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[dk117]

So of course I'm a cook, never been a chef.  I put out some pretty decent BBQ.  But a real chef (as seen on Food network) always accompanies with a great sauce or relish.   I'd really welcome any advice on how to get to that level.

DK

[dk117]

ok that fell flat.   Let me try again.

If you just smoked and seared a perfect skirt steak, medium rare and all sliced and ready to serve.   Do you serve with:

a) a packet of powdered Hollandaise sauce? (I actually love this stuff)
b) mushroom gravy
c) black pepper vinaigrette
d) pureed avocado, garlic and lime
e) calabrian chilli sauce spread perfectly with a little spoon push

so the options are limitless and I have no idea where to start.  I normally just serve without a sauce.    Do you serve with sauce? if so how do you prep?  Just throw whatever you have into the food processor?    I really think figuring this out would be the next step in my cooking evolution. 

Thanks

DK

[Kristin Meredith]

I also tend to think that sauce on most good beef is something of a waste.  With that said, I do like things like Steak Diane and brandy cream sauce reduction.

I think of sauces more on chicken which is so plain in my mind.  But I guess I just think you need to experiment.  I sure have no genius when it comes to flavor profiles, so sometimes I just look for a very basic recipe for a sauce or chutney and then go from there.  For a chutney -- maybe you add an additional fruit or a stronger onion or a dash of some herb and see how it goes.  One of the best things I came up with was just being bored with plain potatoes one night, so cubed up a bunch of red potatoes, cooked, drained, added butter and then started adding herbs -- dried rosemary, herbs de Provence, basil.  Turned out to be some of the best potatoes I ever made. 

I just don't know how to do something without either following a recipe or just start out adding what I like until I get something I like.

[Darwin]

For grilled skirt steak I would go with a something like chimi churri, bearnaise or a home made steak sauce. My personal preference is for something simple like compound butters or a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime. I don't like getting to fussy with sauces anymore.
Learning how to make the 5 mother sauces is a must for any serious cook.  With sauces the sky is the limit as to the list of possibilities. 
One of the best cook books I have every read was James Peterson's Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making.  It does use lots of stocks that are made from bones.  That is goes beyond what most home cooks want or can do. I ordered copies of it for a few of the sauciers that I trained over the years. I found the book to be very helpful as a educational tool, not just a reference book. It was one of the few cook books that I kept for myself when I donated the my collection to a cooking school.

[Bentley]

I am going to eat skirt in a taco or burrito, so I am probably going to lean towards something like your D.  I like an avocado infused Pico de gallo with that.  I have not had beef with a lot of sauces, other then a stroganoff.  I guess many find a fine steak to be enough with S n P, a delicious sauce will always complement it, but I guess that is subjective to the diner.

For me, Salisbury Steak would not be the same without your #2, but you are usually using a ground product thats flavor hinges on the fat content!

[hughver]

I try and prepare a sauce that complements the protein with virtually every meal that I prepare. 

[Canadian John]

 I can't specify a sauce. To me the use of a sauce depends on what is being served.. A good mushroom gravy goes well on mashed potatoes being served with a good M R steak.

[Bentley]

I guess I have yet to answer your question, but I am having some difficulty completely identifying it!

[dk117]

I guess I have yet to answer your question, but I am having some difficulty completely identifying it!

That's ok, this thread helped me formulate my own thoughts.   Prior to this thread I had never heard of the 5 mother sauces.  I rarely sauce anything.    Historically I have  impressed my friends and family with some basic BBQ.   Now I want to work on presentation and flavor profiles (beyond rub or marinade or brine anyway).   I'm coming to understand or believe that proper saucing is the next step for serious food.    (and I will again confess to being influenced by Food Network).

And for those that participated I thank you.   It wasn't just a skirt steak, but it got the conversation going.  Thanks.

[jacksdad]

Great post!  I too would like to learn more about sauces.