Nothing in the world beats steak and eggs for breakfast when the steak is glazed with a Texas-style barbecue sauce. We use a local brand of heritage grits; the grits are deeply aromatic and I fix ’em up so that they are filled with savory flavors, unlike my mom, who put them on a breakfast plate with just a pat of butter to mix in. I loved my childhood breakfast, but I sure like my grown-up Texas one a lot more.
You might get a helper or two to begin frying the eggs and making the grits as you cook the steak. That way everything will come together in a few minutes and you can all sit down together.
Four 8-ounce center-cut beef sirloin steaks, trimmed of all fat and silverskin
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Texas-Style Barbecue Sauce (here) or your favorite barbecue sauce
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
8 large eggs, at room temperature
Jalapeño Grits (here)
Pickled Red Onions (here)
Generously season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.
Preheat the gril, or heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot but not smoking, lay the steaks in the pan or on the grill. Sear for 4 minutes. Then turn and sear the opposite sides for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until the desired degree of doneness is reached. You can test with an instant-read thermometer; remember, the steaks will continue cooking from carryover heat as they sit, so take them off of the heat while they are a bit underdone. While still in the pan, using a pastry brush, generously coat both sides of the steaks with the barbecue sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.
With your extra set of hands, while the steak is cooking begin frying the eggs.
Place a small nonstick frying pan over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and allow it to slowly melt. Then crack 2 eggs into the pan and cover. Continue cooking approximately 5 minutes, or until the egg white solidifies and the yolk thickens slightly. Do not flip the eggs, but leave them sunny-side up. Remove the eggs from the pan and repeat the process using the remaining butter and eggs.
Spoon an equal portion of the grits on one side of each of four warm plates. Place a steak on top of each one. Place 2 eggs on the other side of the plate, garnish with a small pile of the pickled onions, and serve immediately.
The grits that I use come from the Homestead Gristmill, located in the Ploughshare Institute for Sustainable Culture in Waco, Texas. It has evolved from a mill that was begun in 1814 in New Jersey and operated there through the early part of the last century. After years of neglect, the property was dismantled and rebuilt in Central Texas in 2001. In addition to three types of wheat and corn, the Gristmill also grinds oats, rye, spelt, rice, buckwheat, and soybeans using the single-step process of grinding with natural granite stones. (See Sources, here.)