The Steak butter odyssey is the perfect finish to the start of a feast

By the Burger Baron and The Steak Whisperer

Happily, the dark days are behind us where someone can carelessly douse the quality steak in supermarket tomato or BBQ sauce without being whisked away and thrown in prison to face a life of indentured servitude. I remember as if it was yesterday, my dear departed father looking on in disbelief as barbecue loving Aussies would nonchalantly pour beer on their steaks gleefully watching them bubble and moan on the hot plate before whipping them onto a paper plate and immediately drowning any hopes of a flavoursome piece of beef in a deluge of Heinz or Rosella's finest.

It was hard to watch as a youngster and even harder as a full-grown man to fight back angry tears of resentment when I hear that this practise, that no one really talks about in polite society, still persists. But I do empathise with those that feel embarrassed and driven to avert their eyes at the sight of a naked steak in elegant repose, displayed on a vacant plate – sans sauce to cover its char-less shame. [Ed. Hey man, is everything okay?] Sometimes we simply must consider the “sauce”.

My esteemed colleagues, The Bearded Canadian and The Burger Baron, have distinguished themselves again and again by creating all manner of steak spices, chimichurri varietals and even fruit-based companions to enhance the robust, ketonic, character of the cut. However, these are not gents that rest easy on their culinary laurels. Far from it. Known for both a lively imagination and an almost maniacal inquisitiveness, it's come as no surprise that butter and it's complex and utterly delightful relationship with steak has fallen under the intense gaze of the FoB squad. Let's have a look.

Compounding the issue of steak plus butter

The creation, presentation and ultimately the taste and texture of FoB’s new favourite compound butter was recently rigorously assessed at two of our “tastings” at FoB Central. Here’s The Burger Baron with more:

“So, our mate from Melt Espresso Bar gave us some nduja which is “well spicy” [Ed. A frightening harbinger from our heat-seeking Burger Baron!!!!]. And on their recommendation, we incorporated it into a compound butter. Now this nduja was so-o-o-o-o spicy, and I am the kind of freak that puts Carolina hot sauce on every meal, be warned, I had to dilute it with double the amount of butter to avoid the possibility of panic attacks. However, with some additional ingredients and flavour colours (Ed. What?] some elements of sweetness were brought to the fore and we finished with a delightful accoutrement. And I think you’ll agree that the finished product looks fantastic!”

Consider the source sauce – another amazing recipe, kinda…

Here at FoB, we’re known to keep pushing the possibilities and flavour profiles until it becomes clear we’ve gone too far… and then pull it back. It’s the only way to discover and develop some of our wonderful, otherworldly classics like The Bearded Canadian’s flayed BBQ duck breast in a chilli jam glaze rice-paper roll [Ed. Still recovering!]. So, let’s let The Burger Baron tell us about his latest sauce odyssey.

“…but just when I'm thinking that perhaps I've taken it too far, I realise that I haven't taken it further enough.

Turning our attention to steak frites, I found myself working on a medium rare porterhouse on a bed of shoestring fries. The occasion called for a sauce, so I went with an au poivre sauce and garnished the steak with garlic chives.

The “AP” sauce is hard to describe. It's kind of a compound butter on steroids [Ed. Hungry ASADA officials enter the chat…], that is to say it has about 17 different ingredients brought together via a number of quite complex processes. It's like a party in your mouth, but not like a street party with BBQ sausages. Rather, it’s the kind of high-end aristocratic soiree complete with elegantly prepared canapes that Train gets invited to. The sort of soiree I'm rarely invited to. [Ed. Given your hardline rules on burger regulations I'm not surprised that liberal-minded, low-end burger providers would rather you left your feasting judgements at home.]

Anyway, here’s a basic recipe.

A basic AP recipe 

I was slaving for hours over the weekend over this peppery AP sauce, but it worked and if you give it a go, I think you’ll love it too. Now variety is the spice of life, so this is just a basic guide with more than enough wriggle room baked in for you to get creative and make it your own. 

So, we start with a steak butter base. 

• We take a bunch of steak trimmings grill it in the pan to render out a whole lot of fat 
• We add a very generous serve of butter (again, this Marco Pierre White) 
• Toss in rosemary and thyme and let that sit in there for at least an hour 
• Now add garlic (to taste) and strain into a container. That’s your steak butter and that's… step one 

Let’s continue:

• Take a whole bunch of shallots, chop them up and throw them in a pot
• Add a little bit of olive oil and maybe a bit of chicken stock if you’re feeling adventurous
• Then add cream with a little rosemary and thyme 
• And now for the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce 
• Now it’s time to grind and add some toasted red Szechuan peppercorns, green szechuan peppercorns.
• Mix in with you steak butter, patiently, carefully, lovingly and voila!

From here you can apply to your rested steak or indeed, finish your steak by gently spooning your AP sauce over your steak as it completes its final lap of your pan.

It’s fragrant, flavoursome and ready for you to…

Feast on!

Train and The Burger Baron strike BBQ gold in Inglewood, WA

By Train, The Steak Whisperer with The Burger Baron

Saturday night at Blackiron Barbecue. Sounds like a classic western reminiscent of Tombstone, True Grit or more recently the Yellowstone series. – Taylor Sheridan take note!

In reality though, it was a fact-finding mission embarked upon by The Burger Baron and I because we had heard that the (near?) legendary Jason Linto, KCBS luminary, had returned to town. [Ed. Still sounds like a Western, just sayin’… partner] Not only that, he’d returned with a mission in mind: to bring authentic Texas-style BBQ back to Perth. More specifically, Inglewood.

Now right off the bat, the Blackiron Barbecue joint was very heavy on the family-friendly, bunkhouse vibe. White walls, black-frames and font, but not in Chanel way. As I say, classic bunkhouse décor. Functional furniture that offers a place to park your caboose more so than to recline for hours. After all, you’re here to eat great BBQ and chew the fat if you’ve a notion to spin a yarn. But what about the man (Jason) and more particularly the food. Well let’s get to it.

The Menu – a basic BBQ bounty that’ll have you whoopin’ and a-hollerin’

[Ed. You’ll have to excuse Train, he’s been obsessed with Westerns since he was a kid, so this article was always going to be… like this.]

Walk in through the front door, turn left and you’ll see the brown paper menu board with the day’s offer scrawled across it. Brisket and Burnt Ends, along with pork ribs are priced by the 100g, sides include mac ‘n’ cheese. They also have sausage for those that enjoy the snap and chew of the beef, cheese and jalapeno variety. There are other items including a dessert, but the salad type stuff was lost on me. No one seemed much bothered by that because everyone seemed to know that you visit the Blackiron for the meats.

Okay pricing. Some may try to argue that the asking is a little on the high side. I disagree. This is a “get what you pay for” world and I’m here to tell you [Ed. Spoiler alert] that I paid for quality and I got just that. Let’s get to the specifics though and I’ll let The Burger Baron italicise his way through his assessment of the offerings and I’ll chime in with normal font to avoid too much confusion.

-  Pork Ribs or ‘Dry Ribs'? No, they aren't dry, they're moist and perfectly cooked, BUT they aren't covered in BBQ sauce like many Aussies would expect, and I wouldn't change a thing! A punchy pepper-heavy salt and pepper rub is all that's needed to make these ribs shine. Enjoy these for what they are and save your sweet tooth instead for the chopped brisket!

I’ve got to say these were simply delicious. They’re a bit of a honey trap because you could end up buying (and consuming) way more than you originally intended. Personally, I could’ve spent the evening devouring these by the kilogram but I’m a professional and realise that balance is the key. [Ed. I have no words]

- Chopped Brisket, did somebody say burnt ends? Coated in a nice, tacky BBQ sauce, that rather than being sickly sweet, is balanced out beautifully with a healthy dash of vinegar, creating a sweet and tangy experience that leaves you wanting more, more, more!

Agreed. This was a standout for me. I had to get Jason to explain to me twice why this extraordinary item was listed as chopped meat (or chopped brisket) rather than burnt ends. Something about people thinking Burnt ends means the portions were burnt. Dunno. They’re delicious though.

- Sausage Link - Beef, Cheese & Jalapeno, my favourite snag. Perfectly emulsified consistency inside, contrasted with a decently snappy exterior and the odd crunchy piece of jalapeno inside. Just enough cheese to give a velvety mouthfeel, without overdoing it, and an aftertaste that rides with you for a bit.

I love it when the jalapeno turns up late to the party but works hard to catch-up. A fine sausage that aggressively proclaims its beefy birthright. 

- Wagyu Brisket. Jiggly, perfectly cooked, passes every classic BBQ test (fold/pull) with flying colours. Great bark, just a little light on the salt inside.

Enjoyed this but… needed a little more salt. Not a massive issue but if I’m picking nits, that’s the only thing I could pick and you could successfully argue that that’s just a personal preference, and you’d be right. But there it is. Hey, any more of those ribs?

- Complimentary Pickles - Featuring Southwest legend Rickles Pickles from Donnybrook, these sweet and sour dill pickles contrast the fatty cuts, break up a rich meal and give a very welcome, very FORWARD dill sucker punch. Like a herbaceous chimichurri complementing a savoury steak, these dill pickles hit different to anything you'll get at a supermarket.

Pickles were good. Flavoursome, complex without being weird about it but best of all, they did their job without trying to do too much. Well played.

I should give an honourable mention to the dessert, A delightful Key Lime Pie. Try it, trust me and thank everyone later.

So, tell us about Jason…

He’s a bit like a cowboy but nothing like one. He told me that his inspiration was born from his time in Texas being around great people making unbelievable food and he’s committed himself to bringing the techniques and dedication that comes with BBQ in Texas, all the way to Inglewood for people from Perth and further afield to enjoy.

I could tell that he’s the type of guy that will shoehorn a giant smoker that handles hundreds of kilos of beef into a sea container from Texas just to serve BBQ to the community. I love it, it’s laudable and it was great to spend a little time with the man, share a few tales and stagger out of the Blackiron, full as a boot.

Verdict: Highly recommended, FoB approved!

Lamb: not just for nursery rhymes, they make great entrees too!

By Train, The Steak Whisperer

I love chance encounters that lead to conversations about food, social settings and inevitably, dismembered, seasoned, cooked and beautifully presented beasts on platters at feasts. It’s a whole thing for me. Now, what feels like a couple of years ago at a corporate Christmas party, I found myself enjoying a chat with a gentleman with a tale to tell. A known and unabashed lover of BBQ, I also knew this person to be a lively raconteur and quite knowledgeable being the son a of a butcher.

Imagine my delight when leaning over an entrée plate of… something (tragic when a platter barely makes a dent in one’s recollections… or was it that this story was just so immersive?), the gent in question said in hushed, conspiratorial tones coloured in hues of nostalgia (Ed. What in the world is going on?], “I have a breathtaking recipe for lamb… and it’s simple and foolproof.”

Now I’ve always been a fool for foolproof recipes and so a few months later I gave it a go by subjecting it to the time-honoured tradition of the FoB A-B Test at one of our fabled “tastings”. So, are you intrigued? Would you like to know the how’s behind what admittedly was an incredible, durable and delicious tip? Okay then…

…here’s what the butcher’s son told me about lamb. Yumb!

Alright so as many of you know, I like to keep my lamb appetisers and entrees simple, simple, simple. Oil, salt, pepper (garlic and or rosemary if you must) and then a cleansing flame licking at the soon-to-be-rendered fat cap (modest though it may be).

Oyster sauce! Now, I’m a stickler for creating sauces from scratch. While not as talented in the sauce department as my esteemed colleagues, I flatter myself that my own Freight Train’s burnt butter sauce, has contributed heavily to the advancement of humanity – at my house. So I went ahead and created an approximation of the store-bought version to go with some lamb rump portions and lamb lolli-chops. Still, to me oyster sauce, that staple of many Asian and Asian fusion dishes that I’ve devoured over the years, would need help.

It didn’t. I’ll spare you the details but the results of extensive kitchen testing by me (and for me) [Ed. SELFISH!!!] were conclusive.

• Lamb with salt, pepper and oil – classic flavours, delicious and comforting
• Lamb with oyster sauce only – surprisingly good. Sweet, smoky, sticky with a decent salt punch!
• Lamb with an oyster sauce, burnt butter sauce (including a touch of brown sugar) and a pinch of finishing salt and pepper. Wow. Try it NOW!

As always, cook your lamb rump as you would a rump steak (don’t worry, it’ll never know the difference, but you will) and do allow to rest. This will give you a chance to mentally prepare for what will truly be a revelatory dish that you’ll be dying to tell people about at corporate Christmas parties everywhere.

Feast on!

Or how to derail Train’s Great Steak Fundamentals!

By Johnno

It takes a man with a particular set of skills and a lot of time on their hands to successfully argue a point about steak with Train. He’s literally built a reputation and a brand on knowing how best to prep and cook a steak, simply. 

Nonetheless, as Train puts it, 

“Feast on Beasts is a community built on the foundations of mutual respect and trust for all those that believe that feasting on beasts is the bone marrow butter that binds our society and separates us from the animals.” 

Yup, slightly insane but makes perfect sense the second time round. Alrighty, let me whip you through the theory of the “reverse, reverse” sear method of creating large quantities of juicy, beautifully presented steaks while saving time and anxiety. 

5 steps to reversing the reverse sear for a great result… consistently!

Okay, so if we can agree that a great steak, after being rested, will present with a beautiful char or bark that’s dark, offers a little more than token resistance to the knife’s edge before giving way to a consistent, edge-to-edge pink hue, here’s what to do.

1. Set your oven to 180 degrees
2. Get your pan (cast iron is probably best) on the stove and set it to “jet afterburner hot” as Train might say, or do the same on the hotplate of your BBQ.
3. Season appropriately (i.e. generously) after applying your choice of binder (e.g. olive oil).
4. Sear: Rule of Thumb here is to go 1 (one) minute per side, just to get some colour happening.
5. Slide into the oven for 10 minutes if you’re dealing with a tiny 200g steak (i.e. entrée size). Please note though, that I actually like to go ever slightly longer but at 150 degrees to get to an internal temp of 52 degrees (medium rare) or 54 degrees (medium).

In perhaps a vain attempt to appear open-minded, Train actually did an A-B test of sorts back at FoB Central to see for himself – and the pics speaks for themselves. 

Let’s hear it from the man himself:

“Yeah, they were okay… no seriously, a great call but you really need to be on top of temp and time and this is where a food thermometer may help you out tremendously. Unless you’re me (Ed. Ridiculous).”

Okay, that’s the beginning, middle and end of the story. Go forth and cook kilos and kilos of steak. You don’t have to try this method, but you’ll be glad you did.

Feast on!

By Train 

“Don’t screw it up!” 

That’s the phrase a lot of you might have echoing through your brain as you unwrap a richly marbled, plump, 2-inch-thick ribeye that cost anywhere between $45-65/kg. Chances are you bought two or maybe even three of them which means you’re obviously cooking for an audience. And let’s face it, because we’re all friends here, in a group of say 5 guests, one of them will find it funny if you do overcook or undercook or in some other way mistreat your sizable investment in a sizable feast. 

“DON’T screw it up!!” Yup, it gets louder. 

But let me help you quiet that unhelpful negative self-talk [Ed. Amateur psychology as well, Train? Impressive.”] Here’s what you need: 

• A formula 
• A rule 
• 5 steps to remember 
• 3 ways to have fun with it. 

Full disclosure, I’m a purist of sorts and I don’t like using temperature probes. I generally just… use the force. (Ed. Okay, Luke…) The problem is that relying solely on gut feel does mean that you need to corral every ounce of concentration you have and keep it laser focused on the grill the whole time. This is great if you’re all by yourself and you know you won’t be distracted by the need for a drink, the toilet, your phone, blinking etc. That pretty much rules out being sociable or having a good time when people come over. These 10 tips based around my 50-40 rule will help you out. 1. Room temperature ribeye is the best ribeye. As per previous guides, do not take your ribeye from the fridge and put it on the grill unless you enjoy humiliation, scorn, waste and derision. Instead, leave it out to arrive at room temperature in its own sweet time. We love a 1-1.3kg ribeye from our friends at Torre & Mordini Gourmet Meats and have found that it can take a good hour or more to get to where we want it to go temp-wise. 

2. Moisture is still your enemy, and it always will be. It’s a huge steak so you’ll need two or three squares of absorbent paper towel to pat it down and make your steak presentable. 

3. Get your guests involved. Properly seasoning say 3 of these monsters is a big job, particularly if you’re using standard salt and pepper grinders. By the way, there are few better forearm exercises than grinding enough salt and pepper to cover these delicious portions. If you don’t want forearms like ham hocks, simply pour salt into a bowl, pepper into another bowl and sprinkle liberally. LIBERALLY! Remember, a lot of this (up to 30%) is just going to disappear. 

4. Olive oil. The debate still rages on within the FoB ranks as to whether the oil comes before or after the seasoning. I say after, some of the guys say before… try it both ways. But make sure you use it. Okay so some will say, hey, what about mustard, what about coffee rubs etc. That is strictly to taste. Personally, I do ease up on the S&P if I know I’m going to use a coffee rub but, I shy away from mustard etc if I’m familiar with the cut and trust my butcher – I want to taste the richness of the meat, glory in the abundance of marbling and generally celebrate a cut unsullied by additional flavours. If I’m not sure about the cut or I’m feasting away from FoB central, anything goes in the name of experimentation – obviously drawing the line at salad… obviously. 

5. The 50-40 rule. Again, you want to be social, enjoy yourself, while also making this whole adventure seem effortless. That means you’ll need breaks in the play, hydration and banter. Well, here’s your chance. Just before you pat down your three, four, five or more ribeyes, preheat your kitchen oven to 50 ˚C (or thereabouts) - fan-forced. When the time is right, you’re going to arrange all these stunning monuments to bovine goodness on the middle tray and leave them there for no less than 40 minutes. But we also found that this rule works at 40 ˚C for 50 minutes or 60 ˚ for 30 minutes. The mathematicians among us have already cottoned-on to the fact that they all add up to 90. 6. Take a break, laugh, shoot some hoops, shoot some pool, shoot the breeze, it’s all good! Eat some of those entrees, forget about the ribeyes and enjoy yourself. You just spent a lot of money on premium steaks, relax and enjoy yourself. But stick to the formula. 

7. PANIC! No, not really. Calmly remove these huge hunks of deliciousness from the oven and display them to a stunned crowd of guests. Brilliant! The waiting hotplate next to the grill should be white hot (figurately speaking) and the sizzle when you lay your steak upon it should rival the sound and temperature of jet afterburners. Glorious! Sear each side for 30-60 seconds but treat the fatty side to a generous 90. 8. Timing is everything and depending on your preferred level of “doneness”, grill each side for between a minute and two minutes. Remember the tip from the porterhouse cheat sheet in the last issue? After the turn, slide the steak down to the cooler part of your grill. 9. R ‘n’ R. Rest and rumination. Leave your herd of steaks to rest on the board under an untucked aluminium foil canopy for an agonising 7 minutes. By the way, you won’t last that long – no one can. 

10. Adoration time. Remove said canopy with your own trademark flourish, present, slice and fall back into your chair, pretending to be spent. You are a champion, your place in steak lore is now secure and it remains only for you to… Feast on! 

I feel like you know this already but just for easy reference, here are the internal temp. guides for you once again. 

Rare = 48˚- 50˚  Medium Rare = 52 ˚- 54 ˚   Medium = 58 ˚- 60 ˚ 

Chars!

The Bearded Canadian, Train, House of Goff & Johnno 

Let’s start with a brief, one-paragraph history lesson/backstory: 

It was a spring day in 2016 on Sydney’s Circular Quay when Train scrawled “Feast on Beasts” on a diner napkin before returning his weary gaze to the immensely dissatisfying salad double-parked in front of his tiny steak. He hankered for a truly beautiful steak, perfectly cooked in a kitchen full of passionate cooks, thrilled to be alive and creating meat dishes, and embracing their calling. “I can’t be the only one thinking like this,” Train lamented. 

Fast-forward past a trip to IP Australia, a transcontinental relocation and 4 years later, Feast on Beasts was born: a tight-knit community of passionate meat lovers, presenting beef, pork, lamb and poultry-related reviews, rumours, feasting facts and fiction and fashion – and these are the people that helped turn that miserable lunch into a Feast for the senses. 

Train is always hungry, loves a garish feasting shirt and believes that an appetite is like any other muscle in the body – it can be trained to get bigger, stronger and more formidable. But it takes effort! 

Talent/superpower: defeating science with unusual cooking methods, banter, never giving up – at the feasting table. 

Specialty: steak, crackling pork loin bites with seasoned crackling, cold hard opinions. 

The Bearded Canadian sports a beard that would put most lumberjacks to shame but is known for his panoramic range of culinary tastes and insatiable appetite for gustatory parlour games and challenges. 

Talent/superpower: culinary creativity, seeing beyond the carcass or cut before him and dreaming up enticing entrees, mains and stunning starters. 

Specialty: Ham, pork shoulders, poultry curios, repartee, Canadian accents. 

House of Goff knows things that we don’t when it comes to burgers, hot sauce and the science of meaty repasts. Genuinely humble and soft spoken, his dishes scream perfection, attention to detail and rich flavour. 

Talent/superpower: maintaining a measured, logical approach to preparing and presenting feasts, even if chaos abounds; and consuming (and relishing) fiery hot sauces. 

Specialty: Smash burgers, chicken wings in many and varied um… variations, food (okay meat) science. 

Johnno the enthusiastic smoker, brisket whisperer and pork platter presenter with the golden olfactory senses, deconstructs sauces, rubs and recipes in general, with an unsettling confidence and unerring accuracy. Talent/superpower: the easy answer is, plating up peerless portions of pork and brisket but it’s the detail, the ingredients, the flavour combinations that set his work apart from the rest. 

Specialty: Brisket, pork, chicken varietals and lesser-known beast-based meals – buffalo, crocodile to name two.

The art of producing mouth-watering steaks… every time. 

by Train 

Ready? 

1. Room temperature – let the steak arrive at room temp. naturally. DO NOT even glance at the microwave! 

2. Pat your steak with paper towel. Moisture is your enemy! 

3. Season your steak – we beg of you. GENEROUSLY, coat in olive oil and gently “pat” and cover with salt and pepper (perhaps even a touch of fresh ground garlic… perhaps). 

4. Sear your steaks on each side on a hotplate heated to approx. temp of the sun. Count to 7 on each side but count to 31 on the fat cap. 

5. Lay freshly-seared steak on the hottest part of your grill for 1 minute. Rotate 90 degrees anti-clockwise and grill for another minute. 

6. Turn your steak over and grill for another minute. Rotate and grill for 30 seconds. Slide the steak towards the cooler part of your grill for the final 30 seconds. 

7. Rest the steak under an untucked canopy of aluminium foil for 5 minutes 

8. Remove canopy with a flourish and look on in wonder as your perfect steak is revealed to an adoring audience. 

9. Slice your beautiful creation. Perfection! Yes, it’s real and you did it. 

10. Don your feasting shirt and… FEAST ON! 

Internal temp. guide for great steaks your way: 

Rare = 48˚- 50˚  Medium Rare = 52 ˚- 54 ˚   Medium = 58 ˚- 60 ˚ 

www.feastonbeasts.com e: feaston@feastonbeasts.com 

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