WEEK 8 WILDCARD WINNER

Steak for a Brooklyn Backyard Barbecue

Photography by Sarah Shatz

    BY GIULIA MELUCCI | SERVES 2

A&M: Giulia Melucci said this was an easy recipe, and it really is. We were drawn to it because we both like smoked paprika, which adds a toasted warmth to dishes. Everyone should have a steak rub that takes no time to make, something that you can throw together after work. If you don’t already have such a recipe, make this one yours. You’ll probably have leftover mint—sprinkle some over the sliced steak just before serving.

    1 pound sirloin steak

    1 tablespoon olive oil

    1 teaspoon chopped garlic

    1 ½ teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika

    1 tablespoon chopped mint

    1 teaspoon salt

1. Heat the grill to medium-high. Rub the steak with the olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, mint, and salt. Allow the meat to come to room temperature, which should take 15 minutes or so, but if you don’t have the luxury of time, it doesn’t matter that much.
2. Grill over a very hot flame. (We did about 7 minutes per side for a perfect medium rare on a particularly thick piece of meat.)

    TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

    Giulia calls for a sirloin steak, but you can use any cut you like—porterhouse, skirt, you name it.

        We used sweet smoked paprika, but if you want a little heat, look for the “picante.”

    ABOUT THE COOK

    Giulia Melucci is the author of I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti: A Memoir of Good Food and Bad Boyfriends. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

        Here’s her website of the same name: www.ilovedilostimadespaghetti.com.

    WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID

    RayRay: “I find letting a steak get to room temperature is a great advantage to getting a perfect steak.”