{"id":3519,"date":"2009-10-28T23:11:21","date_gmt":"2009-10-29T04:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=3519"},"modified":"2009-10-28T23:19:20","modified_gmt":"2009-10-29T04:19:20","slug":"the-pit-beef-comes-to-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2009\/10\/28\/the-pit-beef-comes-to-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pit Beef Comes to Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"up<\/a><\/p>\n

We try to maintain active social lives, and even though the O6 are a busy family, we usually are able to cram all of our family commitments in and still have time for the occasional show at First Ave.<\/a> , movie with the gang, or random gathering at a local dining establishment.\u00a0 This was not the case last week.\u00a0 We were invited to a happy hour at The Lyndale Tap House<\/a>, a bar in Uptown Minneapolis which specializes in a classic Baltimore cuisine (yeah, I know, that sounds like an oxymoron) \u2013 pit beef.
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Sadly we had to bow out.\u00a0 The schedule was full.\u00a0 A request for the event to be moved to the following week produced the following terse email \u201cPit beef waits for no Scandinavian\u201d.\u00a0 Fair enough.\u00a0 So, in the true spirit of the O6 I decided that if I can\u2019t go to pit beef, I\u2019d just have to bring pit beef to me.
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A quick side note.\u00a0 Some of you may not be familiar with pit beef. I wasn’t either until I caught an episode of Diners Drive-ins and Dives<\/a> featuring this delicacy.\u00a0 The Lyndale Tap House sums it up as well as I can: \u201cThis preparation involves rubbing a high-quality piece of meat with a special spice mixture and allowing the meat to marinate. The meat is then seared on a specially installed pit grill which chars the meat on the outside and cooks it juicy and tender on the inside. Finally it is sliced paper thin and served on a kaiser roll.\u201d
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That is all I need to get started.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen the video, read a few recipes, and am now ready to share my experience with you.
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First, I\u2019m throwing out fancy marinades and special grills.\u00a0 We\u2019re going back to basics with this one.\u00a0 In my opinion, all beef needs is salt and pepper, and as far as grills go \u2013 a basic charcoal number is the perfect hardware.
\n\"get<\/a>
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Step one:\u00a0 Light your coals.\u00a0 Charcoal is fine, but over the last year I\u2019ve been turning into a coal snob.\u00a0 I\u2019ve switched to lump coal \u2013 an all wood charcoal.\u00a0 The flavor is better and there\u2019s less clean up, but it burns faster and hotter than regular charcoal, so it does need a little more attention.
\n\"beef<\/a>
\nStep two:\u00a0 Season your meat.\u00a0 I rubbed this cut (2.5 lb sirloin tip roast) with around one tablespoon of kosher salt and fresh black pepper.
\n\"to<\/a>
\nStep three:\u00a0 Prepare your coals.\u00a0 Add the hot coals to an even bed of new coals and allow them all to heat up.
\nStep 4:\u00a0 Lay the meat on the grill.
\nStep 5: \u00a0Tend the meat.\u00a0 Give it a flip every five or eight minutes.\u00a0 You are looking for an even sear\/char but not a burn (obviously).
\n\"looks<\/a>
\nStep 6:\u00a0 When it\u2019s done (looking for a medium rare core about 135F) loosely wrap it in foil and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes.
\n\"slice<\/a>
\nStep 7:\u00a0 Slice and serve.\u00a0 An industrial meat slicer would be perfect for this, but last time I checked, I wasn\u2019t on Iron Chef, so a carefully guided large knife would have to do.\u00a0 Slice as thin as you can.
\n\"hello<\/a>
\nPile the result onto a Kaiser roll, top with raw onion and horseradish and be transported to a Baltimore parking lot, where apparently, all of the best pit beef is served.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n