Thread: cooking wine suggestion

I wanna make some sauces to go with some of my steaks.
the dilema is that I dont drink and my wife is a wine snob and doesnt know crap about cooking wines.

the wagyu i raise has a delicate flavor and I dont want to over power it with something acidic.

any suggestions?

recipes would be nice too lol.

Thanks

In my past 6 years of learning about cooking and grilling/smoking in my spare time I've never found that any sauces benefit fine meat.

At the end of the day I spend more of my time on meat with self dry aging at home.
I don't do it as long as many do, usually about 8-10 days.

There's a great episode of good eats which Alton brown discusses dry aging but I couldn't find it.

I did find this though:
How to Dry Age Beef Alton Brown Style? | ifood.tv

I do the same thing with big roasts for special dinner parties.

Disclaimer: I am very much an amateur... this is IMHO.

Oh and I've found that cooking wine is pretty straight forward. If you find sometihng less than $10 you're probably good to go. The subtleties of good wine are obviously not necessary when you're cooking a sauce.

I subscribe to the school of thought that you shouldn't cook with anything you wouldn't drink.

Since you don't drink I would maybe try a simple balsamic reduction or perhaps a compound butter.

The balsamic reduction is a tasty option that is less acidic than you'd think.

A simple recipe is to reduce over medium low heat a medium bottle of mid-grade balsamic vinegar with a teaspoon of superfine sugar added once you see bubbles, a large finely diced shallot and a few grinds of black pepper. Make sure to stir until the sugar melts down and keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

If you are a purist or don't like small chunks of shallot then you can stick with just the vinegar and sugar.

A rolling bubble is fine. Also make sure not to get any sugar on the edges or inner sides of the pot because your reduction will climb it up and out onto your cook top. Once the reduction easily coats the back of a spoon taste it to make sure you are happy and take it off the heat stirring occasionally. It should be the consistency of cough syrup

When you are about to dress your steak with it you can add a pat of butter to silken it up a little if you want although with Wagyu you may not need to.

Compound butters are simple but be careful as they may overpower your marble.

Simply take your ice cold butter (I like Irish butter) and the herbs or spices you like and put them all in a bowl. Mash everything together until it's thoroughly mixed and then put it on some plastic wrap in as close to a log shape as you can get. Work quickly so you don't break down the butter too much. Wrap it tightly and leave it in your fridge until it resets. Slice off and top your steak to taste. Be careful with adding salt to the butter as it will melt it.

Last but not least, freshly grated horseradish is a simple and wonderful compliment to a great steak.

Good luck!

big - start w/ 2 buck chuck - i doubt you'll notice much of a difference - if you want lighter, try a < $20 bottle pinot noir. but i agree w/ others - why ruin meat w/ sauce? (unless you're thickening the jus w/ real blood, in which case, go for it! something tells me that's not your style though )

civic - does your butcher not dry-age your steaks? i've thought about doing the Alton method but *much* easier (and probably safe) to just find a butcher that will dry-age to your specs (my current butcher does about 9 weeks on a side of rib-eye - buy the whole thing.)

armbar - do you really cook w/ $40+ bottles of wine? i do believe they could make a difference if you're an *excellent* cook (which it sounds like you might qualify indeed) but for the weekend warrior, do you find that it makes a noticeable difference?

- chuck

you are right chuck...its just that i eat a steak everyday...and you know how it goes...
even wagyu gets a lil ho hum....just wanted a way to spice it up...something different...tried everything other than a wine sauce..but had some at my neighbors that i liked a lot....i am not into jus..you are right.

i will go get some charles shaw..thanks

btw...you are not talking about dryaging wagyu are you?

those are some good ideas too armbar...thanks....cant wait for my steak tonight...my own thread is making me hungry lol

Originally Posted by Bignmz04

btw...you are not talking about dryaging wagyu are you?

nope, i was referring to real steak

do you dry-age your wagyu at all? if so, what have you found to be the limits before the fat goes rancid?


interestingly, in Japan last year, i had something that was crazy - it was definitely wagyu but it had more minerality than my 9-week steaks. i have no idea what they did but it was like nirvana - the absolute best of both worlds.

- chuck

Originally Posted by carendt242

nope, i was referring to real steak

do you dry-age your wagyu at all? if so, what have you found to be the limits before the fat goes rancid?


interestingly, in Japan last year, i had something that was crazy - it was definitely wagyu but it had more minerality than my 9-week steaks. i have no idea what they did but it was like nirvana - the absolute best of both worlds.

- chuck

no...thats why i asked....you should never dry age wag...it ruins it...the fat and meat gelatinizes and it becomes slimey...in a bad way.

I raise angus (black and red) also...and I dry age those...but i am working on this new method that will work like dry ageing and produce the same results in 1/3 the time...I will spill the beans when i get it perfected.

the minerality is based on what season fodder they feed the cattle. summer sweet...as it is saw spring....winter mineral...as the air dries out the sugars....and spring is the mix of both....fodder has started to gain sugar...but still holds the minerals......you wont want to know what those minerals are....trust me.

remember...you are not eating the cow but not tasting the cow...you are tasting what the cow tasted all its life.

Originally Posted by carendt242

armbar - do you really cook w/ $40+ bottles of wine? i do believe they could make a difference if you're an *excellent* cook (which it sounds like you might qualify indeed) but for the weekend warrior, do you find that it makes a noticeable difference?

- chuck

Chuck, I don't typically uncork and cook with a $40+ bottle of wine but often times when a bit is left in the bottle from the previous day or something like that, the remainder makes it into a dish or a sauce.

If I am buying a specific wine for a dish I don't necessarily go high end but the wine comes from eye level in the wine section and not the herb/ spice/ seasoning aisle if you know what I mean.

As far as being an "excellent" cook, I'll leave that to the diners to decide. I did my time in the industry and can hold my own in both a home and professional kitchen but past that I'm just a guy that likes to eat great food and drink great drinks.

Originally Posted by carendt242

big - start w/ 2 buck chuck - i doubt you'll notice much of a difference - if you want lighter, try a < $20 bottle pinot noir. but i agree w/ others - why ruin meat w/ sauce? (unless you're thickening the jus w/ real blood, in which case, go for it! something tells me that's not your style though )

civic - does your butcher not dry-age your steaks? i've thought about doing the Alton method but *much* easier (and probably safe) to just find a butcher that will dry-age to your specs (my current butcher does about 9 weeks on a side of rib-eye - buy the whole thing.)

armbar - do you really cook w/ $40+ bottles of wine? i do believe they could make a difference if you're an *excellent* cook (which it sounds like you might qualify indeed) but for the weekend warrior, do you find that it makes a noticeable difference?

- chuck

@Chuck: I wish I could purchase dry aged meat but since I like hosting and I'm but a poor medical resident I have to age things myself.

When dry aging I usually use a small refrigerator that I used to use just for drinks and whatnot. If I could afford the $25-30 per pound cost of having others age for me I'd definitely do it!