When I was growing up, I knew it was a special night if we were eating steak for dinner. And it was a real treat if we were eating lobster for dinner. I love the idea of bringing them together for classic surf and turf. A traditional surf and turf dinner is seafood and red meat, but select your favorite seafood and protein that previously walked on two legs, four legs, or flew in the sky.
Living in New England, there are many options for surf and turf, but lobster might the most popular. The surf component could be scallops, shrimp or prawns, or salmon. The filet mignon is traditional for turf, but I’m not afraid to swap it out for a strip steak or ribeye steak, or even ribs. Your choices for surf and turf are only limited by your imagination.
I recently received Crowd Cow’s Premium Surf and Turf box that contained two eight-ounce filet mignons from Creekstone Farms and two eight-ounce lobster tails from Ready Brothers Seafood. The lobster tails were wild caught off the coast of Maine and flash frozen to retain high protein levels and consistent flavor, year-round. The lobster tails from Ready Brothers are ideal for grilling and broiling. The filet mignon steaks from Creekstone Farms are USDA Prime, natural black angus, hand cut, and twenty-eight day wet-aged for premium flavor and tenderness.
Wood-Fired Surf and Turf
Here is how my surf and turf came together: I started by filling a chimney starter full of wood chunks to create a wood fire. Cooking steak and lobster over a wood fire adds a great smoky aroma. Once the wood was gray and hot, I spread out the wood chunks and made a two-zone fire. The two-zone fire gives me a safe zone so my food doesn’t burn if there are any flare-ups.
I seasoned the steaks simply with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. To prepare the lobsters, I cut down the back of the lobster tail, pulled the meat out, and rested it on top of the shell.
I oiled the grate to prevent the steak and the lobster from sticking. I cooked the steaks over the wood fire for two and half minutes and then gave each steak a quarter turn and cooked for an additional two and half minutes. I flipped the steaks and repeated the process. Once the steaks reached an internal temperature of 135 degrees, I moved the steaks to a wire rack over a sheet pan to rest.
Before I placed the lobsters over the wood fire, I basted the lobster meat with melted butter. I placed the lobster tails meat side down and cooked for two minutes. I flipped the lobster tails shell side down to finish cooking the lobster tail. The shell helps to keep the lobster tail meat from burning and sticking to the grill. While the lobster tails were meat side up, I basted them with more melted butter. The lobster tails cooked meat side up for an additional three to four minutes.
The Results
The filets were tender and juicy as I expected from a filet. I enjoyed the crusty exterior created by the seasoning and the high heat of the wood fire. The wood fire created a flavor and crust you just can’t get on a gas grill. The seared outside and succulent inside created a contrast of textures. The steaks had a great beefy flavor.
The lobster was buttery, tender, and had a smoky aroma from the wood fire. By starting with the lobster tails meat side down, they developed crispy edges that balance the luscious lobster meat. To balance the richness of the lobster tail, I finished the lobster tails with the juice of a grilled lemon. Just like the filets, the lobster had another level of flavor due to the wood fire. The butter baste and the squeeze of grilled lemon complemented the wood grilled lobster tails. To complement the filets and the lobster tails and balance the richness of the surf and turf, I served a fennel, red onion, and apple slaw with a lemon-champagne vinegar vinaigrette dressing. The fennel pairs well with the lobster. The texture of the slaw balances the tender filets and lobster tails. The lemon-champagne dressing adds freshness to the whole meal.
If you are looking to create the ideal surf and turf dinner this summer, Crowd Cow has got you covered.
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The post How to Grill the Perfect Wood-Fired Surf and Turf appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.
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By: Daniel Hale
Title: How to Grill the Perfect Wood-Fired Surf and Turf
Sourced From: barbecuebible.com/2023/05/23/how-to-grill-the-perfect-wood-fired-surf-and-turf/
Published Date: Tue, 23 May 2023 10:00:02 +0000
