Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Strip Loin Grilling Class at Mannix Pools and Grills

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Earlier this month, I taught a strip class.

No! Not a stripping class - but a grilling class on how to use a whole beef strip loin like the dish below.   

Reverse pan seared NY Strip Steak with roasted garlic and bourbon sauce recipe

The class was at Mannix Pools and Grills in Winter Haven, FL. When BJ asked me to do a class I thought I would talk about how to break down a Certified Angus Beef whole beef strip loin into 4 delicious recipes including:

Pepper Crusted Strip Loin Roast
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NY Steak and Cheese Mini Subs with Smoked Chile Mayo
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Umami Manhattan Filet with Shiitake Stir Fry
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Reverse Pan Seared NY Strip Steak with Roasted Garlic and Bourbon Sauce

It was a whirlwind 48 hour trip that included a lot of fun and 20 hours of driving (not a lot of fun). Here are some pictures from our weekend trip and class.

Certified Angus Beef whole beef strip loins
The class was in Florida. Since it was the same week as July 4th, I was worried I might have a hard time finding enough strip loins for the class down there.   So before we left Knoxville, Jeremy at Food City #674 helped us get 3 Certified Angus Beef whole beef strip loins.

Does Certified Angus Beef really matter so much to go to that effort?  I mean, Walmart carries Angus now, why not just buy it at the Walmart down there? 

Because not all Angus is Certified Angus Beef.  It's not just a label that sets C.A.B. apart from other Angus programs, it's what is behind that label.  I am a big believer in their 10 quality specifications.  

What makes Certified Angus Beef the #bestbeef
These standards are on top of USDA grading and are why only 1 in 4 Angus qualify for the Certified Angus Beef program.  That's why I go out of my way for C.A.B. beef.


Friggin' Atlanta any time of the day.  This was 10:30 or 11am.  Exciting trip so far....




Manny's Chophouse serves Certified Angus Beef and fun
When we got into town later than expected, we saw Manny's Chophouse on the way in.  We didn't know anything about the place but it was the closest non-chain restaurant by our hotel so Manny's was it.

Certified Angus Beef restaurants serve only the #bestbeef
We walked in and right by the door I see this.  Certified Angus Beef has a store and restaurant locator but this was just happenstance. Yep, dinner was going to be fine.

The place was packed, no surprise on a Friday night, so we ate at the bar. 

It was a long 600+ mile trip, so had to wash the road dust off.

Certified Angus Beef NY Strip at Manny's Chophouse in Winter Haven FL
What did I order?  Strip steak, of course! 

We got up early Saturday and headed down to the store to prep for the class.

I had a secret weapon.  Most of our Eggfest version of Team Nibble Me This was there to help me. Here Rhonda (my sister), me, Sean (sister's beau), and BJ Mannix are shooting the breeze while breaking down 2 of the strip loins before class. 

Thermoworks Thermapen grilling tools
Okay, I might have an electronics fixation.  But when you are simultaneously cooking multiple roasts, steaks, and teaching a class, it helps to have something beep at you.

My team is amazing.  Rhonda did the mise en place for all 4 recipes and even labeled them with where refrigerated items were.  

We sliced the butt ends of the strip loins very thin for steak and cheese sandwiches.  While prepping, I forgot to trim off the fat cap before putting it on the slicer.
Sean stepped up and went through the slices, pulling off any excess fat.  Sorry, Sean :) 

Our gear for the class was 2 large and 1 extra large Big Green Eggs.


Chris Grove, BBQ Author and Grilling Expert, teaching a grilling class in Florida
In the blink of an eye, prep was done and it was time for the class to start. Photo credit: Walter Williames

We had a good turnout for the class.

Sean was the master of the Griddle Q, cooking up a ton of sliced onions and shaved strip steak for the NY Steak and Cheese sandwiches.

Rhonda and I crusting strip roasts with 16 mesh black pepper.  To bind the black pepper, we slathered the strip roasts with a roasted garlic compound butter before seasoning.
Recipe for Certified Angus Beef NY Strip Loin Roast
It may seem like a lot of black pepper, but it's only on the exterior of the roast so it is not over powering at all.  It also is a lot of butter but it will melt while cooking and baste the roast, giving you a flavorful, crispy crust.  This would be a great recipe on a rotisserie.


Breaking down the strip steaks.

Grilling expert, Chris Grove, teaching a steak grilling class.
To demonstrate how easy the butchering was, I involved people in the class to give it a shot and they nailed it.

Class members making Manhattan filet for their classmates to enjoy.

Demonstrating the set ups I used for the various recipes we were doing.


Ominous clouds forming in the distance.  It got threatening but thankfully, the foul weather bypassed us for the most part.

NY Strip Steaks seasoned with our NMT Beef Rub waiting to be seared.

Chris Grove stir frying shiitake stir fry garnish for Umami steaks.
Making the shiitake stir fry garnish for the Manhattan filet.

Pan searing NY Strip steaks on an XL Big Green Egg kamado grill
Pan searing the NY strip steaks.

BBQ and grilling expert, Chris Grove, teaching a grilling class in Winter Haven FL
The roasted garlic and bourbon sauce requires a flambe.  The first batch's flame was a rather small and unimpressive so I boosted the bourbon in the second one....just a smidgen.  "Now that's a far!" 

NMT Umami Steak Seasoning
I also shared my NMT Umami Steak Seasoning recipe with this class.  It is similar to our beef rub with salt, pepper, shallot, red pepper, garlic, and dried chiles. But it uses the natural flavor enhancers in a blend of dried porcini, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms. 

Strip steaks sliced, sauced, and ready for plating.

NY Steak and Cheese Mini-Subs with Smoked Chile Mayo

Manhattan filet - we sliced them and served with the shiitake stir fry garnish.

Certified Angus Beef strip loin roast
Pepper crusted strip loin roast.

Pan Seared NY Strip Steaks with Roasted Garlic and Bourbon Sauce.

That night our team went over to the Mannix home and had a great night catching up with friends and family.  The trampoline did end up by the pool but there were no "hold my beer" type injuries :)

Carroll's Sausage and Country Store in GA has great smoked sausages
On the way home, we had to stop at Carroll's Sausage (Exit 82 on I-75 in Georgia) to stock up on some of their craftsman sausages.  It's worth the stop, trust me.

We also loaded up on some of our friends' BBQ sauces while there.

After a long weekend of grilling, what is the first thing I do when we get home?  I couldn't resist throwing one of the sausages on one of our kamado grills! 
How cool is this?  BJ has a friend that can do laser etching and he had this Lodge cast iron pan customized for me.

Mannix Pools and Grills is located on Cypress Gardens Blvd in Winter Haven, FL and they are a top notch pool and grilling supply store.  They carry Big Green Egg, Green Mountain Grills, Traeger Grills, Flame Boss, Kick Ash Basket, Lodge cast iron and they have a big announcement for adding a new, highly respected brand in the next week or so.  

Our friend, Chris Gentry of Gentry's BBQ, will be teaching a tailgating class on August 12th.  If you're in the area, you won't want to miss that.