It's What's for Dinner

That's right, people. It's beef time.

But first, we have to butcher. As you know, this is my least favorite part of the class. Chef gives me this:

This is called deckle. It's the cover of the ribs and it is a very, very tough piece of meat. Chef told me to trim it and make it look somewhat appetizing.

This wasn't all of it... The bigger piece was on a different sheet pan. Anyway, I was in charge of tenderizing this meat. A large part of day 1 of beef was knowing the difference between the tender and tough cuts of meat. So, the deckle and chuck are much tougher than the shoulder or the first cut. The first cut of the ribs is the rib that is closest to the sirloin. According to Jewish law, the sirloin is not considered kosher, so the first cut is the closest thing we have to it.

I took the deckle and put on this FANTASTIC dry rub. I don't know everything that went in it, but I do know that it's one of the most incredible things I've tasted. Sugar, salt, and a ton of spices, is my guess. Anyway, after I put on the rub, I oiled the meat and placed it into an already smoking hot rondue. I browned the meat for about 10 minutes, flipping a few times, and then deglazed the pan with cider vinegar. Then added (homemade) barbecue sauce and some water to thin it out, and I boiled it hard. Once it came to a boil, I covered it tightly and put it in the oven for about an hour and a half. This meat will continue to get more and more tender the longer it's in the oven, but you just have to make sure it has enough liquid. The intention was that the meat would be in for 3 hours but we didn't have enough time. Once I removed the meat, I started shredding it. Can you guess what we're making? You'll see tomorrow!

Although this was really the meat of my job in the class, we also did a beef and broccoli to see how to work with extremely tender meat. We heated up the woks and added the beef for about two minutes, mixing constantly. The beef was removed and the sauce was started. Very chinese restaurant themed. Soy sauce, sesame oil, chilies, and a slurry (cornstarch dissolved in cold water) to act as a thickener. The beef was added back to the wok and everything was tossed together and served over rice.

Rice. Let's talk about rice. Some of you know, and I think I've mentioned it here before, I suck at making rice. It is my Everest. I got through rice day with no problem, and I had a feeling that was largely due to my buddy. It's much easier to get through a dish, even if you're making your own dish, with some moral support.

This day was a bit different. Every once in a while, Chef will ask an individual to make something on their own, kind of like he asked me to take care of the deckle. One day he asked someone to make a rice pilaf. Just put up a rice pilaf for us, please. The rice on that particular day did not come out as planned, and so, everyday after that, Chef asked that individual to make a rice pilaf until it was perfect. Just a disclaimer: that individual was not me.

Because of my history with rice, I have been petrified that Chef was going to casually asked me to make a rice pilaf, when I haven't made a rice since rice day. I don't remember the process, technique, or measurements and I'm very nervous that I was going to screw it up and Chef would have me make rice everyday for the rest of the summer. And then. He asked me. To make a rice pilaf. For the whole class.

My buddy and I were now on completely separate assignments for the entire day and it was a little disheartening. We didn't like it so much. But, I guess we have to prove that we can work independently, blah blah blah. Turns out, I didn't make enough rice, so Chef asked my buddy to make a double recipe, but for the time that I was making my rice, we were on different dishes.

Anyway, the water reduced by half and I covered it and put it in an oven at 300 for 20 minutes. When I took it out, I kept it covered until we were ready to serve with with the beef and broccoli. Then came the taste test.

Right on the money. That's a direct quote.

Mic drop.

Tip of the day: When braising your meat in a liquid, be sure to check on it and flip it. Also, make sure that your liquid is not reducing too much; you want plenty of liquid in with your meat to get it tender. If you see that you're running out of liquid, you can add more water or barbecue sauce and cover it tightly.