Creating the Perfect Valentine's Dinner

Cooking a meal at home can be a much more romantic and more meaningful way of showing how much you care for your partner. With some help from Grand Champion Meats, your home cooked meal can be just as indulgent and delectable as a meal you would get at a fancy restaurant. In addition to creating a personal and private meal at home, you get to avoid an overcrowded and bustling restaurant. Let us help you create the perfect dinner for Valentine’s Day.

Create a Romantic Atmosphere

Every romantic and memorable dinner needs to have a little ambiance. To set the mood, fill the room with romantic lighting. Set the dimmer, string twinkling lights on the banister, set candles at the dinner table, or set the fireplace to a low roar. Another way to set a relaxing tone for the evening is to engage in a small wine tasting or indulge in a new cocktail before dinner. If you are feeling especially ambitious, create a cheese board to go with pre-dinner cocktails.

And, of course, what is a classic Valentine’s Dinner without some romantic music. Create a playlist of classic love songs or travel down memory lane with your favorite songs to set the atmosphere.

Making a Delicious and Delectable Menu

Preparing a meal at home doesn’t have to be an arduous, all-day affair. Grand Champion Meats offers an array of high-quality fresh-cut meats to help enhance any recipe including a selection of top-notch cuts of steak ranging from ribeye, porterhouse, chuck eye, T-bone, New York strip, and sirloin. It is possible to cook the perfect steak indoors without firing up the grill.

Grand Champion Meats also offers delicious seafood selections including lobster tails, scallops, shrimp, and fish fillets that can enhance Surf-and-Turf recipes or that can stand alone as a seafood dish.

Try our “For My Valentine Surf n Turf”!

Once dinner is gone, finish the night with some dessert and post-dinner drinks in front of the fire. Have a second part of the evening planned with a movie marathon. If you are feeling ambitious, bundle up and walk off your indulgent dinner in the moonlit snow.

To see the entire selection of available products, visit the Grand Champion Meats selection list. However you chose to celebrate your Valentine’s Day evening, be sure to relax and celebrate with your loved one!

The Benefits of Eating Meat

Beef. Chicken. Salmon. Turkey. Yep, there are tons of great-tasting and nutritious meats to add to the dinner plate.

Now, we all know that good health involves a balanced diet - including protein. And, meat is definitely the best way to get that protein!

That’s not to say all meats are created equal. When prepared improperly, undercooked, or overly processed, some meats can be unhealthy. But, when you do it right, eating meat adds a great deal to your overall health.

With that said, here are some great reasons to make meat part of your daily diet

It’s nutritious. Meat is loaded with things your body needs, including vitamins D, B1, B2, B6, B12 and niacin, as well as minerals iron, zinc, selenium and more. Many of these essential nutrients just can’t be retained from a diet of fruits, veggies and carbs. For a more in depth look into what vitamins, minerals and proteins can be found in each type of meat, refer to this chart.

It’s the ultimate protein factory. As previously mentioned, the amino acids known as Protein serve as major building blocks for our muscles and other bodily tissues. Most athletes and coaches agree that with a more active lifestyle, you’re definitely going to need to fortify your body with ample amounts of protein.

It’s delicious. Let’s get serious here. Can you imagine breakfast without sausage or bacon? A football game without a burger or brat? A fancy dinner without steak or salmon? In our opinion, meat makes the meal!

It’s not deserving of a bad rap. It is true that vegans and vegetarians tend to have better health than most, but that fact is born of lots of reasons  - many having nothing to do with their lack of meat consumption. For one, vegetarians tend to be more health conscious overall. Most of the food they buy is unprocessed and organic, and many of them are more likely to exercise regularly. They’re also less likely to smoke or invite harmful chemicals into their bodies. Carnivores - take a note. It’s been proven that people who eat meat and also live a healthy lifestyle are just as healthy as people who don’t.

At Grand Champion Meats, you will find the freshest cuts of beef and pork, as well as a wide variety of sausages, smoked products, chicken and seafood. We work hard to provide you with the best quality meat that will not only be healthy for you and your family, but taste just as good!

How to Grill a Perfect Steak

Since opening our doors in 1971, we’ve had the opportunity to hear everyone’s tips and tricks for cooking the perfect steak. From ridiculous to practical, from tenderizing the meat to slicing the finished product - we’ve heard it all! Here are some of the best tips we’ve heard for grilling a mouth watering steak.

The Cut

Everyone likes something a little different. We recommend trying many different cuts of steak so that you know your preference. For those that like a leaner cut of meat, we recommend a sirloin or a top round steak. For a more sinful steak, try a beef tenderloin, ribeye, or porterhouse. Fortunately, if you aren’t sure what cut you like best, we have multiple packages for you to test the different cuts!

Good Quality Meat

The foundation of a great steak is good quality meat! Our dedicated team have taken our product to award winning status, still priding itself on using traditional techniques in producing the best quality and widest selection of products available.

Preparation

Approximately 30 minutes before placing on the grill, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

While your steaks are coming to room temperature, get the grill going! Preheat the grill on high and make sure your grill is clean!

With the right cut of meat, you should only require salt and pepper for seasoning! Fancy shmancy seasoning is only necessary if you are using poor quality meat. Lightly brush with oil to prevent from sticking, and add the salt and pepper shortly before placing on the grill.

It’s go time on the grill!

Sear each side of the steak to lock in flavor and keep the grill covered as much as possible.

Use tongs to flip the steak. Piercing the steaks with a fork or otherwise will allow tasty juices to escape.

Cook to your desired temperature by using a meat thermometer! Here is a quick reference guide for a perfectly cooked steak:

It’s cooked to perfection. Now what?

After removing your steak from the grill, allow it to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. This helps the steak retain the juices!

You’re ready to whip out the fork and steak knife. Always cut against the grain to make the steak less chewy. It’s easier on your teeth and will make your steak eating experience all the more enjoyable.

Congratulations on a successful grill session and good luck fighting off friends and family from your deliciously prepared steak. You’ll probably need it!

Stop in to one of our Minnesota locations: Foley or Crosslake to find a delicious cut of meat that is just right for you and your family!