What did you cook tonight?

Morgan Ranch Wagyu Tri-Tip and Arugula Salad w/Lemon Vinaigrette and Parmesan




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Everything about this … :hand_with_index_finger_and_thumb_crossed:

Equally basic answer! :slight_smile: Trim them a little if they need it, then sear them in a cast iron skillet, flipping once. They have enough fat that they don’t need any additional in the pan, and without skin, you’re not trying for a crust, so it’s kind of fire and forget for a few minutes. Sometimes we squash them up in a bowl beforehand with a paste of mustard/curry/bit of sherry vinegar (same stuff that goes on our pork chops) and let them sit until the pan is hot. In addition to being tastier and, to me, more nutiritionally useful than breast, they are the perfect size for a small (1) or medium (2) protein hit. And finally, there are often little bits that come off the individual thighs, or stick a little to the pan, that I eat with my fingers while they are cooling enough to put in tupperware.

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We got most of a half cow, Angus/Highland cross, in the other day, and started the fun with a neck - or a quarter neck, to be precise. Braising template #1 - season, sear, pressure cook with softened aromatics and homemade stock. Remove from the bones and shred. Reduce liquid and add the shredded meat back. Throw in some english peas we had frozen from last season and serve over cauliflower rice with a big ole salad using spectacular local arugula. My first taste of the QPR genius 2019 Lanessan was a very nice match.

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We get neck from a local butcher, my favorite cut for braising.

It’s quite flavorful and also surprisingly lean, not to mention cheap.

With what the stores around me are charging for oxtails or beef cheeks using neck is a no brainer. It’s just over $2 per lbs for me.

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The large piece of tri-tip and the salad reminds me of how quick and easy it was to make nam tok, or Thai beef salad, earlier in the week from leftover bavette and things we always have around the house. Normally it’s lettuce, but I used napa since that’s what we had; shallots or red onion and scallions; a tablespoon each of nuoc mam and lime juice; a teaspoon or two of dried ground chiles and lightly-toasted and ground sticky rice; cilantro or Thai basil or whatever else you have around. Top with black pepper and the leftover beef, thinly sliced and quickly seared, serve with steamed rice.

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Purebred Wagyu tartare with soy cured egg yolk for a topper. Had a blast with my 12 year old putting all of the pieces together!

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Sunday family lunch at my father’s house; I made seared then roasted Ibérico pork tomahawks - marinated 18 hours in a mixture of Japanese golden peach juice, tawny port, extra virgin olive oil, bit of lemon juice, some garlic cloves, sea salt & pepper. Used a maple syrup based glaze as well.


Brought out to come to room temperature.


Seared then roasted, basted with a maple syrup based glaze. Rested 20 minutes.


Sliced and served…


…with a bean salad, potato salad, and some nice Beaujolais Cru Fleurie.

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That marinade sounds both interesting and good. What overall flavor profile would you say it has? Does the peach and/or tawny port come through clearly, or do all ingredients combine to create their own dominating flavor?

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The glaze leads the attack; but, as one chews, the peach/port becomes more apparent in the middle with the pork.

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Very cool. It sounds and unique! Cheers! :clinking_glasses:

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This is the Japanese golden peach juice I use.

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Thanks! We have some good Asian markets around here, so will look for that or something as similar as possible.

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It was more about the pantry than the plate for us this weekend. 35lbs of beef bones, plus neck bones (dinner from the other night), and a split hoof yielded 15 qts of pretty concentrated beef stock. We call it Beef Flubber. I have a great little video of the flubber, complete with jiggling noise, but don’t know how to load that here.

Also trimmed down a full Mangalitsa loin and rendered 5 qts of pure, clean leaf lard.

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Do you freeze the flubber?

Oh for sure. 15 qts is a lot! We freeze it in plastic quart containers. If we need less than a quart at a time, and don’t have another immediate use, it’s not a big deal to refreeze, or I just drink what we don’t use.

I like a ‘fancy’ kitchen, I like a ‘working’ kitchen…but I LOVE a fancy working kitchen! What a setup-unbelievable

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As the person largely responsible for cleaning it, i can attest it takes a LOT of abuse. Jonathan is used to restaurant kitchens where there’s a team that hoses things down every night. Meet the team!

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