[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”no” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=””][fusion_text]

Engineering Lunch : Steak and Mushrooms

Welcome to our third installment of The Engineer’s Kitchen. We hope everyone had a great Mothers Day and were able to try out last weeks recipe. Now that we are having another great weather day here at Glew Engineering, the grill is just begging to be used. On the menu today, we have grilled sirloin filet steaks with a sautéed mushrooms and Dijon mustard sauce. We rounded out our meal with a simple fresh green salad and a vintage 2013 Coke Zero®.

We thought to ourselves, what kind of engineering company would we be if we didn’t wire up the grill and steaks to the good ol’ thermocouple? So we did. Any back yard cook can just go get a thermometer, but leave it to the engineer to grab something that can take readings and be analyzed. While our graph and study will not make it into any technical papers, it does shows basic temperature readings of the grill temperature as well as the steaks internal temperature. Why go and wire it all up for just that data you might ask? Because we can.

Looking at the graph above, we can see that it took just under 20 minutes to get our grill up to temperature and that it was a beautiful 74 degrees outside. Once we added the steaks to the grill, you can then see how the effect of the steaks causes the grill temperature to fluctuate slightly. Around the 9 minute mark of cooking time, you can see where we had the grill open for an extended period of time to check the steaks and turn. In that 2 minute period, we had lost 76.9 degrees. We see that in this instance it took 8 minutes for us to increase 14.5 degrees on the internal temperature and to get the grill marks of the steak while only 13 minutes after turning to increase 64.7 degrees to reach the desired resting temperature. With the temperature of the meat higher and not removing the lid to check the steaks, the temperature of the grill was able to steadily increase and allow for a quicker cooking time.

The results from this testing did give us the results we were looking for. It resulted in one fantastic lunch and possibly a slightly less productive hour of work following. Enjoy the following recipe and come back to see what’s cooking next week.
Pepper Steak with Sautéed Mushrooms:

3 – 4oz top sirloin fillets
1 cup Button mushrooms (Sliced)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
2 sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

I prepared the steaks very simply with salt and pepper. This allows for the true taste of the meat to come through. Without the heavy combinations of spices this allows for the sauce to compliment the meal in its own right. Grill steaks to your preference. For us it was medium rare, which is a reading of 140 degrees of the internal temperature. Remember that meat will continue to cook once it is removed from the grill, so removing the steaks when the internal temperature reaches about 5 degrees less than desired should allow for a perfect serving temperature. Resting the steaks before cutting will also result in a steak that retains more juice and not be dry.

You can get the sauce going while the steaks rest. In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter and add the mushrooms. Cook down until just tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and continue to stir until sauce thickens. Serve sauce over rested steak and garnish with fresh thyme.

Salud

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]