Did you know that droolworthy is a word? Well it is, it’s in the Oxford dictionary and everything. And if you’re a lover of steak, and cookbooks about steak, droolworthy just may be the most perfect word to describe Rob Firing’s latest offering, Steak Revolution, on bookstore shelves now, just in time for grilling season.
All Cuts, All ways-Perfect Every Time is the subtitle to this cookbook, and indeed, Mr Firing brings backyard and cottage steak grilling to a whole new level. The book is divided into three sections: Part One: Steak Essentials, Part two: The Recipes, Steak By Steak and Part Three: Incredible Sides, Salads and Desserts. In several well-organized chapters steak enthusiasts learns how to pick and choose the best steaks from their favourite butcher; classics like Sirloin, Striploin and Porterhouse to perhaps less familiar cuts that are a little easier on the pocketbook like Bavette, Culotte, Hanger and Flank steaks. Another chapter discusses the three best ways to cook steak- grilling, frying and reverse-searing.
Whole Flat Iron in Fresh Herbs
Have you ever been intimidated by the prospect of slicing and serving your grilled masterpiece? Fret not, as an entire chapter, complete with clear and easy to follow photographs illustrates the best way to slice and serve. A bavette steak, for example, is more tender if sliced across the grain rather than with the grain as it shortens the fibres to just the width of the slice. Not sure which knife to use? Don’t worry, Mr Firing has you covered.
Pan-fried Skirt with capers, blistered cherry tomatoes and smash-fried potatoes
Other sub chapters are devoted to the ins and outs of cooking on wood, charcoal and gas grills, and the book is bursting with tips and topics worth discussing; The Searing Myth, The truth About Fat, Salt-Water Brine, Grill Maintenance, and What about my Big Green Egg? Of course, this is a cookbook, not a textbook. Though chapters and sub-chapters may be devoted to subjects like, “Crust, Fat, Juice-The three Elements of Perfect Steak,” “Great Moments in Steak,” “Grass-fed vs Grain-fed,” and “Why Medium-Rare Matters” the real excitement in this book is to be found in the recipes themselves, each specific to a certain cut of steak, and employing the best cooking method for that particular cut. “Honey-Glazed Bavette with chipotle yogurt,” “Cherry Grilled Tri-Tip,” “Rib Steak with Brown butter parsnip mash and caramelized leeks,” are just three of the dozens of recipes that will keep your heart racing.
Fried Plantain, toasted coconut and ice cream
And it’s not just about meat. Rob Firing is also the mastermind and co-author of “The Everyday Squash Cook”, the wildly successful squash primer that no home should be without. So he knows how to treat veggies right too, and includes recipes for Rosemary and Thyme Hasselback Potatoes, Pan-roasted Squash and Onions, Grilled Whole Plantain, to name just a few, as well as his favourite summertime desserts.
If you’re just starting out your love affair with steak, or you’ve been hitched for years and want to spice up your love life, this beautiful and yes, droolworthy book is this summer’s must-have. Vive la revolution!