"Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you!" ~Tommy Smothers

Tonight's feast - I prepared some ribeye steaks for myself and my lovely girlfriend.  She's getting much better at eating steaks prepared properly (and not insisting on all the flavor and juices to be grilled out of it i.e. "well done"), which I'm very appreciative of.  Almost as appreciative as I am toward Hilltop Pastures Family Farm for providing such tasty beef.  They're a local Minnesota farm who delivers to farmer's markets around the twin cities.  They have fantastic meat (every cut you can imagine) and farm raised eggs.  You can visit them at www.hilltoppasturesfamilyfarm.com or contact them directly to get added to their e-mail list (which I highly recommend - once a month or so frequency, always great content) - just e-mail hpff@myclearwave.net.

Seasoned with salt and fresh ground pepper, I was ready to get started - I tried out a new cast-iron skillet on my grill to see if I could get a nice sear around the steak.  Turned out alright, although I might have to look into a smooth-surfaced skillet next to get a nice sear across the entire steak.  

I love the idea of having a steakhouse quality steak at home - but I think it's a quest that may take a long time.  Until that day, I can always count on my home away from home in Minneapolis (Manny's), Chicago (Gibson's), and New York (Abe & Arthur's). 

For tonight - the steaks turned out delicious.  A little too much pepper, and not quite as much as the seared outside as I was looking for - but all in all cooked to a nice medium rare (5 minutes on each side at 550* - enjoyed with a nice Cabernet. 


Thinking about buying a smoker this weekend and spending some quality time with a brisket.  Any suggestions?  Post a comment and let me know which are the best smoker brands to try!