Lesson no 15
There are dozens of beef, pork, and lamb cuts appropriate for grilling. But before grilling any piece of red meat, you should know what you’re dealing with and adjust your grilling method accordingly. Meat with lots of intramuscular fat—like a beef rib-eye steak or lamb loin chop—is best seared first to get a deep char, then cooked to temperature over lower heat. Thick but lean cuts that carry most of their fat on the outside—like pork chops—benefit from brining or marinating, which helps keep the interior moist as you char the outside. Leaner meats with little marbling or external fat—like veal, beef rump steak, or pork cutlets—should be grilled quickly over a hot fire; by the time they take on a good char, they’ll be cooked through.
When choosing meat for grilling, I favor underappreciated, underpriced cuts that most of us tend to overlook in the butcher case. You’ll find some of these in the recipes that follow.
Butcher’s Steaks with Garlic Butter
The hanger steak (aka butcher’s steak) is one of the most underrated cuts of beef. It’s silky and fairly tender, thanks to the fact that the muscle, like the tenderloin, does very little work; its primary function is to support the diaphragm. It literally hangs there, from the cow’s last rib, unprotected by the bones and fat that surround other cuts. Once the animal is processed, this extra air exposure helps the hanger develop its extra-beefy, almost liver-y flavor. Each cow yields only one (two halves separated by a vein), which means that butchers—back when every neighborhood had one—wouldn’t have more than one or two of these steaks on hand at a time, so they’d either grind them into hamburger meat or keep these meat orphans for themselves (hence the name). Its working-class status also makes it the best inexpensive steak around, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
On the grill, treat this long, irregularly shaped cut like a sausage, turning it frequently to get a good char on all sides. I prefer mine cooked to medium, which makes it a bit more tender than medium-rare while retaining its gamey flavor and silky texture.
Makes 4 servings
Four 10-ounce hanger steaks, trimmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons melted Garlic Butter
Coarse sea salt
1 Prepare a hot single-level fire in a grill (see page 149).
2 Generously season the steaks with kosher salt and pepper. Grill the steaks, turning frequently, for about 8 minutes for medium-rare or 10 minutes for medium. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
3 Cut the steaks across the grain on the diagonal into 1-inch slices. Divide among four plates, drizzle with the garlic butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve.
Makes about 1 cup
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes; the butter should simmer gently but not brown. Remove from the heat.
2 Skim the foam from the top of the butter and slowly pour the butter through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Discard the milky solids and garlic. The butter can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
This beefy behemoth might look and sound intimidating, but it’s just like any other rib-eye steak except that it has a full rib attached and it’s twice as thick as usual. This is the steak you serve to folks who think they’ve tried everything a cow has to offer. At St. Anselm, our meat comes from the incredibly marbled American Wagyu cattle at the Masami Cattle Ranch in California. If you have a good butcher and ask nicely, he may be able to prepare one of these for you (many butchers will know this as a “cowboy chop”). If not, ask for a double-cut rib-eye steak and don’t worry about skipping the extra length of bone—only your dog will miss it.
When cooking a Flintstones-size steak like this, you have to take extra care to achieve a deeply charred crust and a properly cooked interior. At home, I sear it first, to make sure it gets enough char, then grill it to temperature over low heat. At the restaurant, the cooks do the opposite: they cook the steak over low heat until it reaches 115°F (for medium-rare) and let it rest until they’re ready to finish it off, then quickly grill it over scorching-high heat until it’s charred all over and serve it immediately—no additional resting necessary. This is what’s called a “reverse sear.” Use this method if you want to cook your rib-eye up to an hour ahead of time, but be careful to not overcook it during the low-heat phase, or you’ll end up with a well-done piece of meat after you sear it.
Makes 2 to 4 servings
One axe-handle rib-eye steak (2½ to 3½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, or more to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup melted Garlic Butter or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
1 Prepare a two-stage fire with high and medium-low sides in a grill (see page 149).
2 Generously shower the steak with kosher salt and pepper (this will probably be the most you season any piece of meat in your life). Grill the steak over high heat, moving it and turning it every minute or so, until it’s well charred on both sides and around the perimeter, 8 to 10 minutes.
3 Move the steak to the low-heat side of the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 125°F for medium-rare, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your steak. Transfer the steak to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
4 If the surface of the steak is moist with juices after resting, quickly sear the steak on both sides over high heat to crisp up the crust, about 30 seconds per side.
5 Transfer the steak to a platter. You can either carve the steak as you eat, family-style, or divide it into portions by first cutting the meat away from the bone, then carving the steak across the grain into large pieces. Serve with the melted butter and flaky salt on the side.
New York Strip Steaks with Sauce au Poivre
I’ll be honest: strip steak is not my favorite cut of beef. Despite its band of external fat, the meat itself isn’t terrifically marbled. But I do love its texture, which falls somewhere between that of buttery tenderloin and chewier rib eye—as does the intensity of its flavor. It’s such a steakhouse staple that we tried it out at St. Anselm only as an occasional special at first, accompanied by our version of the classic sauce au poivre, but high demand quickly made it part of our regular menu. The sauce is proof that pepper brings out the best in red meat, and it also goes well with Charred Long Beans and/or Grilled Fingerling Potatoes.
Makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons very finely chopped shallots
1½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 tablespoons apple brandy
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four 13-ounce strip steaks, about 2 inches thick
1 Prepare a two-stage fire with high and medium-low sides in a grill (see page 149).
2 Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the coarsely ground black pepper and brandy and carefully tilt the pan slightly away from yourself to ignite the brandy (if you’re using an electric stove, carefully light the brandy with a match or a lighter), then cook until the flames subside.
3 Add the cream and pink peppercorns, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half. Season the sauce with more coarsely ground pepper, if necessary, and salt to taste and keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve.
4 Season the steaks generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Grill the steaks over high heat, turning every couple of minutes, until well charred on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the steaks to the medium-low side of the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the middle of the steaks reads 135°F for medium, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
5 Transfer the steaks to plates and let rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the warm sauce.
A few years ago, I ran across a recipe for wine-marinated rump steak by Frank DeCarlo, the chef-owner of Manhattan’s Peasant and Bacaro restaurants. He’d adapted an ancient Northern Italian recipe for meat marinated in wine and spices for an extended period of time—up to 1 week. I took the idea and made a British version, marinating rump steaks, also known as top round steaks here in the United States, in English imperial stout with spices and citrus zest. Top round is a lean cut often used in braises or roasted whole to make London broil, but it takes well to marinades and packs a lot of flavor for the price. (If you prefer a fattier piece of meat, substitute top sirloin steaks, which will have more marbling.)
Beerwise, any higher-alcohol full-bodied English stout or porter will work, but my favorite for this marinade is imperial stout (aka imperial Russian stout), a style of English beer originally brewed for export to the court of Catherine the Great. It’s dark and robust, usually with an alcohol content of about 9 percent ABV. Guinness will not work in this recipe—it’s too light and lean—and be careful of American stouts, as many have high amounts of hops, which will make the beef taste bitter.
Makes 4 servings
4 rump (top round) steaks (about 8 ounces each)
24 ounces (3 cups) imperial stout or other full-bodied dark beer
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 long strips orange zest
1 Put the steaks in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the beer into a bowl and, when the foam subsides, whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour the marinade into the bag, adding as much as necessary to completely cover the steaks, add the orange zest, and seal the bag tightly, squeezing out any extra air as you go. Refrigerate the steaks for 2 to 3 days.
2 Prepare a two-stage fire with medium and low sides in a grill (see page 149).
3 Remove the steaks from the bag; discard the marinade. Pat the steaks very dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks over the medium side of the grill, moving and turning them every couple of minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the middle reads 135°F for medium, 8 to 10 minutes. If the steaks are well charred before they’re ready, move them to the low side.
4 Transfer the steaks to plates and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Butter-Poached and Grilled Beef Tenderloin Steaks
Beef tenderloin (aka filet mignon) is unmatched in tenderness, but beyond that, it’s a pretty boring cut of beef. It has a mild flavor and is practically devoid of fat, so you really need to do something dramatic to make it worth your trouble (and money). I’m always on the hunt for new cooking experiments, so when I ran across Thomas Keller’s recipe for beurre monté—an emulsification of butter and a little water that can be warmed to higher temperatures than plain butter without breaking—I thought it would be the perfect way to get me excited about tenderloin again.
At his restaurants, Keller uses beurre monté for basting red meats and keeping them warm after they’ve been cooked to temperature. I reverse the process and poach beef tenderloin steaks in butter until cooked to rare, then finish them over the hottest fire I can build in my grill. The result: a soft-as-ever meat with a crackling-crisp exterior and extra-buttery interior.
Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons water
1 pound (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
4 beef tenderloin steaks (about 6 ounces each)
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and slowly whisk in the butter a tablespoon at a time, adding another piece only once the previous one has emulsified. The butter will start to look glossy and like hollandaise; if it begins to bubble, remove the pan from the heat to cool slightly before continuing.
2 Once all of the butter has been emulsified, add the beef. Use an instant-read or candy thermometer to monitor the beurre monté ’s temperature: you want to keep it between 140° and 150°F, and you may have to turn off the heat from time to time to prevent it from getting too hot. Cook the beef until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the center reads 120°F, 20 to 30 minutes. If the beef isn’t completely submerged in the butter, turn it over after 10 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, prepare a hot single-level fire in a grill (see page 149).
4 Remove the beef from the beurre monté, letting the excess butter drip off, and transfer to a plate. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks, turning once, until charred and cooked to the desired doneness, about 1 minute per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plates and serve.
Note:
The leftover beurre monté can be used to poach other meat and seafood. Discard after 1 day.
Lamb Saddle Chops with Mint-Yogurt Sauce
The lamb saddle chop (aka double loin chop or English chop) is an especially succulent (read: fatty) cut that combines the loin and tenderloin, usually with two fatty curlicues hanging off the edges. It’s the same cut made famous by Manhattan’s Keens Steakhouse, where it’s called a mutton chop (though the restaurant hasn’t used the older, gamier mutton for years). I love the saddle chop because while most lamb cuts are small and dainty, this one has the same intimidating presence on the plate as a huge steak. To round out the steakhouse experience, serve these chops with the Tomato and Burrata Salad.
Makes 4 servings
¾ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup finely chopped mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 lamb saddle chops (15 to 20 ounces each)
1 Prepare a two-stage fire with medium and low sides in a grill (see page 149).
2 In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, sugar, and mint until combined. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve; the sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.
3 Generously season the lamb all over with salt and pepper. Grill the lamb over medium heat, turning frequently, until well charred on all sides; make sure to grill the fatty edges long enough to render some fat and get them very crisp. Move the lamb to the low side of the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 140°F for medium, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
4 Transfer the lamb to plates, spoon some of the yogurt sauce over the chops, and serve.
Note
The yogurt sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.
Lamb Shoulder Blade Chops with Mint-Gremolata Butter
The blade chop comes from the rib side of a lamb shoulder, and it is one of the animal’s best-kept secrets. But it isn’t a cut for beginners: you either have to love eating fat or have a surgeon’s knife skills for working your way around it. Either way, you’ll be rewarded with one of the juiciest and most intensely flavored (and most economical) cuts of lamb. As soon as the lamb comes off the grill, place a pat of minty compound butter on top, which will melt into the meat as it rests, forming a rich, slightly sweet sauce. Save any leftover butter to top grilled vegetables or an oily fish, such as salmon.
Makes 4 servings
Four 14-ounce lamb shoulder blade chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four ½-inch disks Mint-Gremolata Butter (recipe follows)
1 Prepare a hot single-level fire in a grill (see page 149).
2 Season the lamb chops generously with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once or twice, until well charred and cooked to the desired doneness, 8 to 10 minutes for medium. Transfer the lamb chops to plates.
3 Place a disk of butter on top of each lamb chop. Let the lamb rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Mint-Gremolata Butter
Makes about ½ pound
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup finely chopped mint
Finely chopped zest of 2 lemons (about ¼ cup
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a food processor, combine the butter, mint, lemon zest, honey, salt, and pepper and pulse until well combined. Transfer the butter mixture to a sheet of plastic wrap and, using the plastic wrap, form it into a log about 2 inches thick. Twist the ends tightly to seal and refrigerate until firm. (The gremolata butter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost before using.)
Veal Flank Steaks with Chimichurri Oil
I always like to introduce people to new parts of an animal to break them out of the habit of eating the same few cuts of meat over and over again. Everyone knows what a veal chop tastes like, so here’s a veal flank steak to try instead. It’s exactly the same cut as you’d find in beef flank, but it has a much more delicate flavor. The veal flank varies in thickness across the cut, so you want to cook the thickest part of the steak to your desired doneness. If you usually like your steak medium-rare, though, I recommend cooking the veal closer to medium, or it can be chewy. We usually associate chimichurri with hearty Argentinean asado, but this simplified version won’t overpower the delicate veal. Save any leftover oil to serve with grilled vegetables, such as Grilled Fingerling Potatoes or Grilled Fiddlehead Ferns.
Makes 4 servings
1 bunch parsley
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 veal flank steaks (5 to 6 ounces each)
1 Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the parsley for 15 seconds, then transfer to the ice bath to cool. Drain, squeeze out as much water as possible, and coarsely chop the parsley.
2 In a blender, combine both oils, the garlic, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and blend until the garlic is finely chopped. Add the parsley and blend on low speed until the parsley is finely chopped, then blend on high speed for 4 minutes; the mixture will turn dark green and begin to steam.
3 Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a large measuring cup. Pour the parsley puree into the cheesecloth and let sit until the oil stops dripping (do not press on the solids), about 10 minutes; you should have about ¾ cup oil. The chimichurri oil can be made up to 4 hours ahead.
4 Prepare a hot single-level fire in a grill (see page 149).
5 Generously season the veal with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the thickest part of the steaks are medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
6 Cut the veal on the bias into ½-inch slices, transfer to plates, drizzle with the chimichurri oil, and serve.
Note
The chimichurri oil can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.