Greensbury Market: Steak Dinner

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

What's up to all my loyal readers?!?!?! I have been livin' it up in Puerto Rico and just getting back to city life here and decided it was time for some grilling goodies with Memorial day weekend here. I'm excited that this post has finally come around because its been a long time coming. What seems like almost a year ago I was sent a package of beef from a wonderful place called Greensbury Market that is dedicated to serving online some of the best tasting most organic meats in the country. It was started by a team of four dudes who's ways go like this "We believe in supporting sustainable agriculture, family farms, and organic practices that produce healthy, environmentally friendly food. We’ve traveled all over the country to find meats that are not only organic, but also tender, juicy, and delicious. We’ve visited dozens of farms and built relationships with farmers who do things the old fashioned way - meaning they take care of the land and humanely raise animals without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or synthetic pesticides." So they sent me a couple ribeyes, 2 skirts steaks and 2 chopped steak patties and wanted me to tell them what I thought.


Greensbury Market sent me one of each and I'll be ordering more...

Last night I finally got to try the beautifully marbled steaks which I had been waiting to do for what seems like ever. I'm actually skeptic when it comes to frozen meat but the people at Greensbury are pros who have been in this game for a while. The meats are cryovac'ed at their peak flavor point and have no freezer burn or anything wrong with them once thawed, in fact they were beautiful looking like they had just been cut by a butcher, which they were right before they were packaged for grilling enthusiasts like me and you. I was nice enough to share my gift from Greensbury with the fam so I went to work on both patties, both skirts and both ribeyes last night and this is what I came up with.


Ribeyes flaming away
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Simple Skirt Steak w/ Pickled Onions
Recipe from: The New Steak

2 Greensbury Market skirt steaks
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
olive oil to rub steaks with

Pickled Onions

1 lg red onion (thinly sliced as a whole)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp whole coriander
2 tbsp olive oil

1) sprinkle red pepper onto the steaks and then salt them and set aside. Rub with olive oil before grilling.

2) Peel and then slice the red onion as thinly as possible and place the onion rings in a bowl. Prepare a small pot by combing the water, red wine vinegar and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling pour the liquid over the raw onions and top with crushed whole coriander seeds and olive oil and let come to a cool.

3) Make sure your grill is nice and hot for your steaks and put the lubed steaks on the hottest part of your grill and sear for 3-5 minutes a side, and then move to a cooler part and cook to desired doneness. Use the finger poke method to test for doneness.

4) When steaks are ready to come off let them sit and cool down for five mins. and then slice against the grain and top with pickled onions and some juice from them.


So simple and so yummy when using Greensbury's full of flavor beef
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chibbqking Island Burgers: Two Ways
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Cuban Pressed Chopped Beeefsteak Burger

1 Greensbury Market Chopped Beef Patty
4 slices of sauteed ham
2 slices swiss cheese
half of a deli pickle, sliced in thin coins
mayo
mustard
fresh baked Kaiser bun, spread with chopped garlic and butter

1) Start by buttering a pan and sauteing up your ham until its got some nice color and then set aside. Lube your bun with chopped garlic and butter and bring that and a seasoned Greensbury pattys outside to the grill and throw the burger on a ell lubed spot on the grill and begin cooking to desired doneness.

2) When burger is almost done, place the bun on the grill and cook until it gets some toasted color. Take the bun and patty off and bring inside to prepare for topping.

3) Place the slices of ham on the top bun followed by the pickles and proceed to put the slices of swiss on the bottom. Add the patty to the bottom part and spread the mustard and mayo on it and then put it all together as one.


Your burger should like this before the finished patty goes on

4) Lube up a hot frying pan with butter and have another heavy pan that you can use to press your burger down and cook it on both sides until the bread is nice and colored and crispy.


chibbqking Cuban Pressed Burger

5) Once ready take it off and slice in half or in four to serve as app's like I did for my Greensbury Market grilled beef feast.


These were awesome...
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chibbqking Sweet & Spicy Jamaican Burgers Mon

1 Greensbury Market Chopped Beef Patty
2 slices of pineapple rings
2 slices pepper jack cheese
dried Jerk seasoning
Jamaican Jerk Sauce
fresh baked Kaiser bun, spread with chopped garlic and butter

1) Rub your patty with the dried jerk seasoning and do the same to your burger bun.Make sure grill is hot and bring both the patty, bun and pineapple rings outside and put the patty on first followed by the rings and then bun all timed so they come off when your burger is cooked to desired doneness.

2) Right before the burger comes off take some jerk sauce (not the paste) and spread it over your burger and apply the cheese on top followed by the pineapple rings and then place the top part of the bun and let the cheese melt.


Almost ready to come off

3) Scoop up your patty and build your burger accordingly by adding more sauce or whatever else floats your boat. I liked mine just the way seen below.


chibbqking Sweet & Spicy Jamaican Jerk Burger
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Chipotle Rubbed Ribeye
Recipe from: The New Steak

2 Greensbury Market Ribeyes
olive oil for rubbing
salt & pepper

Chipotle Rub

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red chipotle powder
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt

Lime and Cilantro Butter

4 tbsp butter
1 shallot minced
1/2 lime juiced
1/2 cup well chopped cilantro


The final result

1) To make the Chipotle rub combine the ingredients listed and mix well and continue to spread the steaks with the rub.

2) To make butter, melt it in a saute pan over low heat and then add the shallot. Cook about 3 mins. and then add the lime juice and cilantro and stir and set aside.

3) Make sure your grill is nice and hot for your steaks and put the lubed steaks on the hottest part of your grill and sear for 3-5 minutes a side on the hottest part and then move to a cooler part and cook to desired doneness. It all depends on their thickness and the heat of your grill. Use the finger poke method to test for doneness.

4) Take off steaks when ready and let sit for about five minutes. Spread with the lime cilantro butter and slice them if you want. Continue to eat and enjoy like I did.
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Not a bad way to kick off whats always the start of summer in Chi (Memorial Day wkd) and I want to give a big ups to the people at Greensbury Market. They do a wonderful job with trying to do it the right way and they succeed greatly at doing so. I would highly encourage anyone who has big plans of lots og grilling all summer long to check out their online market and see everything they have to offer. Including some of the most lean, full of flavor and great textured beef I have had in a minute. Happy Grilling to all.


My Greensbury Market Steak Dinner Plate
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Greensbury Market Organic Meats

Website

Bibimbap & Baseball

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the real Cubs fans eat.

Last week I pointed out where the Sox fans eat so now its the home teams turn. The past 25 years Wrigley Field and its neighborhood of Wrigleyville has turned into a tourist trap zone and is now filled with nothing but fashionable bars and shops carrying Cubs gear with ticket outlets inside. If your going to the game with family/friends you have already spent a couple hundred bucks before you get inside and pay for food and beer by the time your done and go home you've spent five hundred bucks. Gone are the days when kids could sneak under the metal turnstile and get into a game for free and watch some bad daytime baseball and eat for free for entertaining the drunken bleacher bums. As a real Cubs fan knows you have to make some sacrifices if you want the ultimate goal of a good baseball team. The neighborhood may of lost most of its character and along with it many locally owned businesses like restaurants and bars but the Northside now puts out a consistently good team that people expect to make the playoffs and win now. While most of the neighborhood is nothing like what it was in the 70's and '80's having gone the way the corporation there are a few things that remain the same. There are better eating options than Harey Carey's and I'm here to tell you where.


a real locals type spot in Wrigley is rare these days

Hamburger King aka Chester's has been serving the people of Wrigleyville with affordable tasty breakfast/greasy spoon comfort food for over 25 years. This is a place that everyone goes too on any given day you can be dining with one of 100's of regulars, Cubs fans, cops, crooks, students, anyone that works for the city, yuppies, hippies, musicians, industry people, artists, families, day laborers, seniors and there's always someone who still comes back despite moving out of the neighborhood to the suburbs 15 years ago. Located at the corner of Clark and Sheffield it blends in with a liquor store and barber shop and if not for the neon Chicken teriyaki noodles sign it would be virtually unrecognizable. Hamburger King has already been mentioned here as the ultimate spot to kill a hangover and its a great place for the yuppie drunks of Wrigleyville to have. As mentioned in the previous post the burgers are a tasty rendition of the '30's style burger and the breakfast is great for a pregame meal and people love the comfort food like the chopped steak, pork chops, roast beef and gravy and meatloaf but the star of the show is the Oriental lovers part of the menu.


an early morning at Hamburger King before an early season Cubs game

Hamburger King was once called Chester's when Chester himself manned the grill and from the stories I have heard no one treated his customers and employees better. No matter who they were, or what they did in this world, Chester always gave a great amount of respect to his customers. Just like the customers the times have not changed either despite the passing of Chester years ago. His wife Sonia stays up to par with everything and it is one of Chicago's most treasured eateries and a real character in the dining world. Its the type of place you would expect to find on a corner in Hawaii in an old WW2 vet neighborhood. The Asian part of the menu is the good stuff and the rest of breakfast is good as are the burgers but its all about the Asian grease fare. I would really appreciate it of all you people that go to the game to get drunk and be scene and "get a little sun" would at least fill your belly up at Hamburger King before the game. This way I don't have to see and smell your vomit when you puke in the third inning after too many Mai Tai's because you didn't eat anything and cant handle liquor to begin with. Eat here before the game and it will absorb the liquor for you.

Im talking to the people at the game who didn't know who Lou Pinniella was before he was the Cubs manager and couldn't tell you who the "Hawk" is or where Carlos Zambrano is from or what the score is. You just sit there in your Mark Prior jersey t-shirt, watch the game and try keep your iphone in your pocket, you don't need pictures, no one cares your at the game. Try and act like you've been here before, even if you cant remember it due the fact you blacked out on too many soco limes. Just behave properly or else you gotta deal with me. Got it? Good. Now onto the food. Let me introduce you to a few of my favorites.


Hamburger Aktagawa

As explained a few months ago this dish is the ultimate hangover cure. Hamburger King is a great place to go when one is high on life and or other things and this dish is the king for them. It was created by a regular who's last name happens to have been Aktagawa and is a huge plate full of chopped hamburger meat, eggs, green pepper, onions, bean sprouts and I add in mushrooms served with a side of rice and gravy and two pieces of white or wheat toast. I top off my ultimate hangover cure with the spice dust available at every table, plenty of tabasco sauce and a spray of soy sauce. Sure to soak up the shots from last night and to soak in the shots after a day of binge drinking in Wrigleyville.


Shichimi Togarashi

The seven flavored chili pepper spice dust which is popular in Japan works well with everything. The burgers and fries are great with a dash of dust added and its a must to sprinkle some spice on/in every dish. It takes everything up another level. I use it very liberally and put spoonfuls in my soup.


Chicken Yat Ca Mein

This is my go to dish during the winter months and the perfect pre-game food on opening day at the ballpark, which is always cold. The broth is Sonia's homemade special blend and the deepness in flavor makes it one of the best bowls of soup on a cold day. I'm not sure but I think the liquid mixture consists of a trio of homemade chicken, beef and pork broths. Inside the amazing broth are noodles, chopped green onions and your choice of chicken, steak or pork with a hard boiled egg. I always go with a chicken and load it with the shichimi spice mix. What a meal and what a steal at under six bucks. I learned that yat ca mein even has a history in New Orleans.


Chicken Teriyaki over fried rice

Hamburger king does a great rendition of the greasy teriyaki found at many diner/grills in Hawaii and Los Angeles. If you don't like ordering any of the items which names you cant pronounce and are totally unfamiliar with then I suggest you try some teriyaki. Its just what the doctor ordered after a long night of drinking or right before a long day of drinking at the game.


beef bibimbap

When it comes to finding a good bowl of bibimbap in Chicago than look no further than the King. I've been around town and tried many different places version of this popular Korean dish. None of them do it like HK. For those that dont know what they are missing bibimbap is a bowl of warm rice topped with sauteed veggies and gochujang (chili pepper paste) and thin sliced bulgogi all topped with a fried egg. The combination of the veggies, steak, rice and chili sauce is an amazing flavor and when you want it you just need it. It can get real fiendish and Hamburger King is the place to feed your need. Whenever I hear and read the hype and comments from people that comes when a place like Five Guy's or another Potbelly's is opening up I cant help but explain to them that its not another Panera bread that your neighborhood needs but rather a spot to dine at like Chester's. Its the places like Hamburger King that are the heart and soul of Chicago neighborhoods and at a time there were many that made up Chicago. These days its as hard to find place a like these as it is easy to find a Noodles and Company or Subway.

The 2009 Cubs

My 2009 outlook for the Cubs will be short and sweet, like I said I'm a real fan and at this point I know better than to expect a world series ring but I do like the teams chances in '09. The trade of Mark Derosa made sense at the time for one reason and one reason only and that was acquiring more young pitching to land the best pitcher in baseball. The Cubs never pulled off the deal for Jake Peavy due to the teams pending sale and now we lost one of best clutch hitters and got some players that mean nothing now for him in Derosa who was also a key part of the team off of the field. The addition of Milton Bradley is nice as long as he stays healthy (he's already aching) and the lineup is going to be the same team that lead the NL in Runs and a bunch of other hitting categories last year. The reason Jake Peavy would of been so huge on top of the fact we would have one of the best pitching staffs ever is it would allow Zambrano to start game 3 on the road away from Wrigley Field. The lineup is stacked and if it can finally hit in the playoffs it could only help to have a staff that is literally un-hittable. Jake Peavy would start game 1, Rich Harden game 2 (both at home) and Zambrano would get to pitch away from Wrigley which I think would make the Cubs the clear favorite to win it all. Cubs will and better win the division this year but without Peavy I'm not sure we can win the World Series. We will however win a playoff series this year...if not there's always next year.

Hamburger King
3435 N Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 281-4452
Note: Open for breakfast/lunch only
Menu

Gotta get a piece of that sweet potato pie!

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the locals eat.

If you've ever cruised down 95th street in Beverly on the southside, you would know there are quite a few chow worthy destinations in a couple block radius. Whenever I hit one of them up for food (you bet ill be posting them on here) I make sure to stop at Jimmy Jamm's for a sweet potato pie. Im not big on desserts, id rather just eat more food than eat dessert but I absolutely love the "since 1933" recipe the family that runs Jimmy Jamm's uses for their made in house sweet potato pie. Its what I call perfection.


Jimmy Jamm's knows Yam's (95th & Longwood)

If your a cruising thru the neighborhood or ever grab a burger at Top Notch, stop by JJ's and grab a slice of their pie or take a whole one to go and bring it home or to a party. The plain sweet potato pie (seen below) is a bargain at $10. You can also get your pie topped with praline and pecan topping, honey cream cheese topping, marshmallow topping and honey cream icing.


slice of sweet potato pie with whipped cream on top.

JJ's is a sweet potato lovers heaven. Along with the sweet pie's they offer sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato bread, sweet potato cupcakes and what really caught my eye this time was the "Jimmy Jamm Loaded Yam" a baked yam stuffed with sauteed onions, bell peppers, diced chicken and steak or the vegetarian with brown sugar and cheese. Everything they offer is made from sweet potatoes. The only thing I hate this place for is bringing that horrible song from the early 90's by Domino back into my head..."I'm that guy, you're so fly, gotta get a piece of that sweet potato pie" baaaaaad. Jimmy Jamm sweet potato pie...gooooood.


Do get yourself a piece of this pie

Like the sign says inside "Warning: these pies are very addictive and may cause you to buy more!" Truer words were never spoken. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. Keep this place in mind.

Jimmy Jamm's
1844 W. 95th Street (and Longwood)
Chicago IL, 60643
Phone: 773.779.9105