Grilled Hangar Steak

As of today, I am closing down my charcoal grill, and it will be recycled into whatever scrap metal anyone interested is wanting to use it for.  I grilled a hangar steak, some chicken wings, and some leeks.

Hangar steak is something I only recently discovered, and it responds best to the simplest of treatments.

Hangar steak (wing at upper right background)

I go in for knee surgery next Thursday.  It’s a benign tumor that was considered “idiopathic” or “undetermined” etiology for a couple too many years.  No longer.  They have to cut in from both sides, and there are nearby things such as a major nerve and a major artery.

I’m also, as readers may recall, moving from Connecticut to Massachusetts shortly.  My Connecticut grill is a cheap Weber knock off, and is scheduled to be scrapped.  So, no more grilling ops this year.

I find the procedure bordering on scary, so I’m doing “comfort food” my style this week. I went out for sushi lunch recently, and ate steamed artichoke (leaves and heart dipped in a good tart dressing the night before; back in the day it was Catalina, and while I’ve since made a work-around, Annie’s Balsamic Vinaigrette  is quite good and still provides the desired tartness without any nauseating HFCS sweetness, or a list of faux-foodstuffs I’d prefer not to ingest.  It is also thick enough to adhere to the leaves properly.

At any rate, a good grilling was called for.  This particular steak came from Ox Hollow Farm, in northwestern Connecticut.  They have a farmstand along Route 7, which is now closed down for the season.  It was 0.8 ounces in size, and I cut it in half prior to grilling.

You’ll notice, while I think a little salt is essential, I’m not about to heavy-handed spritz the stuff on like Gordon Ramsey or many other big name chefs.  Tried that.  Once.  Bleah.  I want the salt to accentuate the meat, not take it over like an invasion.  The secret is:  don’t burn out your taste buds by using too much of the salt.  A PINCH will do it!  (Unless, perhaps, your taste buds are already burnt.)

Prep Time:  1 hour to bring to room temp.
Cook Time:  About 15 min, but will depend on grill, steak thickness, and done-ness preference.
Rest time:  About 10 min.
Leftovers:  Yes.  I prefer not to cook leftovers further, but to eat them cold.

• 1 hangar steak, 0.75 – 1 lb, cut in half or thirds
• about 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (about half per side)
• a PINCH of salt per side
• a sprinkle of garlic powder per side

That’s it!

Bring out your steak about an hour before you actuallycook it, to let it get close to room temperature.

Get your grill going – I use charcoal with a chimney starter, so I like to plan on that taking 25 minutes to get that ready.

I put on the seasonings about 15 minutes before I’m ready to grill.  Like chefs do, shake the seasonings on about a foot and a half above the steak.

Bank the coals on one side.

I put the meat in the in-between space between hot and cooler – the edges of the charcoal.

This was a thick steak, over an inch.  I cooked it 10-12 minutes one side, and flipped it for another eight for medium rare.  You can use a meat thermometer (mine was up in Massachusetts, but this is beef from a pastured farm, I’ll take my chances).  It did turn out medium rare.

Remove from grill, and allow to rest, about ten minutes.

Slice into, and enjoy.

(I ate the one half [0.4 pounds], and refrigerated the other half to serve cold with a salad  I also enjoyed the leeks, which I’d added to the grill at the same time, and flipped at the same time, but in a cooler corner.  The wings were marinated separately, and some were reserved to re-heat later in the oven.)

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