ROUSES_Summer2022_Magazine.indd

Steaks Nick Acosta, meat director for Rouses Markets — and incidentally, Tim’s son — started at Rouses as a teenager stocking shelves and wrangling buggies in the parking lot. The job tided him over until he could get a job in the butcher shop, where he really wanted to work. After college, he rejoined the company, where he has been for the last 16 years. Rouses Markets maintains a robust stock of choice and prime beef as graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Those are the best grades of beef out there,” says Nick. Grades are determined by marbling (fat spread throughout the beef), tenderness and cattle feeding practices. “USDA grading is different from U.S. mandatory meat inspections,” Nick explains. “Other grocery stores will sell you ungraded beef that has been U.S. inspected, but I seriously doubt it will be as flavorful or tender as our USDA graded beef.” Rouses also carries Australian Wagyu beef, and has its own dry-aged beef lockers in most of its stores. Grill-wise, he says, the best all-around steak is the ribeye. “It has got good marbling in it. You want a little fat in there, and it produces an outstanding flavor.” It is cut from the loin along the rib cage, and is well marbled with a lot of fat throughout. As such, it yields that textbook steakhouse flavor. Because of all this, the ribeye will cook evenly throughout, and will get that classic, crispy texture. T-bones are also great for the grill — if you don’t mind dealing with the bone. Boneless New York strip steaks, sirloin and beef tenderloin can also leave your grill thanking you for the pleasure of cooking it. The strip steak is a lot like the ribeye, found along the same muscle. The strip is nearer to the back of the cow, while the ribeye is found at the front. This is “middle ground” steak; not tender like the filet mignon, and not as marbled as the ribeye.

Nick, Tim and Chris Acosta PHOTO BY CHANNING CANDIES

“Any of those steaks are great when firing up the grill in the afternoon,” says Tim. All you need is olive oil, kosher salt, fresh-cracked black pepper and butter. (A little thyme or garlic can also take things up a notch.) They can be seared first in a cast-iron skillet, but that’s not necessary for a life-changing experience. HOW TO GRILL THEM The first step to grilling a perfect steak is to unwrap it and bring it to room temperature. “You don’t want to take your steak directly from the fridge and put it straight into the barbecue pit,” says Nick. You want to let the meat reach room temperature before cooking it. “If it’s still cold when you put it on the grill or cooktop, it will burn by the time you reach your desired doneness.” Meanwhile, get your grill at a good medium-to-high heat — around 375◦F to 400◦F. Apply the olive oil and sprinkle the steak with kosher salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on each side until you reach the desired doneness. If you have an internal thermometer (and if you don’t, you can grab

one at your local Rouses), use that to best determine how cooked the steak is. An extra rare steak is seared on the outside and red, cool and soft in the center, ready to pull from the grill at an internal temperature of 115◦F to 120◦F. A rare steak is ready at 125◦F, with a three-quarters red interior and slightly cool center. A medium-rare steak is good to go at 135◦F in the center, which is about half-red. Medium steaks are 145◦F on the thermom eter, pink in the center and have a firm, springy exterior on the touch. Medium well is 150◦F and pretty much cooked throughout. A well-done steak should be taken from the grill at 160◦F with a brown center, and usually comes with angry looks from the chef. Chicken If you are using a grill, whether propane or coal, you can go from nothing to dinner in 45 minutes flat. A boneless, skinless chicken breast is among the easiest things to slap on a grill. Season it or let it marinate for an hour, then cook and enjoy.

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