Smokin in Steele Special Olympics Chef’s Tour

Smokin in Steele is going on this weekend, with all sorts of yummy smells, grilling meats, bands, and all for a good cause. Smokin in Steele is a fundraiser put on by the Knights of Columbus Council 945, and they have been so generous to the Owatonna Area Special Olympics teams.

Friday night, there was a special tour offered for Special Olympics right here in Steele County, and there were a few people who are involved with Owatonna Area Special Olympics who showed up. We were lead around the different competitors and stopped at Shiggin and Grinnin, where we were given the definition of "shiggin" as seen on the picture of the cup.

We were also told the rules: The number one rule, ALWAYS offer your guests a drink of some type and have fun....no need for any additional rules. There were a couple of steaks that were set aside specifically to teach us how to grill correctly. If I remember the steps correctly:

• Go ahead and let your steak sit out for awhile before you throw it on the grill, and season it well. You can get steak seasoning in the spice aisles at any local grocery stores,  it doesn't have to be real fancy.
• Make sure the grill is hot before you put your steak on, don't throw steaks on a cold grill.
• In order to get that perfect sear, with the criss-cross lines, put the steaks on for 2 minutes, turn them 90 degrees for another 2 minutes, then flip them. Repeat the process after 2 minutes, on the other side and you will see the perfect criss-cross on both sides of the steak.
• You can pull the steaks off the grill after 7 1/2- 8 minutes, or when the internal temp reaches about 120, then put them in a container, under a piece of foil, and let them sit for about 20 minutes. The temp will continue to rise, and you should have a perfectly done medium steak. Should have, if your grill is running real hot, well, you may want to adjust those times.

We got to sample the 2 steaks that were made, and oh my goodness, I have never had such a good steak! I prefer medium to medium-well, a little bit of pink, not still mooing. These steaks were absolutely amazing.

Thank you very much to the Knights of Columbus and the competitors who shared their time and expertise with the Owatonna Area Special Olympics delegation. It is much appreciated.