Hanger Steak - Beauty & The Beast

I can't believe it's a month and a half since I shared Chef Dennis Johnston of fid Resto's hanger steak tutorial with a promise of my own hanger steak making experience.

So I guess my first thought to you is...it's hard to find, after all, there is only one to a cow, so make friends with a butcher. My go-to-guy is Chris de Waal of Getaway Farm and even then I had to wait all this time to finally get one. I could have ordered on line, but I see him every Saturday at the Halifax Farmers Market and just hope. Last week I was lucky.

My second piece of advice...it takes about 20 to 30 minutes (unless you're an expert chef like my friend Dennis), to actually do the butchering - removing the membrane and sinew, before marinating.

My plan was to use one of the recipes I found on line - most of which didn't seem to mention any need to marinate. And the truth is, while Chef Dennis serves a very popular 7 day marinated hanger steak at fid Resto, the kitchen crew and I wolfed down the one he made for my lesson...no marinating involved, just a little salt and pepper before pan grilling. It melted in my mouth.

Lime Curry Marinated Hanger Steak

Somehow the "rub in the marinade and cook within the hour" plan turned into leaving it in the fridge for four days before grilling. The result was spectacular. The particular curry powder I used - Madras Sambar Masala – Mangal brand, plus the lime juice infused the meat with a suprisingly mild flavour that was intriguing. So if you like more heat, use your favorite curry powder. We thought this one made a really interesting dish. The kind where everyone wonders what the ingredients are.

And if you can't find hanger steak, try it with flank steak or skirt steak.

Finally - Skirt Steak & Worth the Wait

The saga of the perfect dinner actually started a few weeks ago. I dropped by my favorite beef purveyor at the Saturday Farmers Market. Chris of Getaway Farm (I've written about them, often, in fact ) had some gorgeous flank steak and we started talking about how difficult it was to find any these days. Conversation led to hangar steak and skirt steak - other favorites of old that I occasionally...make that rarely see on restaurant menus and never in the grocery store. Chris said he'd have some skirt steak in for me the following week.

Well...that was gearing up for Passover and no room in the fridge, so finally last Saturday, there it was. Took it home, eventually marinated it. Skirt steak is one of those tough cuts - very muscular, but soooooo tasty - that really require marinating. With my bazillion cookbooks and magazines, I couldn't find any recipes for skirt steak - and that includes the 5 encyclopedia type books. And while it's true that cooking it is similar to cooking flank steak - marinating and grilling are the best options... skirt steak is thinner and I didn't want to mess it up.

Fortunately, there is "Google". What did we do before it? In 0.38 seconds I was awarded the option of 273,000 recipes - I kid you not! I ended up with this Balsamic Vinegar Marinated Skirt Steak from GroupRecipes.com which is a very cool site.

Dinner was delicious. The steak practically melted in my mouth and all I did was serve it with a bowlful of local, tasty, and fresh mixed green salad and citrus vinaigrette. We licked the plate clean!

Now that I've found my awesome source here in Halifax, and figured out how to prepare the meat even BEFORE marinating it, I thought I'd share these basic steps...

1. Remove the thin membrane on the under-side of the skirt steak. Just slide the tip of a sharp knife between it and the meat at one end and then gently pull it back, using one hand on the membrane and the other on the meat. Do this slowly, and gently so as not to tear the meat. It is quite thin...thinner than flank steak.

2. Place your favorite marinade (check out some of my flank steak recipes for marinades) in a large ziplock baggie. Add your meat and gently massage the marinade into the meat for a minute or two. Place the baggie in the fridge for 24 - 48 hours, turning the bag over once. I usually sit the baggie on a rimmed baking sheet...just in case the bag leaks.

3. Let the skirt steak sit on the counter for 1 hour before grilling to bring it to room temperature.

4. Preheat your grill to as hot as you can - BBQ is my preferred method, but having none, I use a grill pan or my Cuisinart Griddler .

5. Lightly oil your grill grates/pan, place the skirt steak pretty side down and grill for 2 minutes. Turn the steaks and lower the heat to medium high and cook for another 2-3 minutes. I test mine for doneness with a Digital Instant-read Thermometer - 145F/62C

6. Remove from the grill and allow it to rest for 5 minutes, covered with tin foil to allow the meat to relax before serving. Remember, this tough cut needs a little extra loving, but is well worth the time.

Flank Steak Dinner - Not as Easy to Find as You Think

One of my favorite cuts of meat is flank steak...a tougher, muscular cut from the hind quarter of the beef. It's incredibly flavourful and you can do so many wonderful dinners with it as your centerpiece. But the title of this post is "Not as easy to find as you think" because...well, it isn't! And when you do find some at the local grocery stores, the steaks are usually puny and overpriced.
So imagine my delight when I was at my favorite meat purveyors at the Halifax Saturday Farmers Market... Getaway Farm had a couple of beautiful ones. I've written about Getaway Farm before and my Honey and I can't get enough of their awesome grass fed, drug & hormone free Galloway beef. I guess his favorite would be a simple grilled strip loin ( the steaks were so tender and tasty, I'm still drooling), but flank steak ranks right up there. By the way, their homemade sausages are pretty spectacular too.

And back to flank steak...because it is a tough cut, it really does need to be marinated. I already have five delicious variations in my repertoire and each one is fantastic. I choose them as I would an article of clothing...by my mood of the day... or in this case my particular craving.

Teriyaki Flank Steak...

the first I ever made and still my family's favorite

A Latin Version

Anna Olsen's Asian Flank Steak

Charmoula Marinated Flank Steak

Flank Steak in Vinaigrette Marinade

And tonight I add another fantastic recipe to my collection - this one from Lucy Waverman. I've taken her marinade from her Steak Frites with Tarragon Mustard Butter & Grilled Shallots in her wonderful cookbook A Year in Lucy's Kitchen . I may have left off the mustard butter and the grilled shallots - they're for another day, but the marinade was perfect.

Honey & Red Wine Vinegar Marinated Flank Steak
(Photo at the top of the page)

This time served with some wilted baby greens (from Ted Hutton's farm stand at the market), just quickly sauteed with some garlic and lemon juice and some mashed roasted acorn squash. As my three year old grandson would say...Delicioso! ( we watch a lot of Dora & Diego when he visits).

Sauces, Marinades & Seasonings

Sauces, Condiments & Vinaigrettes:

See Pasta section for more sauce options

David Lebovitz's Amazing Chocolate Mole

Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Anthony's Spicy Bourbon BBQ Sauce - great to accompany burgers, steaks or slather on ribs & chicken before roasting.

Garlicky BBQ Sauce with Bourbon & Pear Chutney

Creamy Dill Salad Dressing (awesome as crudite dip, sauce for roasted or grilled fish)

Citrus-Balsamic Glaze (great for seared scallops, roasted/grilled salmon & chicken)

Minty Tzatziki (end of the spicy lamb burger post)

Pear Chutney ( perfect for meat & poultry)

Peruvian Parsley Salsa (great on fish & seafood, salads, vegetables)

Easy Salsa Verde

Garlicscapes & Pistachio Pesto 

Provencal Paste/Sauce great for grilled chicken, fish, lamb

Puerto Rican Ajilimojili (spicy and tangy, fantastic over grilled fish)

Roasted Tomato Butter Sauce (wonderful with seafood and fish)

Fermented Black Bean Sauce (great as a marinade too)

Quick Berry Sauce ( spooned over ice cream, crepes, blintzes...)

Basil Pecan Pesto

Cilantro Walnut Pesto

Spinach, Basil & Pistachio Pesto

Pesto di Prezzemolo (with capers & anchovies... and packs quite the punch)

Pesto Calabrese (eggplant, red pepper & ricotta give it the richness)

Chunky No Cook Tomato Sauce

Maple Balsamic Dressing (great on fish and chicken, and over salads)

Balsamic Pomegranate Vinaigrette great over mixed greens & berries or drizzled over grilled asparagus

Romesco Sauce great with grilled meats, fish and over pasta

Marinades:

Herb Grilling Oil (not just to brush on pizzas! great to marinate chicken or fish & seafood)

Sumac Marinade ( great on chicken, lamb or beef)

Seasonings:
Creole seasoning

Bal's Steak Masala - the perfect Indian Rub for grilled meats

Moroccan style Preserved Lemons

Butters:
Orange Chipotle Butter