Cast Iron Care & Maintenance

I was thinking the other day that I don't post enough how-to posts, actually none. Over the holiday break I decided that I needed to re-season my cast iron pan. I only have one and I love it. Cast irons, in my opinion, are the best cooking pans out there. The only down fall with them is that they are heavy, they take a little longer to heat up and you have to take care of them. 

The thing that separates a cast iron pan from the rest of the pack is its ability to retain heat. Once you get it heated up (Usually takes about 5 minutes) it will hardly cool down when adding food to the pan. A standard aluminum saute pan, when adding a half-pound rib eye steak, can drop by 300°F. Where as a cast iron pan will stay around it's original temperature, which makes for a thicker, crisper and more evenly browned crust. This is also true when frying in oil, which I use my cast iron for all the time. Not only does frying help keep the pan nice and seasoned. But, when you add your chicken to the fry oil in a cast iron, the heat retention from the it is going to keep the oil to temperature. 

You can also braise and bake in them (Check out my

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

). Breads, pies and pizza comes out beautiful when baked in a cast iron. 

Another advantage to having cast irons is that it is probably the only thing in the kitchen that gets better with age. They are extremely durable, even a rusted 80 year old cast iron that you bought from a garage sale can be brought back to life. The very best of pans have been passed down over multiple generations, their well-used surfaces worn as smooth and nonstick as teflon-coated pan, without the toxic chemicals. 

But, in order to get the most out of your cast iron, it HAS to be taken care of properly. It is very much like taking care of a puppy, they both require some work, a little patience and most of all...loyalty. If you take proper care of your cast iron it will pay back your investment with golden-brown fried chicken, sizzling bacon, corn bread, apple pies, perfectly seared steak and bubbly pizzas....ahhhh satisfaction indeed!

How do you season a cast iron pan?

1. Scrub your pan by pouring a half cup of kosher salt into it and rubbing it with a papper towel. This will scour out any dust and impurities that may have collected in it. Wash it thoroughly with hot, soapy water and dry it carefully. 
2. Oil your pan by rubbing down every surface with a paper towel soaked in a highly unsaturated fat like corn, vegetable, or canola oil. Unsaturated fats are more reactive than saturated fats (like shortening, lard, or other animal-based fats), and thus polymerize better. It's an old myth that bacon fat or lard makes the best seasoning agent, probably from the fact that those fats were very cheap back in the day.
3. Heat your pan by placing it in a 450°F oven for 30 minutes (it will smoke), until it's surface is distinctly blacker than when you started. An oven will heat the pan more evenly than the stovetop will, leading to a better initial layer of seasoning.
4. Repeat the oiling and heating steps three to four times until your pan is nearly pitch black. Pull it out of the oven, place it on the stovetop to cool. Your pan is now seasoned and ready to go. 

Until you've got a good layer of seasoning built up, avoid excessive use of soap or cooking acidic sauces. Both can make the seasoning process take longer. 

How do you properly maintain your cast iron?

There seems to be a irrational fear of cast irons because people don't want to take care of them. But, truthfully, once you build up a good layer of seasoning, they are quite tough. You can't scratch it out with metal utensils. You can't destroy it by using soap (To days dish detergents are very gentle on everything except grease). To maintain and build on it, all it takes is to follow these few points:

• Use it often.A good layer of polymers should build up slowly in thin, thin layers. This means using your pan as much as possible—particularly for oil-based tasks such as frying or searing. Avoid cooking liquid-based dishes in the pan until it has acquired a reasonably good nonstick surface
• Clean it immediately after use.Removing food debris is much easier from a hot pan than from one that has been allowed to cool. If you clean your cast iron skillet while it is still hot, chances are all you'll need is a tiny bit of soap, and a soft sponge. I'm particularly wary of this at dinner parties when a well-intentioned guest may decide to chip in after dinner and get a little too generous with the elbow grease, potentially scrubbing out some of my seasoning
• In most cases, avoid tough abrasives.These include metal scrubby scouring pads, and cleaners like Comet or Bar Keepers Friend. The scrubby side of a soft sponge should be plenty for most tasks
• Dry thoroughly, reheat it, and oil it before storing.After rinsing out my pan, I replace it on a burner and heat it until it just starts to smoke before rubbing the entire inside surface with a paper towel lightly dipped in oil. Take it off the heat, and let it cool to room temperature. The oil will form a protective barrier preventing it from coming into contact with moisture or air until its next use

They can't get no Satisfaction cause they don't own a cast iron :)

Sous Vide Short Ribs

I love having those moments when you make something for the first time and you think "Dear Lord, where have you been my whole life?" These short ribs were one of those moments. Ever since I started cooking sous vide I knew I wanted to try the 72 Hour Short ribs, but just never got around to it. Then, when I went grocery shopping the other day, I saw these beautiful shorties starring at me in the meat section. (That was probably the weirdest sentence I have ever wrote...I feel like that should be lyrics in next big rap song). Anyways....If you decide to start experimenting with sous vide cooking, do yourself a favor and make these things. Yes, they take 72 hours, but that is just time they spend in the water bath. The recipe is actually very easy, I just threw them in Monday night and they were ready for Thursday night dinner (Quite convenient actually). Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 5 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp chili flakes
• 3 tbsp ancho chili powder
• 1.5 lbs Short ribs, boneless
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 Tbsp Shallots, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup Short Rib Jus
• 2 Tbsp butter, cubed and coated with flour
• 1 Tbsp thyme, minced
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

The night before you want to start cooking the ribs, mix all the dry ingredients (first 8 ingredients) in a bowl. Rub the short ribs generously with the dry rub, place in a sealed container, and store in the fridge overnight, letting the meat marinate as the rub liquefies. 

Place the short ribs in a vacuum seal bag and vacuum seal. Place the short ribs in a 140° F water bath and sous vide for 72 hours. 

Remove the short ribs from the bag, saving the jus for the pan gravy, and pat the short ribs dry with a paper towl. Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat, add in the oil. Sear the short ribs on all sides getting a nice crust (Maillard reaction) on all sides of the meat.

After you sear the meat, remove from pan and let rest while you make the pan gravy. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant, being sure not to burn. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Reduce the wine until almost all evaporate. While the wine is reducing, strain the short rib jus through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth. Once the wine has almost evaporated add in the rib jus in. Continue reducing until you have about 1/2 cup liquid. Take off the heat and whisk in the flour coated butter, one cube at a time. You should notice your sauce starting to thicken and turn into a gravy. Check the consistency with a spoon, it should coat the back of the spoon and maintain a clear path when you rub your finger through it. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and the minced thyme. 

Slice the short ribs into 1/2" thick cubes, drizzle the pan gravy over top and serve. 

Kitchen Word of the Recipe

Reduction - is the process of thickening and intensifying the flavor of a liquid mixture such as a soup, sauce, wine or juice by boiling.  Reduction is performed by boiling liquid (whether stock, wine, whiskey, vinegar, or sauce mixture) rapidly and usually without a lid (enabling the vapor to escape more easily) until the volume desired is reached by evaporation. Since each component of the mixture evaporates at slightly different temperatures and the goal of reduction is to drive away those with lowest points of evaporation, it is – in a way – a form of distillation.

Chicken Club w/ Garlic Aioli

This is one of those really simple and delicious dinner options that only takes 30 min to make. There really isn't much to say about this, so how about we cut the chit chat and get to the recipe! 

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless chicken chicken breasts
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 Cup mayonnaise
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 6 slices of bacon
• 4 Kaiser rolls 
• Lettuce
• Tomato

Directions

For the garlic aioli, add the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy, cover and set aside in fridge (You can also make this of time so that all the flavors infuse). 

Take your chicken breasts and dry with a paper towel to remove all moisture. Lay the chicken breasts on a large piece of parchment paper, fold the parchment paper over top the chicken so that they are covered. With a flat meat mallet or heavy pan, pound the chicken thin, making them as close to the same thickness as possible for even cooking. Then season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour, making sure to remove excess flour. 

Heat a large saute pan, over medium high heat. Once heated add in the oil, you'll know the oil is ready when the oil shimmers. After heated, add in the chicken breasts, you may have to work in batches depending on the size of your pan. Once golden brown on side, flip and brown the other side. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, you may have to turn down the heat to prevent burning. Once cooked through, transfer the chicken breasts to a cooling rack and let rest. 

Heat another large saute pan over medium heat, add in the bacon and cook until crisp. Leave the bacon drippings in the pan and add in the buns and toast. 

After everything has been prepared, you are ready for assembly. Spread some of the garlic aioli on the top bun. Place a chicken breast on the bottom, top with 1 1/2 slices of bacon, lettuce and tomato (or whatever toppings you please). Enjoy!

Song of the Recipe

Anybody that knows me, knows that I'm a big Batman fan. Saw The Dark Knight Rises this weekend and just hearing the music at the beginning made me giddy with excitement....I'm a nerd. If this soundtrack doesn't get you jacked up, then I don't know what will!

Did I also mention that Lee and I were in The Dark Knight Rises?? Ohh yeah...we were. We drove to Pittsburgh for the football stadium scene...You might not be able to see use, but I really feel like our acting skills brought something to the film.