Black Steak

This one of my favorite steaks.

You can use any of the good cuts of steak but I like Rump.  On average Rump is slightly cheaper but to me it has just that little bit of extra flavor.  The trick is in selecting the right piece of steak when you buy it.  In a Supermarket you have to be a careful because the meat is pre-packed and they have very clever ways of packing it to make it look a hell of a lot better than it is.  Look for a whole piece that doesn’t have any bits folded underneath because logic says the best way to hide ugly bits is to tuck them out of sight.

There could be a couple of different segments in a piece of steak but what you are looking for is a steak that has been cut across the grain.  The easiest way I can think of to explain this is imagine someone who has just had their leg chopped off across the middle of their thigh.  Imagine the round section of thigh with a bone in the middle but it is not the shape or the bone you are interested in, it is the texture of the meat.  If you ever get the chance to see someone get their leg chopped off go and have a look, but you have to be quick because there is usually a lot of blood and they tend to hop around a bit.

The best steak will also have a rind of fat around one edge and the reason for this will become obvious later.

Now that you have chosen your piece of steak the rest is very simple.  I use Maggi Garlic stock and sprinkle it liberally over both sides of the steak.  There will still be blood in the steak and what the garlic powder does is absorb the blood and form a seal and here is the secret.  You leave that steak in the fridge until it goes Black.

On average this will take a minimum of couple of days but this will be determined by how thick the steak is and the depth of black you want.  Experiment with this till you get the combination you like!

When you finally get around to cooking it, get your Fry Pan medium to high heat wise.  This highly cultured piece of steak will be fairly rigid by now and this is where the rind of fat comes in.  You hold it up on edge in the pan with the fat facing down which greases the pan to prevent sticking.  When enough grease is generated just let the steak fall over and cook it as you would any other steak.

Conservation.  This method also helps conserve electricity as well because the longer you leave it in the fridge to go black the less you have to cook it?

Don’t knock it till you try it folks.

This may look like a whole heap of stuff, but you only need a little of each and if you do a little prep work you can actually make it look like you know what you are doing.
Hint
It’s a good idea to measure out the different quantities and put them into little containers because this Chowder doesn’t take long to cook and when you need to chuck this stuff in you need it handy so you can biff it in as the Chowder develops.
Quantities
You are going to have to experiment a little to suit your own tastes but here are some measures for a meal for six people.

Surimi; A medium handful. Surimi can be fairly overpowering so you don’t want to overdo it
Frozen Shrimps; Entirely up to you and how much you like shrimps and how much you wish to spend. I suggest 300 to 500grms for a serving of six.
Wet fish or Smoked Fish; 1 small fillet is all you need because like the Surimi you do not want the fish to overpower the taste, just be a part of it.
Fresh Muscles in the Shell; You will need 6 to 10 depending on the size but the important thing to remember when choosing them is only pick the closed ones. These are not only the fresher muscles; they also still retain all the juices which are going to be a major factor later on.
Spring Onion; 6 spring onions.
Potato; Two medium sized spuds. The spuds will absorb all the different flavours and is there not only to bulk out the servings but to give it texture as well.
Whole kernel Corn; Small tin.
Crushed Garlic: I use crushed garlic because it saves so much hassle, just spoon the bloody stuff in and again you be the judge as to how much you want to use.
Butter; 50 to 100grams
Milk; Have at least a couple of litres on hand.
Flour; 1/3 cup.

When I was single I had my scoring dishes and this one was right up there.

Used to go and catch the stuff or hold my breath to get it but now, sinking down to the bottom ain’t the problem, its coming back up. Going to the beach is still better than any good day at work but I am going to show you a very easy way to do this without getting your feet wet and you can chuck together an awesome feed at a very little cost.
For two people it has the potential to be a little more expensive, but the question has to be asked, “do you want to score or not?” For the rest of us, the more people we want to feed the cheaper it’s going to be.
Now let’s get down to the ingreedince, engri, stuff you need.

Surimi
Frozen Shrimps
Wet Fish or Smoked Fish (either or not both)

Fresh Muscles in the shell
Potato
Crushed Garlic
Spring Onion
Whole Kernel Corn
Butter
Flour
Milk
2 X 440ml cans of dark beer

Melt 50 to 100grams of butter on a low medium heat in a fairly large pot. A flat bottom is better. When the butter is melted, add the flour and stir into a paste. This will not take long and when it is starting to thicken add a little milk.
Keep adding milk slowly letting it cook until the white sauce is about half of what you think you will need and the next bit is the secret. Add half the juice from the muscles. Do not get carried away and chuck the whole lot in because this will bugger it (been there, done that) stick to the half measure.
Keep adding milk and stirring until you have what you think is enough white sauce.
Now is the time you can show your guests you are a cooking Guru. You start adding all the ingree, stuff like you really know what you are doing but you really do have to keep stirring it on a regular basis otherwise it will stick to the bottom (been there, done that) and it ain’t good.
Another handy hint is to add the spud last. The potato will absorb all the flavours so it’s best to blend all the tastes together first, because if you don’t the spud could take on too much of one and overpower the whole chowder.
After you have chucked in all the? Checked the bench to see you haven’t left anything out, bring it up to the heat you wish to serve it at.

• Thaw any of the frozen stuff out.
• Chop up the Surimi meat, small enough but not too small so that it can still keep its identity in the mix.
• Cube the potato (15mm X 15mm) and pre-cook in the microwave. Do not overcook them, leaving them firm so they do not turn to mush when added to the mix.
• Cook the muscles in the microwave until the shells open and the muscle shrinks to about ¾ of its original size. This is to ensure it is cooked and makes it easier to cut up. Take the muscles out of their shells, making sure to get rid of the hairy bit and chop them up.
• Chop the fish up how ever you like because it is going to disintegrate anyway and is only there basically for its flavour.
• Chop the spring onion fairly coarse so they can have their own identity in the mix as well. A handy hint when doing this is to cut them across the stem on an angle so the little buggers don’t go running off the chopping board. It is not a good look when you pick them up off the floor and chuck them back into the pot. (I could probably bullshit my way out of that, but you will not)
• Make sure you put all the different stuff in their own little containers. The reason for this will become very obvious later down the track.

To serve I prefer a deep bowl because this not only keeps it hot but directs all the aromas up into your face while you are eating it to add to the experience. Serve straight from the pot into the bowls because some poor bugger or buggerette has to wash the dishes and we want to keep them down to a minimum.
Serve with any crusty type bread and as with any bread the fresher the better.
The best wine to have with this is ?? I don’t know bugger all about wines so you’re on your own with this one!