In Which I Gather Meat

Our indoor grill has stopped working a month ago, and during our search for the same model or a different model that would suit our needs, we came up empty handed. Luckily, it is getting warm around here again, making outdoor grilling much easier to be done. There is one problem: I procrastinate. I have been procrastinating this past week in taking the propane tank to get exchanged so that I can actually use the gas grill that my father bought me last year (two years ago?).

What moved me to actually do the deed? We had been consuming farm-fresh eggs for the past two weeks and last night we used up the rest in a quiche. Now, that we are out of eggs is not a problem, it is the fact that my wife has started to get sick from eating all these eggs, and mainly only eggs as her source of protein. Even felt sick to her stomach after eating the quiche that featured pork sausage.

Because of this, I promised her meat.



I purchased a Tri-Tip, 8 chicken legs, 24 hot dogs (for the kids mainly), and 6 pork chops. It was glorious to see the grill completely filled with meat, both racks. I had to show my wife who just starred at it hungrily, telling me "I have not been hungry at all for the past week... but right now, I am starving!" That was all I needed to know that I was doing right by my woman, and the meat one the grill would keep us fed for a few days at least.

Now, if you are like me, I have never had a Tri-Tip before. I talked to my butcher, a very trustworthy fellow who took me through the entire store to show me which meats had nothing added to them when I explained to him my paleo lifestyle. He explained where the cut is from and how to cook it. This is what he said:



The Tri-Tip is from the Bottom Sirloin cut (seen above in the purple). First you season it with a good mix of seasonings or a rub. There is a strip of fat on one side, and when your grill is nice and hot, you place the Tri-Tip fat-side down for a good 15 minutes. You want that fat to sear. Then, you place the Tri-Tip fat-side up away from the main flames and leave it there for about 45 minutes. After it is finished, you slice it across the grain. My wife dislikes red or pink-looking meat, and it was pinkish red throughout the middle, but it was glorious in its flavor and how easy it was to eat.

I also grilled something I have never done before: Chicken legs. I am used to boneless chicken for the most part, but with a bit of spices all over them and a good 20-30 minutes on the grill (mostly off direct heat until the last few minutes), the chicken turned out perfect. Fully cooked throughout, not dry at all, and my wife even ate the skin and fat (which she never does, making it a testament to either my cooking or her desire for meat, I'll accept them both, equally).

My plate for dinner was a pork steak, three thick slices of Tri-Tip, and a chicken leg. I am in heaven.

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