2011 week - day 3

Pork loin medallions

Chuck steak

Well, clearly yesterday was a highlight of everyone's week on my blog. If I had had any fewer comments I'd have had to write some myself under aliases. I confess I am very disappointed. I don't need lengthy comments, I need to know you 've been here.
Day 3 was intended to be something comletely different. But then Chris (http://www.nibblemethis.com/) posted a technique for cooking steak called reverse searing (hope I've got that correct). I didn't find steak I could afford, but I did have a small top sirloin pork roast. I cut it into four pieces, two of which were 1 1/2 inch thick and the others, from the narrower end, were less and have been set aside for another purpose.

Chris' technique is simple and precise. He doesn't seem to do brine, but may have done marinade. I brined my pork for 3-plus hours, then rinsed and dried it and seasoned it liberally with paprika, cayenne, and some black pepper. Please note: no additional salt after the brining. I used a very simple and inexpensive non-stick skillet and melted 1 Tbs butter in about the same amount of olive oil. I stuck my electronic temp probe into the thickest of the medallions and sauteed them over quite low heat for about 10 minutes, turned it over and let it go until it reached an internal temp of 130 degrees. This would have been too much for beef, but not for pork.

Next the pork was set aside and the heat under the pan increased to medium high until it began to smoke. From here on things moved quickly. One minute per side raised the temp of the pork to 140, at which point we put it on our serving plates. Its resting period took place while we ate salad and corn on the cob.

The first bite of the pork sent me into a fugue state of palatal ecstasy (when's the last time anyone use a phrase like that in a blog?). The first thing I thought of upon waking this morning was the taste and texture of that pork.

Check Chris' blog for this technique is for use with steak on a grill. You will not be sorry. You will start a new religion.

Tonight, as I had this posting prepared, I made a nice piece of chuck steak a la Chris. The man might not have invented the process, but his ability to communicate and reproduce it makes him a genius. My Chuck Steak a la Chris was fantastic. 'Nuff said.

The whole raison d'etre for blogging has been validated by what several of you have done this week. You have no greater fan than me when you do that job.