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Korean Grilled Beef (Bulgogi)

1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1 Pinch Salt
1 1/2 Pounds Boneless Sirloin Steak -- Trimmed of Fat
6 Scallions, Trimmed & Thinly Sliced
4 Cloves Garlic -- Finely Chopped
3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger -- Finely Chopped
3 Tablespoons Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice or Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Teaspoons Sugar
1 Generous Grinding of Black Pepper
In Korean restaurants, Bulgogi is often cooked with great theatrics at the tables, on a hot brass or iron shield.
In a small heavy skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until they begin to brown and have a toasted aroma. Transfer to a mortar, add salt and crush with a pestle. Set aside.
Score steak deeply (nearly through to the other side) in a 1-inch crisscross diamond pattern. Turn over and score the second side (do not worry if the meat breaks up into 2 or 3 pieces). cover with plastic wrap and pound lightly with a mallet or heavy pan to tenderize.
In a shallow dish large enough to hold the steak, combine scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar, pepper and the ground sesame seeds. Add the steak and turn to coat with the marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning from time to time.
This recipe may be placed in a freezer Ziplock bag or container and Frozen at this point.
HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS:
Cool before freezing
Defrost Overnight, In the Refrigerator, prior to grilling.
TO SERVE:
Prepare a hot charcoal fire. Once the coals are white-hot, remove the meat from the marinade and grill until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side. Slice into thin strips and serve at once. Serve with rice and oriental vegetables.

BEEF AND ANDOUILLE BURGERS WITH ASIAGO CHEESE

4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
8 ounces andouille sausages,* cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
2 large shallots, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
6 large sesame-seed hamburger buns
6 1/3-inch-thick slices red onion
Olive oil
1 cup coarsely grated Asiago cheese**
1 7- to 7 1/2-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

Finely chop sun-dried tomatoes in processor. Blend in mayonnaise and mustard. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
Finely chop andouille sausages in processor. Transfer to large bowl. Add beef, shallots, salt, pepper, and crushed fennel seeds. Stir with fork just until blended. Form mixture into six 1-inch-thick patties.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill hamburger buns until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter. Brush onion slices with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until golden, about 7 minutes per side. Grill hamburgers to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Sprinkle cheese over top of burgers.
Spread cut sides of hamburger buns with sun-dried-tomato mayonnaise. Top bottom halves of buns with hamburgers, then red peppers. Top with onion slices. Cover with top halves of buns and serve.
*Smoked pork-and-beef sausages, sold at specialty foods stores and supermarkets. Kielbasa can be substituted.

Garlic-Mustard Grilled Beef Skewers


1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin, halved and cut into 1-inch slices
6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
Garlic-Mustard Glaze, recipe follows
Heat grill to high. Skewer 2 pieces of the beef onto 2 skewers so that the meat lies flat. Brush the meat liberally on both sides with the Garlic-Mustard Glaze. Grill the meat for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked to medium-rare doneness, brushing with the remaining glaze while grilling. Remove from grill and serve.
Garlic-Mustard Glaze:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup grainy mustard
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.

Belgian Beef Stew

I know there is a different name for this, but I can't remember. I got it from a French friend, who made it a couple times a week in the winter.

In a heavy, large pot (not a stock pot), saute in olive oil one large onion or two medium ones. They do not have to be finely chopped, just sliced into slivers. Don't worry, they will disappear into the stew.

Remove onions from the pot using a slotted spoon, so the onion flavored olive oil remains. Toss in a pound or pound and a half of beef cubes, about one inch square (can be one and a half inches). Brown the beef. Put the onions back in, dust all with curry powder (up to you how much), add a cup or so of water, and cover on low heat for an hour or so.

After one hour, add a small beer or two (the small Heinikens are good, but you can use dark beer if you prefer). There should be enough beer to cover the stew. Simmer, covered, until the liquid has reduced to barely cover the stew. If the stew gets dry, add water or beef broth, not more beer. Stir it well, and in winter, if you have a closed porch, let it sit there covered in the pot until the next day when needed. You can use the refrigerator, of course.

To serve, just heat it up and serve with a couple of vegetable side dishes, and finish the meal with a green salad (nothing but greens, with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs of your choice). You can follow that with a cheese course, and a light dessert.

You will find the beef will be falling apart tender, no matter what cut you chose to use.

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The Ultimate Meatloaf!
Fear this meatloaf, for it owns you're meatloaf!
For this you'll need
1lb ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs/ crushed cheese and garlic croutons are awesome
too.
A couple dashes of garlic powder
1 squirt of BBQ sauce, or you can use A1 which is my favorite, or even honey
BBQ sauce.
1 large baking dish
1 large preferably glass bowl
1 egg.
Extras: I love my meat rubs. They are spectacular, I will list off my favorites as soon as I take a look in my cabinet.
Your favorite cheese to add at the end of the cooking process.
You can have mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, or any type of noodles and sauce that you would like.
Add the beef, bread crumbs, garlic powder BBQ sauce and any other meat rubs to the large mixing bowl along with the egg, it doesn't need to be mixed or anything, just put it right in, make sure there aren't any shells!, you'll have to get your hands in it and mix it up, then make one large ball almost, move it on to the pan and shape it to an oval shape. Pour some more BBQ sauce or whatever you're using on top of the meatloaf. Put it in the oven for 50 minutes, and then sprinkle some of your favorite cheese over it. Let it bake for 10 more minutes and it will be ready.
The best mashed potatoes: You'll need about 8-10 potatoes depending on how many people your serving, I normally serve about 5. Peel the potatoes and cut them into fours, then cut those pieces in half. Add them to a large pot of boiling water and cook them until they're soft, you can check by breaking it with a spoon against the pot.
Add about a cup of butter, and a little spill of milk, and a couple dashes of garlic, not too much though. Mash them preferably with a masher since beaters break the fibers and make them soupy.
For noodles, there are so many bags of packaged noodles that you just boil water milk and butter and add the noodles and cook them that they're perfect for this meal. Just pick out your favorite and cook it like normal.
For the best Mac and cheese, get a box of regular kraft's macaroni and cheese, cook it as usual and drain the noodles, put them back into the pot with some extra milk then you would normally, lots of butter, and add a couple slices of velveeta cheese. This makes it extra creamy with lots more cheese, since kraft never puts enough.
Enjoy your perfect meatloaf!