Pick up your Meat Share:
Thursday (7/3) and later, self service
It takes just one brave cow to sway the whole herd.
Dear Shareholders:
Holy cow! Has it been a hot one!? This month at Archway has been a busy one. With chickens in the mix we are now rotating animals daily and making sure everyone is well fed and watered. That said, during these very very hot days we try to be strategic about limiting moving our animals around so they can preserve their energy and focus on staying cool. Once the heat broke this week our farm manager Wyatt undertook moving the cows to the back field which has the added logistical challenge of a small bridge. Nonetheless, the cows displayed some tentative trust and it paid off for them in fresh grass. We call that a win! If you are up on the rail trail this week you can give them a wave.
In the farm store kitchen we are looking forward to culinary projects that include chicken and turkey sausage, marinating meats and restocking all the grillables. Now that it isn’t raining every day I’ve abandoned my home kitchen for the Weber. This time of year I’m throwing almost anything you can think of on the coals from burgers and hotdogs to skillets of wild mushrooms and onions. If I’m really on top of my game I’m also grilling chicken breasts for the next evening’s chicken Caesar salad (because not every night has to be a hot-meal night, right?).
Happy grilling!
– Maggie (for Mark, Wyatt, Dima, Leo, & Alona)
Special Items in This Months Shares
(depending on size and meats you selecteed)
Filet Mignon, Beef Tenderloin: We hope you will enjoy this prized high-end cut that we’ve lovingly cut and packed for you this month. This lean and tender cut is typically enjoyed medium rare. Check out the recipe below for tips on how to perfectly grill it.
Hot Dogs: Noack’s famous frankfurters. This is the only meat product we don’t produce in house and why would we try when they do it so well? They’re still made from 100% Archway pork and we love supporting another family owned meat business.
Chicken Breasts: Finally! Our own farm raised chicken has hit the shelves again and while we loved collaborating with Dreamer’s Farm last year we are proud to be back in the chicken game. My favorite thing about chicken breast is how versatile it is. You can throw them on the grill with barbeque sauce, dice and panfry for easy chicken and broccoli stir-fry, bake and chill for chicken salad or maybe grilled the night before and served sliced on a bed of greens like the aforementioned Ceasar.
Recipe of the Month
Grilled Filet Mignon Tenderloin Medallions
For the unseasoned grill master, the grill (whether it be propane or charcoal) can be an intimidating cooking arena. But have no fear! There are some basic steps to cooking this prized cut to perfection and these apply to most of the meats on your grill. The best part is these cook quick no matter how you cook ’em! And if you wanna stick to your favorite cooking method or cast iron pan you are still going to cook a delicious beefy steak with the quality of a high end restaurant.
Serve with grilled asparagus, broccoli rabe or garlic scapes.
For all you visual learners out there here is a video tutorial on grilling filet mignon.
Makes 2-4 servings
Suggested Tools
- Meat thermometer
- Long handled tongs
- Grill with lid
Ingredients
- 2-4 of Archway Farm’s beef tenderloin medallions (1 medallion per person)
- Salt
- Pepper
Optional Garlic Butter (basting and/or dressing)
- Half a stick of salted butter
- Generous amount of diced garlic and/or shallot (4-6 tablespoons)
- Olive oil or other cooking oil
- Salt and pepper
Steps to Make It
- Take your defrosted meat out of the fridge about a half hour prior to grilling and allow to come to room temp. This will aid in even cooking and prevent the steak from remaining raw in the middle while getting charred on the outside. Lightly drizzle with your choice of oil, rub into the steaks and generously season them with salt and pepper or other favorite steak seasoning.
- Heat your grill. Ideally you want to cook the meat using both direct and indirect heat. This could mean pushing your hottest coals to one side of your grill or turning on only half of the burners on your propane grill. You will want to aim for a medium high heat. Preheat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Sear your meat. You will start by putting the steaks on direct heat until they develop a beautiful brown crust. For the first couple of minutes allow the meat to sear without fussing or moving it around. Like fried eggs in a pan, they will be ready to be moved once they are no longer sticking to the grill. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, flipping to sear the other side again over direct heat. For thinner filet you may only need to sear.
- Finish them off! Now that you’ve got a beautiful sear on both sides of your steaks you’ll want to move them to the indirect heat of your grill until they are cooked to your desired doneness. If you are cooking to medium rare your finished temp will ideally be between 125 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. This is where a thermometer really comes in handy. Cover the steaks with the lid of your grill for one to two minutes and then take an internal temp. You always want to take a temp from the center of the thickest part of the meat. Alternatively, you can use your own hand to check for doneness by comparing the texture of your steaks when poked by poking your own thumb muscle while pinching your thumb and middle finger tip together (medium rare). Continue to cook with the lid on until you reach 120 – 125 degrees. The meat will continue to rise 5 to 7 degrees in temp once removed from the grill so you want to pull your steaks before they reach 130F for medium rare or 140F for medium. You can always throw a steak back on the grill but you can’t un-cook one!
- Allow the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting or serving.
- Using a cast iron skillet on the grill or stove-top add a tablespoon of oil and sauté minced garlic/shallots, adding salt and pepper and stirring so as not to burn (about 4 – 5 minutes). Add the butter and allow to cook further until garlic is fully cooked. Remove from direct heat and brush or drizzle onto meat. The garlic butter can be prepared along-side or after cooking the steak and used for basting the during cooking or resting stage, as well as set on the table for dipping meat or a grilled piece of bread.
Enjoy!