T-Bone, Goodwill & a few feathers

Gator Bait

 
Before I left the house this morning I stuck my head in the freezer to see if I could spot anything good for dinner. The first thing to catch my eye was a nice looking T-Bone so I set it out to defrost. I thought I would try something new so I substituted Gravy Master for the usual Lee & Perrin's. I love Gravy Master for stews, gravy and burgers. It compliments beef well with a nice rich flavor.

The raws . . .

I marinated the steak and left it while I fired up the egg.

When the egg had reached about 525º I put the steak on.

Because this steak was only 1" thick I started with 3 minutes a side and checked it, 113º, I put it back on for about 20 seconds a side more and checked it again, 122º, good enough, I pulled it and let it rest for about 7 or 8 minutes.

The steak was very good. The Gravy Master gave it a rich flavor that was very good with the char. It was tender and juicy, the way a good steak should be.

Now for the Goodwill. While I was out running errands at the last moment I decided to check the local Goodwill Store. It can be worth watching for vintage Pyrex or cast iron. I was lucky and spotted this pair for $3.99 each.

The #3 is about 6 1/4" rim to rim, the #5 is just about 8" rim to rim. They should go well with my 10" Lodge.

They had no seasoning to them so I gave them a good wash and a quick seasoning with a little canola oil and my MAPP torch to keep them from rusting.

I sat outside to work on the cast iron, it was the warmest day we have had in a long time. I hadn't been working long when I heard a hawk call close by. It didn't take long to find this pair of Red Shouldered Hawks. They were probably checking out the local Morning Dove flock.


Gator

 

Lanier Jim

Great post...we have alot of Hawks around the lake. Also had some Osprey nest on top of two big bridges on Lake Lanier...HUGE nests. TV stations made it up to do some video for the news. Awesome sight...the wife and I checked them out alot from the pontoon.

LJ

Gator Bait

 
Thanks LJ, I have always loved birds and birds of prey are very cool. We have a lot of Osprey around here. I was watching a pair riding the air currents with the Vultures as I was walking into the Goodwill Store this afternoon.

Gator

 

Lanier Jim

Awesome sights...we've actually seen a hawk come from high up and take a small bird right out of the air before. Now that was wild!

LJ

MountainGriller

I'm impressed - I've been looking for some cast iron cookware - I'm heading to Goodwill - great hawk photos

Gator Bait

 
Thanks MountainGriller, I have a number of thrift stores not far from my house and I will walk through them every couple months. This was the first time it payed off in cast iron.

The hawks were funny, I would take a few steps in their direction and take a picture and they would ignore me, I would take a couple more steps and take another picture and they would still ignore me. I finally walked right past the pole they were on and they still ignored me. I guess I wasn't very impressive to them.

Gator

MountainGriller

That's great, keep looking for bargains and photo ops

NoVA Bill

Hey Gator,

Nice find with CI! I'd like to augment my colection.

Your steak really caught my eye, nic pics.

cookn biker

Great all the way around!!! I see at least one Rocky Mountain Red Tailed Hawk a day. I feel lucky when I do. Steak looks great!!

Rib Bones

The steak looks very good! Haven't used Gravy Master before, will look for it at Publix. Is it a worcestershire flavor?

Steaks have been so good since we got our first Egg! Don't even use steak sauce anymore. But I'm gonna try the marinade based on your pic!

Great score on the cast iron.

Gator Bait

 
Thanks Bill, the steak was good and the CI was even better. Vintage cast iron is hard to find, at least around here, so that was a pleasant find.

Have a great day,

Gator

 

Gator Bait

 
Thanks Molly, I agree, getting a great view of a bird like a hawk is always rewarding. Those Red Tailed Hawks are wonderful. The first time I saw the Grand Canyon there was one soaring right in front of us. He looked like he was trying to show off every feather he owned in the early morning sunlight.

Have a great day,

Gator

 

Gator Bait

 
Hi Rick,

Gravy Master is not like worcestershire (glad you can spell that). It is not as sharp, where worcestershire has a sort of peppery quality to it Gravy Master is a concentrate made from things like caramelized sugar, water, apple cider vinegar, salt(well down the list of ingredients) and spices (onion, celery, parsley, and garlic). It has a richness that compliments meats in a more subtle way. I did not use a great deal of it, it is very dark in color. I just poured a small amount on and spread it with a clean finger tip. I often do the same thing with worcestershire sauce, when you cook it on a steak it takes on a sweetness that I like. Publix just happened to have the Gravy Master marked down to 3 bottles for $4 yesterday. I also mix it in burgers sometimes for a richer taste. Kitchen Bouquet is a very similar product.

Have a great day,

Gator

 

KMO_Q

Great looking steak...I think I'll grab a couple at the local meat shop...

Gator Bait

 
Thanks Kevin, T-Bones are hard to beat. I watch for them at Sam's Club and when they are marked down I grab 'em.

Have a great day,

Gator