Cooking a Steak on the BBQ

Now for Barbequing your STEAK:

  

TIP: Clean the grill grate with an onion cut in half - it also adds great flavour to the BBQ.  

  

Turn on or light the BBQ and wait until it reaches cooking temperature. Cut a large onion in half, and using a fork, rub the onion up and down the rack. It removes all the grease from your previous outing and adds a nice flavour when cooking meat.  Allow time for the barbecue to heat to maximum.  The charcoal must be grey.  It is very important to allow the proper time for the food to cook.

Buy best quality beef cuts

Try Cullens Quality Butchers Aged Sirloin, Striploin or Ribeye

Aged Beef ensures tenderness.

Marinating and seasoning adds great flavour.

  

Keep the grill grate 3-6 inches from the coals.

Have all the right tools before you begin, use a tongs.   

Don't use a fork as this puts holes in the meat allowing juices to escape and dries up the meat.

Turn meat only once when cooking as it will lose juices each time you turn. 

Make sure the meat is cooked thoroughly and evenly.

Let your steak rest allowing the juices to settle for a tender result.

Sit back, tuck in and enjoy your  

Cullens Quality Butchers Steak

STEAK

THE CUTS

Ribeye

The ribeye is without doubt one of the best-tasting steaks.  

With its marbling, it tends to cook up very tender, juicy, rich and full of flavour.  

T-Bone

This is a steak with a bone shaped like a "T".  It has meat on each side.  

For those of you who love your meat!

Fillet

This is a boneless section that has melt-in-your-mouth quality and buttery texture.  

Striploin Steak

A succulent steak, with a thin layer of fat that preserves juiciness. A very popular choice!

Sirloin Steak

Well aged for maximum tenderness.

  

CHOOSING A STEAK:

AGE is important when buying a steak - as a rule, 21 DAYS is a good time for the hanging process to Develop Flavour & Tenderise the meat.

Good beef should be a Deep Red Colour.

It should have Good Marbling.

A Steak needs a good Layer of Creamy Fat around the top. 

Imagine the ideal steak.  The outside is crossed with grill marks.  

The inside is tender, juicy and cooked to perfection....

options for seasoning STEAK:

Olive oil, salt and pepper. - Simple, allowing the steaks natural flavour to come through.

Rubs - Apply oil and your choice of herb to the steak 15 minutes prior to cooking.

Marinades -Marinate your steak a couple of hours before cooking.

Extra Flavour - Try adding Garlic Butter or Pepper Sauce to your cooked steak.

Dry Aged Beef

AGED BEEF 

at 

CULLENS QUALITY BUTCHERS

Our Wicklow Beef is dry aged for a minimum of 21 days because that's what makes it so tasty & tender!

What is 'Dry Aged' and why is is so good?

Almost all beef you see in a Supermarket is packed up and vacuum sealed straight away after the animal is slaughtered.

The animal is broken down into the various cuts of beef, such as Sirloin Steak, Fillet, Rib Roast and it is packed up and shipped off to the Supermarket's distribution centre. Then it is usually on the shelf within a couple of days. There is nothing wrong with this meat and in fact it always looks fantastic, usually bright red in colour. 

However a butcher usually has more time to properly look after the carcass. When the animal is slaughtered, it's usually broken down into smaller pieces, such as a 'side' of Beef, or a 'hind quarter'. The butcher would then hang this side of Beef in the cold room for anything up to 21 days.

This allows the fibers and proteins to break down in the meat and allows the flavours to develop. As the blood in the meat dries out, the meat changes colour to a more darker or ruby red. This is a good sign of its quality.   

 

In Cullens we installed a window into our cold room and we are proud to show off our Aged Beef hanging.

Minced Beef

There is lot to choose from when buying minced beef. In Cullens, we sell two different kinds. Our lean Round Steak Mince is made from over 98% lean round steak and is perfect if you are trying to avoid fat, but still want good quality mince.
We also sell rib steak mince, it's made from 85 - 90% lean rib steak. It is perfect for making burgers as it has the right amount of fat to give it good flavour and to 'hold' the burgers together when cooking.  Its also great for a ragu sauce or lasange as it's not too greasy either.
Unlike supermarket prepackaged meat, our mince is made fresh in store throughout the day. Prepacked mince is packaged in a modified atmosphere, this means the air is removed and replaced with a gas to preserve the shelf life and keep the mince red. We do not use this method, which is why the mince from a butcher turns brown very quickly - there is nothing wrong with this, it's just the blood drying out and is perfectly safe to eat.

Call in and check with us as to what mince is right for you!

Cullens Butchers, The Mall, Main St Wicklow Town
www.cullensbutchers.com

Catering for a crowd

Having a COMMUNION 

or in need of PARTY FOOD?

Try a selection of our Chicken Skewers, Cocktail Sausages, 

Chicken Goujons and Wings.

Cullens Quality Butchers can provide you with  the best quality meat perfect for those occasions when you're planning on feeding a crowd!  Be it a Birthday, a Communion, a Confirmation, a BBQ, a Sports Club or Business Event.  We can supply you with an assortment of finger food such as BBQ wings, chicken goujons or cocktail sausages for you to cook, or get you a cooked ham or turkey or  whole salmon.  We can supply sides of smoked salmon or bags of cooked prawns also.  We've got something to please every taste!  (TEL 0404 69719)

Burger Tips

Cooking Burgers:

Cullens
1/4 Pounder Burgers

Burgers are always a winner on the BBQ, In Cullens we always have our award winning ¼ pounders, but if you fancy making your own burgers, keep it simple. Use good quality mince and don’t overcomplicate the flavour – maybe add a little bit of salt and pepper or for variety add a little bit of BBQ sauce or Sweet Chilli sauce to your mix.

Minced lamb also makes excellent burgers!

TOP TIPS:

When making your patty -Use good quality meat. The best mince to use for Burgers is Rib Steak Mince. It has more flavour than Round Steak Mince and has just the right amount of fat to keep the burger juicy.

Keep it simple – it’s all about the meat!

Chill the patty in the fridge for 15 mins before grilling; this will help hold its shape.

Dent in the centre to prevent the patty from balling up.

Have all supplies at hand - so plan ahead.

Start with a clean grill.

Lid up or down?

If meat is thicker than palm close lid if thinner keep an eye on it.

Don’t squish the burgers!!!! you’ll make them dry out. Only flip once.

Add Cheese at the very end if using.  

Is it Done? Go for medium well.

Always let it rest for a few minutes.

TOPPINGS IDEAS FOR BURGERS:

Cooked Sliced Mushroom, Cooked Sliced Onion

Lettuce Leaf, Slice of Tomato, Sliced Onion Ring, 1 Tsp Mayonnaise

Slice of Cheddar Cheese Melted

Crispy Pancetta

Grated or Sliced Cheddar, Tomato Salsa

Pepper or Mushroom Sauce

Pesto and Mozzarella Cheese

Pineapple, Cheddar cheese, Lettuce & Tomato

Caramelised Red Onions

BBQ Sauce

Homemade Guacamole

Cullens Quality Butchers Main Street Wicklow Town.

Lamb Roast for Easter

LAMB

What makes Wicklow Lamb so special? 

Well, the animals are free to roam in the hilly countryside, eating heather, clover and of course the good green grass! This means the meat is so moist and full of flavour! 

The herbs and heathers onWicklow’s natural landscape. 

Add to the unique flavour that Wicklow lamb is renowned for!

Farming sheep in Wicklow is an age old tradition, with farming methods passed on through the generations. Wicklow Spring Lamb is synonymous with Tradition, quality and taste.

The colour and flavour of the flesh will vary depending on where the sheep were raised. Look for pale-pink flesh in a very young lamb, to a light- or dark-red colour in an older animal.  Lamb is seasonal and this is reflected in the price.

LEG LAMB - can be cut in two- fillet or leg shank.  Great roasted whole or boned and cooked on the BBQ. Like a shoulder, Lamb Leg can also be slow roasted for hours until it becomes really tender and the meat falls apart.

LAMB SHOULDER - This part of the animal works hard, so it’s full of muscle. This means it takes longer to become tender, but is a great choice for stewing or for a slow roast.

RACK OF LAMB - lean meat that cooks quickly

LOIN OF LAMB - a boned loin of lamb- ideal for stuffing, 

a little more fat than leg but not as much as shoulder.

LAMB SHANKS - This is a really cheap cut, usually taken from one of the hind legs. It is perfect for stews and slow cooking.

BREAST OF LAMB - A forgotten cut, but very popular in Ireland for making traditional Irish Stew. It is a fatty piece of meat and can be roasted or stewed.

TIPS FOR CARVING

Leg of Lamb

Hold the joint at the end of the bone using some kitchen paper for a firmer grip.  Carve the meat away from the bone.

Boneless Joint

Hold the joint in place with a carving fork and carve the meat across the grain.

LAMB is complemented by so many ingredients:

Studding

Make little scores / incisions in the surface of the Lamb and stuff with slivers of Garlic & Rosemary.

Or Anchovy or Dried Apricots.

Use a Marinade

Marinades work wonders on lamb, helping enhance its flavour and making it meltingly tender. 

Place Lamb with Natural Yoghurt, some Ground Cumin & Coriander in a food bag

& refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Glazing

Brush the Lamb near the end of cooking with Red Currant Jelly for a sticky outer layer.

LAMB: Serve with Mint Sauce or Greek-style yoghurt with chopped mint.   

TRIVET OF VEG TO ROAST LAMB On:

Try placing lamb on a bed of rosemary sprigs and halved bulbs of garlic.