A Quest for the Perfect Steak - Part 2

 

Leaving Wyoming behind we headed north into eastern Montana’s Bighorn Country and the present-day Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations, wandering the sites of the Battle of Rosebud Creek on June 17, 1876, and the Battle of Little Bighorn a week later, on June 25-26, 1876.  The area is also home to a number of beef-producing ranches and once again we worked up a good hunger when we finished the day in Billings,

That evening we visited a small steak and seafood joint near our hotel where I ordered  bone-in short ribs.   Technically not a steak, the meat off these ribs is not as tender as the meat of a steak.  This narrow beef cut is shorter than traditional ribs so they do not make for good steaks, but the bone imparts such wonderful flavor so how could I not at least give them a try as part of my quest.  “Variety is the very spice of life.”  Plate short ribs (ends of the back ribs higher up on the animal are referred to as flanken ribs) are found near the breastbone in the chuck of an animal (above the front leg shanks).   These short ribs have a nice layer of fat-laced meat sitting on top and were slow smoked and braised and served with roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes, and finished with a red wine Bordelaise sauce.  The braising transformed these ribs into a tender, succulent, fall-off-the-bone chef-d’oeuvre.  Braised short ribs are a good source of protein and a number of essential vitamins and minerals.  There is no reason to be concerned about rendering out the fat as the collagen from the connective tissue to the bone provides a moist texture for the meat and the rendering makes for a good sauté for the roasted vegetables as was the case with this meal.

The next day we traveled west across Montana skirting Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park and that evening we ended up in Gateway, Montana along the Gallatin, River.  Dinner was at the Corral Steakhouse attached to the motel where we were staying.  I had noticed the place a few years earlier when I was attending a conference in nearby Big Sky and I made a mental note to try it the next time we were in the area.   I ordered the 16 ounce Delmonico steak (a boneless ribeye steak in this instance) served with a rather large baked potato.  One does not frequently find it on the menu and it had been years since I had one.  I jumped at the chance.

A Delmonico steak, first popularized by Delmonico's restaurant in New York City during the mid-19th century, is a thick-cut preparation (normally 1-2 inches), one of several steak cuts although most frequently a boneless ribeye although there is some disagreement whether it should be served boneless or bone-in.   It is always a high-quality piece of meat with plenty of marbling from somewhere in the rib or short loin section of the animal It was.  Because of its thickness, a Delmonico cut can be tougher than a standard ribeye and some chefs will marinate the steak for a few hours before cooking.  It is best to sear the steak for 3-4 minutes on each side to seal in the juices and prevent the steak from drying out, or it can be grilled or broiled quickly in a medium high heat to an internal temperature of 130-140 degrees for medium rare.

Our explorations in south central Montana led to dinner at the Grand Hotel, a quaint inn dating back to the 1890s, in Big Timber, a small hamlet half way between Billings and Bozeman.  I ordered one of its signature dishes, a grilled rack of herbed lamb served with balsamic raspberry mint and accompanied by a very fine Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.  I rarely have an opportunity to enjoy a well-prepared rack of lamb and it was a delightful meal . . . and a break from red meat. 

Out next stop was Bozeman where we visited old neighbors from back home in Maryland.  We had a chance to further explore this funky university town after which we enjoyed a drive through Paradise Valley south of Livingston in the shadow of the noble Absaroka Mountains.  This  followed by a spa afternoon at Chico Hot Springs near Emigrant Gulch.  That evening we returned to Livingston where we joined another couple for dinner at the  Montana Steak & Chop House where I ordered a 16 ounce Angus New York Strip served with garlic mushrooms and broccoli; yet another cut the bona fides for which come from that great Eastern metropolis far from the nearest herds of beef cattle.    

The strip steak is a cut from the short loin.  It is muscle that does little work which makes the meat particularly tender although not to the degree of the tenderloin.  The abundant internal marbling (although perhaps not as much as found in quality ribeye steak) gives the meat a robust flavor and a New York Strip is one of the tastiest steaks on the market.  It also has a thick and course stria of fat running down one side that is not that edible but should always be left on during cooking to lend its flavor to the meat.  A thick cut New York Strip can also be served Delmonico-style and most often boneless.  There is an advantage to leaving the bone attached.  It insulates the meat while cooking, which allows the steak to retain moisture as its marrow infuses the meat with extra flavor.  Since the bone heats to a higher temperature that the meat, that portion of the steak closest to the bone will cook slower than the rest of the steak.  A well prepared strip steak to medium rare can be complimented with a light seasoning applied before cooking 7-10 minutes on each side to an internal temperature of 140 degrees.  I am not completely sure whether it was the food or the company we enjoyed most, but this was a particularly memorable meal with a fine cut of meat enjoyed with some locally brewed beers. 

The following day we continued our road trip north and east of Bozeman as we made out way across Montana toward the Dakotas.  This is some stunning country with scattered cattle ranches but very little in the way of civilization until we reached Miles City on the banks of the Yellowstone River where we spent the night.  We settled in and then drove into town to wander around looking for an interesting place to eat when we stumbled on the Montana Bar with its marvelous Montana-shaped neon sign.  Founded in 1908 the bar was still in the midst of celebrating of its centennial and this seemed like an excellent choice for dinner.   We bellied up to the polished wooden bar installed in 1912 and after a couple cold beers I decided to order the 16 ounce marinated T-Bone steak.  Whereas a Porterhouse steak is cut from the rear end of the short loin and thus include more tenderloin steak, along with (on the other side of the bone) a large strip steak, a T-bone steak is cut closer to the front, and contains a smaller section of tenderloin.

Depending on who you talk to there is a question whether it is necessary to marinate a steak, especially a good quality steak.  It is not a requirement to marinate a steak although most cuts can benefit from it if done properly.   A marinade adds flavor, and the acids they contain can aid in tenderizing the meat.  Should one decide to use a marinade, it is best not to do it for longer than eight hours as the acids will then begin to break down the proteins in the outer layers of the steak.  A 1-2 inch thick T-bone steak is best seared over a high heat to seal in the juices and assure the best flavor.  A light coating of oil and a modest seasoning will aid in charring as the steak cooks 7-8 minutes on each side until the internal temperature of the strip portion reaches 150 degrees.   As with any bone in steak, the meat cooks slower closer to the bone and since the two portions of T-bone steak differ in size close attention is required to make sure the smaller tenderloin portion does not overcook.

We continued our eastward journey the next day, pausing for a time to explore Joe, Montana - http://lookingtowardportugal.blogspot.com/2009/02/road-to-joe.html - before passing into the North Dakota Badlands made famous in the writings of Theodore Roosevelt who ran a cattle operation near Medora.  I took a breather from my steak quest and ordered a grilled chicken breast that evening in Dickenson, some excellent Chinese fare the following night in Watertown, and another well-prepared broiled walleye fillet the following night in Sioux Falls (we were back in South Dakota after all).  This pause in my quest should not be interpreted in any way as me having tired of eating well prepared steaks (and every one so far had met my expectations).  I knew full well what lay in store for me.  

Our long road trip was winding down as we left Sioux Falls the following morning traveling west again to visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota where I was in corn dog heaven.  Breakfast was only a couple hours behind us, and lunch time still seemed far off, yet we ordered a couple corn dogs - real honest-to-goodness corn dogs from the heart of America’s Corn Belt - which we savored there is the bowels of the Corn Palace.  After all, they are tube steaks; big, fat corn dogs at $1.50 each!  Mmmmmmm.  I can still taste them.  Afterwards continued southwest, passing through the Yankton Lakota Sioux reservation and crossing the Missouri River for a second time on this trip at the Fort Randall Dam.  The rest of that day we paralleled the Niobrara River as it flows across northern Nebraska until we arrived back in Valentine for the night.  Oh yes, we returned to the Peppermill Restaurant where I enjoyed yet another 32 ounce Porterhouse and another long walk through town afterwards.  It did not disappoint.    

We took a couple more days working our way southeast back to Omaha to catch our flight home, but before we left I made a promise to myself that we would enjoy our last meal of the trip at Johnny’ Café adjacent to what had once been Omaha’s Union Stockyard.  Founded in 1883 it was second only to the Chicago stockyard in livestock and beef production in the United States.  It finally closed in 1999.  Johnny’s first opened in 1922 and for many years has been considered the best steakhouse in Omaha where steak is king.  What better place for our final meal of the trip?   Johnny's is famous for its hand-cut beef selections aged-on-the-premises.  The lunch menu was somewhat limited, but they offered slow roasted prime rib of beef au jus sliced to order every day, all day, and so it was not difficult to decide.  And who can forget their special onion rings?

Prime rib, also known as standing rib roast, may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs from the back end of the rib cage.  They surround an “eye” of meat in the center which is juicy, tender, and encased in fat-marbled muscle with a thick cap of fat.  Prime rib can tend to be on the expensive side since this section of the animal is relatively small, and many consider it to be the best cut off the animal.  It is good source of protein, the vitamin B complex, niacin, and iron.  Since prime rib is technically a roast and not a steak, cooking time and temperature is based on the weight of the roast and the level of doneness desired.  Dry-brining the meat the day before cooking will enhance its tenderness and flavor and will allow for a nice crust on the roast which is cooked bone side down in a large roasting pan.  It’s best to roast at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes for each pound until the interior temperature reaches 110 degrees.  Covered and rested the meat will continue to cook for medium rare to an interior temperature of 120-125 degrees due in part to the heat coming off the bones.

This might explain why steaks appear on regular menus while prime rib is only offered as a daily special and for as long as it lasts; it is more time and labor intensive.  So it was a treat to find Johnny’s Café serving it daily and sliced to order.  What a splendid way to end my quest to find the perfect steak.  Each of the cuts I sampled were delicious in their own right and it would be difficult to choose one based on taste and the manner in which it was prepared.  Each should be enjoyed for what it offers the diner.   When I set off on our journey I had my eyes set on the Peppermill’s porterhouse praised by Jim Harrison.  A man of discriminating tastes, he claimed it was the best steak he had ever eaten and I wanted to see for myself.   It was indeed something special.  Memorable to be sure.  So much so I ordered it twice.

As I finish writing this my dear mother has sent me six filet mignons from Omaha Steaks for my birthday.  Their meat is only from grain-fed cattle raised in the American heartland so some good eating lies ahead.