Chop chef reveals secrets to emulating Canadian steakhouse dishes

There’s an entire inventory of things we’ve missed throughout this challenging time. High ranking on this list is indulging in a restaurant meal — something we vow never to take for granted again.

Despite the barriers preventing us from enjoying some of our favourite things, it’s also given rise to some positive shifts. Mainly, it’s forced us to get more creative in the kitchen in the name of recreating some of our favourite restaurant dishes.

Throughout these culinary endeavours, we’ve come to appreciate the importance of fresh, local ingredients, like wholesome Canadian beef, and just how critical they are to the flavour and all-around quality of a dish.

We’d probably be right to suspect that you’ve been yearning for a restaurant-quality meal all summer long. So, we consulted Stephen Clark, a professional chef from Chop Steakhouse & Bar, to find out how you can adapt their most popular menu items from the comfort of home — each of which involves the same nourishing Canadian beef that can be found at your local supermarket.

Chop’s Prime Rib

Chop Steakhouse & Bar

One of the most enjoyable things about cooking with Canadian beef is how delicious it is time and time again — whether you’re braising, grilling, or stir-frying.

Give this prime rib recipe a try next time you’re celebrating with your bubble of friends or family, and they might just mistake you for a pro chef. Who knows, maybe you’ll even feel inspired to apply to be a chef in the Chop kitchen?

Ingredients:  

• 6 lb (2.7 kg) beef rib roast
• 4 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of thyme and rosemary, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly cracked
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of red wine
• 2 cups of beef stock

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 450˚F.
2. Pat the roast dry with a paper towel and place it in a roasting pan on a wire rack.
3. Rub the prime rib with mustard and sprinkle the chopped herbs on all sides. Be sure to season it generously with salt and pepper.
4. As soon as the roast goes into the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 200˚F. Cook using a probe thermometer to 130˚F. It’s this slow cooking process that results in a perfectly tender, juicy prime rib.
5. Once the internal temperature hits 130˚F, remove the roast from the oven and allow it to rest. Meanwhile, return the oven to 450˚F.
6. While the oven heats back up, make the au jus (aka, the gravy). Over low heat, whisk some flour into the pan drippings and then add red wine to help dissolve some of the pan drippings.
7. Continue whisking until the au jus thickens slightly, and then add the beef stock. Allow it to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and then strain it into a gravy boat.
8. Right before serving, return the prime rib to the 450˚F oven for around 5 minutes to brown and caramelize the outside of the roast.  
9. Finally, carve the prime rib into thin slices and serve on a platter. Re-heat the au jus and serve with roast along with some fresh horseradish on the side.

Prime Beef Dip

Chop Steakhouse & Bar

Canadian beef anchors this Chop favourite — it also dictates that a healthy portion of veggies come along with the deal. Since beef is satiating, you won’t find yourself hungry an hour later! Leftovers get put to good use as a topper for salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more.

Here’s how you can transform your leftover prime rib from yesterday’s news to a delicious Roast Beef Dip (Chop-style of course!).

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of leftover prime rib
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 2 each crusty French rolls
• 2 tablespoons of garlic butter
• 2 teaspoons of fresh horseradish
• 1 cup of leftover au jus (hot)

Method: 

1. Slice your leftover prime rib as thin as possible. Then, gently reheat slices in a heavy skillet, adding some beef stock to the pan; be careful not to overheat the beef!
2. In the meantime, cut the rolls in half and brush the cut sides with garlic butter.
3. Lay them flat on a frying pan cut side down, until the rolls are crispy and golden brown on the cut side and soft on top. It’s important to toast the inside of the rolls as much as possible so that the crunch remains once it’s been dunked in the au jus.
4. Once the rolls are toasted, pile each bread roll with leftover prime rib.
5. Use a skewer to close each beef dip and serve with piping hot au jus and freshly-grated horseradish. The chef’s favourite way to eat this sandwich is to add a pinch of horseradish to the au jus. That way, there’s a little kick with every bite.

Chop Salad with Steak

Chop Steakhouse & Bar

They say you don’t make friends with salad, but what if that salad is topped with thin slices of juicy steak?

Chop’s chef let us in on the secret techniques for cooking it up at home, so you can relish this meal any day of the week.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 3 ounces of vinaigrette (the chef’s favourite is sherry)
• 2 each peeled hard-cooked eggs
• 4 slices of cooked and chopped bacon
• 1 each avocado, diced
• 10 each halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled
• ½ ounce of Parmesan (whole)
• New York (Strip Loin) Steak

Method – Chop Salad: 

1. Chop the romaine into two-inch pieces. Then, wash it in cold water and spin or towel dry. Toss it with the vinaigrette of your choosing until all the lettuce is shiny.
2. Next, arrange it nicely on a platter. Cut each egg into eight pieces and arrange them on top of the lettuce, along with the chopped bacon, diced avocado, and cherry tomatoes.
3. Crumble the goat cheese into bite-size pieces over the top of the salad, and finish it off with a fine grating of Parmesan.

Method – Steak:

1. Preheat your grill as hot as it gets and brush it with canola oil right before cooking.
2. If you are looking for grill marks on your steak, this is the way to do it. For a 1” thick steak, medium-rare, cook for roughly 2 minutes per side, turning the steaks once 90 degrees for the characteristic square markings.
3. Cook one minute longer per side for every additional doneness preference.
4. Remove from the heat and let the steak rest 5 minutes before carving into thin strips. Use the steak strips to top off the salad.

This salad makes for a hearty lunch or dinner — and is a sure way to win friends.

“The part of cooking at home that folks always forget is the importance of having fun! If you are too busy to enjoy yourself, your guests will feel it,” reminds chef Stephen. “The other key is preparedness. Have most of your meal organized in advance, and dazzle your audience with a few finishing moves, like grilling the steak or carving the prime rib, and you’re sure to look like a rock-star,” he says.

Cook up your own recipes and share them online using the #MyCanadianBeef hashtag, or visit CanadaBeef.ca to learn more about its benefits.