Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Last summer, we made this delightful Bon Appetit recipe. I forgot to record it at the time and kept trying to find the recipe online. I remembered that it was a Malaysian-style dish, but because Bon Appetit didn't have "Malaysian" in the title, my half-hearted attempts to find it bore no fruit. Finally, I used the power of Google and, somewhat embarrassingly, found the recipe in 5 seconds.

I basically don't eat steak out anymore. It's just... I can make it better, reliably.

Quick guide: Sear :30/:30; Near heat: 3/3m Smoke 1.5/1.5, Sear :30/:30, Rest 3

Sourcing

I only buy the "Natural" (no antibiotics, grass fed, grain finished) prime, bone-in delmonico (ribeye) steak from Canales Quality Meats in Eastern Market here in DC. Grass fed beef is much leaner than grain, but with an amazing taste - and, it's better for you, with a much better balance of Omega fatty acids. Get the most marbled cut you can find, but realize that it'll still be about half as marbled as a grain-fed steak. And for the love of all things tasty, get the bone in.

Preparation

Up to four days ahead, but ideally at least 24 hours, rinse the steak and pat dry. Wrap in cheesecloth (~1 layer per day). Place it on a rack in the top back of your fridge. This is an at-home method to dry-age your cut, and it tenderizes the meat and deepens the flavor. Watch a video on the technique here: http://lifehacker.com/5865849/dry+age-steak-at-home-for-steakhou... . Vary the smoke/indirect heat time by the aging length - the more aged the meat, the closer to 1.5mins/side you want. For a steak you bought today, I'd move that to 2-3 mins/side.

Two hours before you're going to put it on the grill, take it out and unwrap the steak. Plop it down on some waxed paper and salt both sides (I like using a bit of alderwood smoked salt and some kosher salt, about a teaspoon or two per side). Let it sit - it will juice and then re-absorb, bringing in the smoke and salt flavors deep into the meat.

This recipe just sort of happened one day. We had some miscellaneous items we wanted to use up, and it turned out delicious! The amounts used here served 2.

Ingredients
Salmon (1/2-2/3 lb)
Southwestern seasonings (blend of salt, chipotle, dash chili powder, cumin, dash of coriander, lime juice)

Corn (1 ear)
Tomato (1 med, chopped)
Onion (1/2 small, chopped)
Cilantro (about 1/2 cup, separated from stalks)
Salsa / hot sauce (about 2 tbsp)
Lime (juice from 2 limes)

We generally followed this recipe, except we used a whole chicken and only cut up the breasts and thighs. We left the wings and drumsticks in tact, and just ate them. It being winter, we just broiled the whole thing for about 10-15 minutes, though traditionally this recipe would be skewered and BBQ'd.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut into piece parts; breasts and thighs cut into pieces

SATAY MARINADE:
1/4 cup minced lemongrass, fresh or frozen (if using fresh, use only the soft inner part)

This was a very yummy grilled lamb recipes. The lamb were tender and the mint glaze was excellent on top.