Okay, I hate the name. Slapping anyone’s granny sounds like a horrible idea to me. But that’s what it’s called so we’ll go with that.

This steak is apparently “so good you’ll wanna slap your granny.” You marinate your steaks in a yummy Worcestershire/soy concoction inside a bag until it’s good and infused with flavor. Then you grill them.

Hold onto your Hoverround chair, cuz this stuff is good!

Don’t those look brimming with flavor???

Here’s the skinny on this recipe from “Stay At Home Dad” over at Hubpages.com.  Enjoy! (And please, don’t really slap your granny. She’s a nice lady.)

Slap Your Grandma Good!

I am not an advocate of violence and I have never actually slapped my grandmother, but this steak recipe is so good I wanted to make sure the title would get your attention.

This recipe is a variation of the one my mom taught me. I have spent years perfecting it and my wife loves it. I have designated it my ‘go to recipe’ when I have done something to upset her. It is quick and easy and guaranteed to produce the best steak you’ve ever had!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Marinate time: 1-3 hours (depending on the cut of beef)

Cook time: 10-15 minutes (depending on the cut of beef and thickness)

The Marinade

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (I think Lea & Perrin’s is best)

1/3 cup soy sauce ( I use Kikkoman’s)

1/2 cup A-1 steak sauce

3 Tbls. McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning

*A little fresh minced garlic is optional- but also very good!

I should say that I NEVER measure anything when I put this together. The measurements here are merely suggestions. My only advice is to go a little lighter on the soy than the Worcestershire. I use the soy to take a little of the ‘sweetness’ out of the Worcestershire.

Marinating in the Bag

The Steak

If you don’t have a favorite steak, I highly recommend the Ribeye. It isn’t the most expensive cut, but you cannot beat the flavor. This recipe is for two ribeye steaks- adjust accordingly if you are cooking more.

How to put it all Together

In a large zip lock bag combine all the ingredients and slosh around a bit to mix thoroughly. Add the steaks and zip the bag closed. Slosh around a bit more and be sure to coat each steak completely and refrigerate. For ribeyes, it is best not to marinate for more than two hours. I have marinated for 30 minutes if I am in a hurry, but a 1-2 hours is best.

You may need to experiment a little with the marinade times on other steaks. The following times are what I use when I splurge for more expensive cuts:

1-3 hours are best for strips

1-2 hours for Porterhouse and T-bones

30 minutes or less for Filets

I normally turn the bag over 2 or 3 times while they marinate, but it isn’t necessary. About 20 minutes before you put them on the grill, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and allow them to warm to room temperature.

Time to Light the Grill

I use a Weber charcoal grill when I cook steaks. After you light the grill and allow the coals to begin to ash on each corner, push all the coals to the outside edge of the grill. I have found the best results when I cook the steaks over the center of the grill, not directly above the coals. I have heard this referred to as ‘indirect’ cooking. If you use a gas grill, preheat on highest setting, then reduce to low heat. You may need to adjust your cook times on a gas grill.

*I never cook steaks without baked potatoes. I recommend using large russets and I have a great way to prepare them while the steaks are cooking. I’ll let you in on my secret at the bottom of this post…

Grill set up

Cooking Tips and Times

After many years of trial and error, I broke down and bought a meat thermometer. It was the best $10 I ever spent.

For best flavor, do not remove any fat prior to cooking. Place steaks in the middle of the grill. We prefer our ribeyes cooked medium rare. For steaks cut ¾ inches thick, do not cook more than 5 minutes per side. I try to only turn my steaks once during cooking. ALWAYS use tongs to handle steaks. To insure juiciness, never pierce the steaks while cooking. Keep the lid on the grill as much as possible. After approximately 8 minutes, I use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. Steaks will heat up to an additional 10 degrees after you remove them from the grill, so for medium rare remove the meat from the grill when the temperature at the thickest section reaches 135F. If you do not have a meat thermometer, DO NOT cook more than 10 minutes. You can always put them back on if they are not cooked enough.

On the grill

Suggested Temperatures for Doneness

145F for medium rare

160F for medium

170F for well done

Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Baked Potato Secret

For two large baked potatoes:

Pierce each potato through with a knife in 2-3 places

Microwave two potatoes for 5 minutes on each side (10 minutes total)

Wrap with aluminum foil and place directly on the coals about 10 minutes before the steaks go on

Turn the potatoes once about the same time you turn the steaks

There is no set amount of time to leave the potatoes on the coals, but a minimum of 20 minutes is what I recommend. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Hubpages.com.

It’s almost Turkey Day and I’ve — okay, my whole family has — been having fun with the word “brine.”

It rhymes with lots of great things. Case in point . . .

“It’s time to brine so get me some wine and everything’ll be fine.”

That may or may not have actually been uttered last night during the brining process.

The word “brine” also can replace other words and instantly leave an air of mystery. A la . . .

“If you don’t stop all that ruckus I’m going to brine your behind.”

What does that mean? I’m not really sure, but it gets the job done.

We also like to use the word with a thick Southern drawl . . .

“Brine me that spatula, son.”

So, getting down to business, what exactly is brining? In short, it’s soaking meat in a salt solution — like marinating. In this case, the meat is a turkey and the mixture includes more than salt and water. And it helps the turkey to cook up really moist and flavorful.

You can read more about brining here.

So naturally, the “brine” is the mixture you soak the meat in. And here is the recipe for ours (it’s been passed around from friend to friend to friend for a few years but we understand that it came from Bon Appetit in November 1997.)

Turkey Brine

6 quarts water
2 large onions, quartered
1 cup coarse salt
1 cup choppped fresh ginger
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
4 large bay leaves
4 whole star anise
12 whole black peppercorns, crushed

Combine ingredients in a very large pot. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Cool brine completely.

Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in brine, pressing to submerge. Chill overnight, turning turkey twice.

Remove turkey from brine, discard brine. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place orange wedges in main cavity. Mix olive oil and sesame oil in a small bowl. Brush over turkey.

Arrange breast side upon grill, centering above empty pan. Cover, cook until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, about 3 hours depending on the size of your turkey.

Here’s my husband doing the Vanna White thing with our brine. Kind of looks like a witches’ brew.

You notice the bay leaves and onions first. But see those brown things on the left that look like starfish? Those are the whole star anise. They smell like licorice — and with good reason. A chemical compound called anethol makes it smell and taste like licorice.

Now, rest assured, your turkey will not taste like licorice. It’s just a spicy flavor that helps give the brine a great taste.

So, we made up the brine and let it cool Tuesday night of Thanksgiving week. At the end of the evening when it was perfectly cool we rinsed off our turkey and lined a styrofoam cooler with a trash bag. Classy, eh?

We submerged the turkey, twisted the bag shut and put the cooler’s lid on. Then, we slipped that cooler into the refrigerator to let it work its magic over the next day.

We will turn it twice to make sure the entire turkey gets its fair share of briny goodness.

Then, we’ll cook it up Thanksgiving morning according to the recipe above.

We’ve done this on Thanksgiving AND Christmas for the past 3 years and we love the way the turkey turns out. We’ve never had it this moist and tasty before.

I’ll post photos of the final product here after Thanksgiving.

Until then, I’ll be brining for you . . .

(See what I did there? “Brining” instead of “pining?”  Aww, forget it.)