ribeye

Italian Cowboy Steak with Salsa Verde

Browsing through a recent issue of Men’s Journal, I couldn’t help but notice this summer grilling recipe. After performing “quality assurance”, it met my approval with two thumbs up!

Yum

Italian Cowboy Steak with Salsa Verde

  • Servings: individual
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 2 lb rib eye in a single 2- or 3-inch-thick piece, bone removed

For the marinade

  • 4 cups red wine
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 20 whole black peppercorns
  • 6 juniper berries
  • 3 bay leaves

For the salsa verde

  • 2 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh oregano
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh mint
  • 3/4 cup packed fresh cilantro
  • 1 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white-wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preparation

  1. Put steak in a plastic bag with all marinade ingredients for at least four hours, turning bag over once in a while. Refrigerate if marinating overnight.

  2. For the salsa verde, mince garlic and salt together to make a paste, then blend in a food processor with oregano, mint, cilantro, and parsley. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in oil and then vinegar and lemon juice. Taste. If too thick, add enough water to make it pour.

  3. At least 2 hours – and up to 4 hours – before cooking, take the steak out of the refrigerator. Step threeOne of the biggest mistakes people make is putting cold meat on a hot grill,” says Chiarello. “Cold meat is like a clenched muscle, really tight. It’s hard for the heat to work its way through those cold fibers into the middle, which means it will end up well done three-quarters of the way through and raw in the middle.”

  4. Season beef with salt right before grilling. “I like to press the salt into the meat,” says Chiarello. Set steak directly onto the hottest part of the grill for 5 minutes, or until a nice dark crust forms. Rotate to brown all sides for 5 minutes each (sear small ends for 2 minutes each). Move beef to a cooler part of the grill (away from the embers) to finish. To end up with a medium-rare steak, take it off when an instant-read thermometer shows 118 degrees at the very center of the meat.

  5. Remove steak from the grill and let rest for at least 10 minutes (even after you take it off the grill, the internal temperature will keep rising, by as much as 10 degrees). “Don’t ever boast about all the delicious-looking juices on the board,” says Chiarello. “That just means you fucked it up. The idea is for the juices to be in the meat.” So tent it with a piece of foil and set it aside.

  6. Carve by cutting half-inch-thick crosswise slabs on a slight angle. “Forget everything you ever learned from those French chefs,” says Chiarello. “Do not try to slice it really thin and fan it out. You will just be dispersing the juices and it will get cold faster.” Instead, cut slices about the width of your thumb. And be sure to season the cut faces of each slice with a little salt. “Guys always forget that they’ve only seasoned the outside edge of the steak before they cooked it.” Arrange slices on a platter, drizzle with salsa verde, and serve.

Find this and other food ideas at Men’s Journal recipes.

Ciao!

Steve D.

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