Grilled Pork Tenderloin Tomahawk - Video Recipe

 I buy aged meat. Well, I assume that when I get discounted meat from the grocer's bargain bin that it's old...or like I tell my cheap$kate self, "It's aged!"

When I saw a Pork Tenderloin Tomahawk for nearly half-price I jumped on it. Now, if the pork steak was gray in color I would have thought twice, but this pork loin was lightly pink like a regular raw pork chop.

And how did my Grilled Pork Tenderloin Tomahawk turn out? Damn good! It was moist and flavorful with a smoky barbecue charred flavor. And just by chance a friend dropped by and I served him half of it -- he raved how delicious and moist it was.

The cut of meat is a bone-in rib steak. It is a large, thick steak with some fat for extra flavor.

When I grill a steak I like it charred or well done on at least one side. When I cook the other side I usually don't worry about how charred it is. I just stop grilling when it is done to my liking. And, don't forget to let the grilled steak sit a couple of minutes before digging in so the juices redistribute and leave you with a moist steak.

If you serve the steak with the charred side showing, then it doesn't matter if the other side is as charred. 

If you have a really hot fire then you can easily get an even char on both sides of the steak.

I tend to grill a pork steak more well done than a beef steak. The recommended internal temperature of cooked pork is at least 145 degrees measured in the thickest part of the steak. I like to slice into my pork steak and look for clear juices (no pink), just to make sure.

I seasoned the Pork Tenderloin Tomahawk simply with black pepper and Cajun Seasoning (usually consisting of dried garlic, chile powder, and salt).

Click on any photo to see larger.

I often slather on BBQ Sauce, but I wanted to see how the Pork Tomahawk tastes on its own with minimal seasoning.

I was quite impressed by how tasty this thick pork steak was. If a Pork Tenderloin Tomahawk shows up again I would not hesitate to buy it...from the bargain bin, that is. 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Tomahawk - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 41 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Pork Loin Tomahawk Steak - this steak was 1 pound in weight.
• Cajun Seasonings - 1 tablespoon. Okay to use salt or any favorite seasonings.
• Black Pepper - 1 tablespoon.

Directions

Season Pork Loin Tomahawk with Cajun Seasonings and black pepper. Okay to use just salt and pepper or any favorite seasonings. 

I use an outdoor butane grill. Okay to use an indoor frying pan or broil it in the oven.

I like to char one side of Pork Loin Tomahawk for the longest time, then finish it on the other side quickly until done. 

This is how I cook meat on a gas grill. I like to brown one side only and cook on the other side until done.

Grill about 5 to 10 minutes on one side until charred brown.

Grill the other side until done, about 3-5 minutes.

Internal temperature is about 145 degrees when done. Take the Grilled Pork Loin Tomahawk off the grill and allow it to rest a couple of minutes so the juices redistribute and moisten the meat even more.

*Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak and the heat of the grill.

Beef Onigiri - Japanese Fast Food Video

Beef and rice - can't get more basic than that. Just saute a 3-ounce slab of marinated and sliced ribe-eye, then wrap it up in a few balls of sticky rice. That's what makes up a typical Beef Onigiri Japanese recipe. You can add a small sheet of dried seaweed snack (becoming more popular and even sold at regular groceries) for an extra salty kick.

And I picked up all these ingredients at my local 99c only Store! How's that for a unique cheap$kate meal? Hang out with The 99 Cent Chef and you can live high on the hoof - so read on and I'll give you the Beef Onigiri recipe: presented with yummy photos, GIFS, and a video.

There's not much to it, really. Just click here to see my sticky Sushi Rice recipe - that's the only atypical ingredient, but even that is a cinch to make when you follow my unique stop-motion video instructions.

As for steak, well, I get a single serving and marinate it in soy sauce, sugar, and a little garlic. That's a lot of flavor. I like working with these cheap small 3-ounce packages of rib-eye. It's my favorite cut of beef because you get that large centerpiece of sirloin and a marbled strip of super-tender loin along the edge - the best of both worlds.

These small steaks are perfect for stir-fries, like my Beef Broccoli recipe, here. You don't need an $8 slab of beef for my recipes. And while 3 ounces of steak at 99.99 cents still equals 5 bucks per pound, you are saving money by using such a small amount (and saving calories too.)

Japanese Onigiri is fast food from the East. It's portable and filling. You can wrap almost any favorite veggie or cooked protein in sticky rice. Check out my Salmon Salad Onigiri recipe from last month, here, to see what I mean.

Sticky rice is messy to handle, so use a sheet of plastic wrap. My video leaves this part out: I made the rice ball the traditional way of using my hands and moistened it with a little water. However, most chefs now use plastic wrap to press and form the Onigiri.

You can present the Beef Onigiri plainly or wrap it with a sheet of dried seaweed snacks. You can get packages of dried seaweed snacks almost anywhere now, and what's so great about them is they are pre-cut to a perfect size.

My Beef Onigiri recipe makes about 4 rice balls, and it's easy enough to double the recipe. So give it a go - it's a perfectly delicious small bite.

Beef Onigiri  - VIDEO
 

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 4 rice balls for 1 to 2 servings)
1 cup brown or white rice - use my Sushi Rice recipe. Click here to see the video.
3 ounces of steak - I used a small rib-eye steak. You can use sirloin or any tender cut of beef, even ground meat like beef, chicken, or turkey.
1 tablespoon soy sauce - I used low sodium.
1/2 teaspoon sugar - or a favorite sweetener, that can be sauteed with the meat. Okay to add more to taste.
1/2 teaspoon garlic - chopped. Okay to use garlic powder or dried garlic.
1 teaspoon oil - for sauteing meat.
Dried seaweed - optional. I used pre-cut (about 2 by 4 inches) dried seaweed snacks. Okay to use any size really, just cut them with scissors.

Directions
Prepare sushi rice according to my directions here (or use your favorite recipe.) Allow cooked rice to reach room temperature.

Chop steak into small bite-sized pieces. Add a marinade of soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. Mix well and set aside for 5 to 15 minutes. If steak marinades longer, then store it in the refrigerator.

In a frying pan, over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon oil. Saute marinated beef until done, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and remove meat when done. Allow to cool down a couple of minutes.

In the video above I formed the rice ball with my dampened hands. But it's cleaner and easier to use a sheet of plastic wrap.

For assembly, place the sheet of plastic wrap on a dry surface. Pile on about half a cup of cooked rice in the middle of a plastic sheet. Press into the middle of the rice mound to make space for the cooked steak. Add about a tablespoon of steak.

Add just enough rice on top of steak pieces to cover (optional - okay to leave steak exposed.) Pick up the four corners of the plastic to start forming a ball. Now you can close up the rice ball with plastic wrap. Lightly roll and squeeze the ball. You can keep it round; flatten one side; or form a traditional triangle shape.

It's okay to eat the rice ball right out of the plastic wrap, or make a few Beef Onigiri and serve on a plate. For extra flavor, use a piece of dried seaweed and partially wrap the Onigiri. The piece of seaweed gives you a dry surface to hold, for easier eating.

Hindsight
This recipe is easy to increase. Just double the ingredients list to make twice as much.

Use cheaper ground meat like beef, chicken, or turkey - just mix in the marinade and saute until cooked through. Any chopped meat is okay including beef, pork, chicken, and even flaked, cooked fish. You could also stuff rice balls with canned (drained) tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey.

Okay to substitute meat with chopped veggies (steamed and/or raw) and cooked mushrooms.

Cooked beef can be on top of a rice ball -- meat can be exposed, or covered with rice.

Warm Steak Salad

It's light and heavy, hot and cold, crunchy, succulent and tender -- this recipe has it all.

There's nothing better for a meat eater than slicing into charred juicy protein, unencumbered by anything else, except maybe another heavy carb like mashed or fried potatoes. A grilled slab of medium rare steak with a cool crisp salad seems like a waste of bovine.

Well I'm here to change your mind with a delicious entree that's so different than your everyday meat and potatoes -- A hearty Warm Steak Salad.

Plopping down a sliced steak done your way on a salad shouldn't work, but curiously enough it all goes together. And it's easy to do and cheaply too if you have some cheapskate connections.

I fortunate to have chain groceries and 99c only Stores in my neighborhood that sells frozen small three ounce fillets of Rib-eye steak for a dollar. Now that's just over five dollars a pound, not really cheap, but then I'm not gorging on a five dollar steak in one sitting. And when done eating you will not sink into a protein coma. So per serving this is an excellent deal. (If you don't have access to cheapie small cuts of beef, sirloin or tri-tip is tender and inexpensive enough to use.)

I have a simple salad recipe that fits snugly under the steak and a Warm Salad Dressing to bring it all together.

For the salad I combine greens, tomato, sliced onion and a little crumbled cheese. Of course you can make the salad any way you like it with the addition of fresh and seasonal farmers market veggies and greens. I also added a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts that always show up at my local 99c only Store.

The Warm Salad Dressing is just oil and vinegar (actually the artichoke marinade) that's heated up in the same pan you fried the steak in. Just scrape up those tasty steak bits and mix it all together and pour it over the salad and steak.

You can toss this meal together in no time and the flavor combinations will have you adding my Warm Steak Salad to your treasured home recipe list.

Ingredients (1-2 servings)

• Beef steak fillet - I used a small 3 ounce thin-sliced Rib Eye steak for 99.99 cents.
• Greens - about 3 cups. More or less to your liking. Any type of lettuce and/or spinach.
• 1 whole medium tomato -  a couple of smaller Roma tomatoes, or a handful of Cherry tomatoes.
• A thin slice of onion - yellow, red or white.
• 1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts - drain and set marinade aside.
• A favorite crumbled cheese - optional. I used a 1/4 cup of Mexican Queso Fresco. Blue cheese, or shredded mozzarella, cheddar, and fresh shaved parmesan are other options.
• Salt and pepper for the steak - to taste.

Other salad additions include: olives, avocado, sliced or shredded carrot, drained canned beets or beans, and pickled veggies like artichokes, heart of palm and roasted peppers. Also lightly steamed veggies:broccoli, cauliflower, corn and squash.

Warm Salad Dressing Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and vinegar - I used 1/4 cup of the marinade from a jar of artichoke hearts (which contains oil and vinegar.) Okay to add more for a larger salad.
• 1 teaspoon of honey - or a small amount of your favorite sweetener.

Directions
Shred lettuce or spinach leaves. (Spinach leaves may be small enough to leave some of them whole.) Slice tomato and onions. Add to your serving plate or bowl, mixing lightly.

Season then grill or pan fry the steak. Set aside. I've found with a thin steak all you need to do is cook one side until nice and browned, then flip it over and finish cooking for a few seconds more to desired doneness. Serve with the charred side showing.

Quickly add a 1/4 cup of marinade (or plain oil and vinegar,) with artichoke hearts, to the steak pan over a medium/high heat.

Loosen charred steak bits from pan and heat the liquid and artichoke hearts for a minute. When it starts to boil it's done. Turn off heat and add sweetener, mix well.

Slice steak and pour half of the warm marinade over salad. Place steak on salad and sprinkle on cheese (optional) and the rest of the marinade.

Hindsight
I used the oil and vinegar marinade from a cheap small jar of artichoke hearts. If you can't find these then just use plain olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle in a pinch of dried Italian herbs to plain oil and vinegar for extra flavor (when heating up the Warm Salad Dressing.)

You can make this salad seasonal, so add any veggies or greens you like from the farmers market  or your local grocery store. You can also lightly steam the more crunchy vegetables for a couple of minutes, or thin-slice and serve them raw.

If you find canned or jarred veggies on sale just drain and add about 1/2 cup total. You can top with a handful of canned black olives, too.

I used a thin-slice of Rib eye on sale for 99.99 cents. You can use any tender cuts including: sirloin, New York and tri-tip. There is no need to cook a large expensive fillet, your appetite will be filled with the salad. If you have to buy a large steak then slice into single servings, wrap and freeze it to make more Steak Salads later. Or feed your meat eater companion the left over steak and enjoy your lighter Steak Salad.

Adapt my Warm Steak Salad to suit you taste, mix and match any of the above ingredients.

Of course, leave out the steak and you have a delish Warm Vegetarian Salad.

Carne Asada (Steak) Taco

Taco Month is extended into April! That means another Cheap$kate Dining Taqueria video review and a taco truck recipe favorite, Carne Asada Tacos.

Probably the most popular of tacos, Carne Asada has been adapted by American fast food conglomerates into cheaper ground beef tacos. But the American taco pails by comparison.

 Taqueria and Taco Truck version

The Mexican version uses more expensive steak for their tacos and the price is usually a dollar to a buck twenty-five at most taco trucks -- a great cheapskate deal. And now the Border Crossing Chef will guide you through the simple steps of making your own. I also include a tasty marinade recipe for the steak.

Steak tacos from the Chintzy Chef? Well it can only happen because I find one dollar three ounce rib-eye steaks at my local market and sometimes in 99c Only Stores. This small, but tasty steak, makes enough for a couple of Carne Asada Tacos.

In  Latin markets they sell "flap" meat, which is thin sliced and ready to marinate. (In Latin Market meat deli cases they also have steak in the marinade, that's ready for the grill.) At regular markets you can use skirt or flank steak.

A marinade of oil, lime juice, onion, garlic, cumin and cilantro is used to flavor the steak. As for the grilling, I've seen it done a couple of ways. Mainly it's done on a flat top grill (typical stove top) or the best way, over an open flame. 

For the taco preparation it's really simple, just chop up the steak when done, add to a warm tortilla and top with chopped onion and cilantro, your favorite salsa, or my Pico de Gallo (recipe here.)

Unlike my previous taco recipes from last month, slow cooking Carnitas and fatty Chiccarones (fried pork skin), my version of Carne Asada Tacos are quick to make and easier on the palate.

Ingredients (2 tacos)

• 3 - 5 ounces of steak - I used a $1 thin sliced rib-eye steak. In Latin markets you can use flap meat. At regular markets Carne Asada is made with thin sliced flank or skirt steak.
• 1 green onion - roughly chopped. Okay to use a tablespoon of chopped white or yellow onion.
• A few sprigs of cilantro - roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic - chopped fresh or from jar.
• Juice of 1/2 lime - or use 1 teaspoon from plastic bottle. Okay to substitute with lemon juice or white vinegar. Some recipes call for orange juice for a sweeter marinade, okay to add some or just substitute, instead of lime juice.
• 1 teaspoon olive oil - or a favorite tasty oil.
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste. 

Directions
Chop cilantro, garlic and green onion. Add to a wide shallow bowl. Squeeze in lime juice and pour in olive oil. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add steak and coat both sides. Allow to marinate at least half an hour in the refrigerator. But don't marinate for more than a hour as the acidic citrus juice will start to cook the steak.

Before you cook the Carne Asada have all your taco toppings ready to serve. While the meat is cooking you can heat up the corn tortillas for tacos, or flour tortilla for a burrito. Go hear for my homemade Pico de Gallo salsa. Of course, you can use your favorite jarred salsa. A simple combination of chopped onion, cilantro and a slice of avocado is a great taco topping.

You can grill the Carne Asada several ways. I fired up the BBQ grill and cooked one side until charred, then flipped it over and finished cooking it for 30 seconds or so until done. (If you cook each side for the same amount of time then the steak will not char well, so better to have one side cooked perfectly.)

Most street taqueras just grill the marinated beef on a flat top grill. So you could just fry up the steak in a hot frying pan.

Finally a nice method is to use the oven broiler. You get a good char and it's convenient. Again I would broil one side until well charred then flip the steak and finish cooking it through for a few seconds more.

However you cook the Carne Asada, chop it up just before serving.

Hindsight
If you want to feed the family Carne Asada Tacos then you will need to get a large piece of steak, like thin sliced flank or skirt. You could use sirloin or tri-tip but will need to slice the large steaks thinner. An easy way is to semi-freeze the pieces for an hour or so in the freezer to firm up the meat to make slicing easier.

If you are just frying up the steak on your stove top you could chop up the meat into bite-sized pieces first -- that's the way they do it at most taco trucks and taquerias.

This Carne Asada marinade works well for cheaper chicken and pork.

As for the marinade ingredients just increase the amounts: juice of 2-4 limes, 1/2 bunch of cilantro, about 4 whole green onions (or 1/2 white or yellow onion), 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.

I like to heat my tortillas in another frying pan over a medium heat for a minute on each side until soft and pliable. You could also microwave tortillas for 30 seconds or so.

You can make a burrito instead of a taco. Just heat up a can of pinto beans and make my  Mom's Mexican Rice (recipe here.)