Monday, November 22, 2010
Farmers' Markets An Elusive Steak Turns Up at Walnut Hills
Posted by Nicki Wood on Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 8:57 AM
Along with the flat iron, the Western Griller was one of the new steaks "discovered" by a beef-industry/universities of Florida and Nebraska initiative. There are a couple of others, too, including ranch and petite tip, that you just never see in the grocery store. And I'd never seen a Western Griller until Walnut Hills had it for sale, two big one-pound steaks in a package, about $10 each.
The Western Griller is cut from the bottom round. If you cook much beef, you know the bottom round is pretty chewy. And grass-fed beef can be chewier than grain-finished beef. Walnut Hills includes directions on cooking its beef, which is just to sear it for one minute on each side, then finish in a 200-degree oven to keep it below medium-rare and therefore tender.
Other sources recommend marinating, but I wanted to try it on its own, so I followed the directions, leaving it in the oven until it reached 146 degrees. The Western Griller has a mild, beefy flavor I don't usually associate with grass-fed. And it's chewy, not off-putting, but chewier than grain-fed.
Still, an exciting discovery. Next time I'll marinate, and maybe use a meat-pounder. But for sure, the Western Griller is coming home with me again.
