Beef - It's What's for Dinner!

I grew up on a farm and ranch, and we raised beef cattle. I'm a complete beef snob. We always had the best, and we ate it ALL the time. I dislike buying beef now. I always feel so disappointed. So much so that I cook with ground turkey more than I do with ground beef. I rarely buy what is supposed to be a good cut of steak, because I feel a little taken advantage of after I fork over $20...only to find more disappointment.

I do buy round steak or sirloin steak fairly frequently. It's much cheaper than a ribeye or strip, and I find just as much satisfaction when cooked right. Tonight was a just right night!

I started with maybe a 1/4 - 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar in a shallow dish. I added a pinch of brown sugar (maybe a tablespoon worth), another pinch of dried thyme (teaspoon or so), a half a lemon worth of juice, and 3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped as finely as I could. Add a little salt and some fresh ground pepper and the steak and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Broil the steak - maybe 4-5 minutes per side. Don't overcook it! You want it to be medium to medium rare to preserve some tenderness and flavor. I spooned some of the marinade over the steak as I turned it.

The result was fresh goodness! Pick two of your favorite easy side dishes and feel like you're indulging at the steakhouse without breaking the bank!