Healthy Chili

3 lbs. ground beef (93% lean)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 cup water
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 16 oz. cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 32 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste

Combine ground beef, onions and peppers in a large dutch oven and cook until ground beef is cooked through and crumbled.  Drain thoroughly to remove grease.

Return mixture to pot and place on stove.  Add water, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.  Bring to a simmer in pot, cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve in pot family style or divide into ten individualized portions.

Steakhouse Burger Meatloaf

The inspiration here is the proverbial steakhouse burger - remixed into a meatloaf.  The end result is delicious paired with garlic mash or roasted, skin-on potatoes.  Amazing the next day nestled in between two slices of bread as a meatloaf sandwich.  The made-from-scratch steak sauce bakes to a beautiful mahogany color, almost shellac.  The raisins in the steak sauce act as the sugar/sweet to balance the acidity of the vinegar and pungent mustard.

2 lb. ground beef
1 stick unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tbsp. thyme
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. onion powder
3 eggs
2 cups bread crumbs

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt butter and add onion, garlic parsley and thyme.  Gently saute for five minutes.  In a separate bowl combine pepper, salt, soy sauce, onion powder, eggs and bread crumbs - stir with a form to mix well.  Add sauteed butter/onion mixture to bread crumbs and stir well to combine.  Add to ground beef and mix to incorporate - place inside a meatloaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and put into refrigerator to marinate for at least one hour, up to overnight if you desire.

Sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cup beef stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup raisins

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to low simmer over medium low heat - simmer for ten minutes with cover off, mixture will reduce greatly and raisins will plump.  Let mixture cool, then place into a food processor or blender and puree.  Spread on top of meatloaf evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place meatloaf in oven - bake for 1.5 hours, remove from oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes.  This allows the meatloaf to firm up - it will still be hot enough as it retains heat very well.  Slice and serve.

Steak - NY Strip

The strip steak is one of the highest quality beef steaks on the market. In the United States and Canada it is also known as striploin, shell steak, Delmonico, Kansas City or New York Strip steak. In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the same steak is traditionally called a Porterhouse steak. Cut from the strip loin part of the sirloin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does little work, and so it is particularly tender, though not as tender as the nearby ribeye or tenderloin (fat content of the strip is somewhere between these two cuts, allowing for a flavor profile to match). Unlike the nearby tenderloin, the strip loin is a sizable muscle, allowing it to be cut into the larger portions favored by many steak eaters.
When still attached to the bone, and with a piece of the tenderloin also included, the strip steak becomes a T-bone steak or a Porterhouse steak as the latter term is understood in the United States and Canada.
The Kansas City strip steak usually has a portion of the bone connected, whereas the New York strip steak is boneless. Here are the cooking times for a NY Strip Steak

1” First Side Second Side
Grill
Rare 5 minutes 3 minutes
Medium 6 minutes 4 minutes
Well 8 minutes 6 minutes

Broiler
Rare 6 minutes 5 minutes
Medium 8 minutes 6 minutes
Well 11 minutes 9 minutes

1 ¾ ” First Side Second Side
Grill
Rare 7 minutes 5 minutes
Medium 8 minutes 7 minutes
Well 11 minutes 9 minutes

Broiler
Rare 8 minutes 7 minutes
Medium 9 minutes 8 minutes
Well 14 minutes 12 minutes

Always let steak rest for 10 minutes before you slice it, which will allow the juices to flow back through the meat. Cover it with foil or keep in a warming drawer. Then serve the steak whole or carved -- and let its smoky perfume beckon.

Steak - Filet Mignon

Filet mignon (French for "exquisite or dainty fillet") is a steak cut of beef taken from the tenderloin of the steer or heifer.


The tenderloin runs along either side of the spine, and is usually harvested as two long snake-shaped cuts of beef. The tenderloin (not to be confused with the short loin) is sometimes sold whole. If the short end of the tenderloin is cut into portions before cooking, that portion is known as filet mignon, or the fillet, from the French boneless meat (mignon meaning "small" as true mignons are cut from the smaller tail end of the tenderloin).

The fillet is considered to be the most tender cut of beef, and the most expensive. The average steer or heifer provides no more than 4-6 pounds of filet. Because the muscle is non-weight bearing, it receives very little exercise, which makes it tender.

Porterhouse steaks and T-bone steaks are large cuts which include the filet. The small medallion on one side of the bone is the filet, and the long strip of meat on the other side of the bone is the strip steak—in British Commonwealth usage, only the strip steak is called the porterhouse.
The fillet can be cut into 1-2 inch thick portions, then grilled and served as-is. One can also find the fillet in stores already cut into portions and wrapped with bacon. High heat is the usual method for cooking the fillet. Either grilling, pan frying, broiling or roasting is preferred.

Bacon is often used in cooking the filet because of the low levels of fat found in the filet. Filets also have low levels of marbling, or internal fat. Bacon is wrapped around the filet and pinned closed with a wooden toothpick. This adds flavor and keeps the filet from drying out during the cooking process. Traditionally, filet mignon is seared on each side using intense heat for a short time and then transferred to a lower heat to cook the meat all the way through. Filet mignon is often served rarer than other meats. Those who prefer a more well-done steak can request a "butterflied" filet, meaning that meat is cut down the middle, and opened up to expose more of the meat to heat during the cooking process.

Cooking times

2” First Side Second Side

Grill

Rare 7 minutes 5 minutes

Medium 8 minutes 7 minutes

Well 11 minutes 9 minutes

Broiler

Rare 8 minutes 7 minutes

Medium 9 minutes 8 minutes

Well 14 minutes 12 minutes

Always let steak rest for 10 minutes before you slice it, which will allow the juices to flow back through the meat. Keep in mind that your meat will continue to cook while it is resting, so adjust grilling times accordingly (temperature of meat can raise up to 10 degrees). (If desired) Lay foil over the top or keep in a warming drawer.