OT: Wine pairing

[AngryScientist]

So, thanks to Veloduffer, the wife and i went out yesterday afternoon and procured a couple of delicious looking porterhouse steaks!!

planning on grilling them tonight over some hardwood charcoal. garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies.

what wine should i pick up on the way home??

(i live close to a huge wine superstore, if you can name it, chances are they've got it, or something close in store, within reason, of course)

[R2D2]

I don't know your taste, but had to beat a good Cali Cab with a grilled steak.

[Serotta PETE]

Depends on your likes.

Give Mike a call at cyclesport or maybe jack Brunk will be on forum today. Both are experts on RED!


Some I like are Prisoner, ALexander Valley, Dirt Digger, and Malbec from Argentina. But then I am a lush!!!!


Have a wonderful dinner. PETE

[AngryScientist]

Pete - i am a huge malbec fan also, and also a lush! (don'd say it like it's a bad thing :D !)


i may just wander around the wine store and see what strikes my fancy.

[Nooch]

Nick, if you can find it, you cannot beat Turnbull Old Bull for the money -- It's a red blend, phenomonal. Another tasty blend is Cline Cashmere, for a few bucks less.

As mentioned, you can't beat a california cab with steak, ATMO.

A bit more, you could go for a Faust Cab, another one of my favorites, but on the spendy side for my meager budget.

[R2D2]

Pete - i am a huge malbec fan also, and also a lush! (don'd say it like it's a bad thing :D !)


i may just wander around the wine store and see what strikes my fancy.

If browsing you can ask the advice of those on the floor. Or read the shelf talkers. Wine Advocate (Parker) ratings are fairly reliable. Most ratings high 80's and above are very enjoyable. But prices sky rocket when points are in the high 90's.
Steven Tanzer's opinions are also very good and a little more conservative than Parker's. Wine Spectaor can be all over the place but if all 3 agree you're pretty safe.

If you want a thick massive wine you can always go Australian Shiraz but sometimes they can be too much and smoother the dinner. A lot of chefs prefer off vintages when serving Bourdeaux as it lets the meal take center stage.

Have a great dinner!

[flydhest]

If you want to go a different direction, Priorat.
Full, yet a bit of scratchy rusticity that I love with porterhouse. Given that Porterhouse has both the strip and the filet, Going all-out big, burly red may not be the best call. It will work for the strip, more fat and flavor, but for the filet, it will overpower it. Keep the bifurcated nature of the steak in mind when cooking. let the filet be slightly off to the side so it doesn't get overcooked.

[johnmdesigner]

This cooking technique has been working well for me. You probably have your own.

1. Meat out of fridge 1 hour before cooking.
2. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Coat both sides generously with coarse sea salt.
4. Place steaks on elevated mesh allowing air to circulate around both sides.
5. Let rest.

This will make a nice outer crust that will lock in the juices.
After cooking, allow 5-8 minutes before cutting to keep the juices in the meat. Patience is the hardest part.
Invite me over to share! :D

[Nooch]

Invite me over to share! :D

Yeah, you might as well just set a place for all of us, really...

[AngryScientist]

Yeah, you might as well just set a place for all of us, really...

ha!

dinners at the house are rather interesting lately, with the new little guy interested in everything now...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ka7onx9kW5E/TnkoujK76vI/AAAAAAAAANg/aWa9Cqeyks0/s320/DSCN2653.JPG

[maxn]

many Côtes du Rhône pair well with steaks.

[Ken Robb]

This cooking technique has been working well for me. You probably have your own.

1. Meat out of fridge 1 hour before cooking.
2. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Coat both sides generously with coarse sea salt.
4. Place steaks on elevated mesh allowing air to circulate around both sides.
5. Let rest.

This will make a nice outer crust that will lock in the juices.
After cooking, allow 5-8 minutes before cutting to keep the juices in the meat. Patience is the hardest part.
Invite me over to share! :D

Some innocent questions about your technique:
1- I guess this is so the middle cooks before the outside gets too charred. OTOH if you had a thinner steak would you leave the meat in the refrigerator until cooking so you could get a charred exterior and a red interior? Is there another reason that I should know?
2+3 Why pat it dry? Wouldn't the salt stick better to moist meat?
4-I never thought of this but I can see where it might preserve the coating you created in step 3.
5-This is almost always recommended. Do you cover the meat with foil during the rest period? Doesn't the steak get pretty cool? I guess it depends on how thick the cut. A rib roast certainly benefits from resting but I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer a sizzling steak right off the grill. Any juices that run off when I cut into the meat stay on my plate where I can dip the meat on its way to my mouth.

[johnmdesigner]

Some innocent questions about your technique:
1- I guess this is so the middle cooks before the outside gets too charred. OTOH if you had a thinner steak would you leave the meat in the refrigerator until cooking so you could get a charred exterior and a red interior? Is there another reason that I should know?
2+3 Why pat it dry? Wouldn't the salt stick better to moist meat?
4-I never thought of this but I can see where it might preserve the coating you created in step 3.
5-This is almost always recommended. Do you cover the meat with foil during the rest period? Doesn't the steak get pretty cool? I guess it depends on how thick the cut. A rib roast certainly benefits from resting but I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer a sizzling steak right off the grill. Any juices that run off when I cut into the meat stay on my plate where I can dip the meat on its way to my mouth.

For me its just easier to pat sea salt onto a moist steak. Too wet and I have a hard time getting it to stick.
Basically this produces a "charred" crust with pink meat on the inside.
It's works well for thick cut steaks. I have a tough time cooking thin ones on the grill and getting the center and the outside the way I like them. The missus makes a great thin steak by putting the cast iron frying pan under the oven broiler until it gets nuclear hot and quickly searing both sides of the steak.
A thick cut will not get that cool if put on a wooden cutting board. I guess it doesn't matter if you are serving the steak whole but we usually slice and serve here. Resting keeps the juice in the meat and not on the plate.
I was always told that nothing should go straight out of the refrigerator onto the fire.
There is a very good article from Food Magazine on this. I'll try to find a link for it.
Innocent questions indeed. :D

[ORMojo]

Just this past weekend, the wife & I did one of our favorite, and frequent, outings together without the kids - a long weekend touring the Oregon wine country we live in. Visited 17 wineries in 2.5 days, ran out of room in the car for cases by the time we were done.

One of the things we noted in particular this past weekend, in addition to the incredible clusters on the vines (almost all of the winemakers said the clusters are the most lush this year that they have ever seen), is the growing number of Oregon wineries that are branching out from the staple Oregon Pinot.

Your post caught my eye, because the 2008 Pamplin Family Winery ~ Proprietary Red, which we lucked into since it was just released this past weekend, immediately struck us as a PERFECT steak wine. Cabernet Sauvignon (89%), Malbec (7%), Petit Verdot (2%), and Merlot (2%). Just an amazingly good wine. We brought 4 cases home . . . sorry I don't have time to same-day a bottle to you for tonight's dinner!

More here http://pamplinfamilywinery.com/proprietary-red/2008-proprietary-red

[rain dogs]

Campagnolo..... :no: ..... ok, ok, I keed, I keed....

[Hardlyrob]

Agreed on drying the meat - critical when pan frying to get a crust, and seems to be important on the grill as well.

I do a little variant on this that is truly stunningly good and simple. Take two cloves of garlic and chop them. Then using a chef's knife smear them with the coarse salt until you get a paste. Rub this on both sides of the meat and let it sit on a rack for an hour to dry a bit. Grill it how ever you like it. then squeeze a half lemon over the steaks - Yum!

I always let the meat sit for 5 - 10 minutes, it really makes a difference in how juicy the steak is as you are eating it.

Cheers!

Rob

[ORMojo]

No, no . . no keeding

You CAN have a little campy with your red!

http://www.modernbike.com/images/Product_Images/main_IG2126176575.jpg

[johnmdesigner]

ha!

dinners at the house are rather interesting lately, with the new little guy interested in everything now...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ka7onx9kW5E/TnkoujK76vI/AAAAAAAAANg/aWa9Cqeyks0/s320/DSCN2653.JPG

Right, they get steak and I get this gruel.
Can someone unhook this harness so I can get back to my E*trade? :D

[MattTuck]

Keep a look out for Caymus (I think mostly sold in restaurants), Januik or Novelty Hill out of Washington State, and also Mark Ryan specifically his Dead Horse or Crazy Mary reds.

[Ozz]

What is your budget...

Less then $15....some good finds but not worthy of the Porterhouse
Ste Michelle Indian Wells Cab
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab

$25 to $35....more interesting, and you might find a gem. It is a tough category cuz consumers expect higher quality for a higher price, so you might get a winemaker pricing their wine here, when it should be a $15 wine.
I like Frank Family (Napa) and Bookwalter (WA) in this price range

$50+ - Now it is interesting.....a winemaker has to be good when pricing their wines in this range, so it is hard to go wrong.
Caymus
Darioush
Boudreaux
Leonetti
You really can't go wrong here...

Now, if you want to try something interesting...that goes with steak.....when I think steak, I think Argentina.

My recommendation is: 2006 Nicolas Catena Zapata (70% cab/30% malbec)

I will probably set you back about $80 to $100.....but if you want something different and special...that is it.

For the steak: "Caveman Porterhouse with Poblano Pan Fry" (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Caveman-Porterhouse-with-Poblano-Pan-Fry-359730)

:beer:

[Cinci Jim]

Brought this to dinner with friends the other day - they are big into the Paleo diet so the cow was quite good. Wine was also excellent and still drinking quite young for 15 years old.

[LouDeeter]

Good recommendations. For steak, I like a California Cab, Italian Super Tuscan, or an Argentine Malbec. If you want to build your cellar and love auctions, go to www.winecommune.com to bid on your wines. J.J. Buckley out of Oakland runs this site and I only buy their auctions. They hold the wine for me for six months, then I can ship to Florida when the weather is cool.

Regarding technique, an old (actually not much older than me) Brazilian rancher showed me that salting at the end of cooking makes for a better taste than doing so prior to putting the meat on the grill. I usually hit the steak with pepper and perhaps a salt-free rub prior to grilling, then salt after removing from the grill before serving. If I use the rub, I often grab a Syrah or Shiraz or Southern Rhone (usually heavier on Grenache than Northern Rhone which is mostly Syrah). The latter includes Chateauneuf du Pape.

Another tip is to cut some herbs from an herb garden and rub the grill with it, then smoke the meat with the herbs afterward. Doesn't really matter what herbs, but if you use Oregano, be ready for your neighbors to think you are having a pot party!

[Skrawny]

Some innocent questions about your technique:
1- I guess this is so the middle cooks before the outside gets too charred. OTOH if you had a thinner steak would you leave the meat in the refrigerator until cooking so you could get a charred exterior and a red interior? Is there another reason that I should know?
2+3 Why pat it dry? Wouldn't the salt stick better to moist meat?
4-I never thought of this but I can see where it might preserve the coating you created in step 3.
5-This is almost always recommended. Do you cover the meat with foil during the rest period? Doesn't the steak get pretty cool? I guess it depends on how thick the cut. A rib roast certainly benefits from resting but I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer a sizzling steak right off the grill. Any juices that run off when I cut into the meat stay on my plate where I can dip the meat on its way to my mouth.

Actually, it may sound counterintuitive, but if you put a cold steak on the heat, all of that heat goes toward warming the meat before it begins to carmelize the outside and you get a grey interior. If the meat is room temperature you get a nice carmelization a thin rim of grey, and a lot of pink.
(this is similar to the trick we used to do with a paper cup full of water placed in campfire: the water will boil before the paper burns)

***therefore ALWAYS cook with room temperature meat

Patting the meat dry will allow for better carmelization. I like to put a thin rub (like sunscreen) of oil just before cooking just to improve heat transfer.

The 5 minute relaxation has an immense difference in juicyness, and the meat itself gets easier to chew (relaxed). Plus, it gives you just the right amount of time to make a quick pan sauce.

:beer:

-s

[alexstar]

Hard to beat a 100% cabernet sauvignon for this... Or a Bordeaux style blend, something like 70% cab and 30% Cabernet Franc. I like a 100% cab franc, my personal favorite.

[csm]

zinfindel... something like 7 deadly zins. under $20 in the PA state stores.

[AngryScientist]

well friends, on your recommendations, and those of the store staff (they are very good at my local store), i picked up a california cab, and it was marvelous.

http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af153/aero_dynamic8/IMG_0089.jpg

[godfrey1112000]

they are nice a lot of great choices

Blended Reds are also a nice choice, any Meritage over $18, although I just picked up the Costco Meritage and Russian River Pinot Noir both excellent, especially for under $15

If the budget is wide open, Nickel and Nickel, Far Niente, Caymus or Silver Oak

If you are opening that vault I might fly in for the dinner, I will bring my own Prime Steaks for you to sample

Enjoy the steaks, don't for get a touch of Kosher Salt with the Seasoning

Just this past weekend, the wife & I did one of our favorite, and frequent, outings together without the kids - a long weekend touring the Oregon wine country we live in. Visited 17 wineries in 2.5 days, ran out of room in the car for cases by the time we were done.

One of the things we noted in particular this past weekend, in addition to the incredible clusters on the vines (almost all of the winemakers said the clusters are the most lush this year that they have ever seen), is the growing number of Oregon wineries that are branching out from the staple Oregon Pinot.

Your post caught my eye, because the 2008 Pamplin Family Winery ~ Proprietary Red, which we lucked into since it was just released this past weekend, immediately struck us as a PERFECT steak wine. Cabernet Sauvignon (89%), Malbec (7%), Petit Verdot (2%), and Merlot (2%). Just an amazingly good wine. We brought 4 cases home . . . sorry I don't have time to same-day a bottle to you for tonight's dinner!

More here http://pamplinfamilywinery.com/proprietary-red/2008-proprietary-red

[LouDeeter]

Tasting notes from the winemaker for your wine:


The 2008 vintage exhibits appealing aromas of black cherry, violets and roasted coffee. Balanced tannins and acidity support core flavors or black cherry, blackberry, and current, interlaced with accents of expresso and black pepper spice. 337 Cabernet Sauvignon can be enjoyed on its own or with marinated grilled flank steak, spicy pork carnitas, cheese or roasted lamb.

[Jack Brunk]

Dry Creek valley zin maker under the label of TALTY. His zins are unreal and makes so little that's it's really hard to get. I have good friend who lives in Santa Rosa who got me on his list plus I bought enough on our recent trip that should last for a little while.

Next is Hanna. Makes fantastic reds and all are estate grown. Reasonable priced anywhere between 40-60 dollars a bottle. Equates to any 100 dollar cab in Napa. Having a 2004 Hanna cab tonight to go along a Prosicutto wrapped pork loin stuffed with a porcini mushroom stuffing along with garlic roasted pototoes.

[AngryScientist]

Tasting notes from the winemaker for your wine:


The 2008 vintage exhibits appealing aromas of black cherry, violets and roasted coffee. Balanced tannins and acidity support core flavors or black cherry, blackberry, and current, interlaced with accents of expresso and black pepper spice. 337 Cabernet Sauvignon can be enjoyed on its own or with marinated grilled flank steak, spicy pork carnitas, cheese or roasted lamb.

that's cool Lou, thanks.

[AngryScientist]

Dry Creek valley zin maker under the label of TALTY. His zins are unreal and makes so little that's it's really hard to get. I have good friend who lives in Santa Rosa who got me on his list plus I bought enough on our recent trip that should last for a little while.

Next is Hanna. Makes fantastic reds and all are estate grown. Reasonable priced anywhere between 40-60 dollars a bottle. Equates to any 100 dollar cab in Napa. Having a 2004 Hanna cab tonight to go along a Prosicutto wrapped pork loin stuffed with a porcini mushroom stuffing along with garlic roasted pototoes.

these are both more spendy than my usual Jack, but i'll splurge for quality - i'll keep these names in mind, thanks for the suggestions.

incidentally - i have at least a glass of wine with dinner every night, usually relatively inexpensive stuff. lots of different stuff, i should start keeping my own list of favorites.

[cookieguy]

Lately I'm enjoying some wine from a little outfit in Sonoma

Arnot-Roberts

Well balanced, mineral notes, low oak, nicely integrated tanins.
Probably won't find in your local wine shop but if your state laws are kind, should be able to have some delivered off of their web site.