{"id":4186,"date":"2010-09-16T18:55:26","date_gmt":"2010-09-17T01:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burgersdogspizza.com\/?p=4186"},"modified":"2010-09-16T18:55:26","modified_gmt":"2010-09-17T01:55:26","slug":"home-cookin-hearst-ranch-grass-fed-beef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/?p=4186","title":{"rendered":"Home Cookin’ – Hearst Ranch Grass Fed Beef"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Hearst<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
Hearst Ranch Grass Fed Beef Steaks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had the opportunity to sample some flank steaks courtesy of California\u2019s Hearst Ranch<\/a>. Some background:\u00a0\u00a0 Hearst Ranch is made up of thousands of acres of lush California grazing land surrounding San Simeon<\/a>, the former outpost for the late media mogul William Randolph Hearst<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 He owned about 250,000 acres (that\u2019s nearly 400 square miles!) of California shoreline at one time.\u00a0\u00a0 Bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, and the coastal mountain range on the east, this temperate climate is Hearst\u2019s home \u2013 the largest single producer of all natural, grass fed, grass finished beef in the US.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Interesting sidebar \u2013 the other side of this mountain range backs up against the US Army installation, Camp Roberts \u2013 where GI\u2019s during WW2 trained for invading Japan, lugging supplies on their backs, and with pack mules, up and down the mountains.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is flank steak?\u00a0 It\u2019s a cut of beef cut from the abdominal muscles of a cow.\u00a0\u00a0 It is so lean that unless properly prepared, it can be a might tough, though still wonderfully flavorful.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Here in the US, we have most often seen it used\/sold\/served for the popular Mexican cuisine inspired dish, \u201cfajitas\u201d, but also sliced and rolled to be served as a London Broil \u201csteak.\u201d\u00a0 It is also commonly used by Chinese style restaurants as their cut of choice for stir fry preparations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The French are fond of flank steak, where it is called \u201cbavette\u201d and it is often served in cafes and bistros after being seared quickly with shallots in a hot skillet, and served rare.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hearst Ranch people were kind enough to furnish me with two @20 ounce portions of the steaks, they came individually sealed, frozen, and accompanied by a small block of dry ice.\u00a0\u00a0 The retail cost for this package is $49, plus $19 for shipping.\u00a0 With approximately 44 pre-cooked ounces of meat in the package, that works out to $24 per pound, about what you would expect to pay in any high-end butcher shop.
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Nearly all the recipes one can find for flank steak call for nearly the same preparations, a long marinade, followed by a short, high heat, cook.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I chose a fairly standard marinade.\u00a0\u00a0 One could modify this easily to \u2018fajita seasoning\u2019, by adding herbs and spices as you prefer.
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