long simmering/ cooking time, it becomes tender, gelatinous, still a bit chewy, with a mild beefy flavor.  We put it in broths, noodle soups, porridges, stir-fries, even meatballs. 

It is only until very recently that I discovered it tastes excellent even grilled! Wow! I am telling everyone I know that how good it is.  And I am going to show you a great way to grill beef tendon.

Ingredients：

2 large pieces of beef tendon (weighs between 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
1 to 2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1 large piece of ginger root, smashed
1 spice & herb bag
water for cleaning and cooking
salt to taste

Ingredients for spice & herb bag：

3 to 4 star anises
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
1 black cardamom pod, smashed
4 to 5 cloves
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried ginger
a handful of dried red chili peppers, cut into pieces

Directions：

Add star anises, Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom, dried ginger, cloves, bay leaves, chili peppers to a piece of coffee filter paper.  Wrap and tie it up to be a spice bag.

Rinse the beef tendon.  Trim off any excessive fat if necessary.

Add beef tendon along with water, ginger, rice cooking wine, spice bag and salt to an instant pot pressure cooker.  Cook with high pressure setting for 40 to 50 minutes.  Beef tendon is become tender but still pretty chewy and al-dente which I like very much after 40 minutes’ cooking.  If you prefer softer texture, just cook 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Refrigerate beef tendon until completely chilled.  With a sharp knife, cut into half inch cubes.

Skewed with stainless steel skewers

Preheat the grill to 400F/204C

Brush both the griddle and beef tendon skewers with oil. And then add the skewered beef tendon to grill.

Remember to brush them with oil from time to time.  Otherwise the skewed tendon could be quite sticky to the griddle.

Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce too.

Soon, they would be golden brown.

Sprinkle with a mixture of crushed chili pepper, cumin and sesame seeds

Sprinkle with a little bit more spices before serving. 

Bon appetite! O(∩_∩)O~

Sizzling Grilled Lamb Loin Chops

中文菜谱：

铁板羊排 (lamb loin chops)

Summer is the perfect season for backyard grilling and BBQ.  Grilling can be addictive. Once you try a perfectly grilled steak right off the grill, you can never go back to and be happy with the stove top version.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients：

6 pieces lamb loin chops (weighs between 1 1/2 and 2 lbs)
freshly ground black pepper
McCormick steak grill seasoning or other seasonings of choice
sea salt to taste

Directions：

Quickly rinse the lamb loin chops under running water.  Pat dry with kitchen paper towel.

Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on one side.

Flip them over and sprinkle the other side with McCormick steak grill seasoning.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 425F/218C with 2 sizzling plates in it. 

Add lamb chops.  Grill for 2 to 3 minutes.

Flip over and continue to grill the other side for another 2 minutes.

This is what lamb chops look like after 2 minutes’ grilling.

And this is after another 2 minutes’ grilling.  They are getting more and more golden brown and delicious. The extremely hot sizzling plates will continue to cook the lamb later.  So don’t worry if you think grilling time is too short here.

Transfer the lamb chops to sizzling plates.

And now get the plates out of the grill and serve.  That beautiful sizzling sound is like wonderful music to a foodie like me O(∩_∩)O~

Sizzling plate steaks are always on the top of my comfort food list.  I posted some before:

Sizzling Grilled Dry Aged Ribeye & New York Strip Steak

Fire Grilled Sizzling Ribeye Steaks

Fire Grilled Sizzling T-bone Steak

Sizzling Grilled Dry Aged Ribeye & New York Strip Steak

中文菜谱：

铁板dry aged ribeye & new york strip steak 牛排

Dry aged steak is one of our favorite.  But they are hard to find on the market.

When beef has been aged in a carefully temperature and humidity controlled room for a certain amount of time ranging from weeks even to months, beef will be broken down by enzymes to produce amino acids, fatty acids and sugar.  That is to say, the beef will transform into good eats with better taste, tendered texture and intensified flavors.

It is a very expensive and time consuming process.  Besides, the beef needs to be trimmed before selling or cooking.  All costs add up quickly.  No wonder dry aged steaks on steakhouse menu are always so pricey.

Imagine how exciting I was when I found out Central Market in Houston sells dry age beef! O(∩_∩)O~

There are two types of dry aged steak available in Central market.  One is ribeye, and the other one is New York strip steak.  

Marbling is gorgeous

Price is more expensive than regular steak.  But it is quite reasonable when compared to what you paid for aged beef served in a steakhouse. 

I bought one piece of each so that it would be convenient to compare them side by side.  

Leave the steak out on the countertop for about 20 minutes to warm up to room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 450F/232C with 2 sizzling plates in it. 

The one on the bottom is ribeye.  The other one on top is New York strip steak.

Sprinkle with generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

Add sea salt to taste.  Lightly press down the salt and pepper.

Add to the grill.  Grill for 2 minutes.

2 minutes later, flip the steaks over and grill for another 2 minutes.

Remember, we are making sizzling steaks here.  The extremely hot sizzling plates will continue to cook the steak later.  So you don’t want your steaks in the grill for too long.

All sizzling plates are different.  Some are cast iron; some are aluminum; some are thick; and some are thin.  All of that needs to be considered when we decide how much time for steak to cook in the grill.  I am using two thick cast iron sizzling plates.  And I know from prior cooking experience that 2 minutes each side is perfect for my medium rare steaks.

Transfer the steaks to sizzling plates.

And now get the plates and steaks out of the grill and serve.  That beautiful sizzling sound is like wonderful music to a foodie like me O(∩_∩)O~

Do use extra caution because the plate is really really really hot!

This one is ribeye.

It is very tender, juicy, and buttery with an intense beefy and meaty flavor.

This one is New York strip steak.

The texture is a bit tighter than ribeye, with a nuttier and more intense beefy flavor.

The one on the left is New York strip steak, and the one on the right is ribeye steak.

The reason I love sizzling steak is that even when it comes to the last bite, it is still perfectly pink, tender and juicy on the inside.  And there would not be any unpleasant red color juicy running in the plate at all.  

Give it a try and you will love it too! O(∩_∩)O~

Spicy Sliced Mixed Beef in Chili Oil Sauce

中文菜谱：

夫妻肺片

Spicy sliced mixed beef in chili oil sauce is a very traditional and popular dish in Southwest China area.  The weather is extremely hot and humid in summer time there, so local people have been developed a unique spicy cuisine to spice up regular daily food to be more appetizing.

According to legend, local poor working class people couldn’t afford expensive beef cuts like steak or ribs.  They collected what was left or unwanted beef parts from market; boiled them for a long time until they got tender enough to eat; thinly sliced, tossed them with soy sauce and red chili oil sauce.  The dish got popular because it was quite affordable and surprisingly tasty.  Years later, a local food stand run by a couple further adapted and perfected the dish by adding more complicated chili sauce; substituted beef lung with beef shank.  So people named the dish after this couple.  Don’t be surprised if you see “couple’s beef” on a Chinese restaurant menu.  That is how the dish got its name.  A Sichuan restaurant Twin Peppers in Houston even name the dish “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”.   Interesting, isn’t it?

I still call it spicy sliced mixed beef in chili oil sauce to avoid any possible confusion.

For beef boiling：

1 beef shank
2 large pieces of beef tendons
1 small piece beef tripe
1 large piece of ginger root, cleaned and rinsed, smashed
3 to 4 dry chili peppers
1 small piece of cinnamon bark
2 star anises
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
3 to 4 cloves
1 black cardamom
3 to 4 pieces of dried ginger
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
salt to taste  

Directions：

Clean and rinse beef shank, tendon, and tripe under running cold water.  Pat dry with kitchen paper towel

Wrap all the spices with a piece of coffee paper filter. Tie it up.

Fill a 4 quart cast iron/ stainless steel soup pot with water.  Add beef shank and tendon.  Cook over high heat until it boils.  Keep cooking over high heat for about 10 minutes.  Skim any bubbles or impurity on the top with a large spoon.

Add ginger root, rice cooking wine and spice bag to the pot.

Cover with lid.  Reduce heat to simmer until the beef is soft and tender.

It takes about 4 to 5 hours.  You can use a chopstick to test if the beef is ready.  If the chopstick can easily pierce through the center of beef shank and tendon, it means they are ready.  If not, continue cooking for another half an hour or so.

Drain the beef.  Reserve the broth for later use.  Refrigerate beef shank and tendon for 3 to 4 hours.  When the beef is chilled, it becomes firm and tight, easier to slice.

Using a sharp kitchen knife, thinly slice beef tendon and shank

Beef tendon tends to bounce back when being sliced, so you need to be very careful.

Beef shank is very pretty on the inside

Chili oil sauce

I make it from scratch.  But you can buy them from any Asian grocery store. 

Besides chili oil sauce, cooked soy sauce is also very important to the dish. I adapt the recipe from http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/archive/2005/cooking/298864.html, many thanks to the original author

Ingredients for cooked soy sauce:

1 cups of soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
3 to 4 cloves
1 small piece cinnamon bark
1 black cardamom
2 to 3 star anises
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 small piece of ginger root

Add all the ingredients to a small sauce pan

Cook over medium heat.  When the soy mixture boils, reduce to as minimum heat as possible to simmer for 40 to 60 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Cool it down under room temperature.  Cover with lid and store in refrigerator.  

I double the amount of this recipe because I use this cooked soy sauce a lot.

Thinly slice the beef tripe, blanch it in boiling water for a couple minutes.

Add thinly sliced beef tripe, tendon and shank to a large bowl, along with: (http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/archive/2005/cooking/298864.html, many thanks to the original author.)

1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup chili oil sauce
3 to 4 tablespoons cooked soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn oil
salt to taste
chopped/ sliced celery
crushed roasted peanuts

Gently toss all the ingredients in a large bowl with a big spoon.

Doesn’t is look tasty?  O(∩_∩)O~

Tossed beef can be served immediately.  I like to set it aside for another half an hour before serving it.  The extra time will help all the spices to mix better.  The flavor will be more smooth and harmonious.

 Sprinkle the top with crushed peanuts and serve.

It is spicy for sure.  Other than that, there is also a savory, sweet and umami flavor all mixed with delicious beef.   Mixed beef is from different part of beef with taste and texture of their own, chili oil sauce is the one that brings everything together and makes the dish so tasty. 

If you haven’t tried it before, you might never know inner beef can be so delicious too. (￣▽￣)”

Stewed Diced Beef Rough Flank with Daikon

中文菜谱：清汤牛腩炖萝卜

Whenever the weather gets cold, or when we are being hit by a winter storm, I make stew or soup.  That is a tradition I learn from my grandma’s kitchen.  I also learn how to stew beef rough flank from her.

Unlike regular beef flank, rough flank consists of tendon and tough tissues.  They are usually very tough and take a long time to cook.  I assume the slightly unpleasant look and long cooking time prohibit its popularity in America.  You can only find them in most Asian grocery stores but not in American ones.  You may also find beef flank in Vietnamese pho too.

Don’t try to substitute with regular flank.  After proper long cooking time, beef rough flank can be very tasty.  Its attaching tendon will become soft and tender but still a little bit al-dente.  That is why I like it so much.  The texture and beefy flavor are very charming and additive.  

Ingredients：

1 large piece of beef rough flank（weighs about 2 pounds, sold in most Asian grocery stores）
1 piece of ginger root, smashed
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 star anise
2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1 daikon
about 3 quarts water
salt to taste
chopped green onion
chopped cilantro

Directions：

Clean and trim extra fat away from beef rough flank.  Soak it in cold water for 2 hours.  Change the water twice in between.

With a sharp knife, cut the flank into 1 by 2 inches size

Peel and cut the daikon into the same size

Fill a cast iron with water.  Add beef flank, ginger and rice cooking wine.  Cook over high heat until it boils.  During this process, you need to skim off any impurities and dark bubbles that come to the top. 

Cover with lid.  Reduce the heat to simmer for 4 to 5 hours.  The though tissues will break down after long simmer time and become soft and tender.

This Le Creuset 4 1/4 quarts soup pot is one of my favorite pots in the kitchen.  It does great job in stewing and making soup. 

2 hours into simmering, add star anise and bay leaves

4 to 5 hours later, the broth becomes beautiful golden color.  That is how you know it is a good pot of stew.  Pressure cooker can’t do that for you.  Only time and slow simmering can make it happen.

Turn up the heat; add daikon and salt to taste.

Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.  It is time to enjoy!

Sprinkle with chopped green onion and cilantro.  Serve hot immediately.

Bon appetite!