Archive for August, 2013

Don’t forget steaks when planning Labor Day ‘13

August 29th, 2013
By donm

Steaks on the grill.

Labor Day weekend is one of the big “grilling” holidays, along with the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. For many people, that means burgers and dogs, and maybe some barbecued chicken finding its way to the grill.

For me, it means steaks.

If you’re going to fill the gas tank, clean the grates, and invite people over to usher out the Summer of ’13 in style, you need to throw on some steaks; ribeyes, skirts, strips…sirloin tips, you get the picture.

South Shore Meats is New England’s premier wholesale portion control meat manufacturing facility manufacturing and we are use to working with and perfecting the finest cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal for white-tablecloth establishments throughout the Northeast. 

I’m actually the fourth generation of this family-run enterprise and have learned how to combine our state-of-the-art portion control concepts with the Old World craftsmanship that has been passed down through the ages.

At South Shore Meats, we know steaks. So here’s an insider’s recipe for making the perfect grilling entrée for your Labor Day guests.

When it comes to grilling, my go to steak is the ribeye. For simple seasoning, brush it with olive oil before dousing with a generous portion of Kosher Sea Salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Season to taste.

The key to searing a ribeye is to get the grill as hot as possible. We’re talking 550-700 degrees hot. While the steaks are still in the fridge, put the grill on “high” and walk away.

When you hit that target temperature, place the steaks at angles of 10 and 2 o’Clock for proper grill marks

The objective here is to sear the steaks. Closing the lid of the grill here is not necessary. We are looking for surface heat. Closing the grill will bake the steak. Do not do this. Searing the steaks will lock in and trap a lot of the fat and juices. The salt and pepper will create a crust-like surface also.

I prefer my steaks to be rare or medium rare. When the steaks are done, place them on a surface to cool down for a couple of minutes before serving. Do not cut immediately after cooking or all the juices will escape. If taking this to the next level fits your taste, sometimes I like to add a nice compound garlic butter on top of the steak to enhance certain flavors.

Enjoy your Labor Day and thank you for visiting southshoremeatsonline.com.

Sincerely,

Carlo Crocetti

South Shore Meats

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South Shore Meats hails the proper burger blend

August 12th, 2013
By donm

In selecting the proper burger blend, I like to keep it simple. At South Shore Meats we prefer the robust flavors of certain cuts, such as rib-eye, chuck, and hanger with the sweet tones of brisket blended in. Keep the fat/lean ratio at about 80/20 and cook medium rare.

Perfect.

Or perhaps you prefer the latest burger craze that was grown in a Petri dish by some scientists in the U.K.

The burger-hatched-from-stem-cells debuted in London last week with mixed results. While some are hailing it as a scientific breakthrough that could one day revolutionize the food industry, others are pointing to the real issue.

Taste.

According to Josh Schonwald, a Chicago-based author who served as a tasting volunteer, the concoction lacks the fattiness of regular meat and could be described as an “animal-protein cake.”

Not what I want on my plate for the upcoming Labor Day cookout.

The scientists, funded by Google founder Sergy Brin, are experimenting with ways to grow meat in labs as an alternative to raising livestock, which (according to one study) contributes 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and uses 30 percent of the world’s ice-free land.

A noble effort, for sure, but misguided in my opinion. For one, if we are not raising livestock for beef, what are we doing with the livestock? Are they roaming the Great Plains? Wandering down Main Street? If the value of these animals is reduced by a meat-alternative, how will they be treated then?

The original All-American hamburger was created by grinding up trimmings from cut steaks that contain various pieces of steak and associated fat that when cooked has become an iconic American food staple. In fact, it is as much of a symbol of America as the automobile and a summer afternoon baseball game.

The alterna-burger is made using fetal bovine serum, taken from the blood of calf fetuses. The serum cost $250 a liter so the cost of producing the burger is astronomical. If the fake meat were to become accepted practice it is still at least two decades away from mass production.

Burgers have become a high-end product of late, with white tablecloth establishments opening up to accommodate the demand for the perfect burger. Hard to imagine the American public trading in rib-eye, chuck, and hanger with the sweet tones of brisket for fetal bovine serum…..

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