I think I can do better

 The past couple of weeks during Dad’s visit I found myself going out to eat here in town. 

 As you can imagine I cook at home most of the time because I enjoy it but, going out to eat is a Sharon thing so I indulge when I can to keep the peace. 

 I enjoy anywhere I go out to eat, sometimes my personal taste is not the way it is prepared, but I must honestly believe people never set out to make bad food. It just doesn’t always hit the mark that you expect.

 This was my experience in a couple of places last week. I know besides the obvious potato, Idaho is known for a dish called the finger steak. You can find it on most menus and I just haven’t run across one I like. 

 Finger steaks are purported to have been first served in a restaurant setting at Boise, Idaho’s “Milo’s Torch Lounge” (aka The Torch) in 1957. Milo Bybee claimed to have invented finger steaks while wondering what to do with leftover tenderloin scraps when he was working as a butcher for the U.S. Forest Service in McCall. 

 Bybee went to work as a chef at The Torch in 1946. According to a local lifestyle reporter, Milo’s claim of inventing finger steaks is questionable and that it may have been passed onto him by the original owners of The Torch. 

 The place best known for its finger steaks is the Westside Drive Inn in Boise.

 So I set out to make a finger steak that would appeal to me. 

 Just like cooking squid, you have to have a batter that fries quickly as to not kill the flavor of the meat in the process. With that thought in mind I looked to a beer batter that would be crisp and not turn the ugly black color from the blood in the beef. 

 I headed over to Gilmore’s meat and bought three cuts of meat looking for tenderness and fat content for flavor. I settled on the top plate steak, sirloin steak and cube steak.

 Seasoning with simple salt, pepper, and garlic powder on all the meat I thought would give me a good baseline. I tried the beer batter with three types of beer. A Budweiser orange, a Guiness, and a Blue Moon Belgian ale. 

 Picking the right type of beer for the batter is really important. Generally, ales and lagers are used to make beer batters. The lighter and more carbonated, the lighter the batter. If you’re not a big fan of beer flavors, use a lighter lager or a pilsner. Darker stouts, porters, and ales are also perfectly fine for making beer batter and will add a malty richness to the batter. Sometimes, these beers are significantly less carbonated, so it might be a good idea to cut it with half sparkling water.

 After trying many combinations, I found the Belgian ale worked best with the top plate steak. It was tender and crispy on the outside. The batter was thin enough to cook the meat without killing it. 

 I was lucky this week as my buddy sent me a bottle of his new BBQ sauce to try out. Juan makes a honey chipotle and now a Carolina mustard sauce. Both are incredible and I really don’t buy store bought sauce anymore. If you would like to order some just send me an Email at Boatchef@aol.com.

Finger Steaks