Friends Food Family

Quiet Man Steak Tips, Steak Strips

Recently, my girlfriend, Patty, asked me if I had heard of a recipe for Quiet Man's Steak Tips. I pulled up Google and immediately started to search. There wasn't much information on a recipe for the steak tips, but many comments on how good they were.

As legend has it, Quiet Man's Pub and Restaurant was located in Southie (South Boston, MA) and was well known for their steak and turkey tips. They closed back in 2007 and with the closing went the recipe. People search for the recipe but only one person - typhoonfish - has claimed to have found it.

It's very easy...

1. Ken's Italian Salad Dressing

2. A mixture of brown sugar and soy sauce

With all the steak and chicken marinades Jeff and I had made, this seemed like an easy one. BUT, I always like to change things up, so I have a challenge...is there a real difference in taste between the Ken's Italian Dressing and the dressing I used?

To make the steak tips or strips -

Marinate 2-3 pounds of steak strips or steak tips in one bottle of Ken's Italian Salad Dressing. I place my steak strips in a gallon size zip lock freezer bag. It holds everything perfectly and clean up is easy. I used Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing because it has pieces of red peppers and garlic which can complement brown sugar and soy sauce. Marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 24.

Prior to cooking, mix 1 cup of soy sauce with 3/4 cup of light brown or dark brown sugar. The mixture will be a little thick. When ready to grill, take the strips out of the marinade and pat them lightly with a paper towel to take off the excess dressing. This will stop them from catching fire on the grill.

Light the grill!

While grilling, glaze the strips with the brown sugar and soy mixture. (I kept telling Jeff to SLATHER THEM because I wanted them to pick up the soy and brown sugar glaze.) Cook to desired wellness. We love our steak medium rare. Let the steak strips rest for 5 minutes before serving.

With 8 people eating dinner that night, there were no leftovers. We served them with mashed red potatoes and a tossed salad. It was perfect. Everyone raved that the flavor was delicious, it had sweet and zesty tones and the steak melted in your mouth.

I'm not sure if it was exact so for those who know the Quiet Man's steak tips, try the recipe with Ken's Italian Dressing and see if that works. Try it with something that has more ZING...like Kraft's Zesty Italian...either way, I think we've stumbled upon a great marinade!

 

Great Steak Marinades from A Salute to Steak

Today there are no pictures of steaks. Just stories and some really good recipes!

Back a few years ago, our friends, Di and Emil Giordano, gave us the cookbook, Command of the Grill - A Salute to Steak. They bought it because Jeff retired from the Marine Corps as a Colonel in the Reserves (after serving both Active Duty and Reserves) and they thought it was great because all sales benefited many Marine causes.

This is one of our favorite cookbooks. It has great variations of steak marinades which are absolutely delicious. Today, I'm going to give you two recipes, to whet your appetite, hoping that you will look further into ordering the cookbook. It is $10.00 so buy a few, spread the happiness! They are available by clicking the above link or through Weber Grill under Grill Books.

One of the great causes it supports is the Fisher House. Boston has it's first Fisher House, located on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Roxbury, MA. It was completed in March of 2010. A Fisher House™ is a “home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The program began in 1990 and has offered more than two million days of lodging to more than 75,000 families. Families of service men and women hospitalized due to their service in Iraq or Afghanistan do not pay to stay at a Fisher House, and the foundation helps cover the cost of alternative housing when the Fisher Houses are full.

As we celebrate Memorial Day, what better way to enjoy ourselves while supporting a wonderful cause. Thank you to all who have served and have lost their lives protecting us and our freedoms.

Two of our favorite marinades:

Jeff's Sizzling Sirloin Steaks- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jeffery D, Carmenia, MCAGCC 29 Palms

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped, fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 sirloin steaks, 10 to 12 ounces each and about 1-1/4 inches thick.

Preparation:

In a small bowl mix the marinade ingredients.

Place the steaks in a large plastic resealable bag (I use the 1 gallon size resealable bags) and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal it tightly. Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade evenly. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Remove the steaks from the bag and discard the marinade. Let the steaks stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling.

With the lid closed, grill the steaks over direct medium heat (400-450 degrees) until cooked to desired doneness 12-15 minutes for medium-rare (6 minutes each side), turning once. Remove from grill and let rest for 2-3 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Spud's Grilled Steak- Captain Phillip Woodward MCAGCC 29 Palms

Ingredients:

1 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Original Blend

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon granulated onion

1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 porterhouse steaks, 12 to 16 ounces each about 1 inch thick

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Original Blend

Preparation:

In a large resealable bag, set inside a large bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Poke the steaks all over with a fork and add the steaks to the bag. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag several times to evenly distribute the marinade, place the bag back in the bowl and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Remove the steaks from the bag and reserve the marinade. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling. Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for about 10 seconds.

With the lid closed, grill the steaks over direct medium-high heat (450-500 degrees) until cooked to desired doneness. 8-10 minutes for medium-rare, turning once or twice and brushing with a little of the boiled marinade. If flare-up occur, temporarily remove from indirect medium-high heat. Remove from the grill, sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash over the steaks and let rest 2-3 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Though these recipes call for a particular steak type, we have mixed them up. But they always taste better with the recommended cut.

As I finished this blog, I yelled to Jeff, "We are definitely having steak tonight!". We just have to figure out which marinade we want!