Where’s the beef? We want the best quality. Marbled but trimmed, tender, robust, local, antibiotic free. This is the checklist we go through before rationalizing the cost.
Recently I was introduced to a new, easy-to-navigate website that offers locally sourced quality beef by West Side Beef Co. and delivers it right to my front door. How could I refuse?
Sure enough a vac pack of prime rib arrives. It is massive. It looks delicious. My wheels are spinning. How am I going to prepare this? And who am I inviting over for dinner tonight?
First of all, West Side Beef Co. is owned and operated by the team behind Richmond Station. We trust Chef Carl Heinrich, so I know that this is good quality product and that I need to do as little as possible to it. I recruit my mother for this job. Our guest of honour: my son.
We’ve enjoyed many an asado of Pampas grass-fed Argentinean steak, and I have indulged in exquisite brands of wagyu from all across Japan, but I can honestly say that nothing beats Canada beef. The texture, the juiciness, and the trust in quality makes it simply the best. West Side Beef Co. sources from local farms, and is involved in the entire process from animal husbandry to butchering to packing. The easy part is up to us. Here’s how we cooked it!
Whisky Steak a la Waxman
Ingredients:
- West Side Beef Co., 2 ½ inch thick, Prime Rib
1 small garlic clove - 1 tablespoon fresh coarsely ground black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 ounces Crown Royal whisky
Method:
Dry steak with paper towel. Sliver garlic clove, and stick the slivers into little pockets between fat and meat, at random. Distribute pepper evenly over each side and press it into the meat. Mix oil and vinegar and drizzle over steak. Allow to stand for at least an hour to bring meat to room temperature. Place on grill to sear meat and seal in juices. Finish on oven proof platter at 350 degrees. Insert meat thermometer to get to Rare. Remove and let rest for about seven minutes. Heat whisky in microwave for 5 seconds. Bring platter to the table. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Sprinkle with sugar. Set the whisky alight and pour gently over steak. Slice, serve, enjoy.
What Is West Side Beef? from West Side Beef on Vimeo.
Aged for 21 days, and then cut, trimmed and portioned, this Prime Rib satisfied the three of us for dinner, and then for the following lunch mixed in with pasta. If we were to have ordered this in a restaurant it would have cost a fortune. And yet, this 2 – 3lb roast costs $35 when ordered from the West Side Beef website. We click on the product we want, select our desired date, and without hassle, it’s all done for us. All we need to do is prepare the sides to pair with our robust, juicy steak–and it is so flavourful! Nothing compares to watching my son enjoy a healthy product like this.
I’ve found my new butcher.
