TWO BULLS STEAKHOUSE
How To Cook A Steak
D
espite being one of the nation’s favourites and the most expensive thing on the menu, steak can be hit and miss when eaten out, and a bugger to get right at home.
This booklet will explain a few basics about steak and give tips on how to cook steak & chips. There’s a clue on the cover where you should casually book a table for a perfectly charcoal grilled steak but for those who like cooking at home we’ve included some recipes and pictures of what we do at The Two Bulls in the hope that we will tempt you in for a meal. The Two Bulls isn’t a posh restaurant, in fact it’s a bit spit and sawdust. We serve homemade, rustic, simple food with strong natural flavours in a friendly dining room where the menu never changes except for maybe a few seasonal lobsters.
We’re not cheap but if you fancy a deal why not try our Steak Lunch Specials at only £8 a pop.
PREFACE
“When it’s done properly, steak & chips is a fantastic meal. It hits the spot and satisfies that deep carnal desire like nothing else.”
AGED BEEF
“When a beast is slaughtered, for reasons of economy, there’s a rush to get it butchered, vacuum packed and onto your plate as soon as possible. Your steak is often oozing blood and lacking any actual beefy flavour because it’s quite simply too fresh.”
B
ack in the day when you’d see whole quarters of beef being heaved on the shoulder of your local butcher, there would be upwards of four weeks between slaughter and fork.
Beef is unlike other meats and for the very best steak you need to leave whole beef loins and fore ribs to age on the bone until the ends blacken in a climate controlled chiller for several weeks or more. You’ll see this in our display fridges at the restaurant where our own 45 day aged T bones, sirloins and rib eye are matured before butchering. All of our steak at The Two Bulls is properly aged before grilling over real charcoal. Properly aged beef needs to mature like a clothed wheel of vintage cheddar and it won’t spoil if this is done right. As the joint air dries the beefy flavours become more concentrated while natural enzymes tenderise the flesh. There’s a lot of waste due to moisture loss and excessive trimming which makes our dearest cut of beef even dearer but this is a tasty reward after all.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
HOW TO
...Cook a Steak Properly “To grill a steak properly you need to understand that there are two entirely separate stages. One, grilling and colouring the surface. Two, warming it through to the required doneness.” STAGE 1:
Grilling and colouring the surface of your steak
H
owever well done you like your steak, you must first do a rare steak and you must colour the surface well because that’s where the strongest flavours come from.
When the heat hits the flesh, a myriad of complex chemical reactions occur on the sizzling surface. Salty edges crisp and caramelise, as moisture is forced out and leaves a layer of grilled meat flavour. This is called The Maillard process and for the first stage... it is absolutely everything. Think of that sneaky first slice of a joint of roasted beef and you’ll understand. Once you have your nicely coloured rare steak, take it away from the fire to somewhere relatively cool (anywhere below 500C to hold and stall the cooking) on the grill or onto a rack in a tray in a warm oven. You don’t have to do the second stage immediately if you’re not ready or in no hurry.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
HOW TO
...Cook a Steak Properly “A beautifully grilled rare steak, warmed through slowly at 65C will become a perfectly succulent, medium rare one by the time you’ve finished your prawn cocktail and told a tall story.” STAGE 2:
Warming your steak to the required ‘doneness’
Y
our steak is now away from the fire so we need to get it done to your liking. Rare or well-done are quite easy if you think about it, but medium-rare or medium are a little harder to get
right.
Either at a cooler part of the grill or in a pre-warmed oven you just need to warm it through until it is done to your liking. Take it slowly, giving yourself time to adjust your hair and get the place organised for dinner. If you have your chips ready to drop into the hot oil and your salad nicely tossed then as long as you have your oven warmed you can enjoy cooking this meal and sit down to eat in a relaxed frame of mind. Alternatively give us a buzz, book a table and we’ll do all of this and wash up for you too.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
CHEESE BURGER
A Burger with a bit of umph! Actually, if there is anything else that hits the spot and scratches that itch as well as a steak it has to be a real charcoal grilled cheeseburger.
W
e don’t add anything to our course ground steak mince but we do toast our buns and add a dollop of our homemade pink burger relish along with some Applewood smoked cheese and a fist full of wild rocket. All of our meals are served with a tray of ketchup, mayonnaise and mustards etc so you can adjust your burger and slaver your chips.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
HOW TO
...Twice-Cooked Chips “To cook a chip that’s fluffy inside yet crispy outside, you need a Maris Piper or a King Edward and you need to cook it twice.”
T
he first fry ,the blanche, is done slowly at around 1400C. This lower temperature cooks right through without overcooking the surface.
While the chips are being gently boiled in the hot vegetable oil they are releasing lots of steam and becoming dryer, especially on the surface. Once they are cooked through and drained spread them out on a tray to cool off. You can do the second cook once they are cool but if you leave that tray of blanched chips uncovered in the fridge for a day and night then you really are going to have nice and crispy chips. It will also allow you more time to relax and actually enjoy cooking your steak meal. The second fry only takes a few minutes and is done at 1800C. Your chips are ready when they are golden and rustle when you lift and shake the basket.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
HOW TO
...Prepare a 70s Prawn Cocktail Marie Rose sauce (with a bit of umph!) Ingredients: 1 cup real mayonnaise (Hellmann’s will do fine) 1 good squirt of ketchup 1 dash Worcester sauce a good pinch of sweet smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese chili paste in oil (Kings Rd). Stir together with a fork and adjust to your own taste.
Prawn Cocktail To prepare the classic 70’s steakhouse prawn cocktail, North Atlantic cold water prawns are ideal but you should use whatever kind of prawn takes your fancy. Stir your handful of prawns into the Marie Rose sauce and spoon them onto a bed of rocket or shredded iceberg tossed in honey & toasted sesame oil dressing with a wedge of fresh lemon to squeeze at the last minute. You may prefer to get some thumping great Indian Ocean tiger prawns to dip into a bowl of your sauce and just forget the salad.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
MACKERAL PATE
Mackeral Pâté Break the flesh away from the skin of a couple of smoked mackerel and fork into it a few large dollops of full fat cream cheese, a dessert spoon of horseradish and season with ground black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with hot toast and real butter.
Add Some Toasted Sesame and Honey Dressing! It’s great with either meat or fish if you like contrasts. Start by dissolving your preferred quantity of salt and a tea spoon of honey into 1 tbs white wine or cider vinegar before adding a tea spoon of Dijon and the same again of grainy mustard. Whisk in 1/2 a small cup of vegetable oil and finish with a few dashes of toasted sesame oil to taste.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
HOW TO
...Make A Stilton Sauce FIRST: Make a roux by melting 4 oz of butter and stirring in 1 tbs of plain our. Add a good shake of white pepper and gently cook off the flour for 3-4 minutes taking care not to cook it so hot that it becomes at all brown.
NEXT: Progress to a white sauce by adding 1/2 pint of hot single cream that you’ve either warmed in the microwave or had in another small pan on the hob and whisk this into the roux. Keep this hot and just below simmering point for another 5 minutes or so, stirring the while and this will ensure that your our is properly cooked so that your sauce will be smooth and velvety.
FINALLY: Turn this into a stilton sauce by adding and stirring in 1/2 a pound of de-rinded diced stilton and 2 tbs of Dijon. Mustard always adds a boost to cheese avours and you can use a smaller amount of English mustard if you prefer. You might decide to give it an extra lift by plopping in one of those fancy Knorr chicken stock jellies.
Tweak away...
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
PEANUT BANOFFEE PIE
“There are lots and lots of banoffee pie recipes out there and you may prefer to choose your own. This book is too small to take you through all the recipe stages of the Two Bulls banoffee pie but what we can tell you how we make ours.”
W
e make our own toffee sauce by melting muscovado sugar in butter and cream so it’s more of a soft fudge than the standard Carnation toffee and we also toast salted peanuts in a hot skillet so that they are slightly burnt at the edges before we do anything. From there we add some of the blended dark toasted nuts to our ground digestive butter base and when that’s cooled we slaver it with our toffee. The next day we add a layer of crunchy peanut butter before building up the bananas and whipped cream. When that’s sliced and on the plate it’s just a matter of decorating with lashings of runny toffee sauce, a handful of toasted nuts and flakes of white and dark Belgian chocolate flakes.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
HOW TO
...Make a Raspberry Cheesecake “Goes with steak & chips like peaches and cream.” Ingredients: 1 /2 lb of digestives 4 oz melted butter 1 tbsp corn flour 1 lb soft cream cheese
/2 lb castor sugar 4 whole eggs and 2 yolks 1 tbsp vanilla seed paste 1 pint double cream
1
L
ine the base of your dish with the battered remains of 1/2 lb of digestives and 4 oz melted butter and press down gently before cooling for half an hour. Into the bowl of your blender, or if you prefer, your fashionable old mixing bowl, throw 1 tbsp corn flour, 1 lb soft cream cheese, a good tea spoon of salt (vital), the a good tea spoon of salt, 1/2 lb castor sugar and beat away like Billyo. Chuck onto that lot 4 whole eggs and 2 yolks, 1 tbsp vanilla seed paste (Sainsbury’s cake-making aisle), 1 pint double cream and whisk to a velvety gloop. Pour this unctuous delight right up to the brim of your buttered dish and pop into into the oven at 120 C until the centre has only the slightest of wobbles then leave to cool in the oven with the door ajar. Serve with Raspberries that have been stirred with castor sugar and a good dollop of whipped cream.
Book a table today • www.twobulls.co.uk / 01424 436443
SPECIALS FROM THE CHARCOAL GRILL Main dishes served with chunky hand-cut chips and dressed leaf salad Steaks also come with a choice of Green peppercorn sauce, Stilton cream or Garlic butter on the side.
£8 GOURMET STEAK LUNCHES - THURSDAY TO SUNDAY 6 oz Sirloin £8 • 9 oz Rib eye £12 Blackened Cajun chicken £8 • 1/2 lb Aged steak cheeseburger £8 Steak satay skewer with Thai peanut sauce £8 Grilled halloumi & Mediterranean vegetables £8
Booklet produced in collaboration with Media25.org and The Two Bulls Steakhouse
£50 THREE COURSE MEAL FOR TWO - THURSDAY AND SUNDAY (Available on Thursday and Sunday evenings and any lunch time) Plump Greek olives marinated in garlic & red pepper olive oil Sour dough and granary bread with olive oil & balsamic vinegar • 8 oz 21 day aged sirloin, steak chips, salad and sauce 6 oz Chateaubriand fillet, steak chips, salad and sauce Char-grilled Steak Satay skewers with Thai peanut sauce A choice of any non-steak main • Sea salt & caramel ice cream 1/4 pint Guinness chocolate pot with a creamy head • Bottle of Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo or drinks to the equivalent value
£60 THREE COURSE MEAL FOR TWO - FRIDAY EVENIMG From the main menu choose any starter, • 8 oz 21 day aged sirloin, steak chips, salad and sauce 6 oz Chateaubriand fillet, steak chips, salad and sauce Char-grilled Steak Satay skewers with Thai peanut sauce A choice of any non-steak main • Choose any dessert from main menu or a cheese board Bottle of Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo or drinks to the equivalent value
CHILDREN’S LUNCHTIME MENU £6 EVENINGS £8 (for the under 10s) Grilled chicken strips, steak skewer or 1/4 lb cheeseburger served with hand cut chunky chips & a dressed leaf salad.
See the main menu at www.twobulls.co.uk Open from Thursday to Sunday for Lunch and Dinner 01424 436443