It’s too soon to say but things don’t seem so different. I’m going to give it some more time before making up my mind once and for all. In the meantime, life goes on.
The big excitement at Royal was finding a frozen Sara Lee cherry pie on sale for 50% off. How could I refuse?
Of course, man does not live by dessert alone. So, while the pie baked, I got busy setting up my grill.
Around beer o’clock, Swan and my helper departed for a shopping expedition in Olongapo. Left to my own devices, I ventured into town and found myself nursing a beer at Sloppy Joe’s. Jim was there with Rob, another hiking group member, so I joined them at their table. A couple of beers later, Rob left for darts, and Jim and I moved on to The Green Room. I enjoyed watching Jim get his ass kicked by a waitress in a couple of pool games. They both played well, so it was entertaining to watch. After more beers at Voodoo, we paid a visit to Alley Cats, where the dart tournament was still in progress. Once Troy was eliminated from the tourney, we continued our bar crawl with a stop at Queen Victoria. Jim and Troy moved on to Lux, but I’d had enough and headed home.
I slept alone again. Heavy rains during the night woke me up twice. But with the sunrise the storm subsided.
I’m refraining for now from commenting on other aspects of my life until I get things sorted out. No need to rush to judgment.
Well, bit by bit, you’re settling in, at least. Food looks good. Keep working on that sear, though. Adding fat (via brushed-on butter, etc.) will give you a more pronounced sear. The heat needs to be aggressive so you cook the outside quickly while leaving the inside rare. Here’s a good article on perfect steaks, and here’s a pic of a nicely done steak from that article (especially the image on the right).
Continued good luck as you figure out what your new normal is.
Thanks for the link with grilling tips. The stakes are high! Those steaks in the photo are very thick. That’s hard to find here, especially in a ribeye. I do want to master the art of a good sear, but I don’t want to over (or under) cook the inside. A thin cut makes that more difficult, and with inflated prices for USDA beef (those four on the grill cost $70), I don’t get much opportunity to practice. The article mentioned searing at the end, which I’ll need to read more about.
Well, one big difference is that you’re now paying the rent. But beyond that…
Your time. Your pera. Your choice.
Cheers!
John,
Yeah, slice thinness is a problem, which is something the article mentions. Ideally, your steaks should be thicker. Stop buying them pre-packaged and go to a local butcher to control thickness. If you’re stuck with thin steaks, you could try a traditional searing method: quickly sear the hell out of the steaks to get the surfaces the right color, then place them in an oven-safe pan or tray and gently finish them in the oven. As that linked website recommends, a probe thermometer helps a lot with this process. Ideal internal temp for most beef is around 130F.
“Reverse searing” is exactly the opposite procedure: cook your steaks in the oven first (or sous vide them), then sear at the very end. Ever since I started sous vide-ing, this is the method I use, and it’s idiot-proof for me, which is good since I’m a steak idiot.
Whatever you do, good luck.