ROCKET FROM THE
CRYPT:
APOLLO NINE
Short excerpt from ChinMusic! #5
Though
mostly considered as Quizmaster of the Pop Quiz and Sax-man for perhaps
America's Finest Rock Outfit, Rocket From The Crypt's Apollo Nine is also a
retired butcher. We took a minute or two to ask his opinion on the grilling
arts.
What meats work best on the grill?
"Almost any meat will work on the grill
with proper marination. The best are your obvious ones: filet mignons,
rib-eyes, new yorks, porterhouses and t-bones, ya know, the expensive ones.
Obviously the filet is the top of the line, but who wants to pay those prices.
As far as the battle between rib-eyes and new york strips go, I'd go with a
strip. They usually run about the same price but rib-eyes tend to have a lot of
fat in their marbling. As with all steaks, you want some marbling, but not a
lot. So when you're picking a strip, look for some marbling. (It'll look like
white veins in the meat.) It'll be more tender. A T-bone is basically a strip
with a bone in it. Some will argue that the bone adds flavor and tenderness to
the meat. I wouldn't necessarily argue that point, but realize you're paying
for a bone. (And most people grilling steaks flood their meat with ketchup,
A-1, Worcester, BBQ sauce, etc. anyway.) At any rate, porterhouses are better
than T-bones, anyway. Porterhouses are T-bones with another steak on the
smaller side of the "T". That other steak is the filet, so look for a
big one. Their price is no joke either, though. I can't remember the last time
I had a porterhouse only because the price per pound is ridiculous.
These are the best ones only because they'll be tender
with little or no preparation. And as everybody knows, they cost more, so
they must be better. Duh."
What if you're trying to maximize the "cut-per-dollar" ratio?
"The best for the money is tri-tip
roasts, especially if you're having a lot of people. I think many people think
they like steaks a lot more than they actually do. (they're like The Who in
that way). So you grill up one of these roasts, cut it up into thin slices and
let people pick at it. By the time the grilling is done, your guests are so
loaded on liquor and/or so full of chips and salsa, they won't give a shit.
That means steak sandwiches for your lunch that week. If you must have your
meat in "steak" form, get bottom sirloin. It's essentially a tri-tip
cut into steaks. They're really tender and generally, really cheap. Probably
the best kept secret in a butcher shop. (Besides what we do with leftover
spleen, you burger lovers don't wanna know.) If you wanna go mid price, I think
the top sirloin is the most underrated steak in the world. It's completely
versatile. If you have time to marinade it properly, and not over cook it, it's
great."
Is there anything you would suggest as a good
marinade?
"Marinades are all a matter of taste.
Generally, I like salt, pepper and garlic. But I've been known to soak a steak
in Worcester (great with burgers!) or make a carne asada type thing. (Top
sirloin works really good for that. If you need a lot, buy the whole sirloin
and have your butcher slice it thin for you. It'll be cheaper.) For asada I
just use salt, pepper, oranges , lemons and some beer. But I wouldn't recommend
any of this to anyone. It really is up to you. Actually I've had those carne
and pollo asada CostCo bags before and they're pretty good. And just last week
I tried a Bill Bailey brand teriyaki tri-tip bag from CostCo and it was really
good, so you know, what do I know?"
Back to Downtown
Slates, Slags, Merchandise, etc.
Writers Never Sleep!
to ChinMusic #3
