There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Ok that was level 2. Level 3 is this - get yourself an immersion cooker. This method will take a few hours longer than the normal method, but even a crappy piece of meat will be more tender than filet using conventional methods. Lightly season the steaks with the same seasonings. If you like the "montreal steak" flavor - go ahead and add a little raw onion and garlic to the bags. Sous vide your steaks to the recommended times/temp based on how you want it cooked. I always do a little less time so that I can get a little more grill time (and good looking grill marks). When the sous vide is complete, drain the bags and set the steaks on a cutting board. (alternately save the juice for some of the best au jus ever) Oil them and add the same seasonings like you would normally. Your grill should be on med-high to high at this point. Sear both sides like you normally would. After both sides are seared you are done. Rest like you normally would. I cooked 7 whole filets for a wedding like this. Never got so many compliments.
One thing I forgot to mention - oil your grill when heated (throw some oil on your grill scraper). It will season and clean your grill and provide a better chance of getting really nice looking grill marks.