When Floyd Cardoz: Flavorwalla by Floyd Cardoz (Artisan Books, April 2016) was published i served a flavorful side, Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Zest and Mustard. Today, with grill season in full swing, you get the plat de resistance…
Grilled Hanger Steak with Red Wine Sauce
Serves 6
I much prefer hanger steak, with its strong, beefy flavor and pleasing chewiness, to more popular cuts such as tenderloin, which I find bland and even kind of mushy. But unlike with more mild and tender cuts, you can’t just throw a little seasoning on hanger steak and slap it on the grill. This recipe requires some advance planning, since hanger steak is best when it is marinated before cooking. A bold marinade complements the assertively flavored meat and tenderizes it a bit as well. Here I use a red wine with big flavor both to marinate the meat and in a reduced sauce—which incorporates the marinade after the meat is grilled. This way nothing—including all that great flavor—goes to waste. Demi-glace is a highly reduced, flavorful sauce based on dark veal stock. It is a time-consuming process to do at home, so I recommend buying good-quality demi-glace (see Sources, page 345).
Use the widest saucepan you have to make the sauce. The wider it is, the more quickly the sauce will reduce to the proper consistency.
For the Marinade
2 cups red wine, preferably cabernet or pinot noir
⅓ cup sliced shallots
4 garlic cloves, sliced
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into coins
Leaves from two 4-inch rosemary sprigs, lightly chopped
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 pounds/907 grams hanger steak, trimmed into evenly sized steaks
Kosher salt
For the Sauce
2 cups red wine, preferably cabernet or pinot noir
6 allspice berries, coarsely pounded in a mortar with a pestle
One 2-inch rosemary sprig
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ to 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, ground medium fine
1½ teaspoons brown sugar, plus more if necessary
Kosher salt
½ cup demi-glace
Reserved marinade
- To prepare the marinade, in a large ziplock bag, combine the wine, shallots, garlic, ginger, rosemary, and pepper. Seal the bag and shake it to blend the marinade. Place the steaks in the bag, seal it tightly, and massage the bag to thoroughly coat the meat with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine the wine, allspice, rosemary, vinegar, pepper, brown sugar, and salt to taste and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce is reduced to one-quarter of its original volume (roughly ⅔ cup), about 30 minutes. Stir in the demi-glace. (The sauce can be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)
- When ready to grill the steaks, prepare a high-heat grill.
- While the grill heats, remove the steaks from the bag; reserve the marinade. Pat the steaks thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season with salt. Set aside.
- If necessary, bring the sauce back to a simmer over medium heat. Add the reserved marinade and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency (the sauce should coat the back of a spoon), about 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and/or brown sugar if necessary.
- While the sauce simmers, grill the steaks for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or the desired doneness. Remove the steaks from the grill, transfer to a cooling rack, and let rest for about 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, strain the sauce and discard the solids.
- Thinly slice the steaks against the grain. Serve with the sauce.
Cooking Time: About 1 hour / Inactive Time: 4 to 24 hours for marinating
(* Excerpted from Floyd Cardoz: Flavorwalla by Floyd Cardoz (Artisan Books). Copyright ©2016. Photographs by Lauren Volo.)