My first Blog: Valentine's Day dinner

So it's ten till 6 and Rob asks me when we're going to start dinner.  We're not all that hungry thanks to a late-afternoon snack, but MAN that Sweetheart steak in my fridge is calling my name!!

Sweetheart steak is a ribeye steak.  It's about a 2" thick cut of meat (drooling yet??) that the butcher butterflies and packs up as a "Sweetheart" cut.  It's got enough marbling inside and fat outside to give Jillian Michaels a heart attack.  But as a once-in-a-while meal, it's okay!  Use a regular ribeye steak in place of the Sweetheart cut any time you like.

I opted for a wonderful spice rub for the steak.  It's from Epicurious.com (an awesome web site!!) and it's called Barbecued Cowboy Steak, with our twist as we have a gas grill and don't use instant-light wood chips.

Barbecued Cowboy Steaks
Bon Appetit, July 2003
Serves 4-8

1 T coarse kosher salt
1 t hungarian sweet paprika (in a red, square can in the spice aisle)
1 t garlic powder
1 t coarsely ground black pepper (buy peppercorns and crush inside a plastic baggie if you don't have a peppergrinder)
1 t dried ground thyme (I used thyme leaves)
1 t finely ground coffee beans
4 1 1/4-1 1/2" thick bone-in beef rib steaks (each weighing 12-16 ounces)

1 cup mesquite or hickory wood smoke chips, soaked in cold water at least 30 minutes

Mix first 6 ingredients in small bowl.  Sprinkle spice rub over both sides of steaks, pressing to adhere.  Let steaks stand at room temperature 1 hour.  (If you're refrigerating these steaks to marinate longer, let them sit out after refrigerating to come up to room temperature.)

Now, this is where I am glad I have a husband who knows how to cook.  The original recipe is more complex, and since we live in North Pole, Alaska, we have to improvise when grilling in the winter.  Meaning if it's about 20 above or colder (and it gets a helluva lot colder!!) we have to be careful about grilling.  It's hard to maintain the grill temp when cooking a brisket or beer can chicken.  But grilling a steak is easy.  Preheat, slap it on the grill, and you're done. 

So, according to my husband, we're going to preheat the grill to high heat and throw the meat on the grill for 3 minutes a side.  Take it off the grill and LET IT REST, PEOPLE!  I can't state that loud enough!  Let it sit on a warmed plate for about 10 minutes, covered with foil.  Then serve on warmed platters...away you go!

We'll be having a famous Mac-Britt potato dish as a side.  I originally came up with the concept but Rob perfected it (hence the Mac-Britt.)  Man he's good at that.  Sometimes I love it and other times I wish I could be that inventive.  But either way, it's a concoction of diced red potatoes, boiled for about 8-10 minutes in seasoned water (sorry, it's a secret!), then thrown in a grill basket with a few more secret ingredients over medium heat until cooked through. 

Yes, I know I could have given you the ingredients to the potatoes, but there are a few select recipes that we just do not divulge.  Brisket, pulled pork, and pasta sauce are just a few.

As for a veggie...well, chances are it'll be one of those lovely, convenient, frozen "steamer" veggies.  It was going to be asparagus but it didn't look all that great at the store yesterday.  That's what I get for shopping at the commissary. 

Well, my potatoes are happily boiling and my timer says it's time to check them, so I must go.  But please try the Cowboy Steaks.  Truly phenomenal, they are.  And fool-proof as long as you don't over-cook them!