The mouth-watering fabulousness of dry-aged steaks

Everyone fantasizes about something. Don’t even lie, you’ll blush and be busted. For some it’s Brad Pitt finally realizing his truest love- you. For others it winning the lottery (and Not ending up on the “how I lost my insta-millions” documentary on PBS).  For me, my fantasy lays nestled deep in the layers of beef and fat that is a thick cut, well marbled, butter basted, seared Rib eye steak. Keep your Brad P and your multi millions, just back away from my plate- it’s mine, all mine. Wahahahaha. No, that’s not nice, I’ll share.
Over the past few weeks my friend and fellow brownie connoisseur Neal and I have been messing with the idea of holding a steak a thon. Some may call that gluttonous, but I call it necessity. You see, Neal has some ideas about marketing beef and I offered to give my completely honest opinion about the product. You don’t have to twist this carnivore’s arm! I’ll happily sit down with any well marbled ribeye and make friends (although the cutting and chewing might preclude us from a LASTING friendship but whatever, I’m in!)
I am always more than willing to turn my kitchen into a mini steakhouse. Notice I said kitchen, not grill- and no I have not lost my mind. I’ll tell you why. When Neal first called me about this, it brought back the most delicious memories of Peter Lugar Steakhouse in Brooklyn.  The décor was old and very basic, No micro brews or trendy drinks, waiters so rude they bordered on judgmental and yet none of that mattered because no could pay any attention to anything but the steak. Which is totally appropriate for a place referred to as “the Vatican of steak”.
I decided then and there…I MUST know their secret.
The char and sear that I’m interested in. I’m quite sure the combination is what makes the world rotate on its axis. What do all those scientists know??
These guys have a serious, longstanding reputation, offering what no one would argue aren’t some of the best steaks in the country (along with all the afore mentioned rudeness) they seem to have no problem cooking their steaks on a gas oven.
If they could. I could.
Oops, maybe not I have electric.  …back to the drawing board.
It didn’t take me long, only a few dozen steaks and 200 points on my cholesterol to figure out that the secret has been around for ages and consists of 2 things. Butter and cast iron. Don’t blame me; I didn’t say this was heart healthy- just the most mouth watering bite of fabulousness you will ever know.  I promise to make salad next week.
Don’t misunderstand. That is the secret to the cooking method, but that will not work unless you use a good piece of meat. Bad meat= bad meal. I really prefer dry aged steak; you can substitute a one-and-one-half-inch-thick choice steak (yes I said 11/2, anything. Puny steaks hurt my feeling and will only leave you wishing you had just gone out) from the HEB but you won’t get the same depth of flavor. I know!!!! Let’s get Neal to start dry aging!  You can dry age at home, and I will include the instructions with the recipe. The only thing I ask is DO NOT skip steps. Working with raw food product can be very costly to your health if you try and take short cuts!!
After you find your meat, marinate it at room temp in butter for about an hour. Stop that! I can hear you considering margarine- it may be yellow, but it’s certainly not butter. Back away from the margarine. After your time is finished, brush lightly with olive oil and give a generous coating of kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  The real key at this point is to get your cast iron pan to the point of nearly smoking. MAKE SURE YOUR VENT IS ON, or expect the fire department for dinner after they see all that smoke!
The goal -- the perfect steak -- is defined by the contrast between the charred exterior and the warm, juicy center.
Place in the heated pan and cook on 1 side for 6minutes or until moderately charred (look for a thin layer of blackening). Flip steaks and repeat, cooking for another 8 minutes or so. Insert a meat thermometer into each steak. It should register 115 degrees for a rare steak and 135 degrees for a medium steak. Allow the steaks to rest for 6 to 8 minutes before serving!! If you don’t you aren’t giving all those wonderful juices proper time to redistribute properly.  You can serve this with anything you like, but I love oven roasted garlic, creamed spinach and home fries.
Matt says I hum whenever I really enjoy what I’m eating- which is preposterous, but if it were true I’d be humming James Brown to my steak right now..” So Good, So Good, cuz I got you”
I will also give you my creamed spinach and home fries recipes so that you can turn your dining room into a top notch steakhouse (without the price tag)
And remember nobody says it better than the boys over at the national beef council
“Beef, it’s what’s for dinner”
Here is my do it yourself steakhouse recipes as well as instructions to dry age. Please cook, dry and eat them in good health.

Steaks to die for
4 (1-pound) dry aged rib eye steaks
Olive oil
Enough melted butter to coat
4 tablespoons kosher salt
8 tablespoons freshly crushed black pepper

METHOD:
Heat a flat-bottomed cast-iron pan over high heat. Lightly coat the steaks with olive oil and season with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Place in the heated pan and cook on 1 side for 8 minutes or until moderately charred (look for a thin layer of blackening). Flip steaks and repeat, cooking for another 8 minutes or so. Insert a meat thermometer into each steak. It should register 115 degrees for a rare steak and 135 degrees for a medium steak. Allow the steaks to rest for 6 to 8 minutes before serving.

Sarah’s Creamed Spinach
10 ounces spinach, cooked and moisture squeezed out (FRESH)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Dash of pepper
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cayenne
Cook spinach, butter, flour and whipping cream until thick. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne and cream cheese.

Sweet Potato Home Fries
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Salt & Pepper
1 onion sliced
Directions
Preheat oil in large cast iron skillet or deep-fryer.
Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until slightly tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the sweet potatoes well in a colander.
Add sweet potatoes and onions to skillet. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes until nice and crisp. Garnish with
 Salt and pepper to taste.

Your chance to play Sam the Butcher:
Be sure to follow each step carefully, for safety’s sake.
1. Only the top grades of beef can be dry aged successfully. Use USDA Prime or USDA Choice - Yield Grade 1 or 2 (the highest quality of Choice) only. These have a thick layer of fat on the outside to protect the meat from spoiling during the aging process.
2. Buy a whole rib-eye or loin strip. [You cannot age individual steaks.] Unwrap it, rinse it well with cold water, and allow it to drain; then pat it very dry with paper towels.  The best plan is to buy one with a group of friends. It’s enough for everyone and off sets the cost.
3. Wrap the meat in immaculately clean, large, plain white cotton dish towels and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator - which is the coldest spot.
4.  Change the towels each day, replacing the moisture-soiled towels with fresh. Continue to change towels as needed for 10 days, to 2 weeks. (See Step #7 for cleaning towels.)
5. After the desired aging time, you’re ready to cut off steaks from each end, trim as desired, and allow the rest to continue to age in the refrigerator.
6. If, after 21 days, you have not eaten all the meat, cut the remaining piece into steaks, wrap each steak in freezer-proof, heavy-duty plastic wrap, and freeze. The steaks will keep for several months in the freezer.
7.  To clean the towels for re-use, soak the soiled towels, immediately upon removing them from the meat, in cold water overnight. Next, soak them in cold, salted water for 2-3 hours to remove any blood stains. Then launder as usual. [In olden days, butchers used to cover sides of beef with cotton “shrouds” during the aging process - this is essentially the same thing.]