Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [42]
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup Juniper Rub
¾ cup gin
1 large T-bone steak (2½ to 3 pounds), about 2 inches thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
Green Olive Tapenade:
1½ cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and small stems
1 cup pitted brine-cured green olives such as Arauco, Sicilian, or Spanish olives
½ cup pine nuts
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons drained capers 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rub into a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add all but 1 tablespoon of the gin. Drop in the steak and press the air out of the bag. Seal and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours, turning occasionally.
For the tapenade: Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely minced but not pureed into a paste, 10 to 15 seconds.
Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Coat all over with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and then sprinkle the remaining rub all over the steak. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
Light a grill for bilevel high/low heat, about 500+/275°F. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Grill the steak directly over high heat until darkly crusted, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to low on a gas grill, or move the steak to the low-heat area on a wood or charcoal grill. Cover and grill for another 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare to medium (135 to 145°F). Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
Douse the steak with the remaining 1 tablespoon gin and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Make 4 servings by cutting the meat from each side of the bone and dividing each section of meat into 4 pieces. Or, you can slice the meat ¼ inch to ½ inch thick, and then divide the slices so each guest receives some tenderloin and some top loin. Serve with the tapenade.
PORTERHOUSE/SHORT LOIN
Porterhouse Rubbed with Smoked Salt and Szechuan Pepper
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
The difference between porterhouse and T-bone steak is a matter of where the steak is cut from the loin. Both steaks include a T-shaped bone, a cross section of the spine that divides the smaller, tenderloin meat on one side from the larger, more flavorful strip loin meat on the other. But T-bone steaks are cut from a section of the loin approaching the front of the steer, closer to the ribs, and they include smaller portions of tenderloin and strip loin. Porterhouse steaks are cut from a section approaching the rear of the animal and include larger portions of tenderloin and strip loin.
In this recipe, we call for a 2-inch-thick porterhouse. Most butchers don’t stock steaks this thick, so call ahead to order it. We’ve kept the seasoning simple to emphasize the meat and let the unique taste of Szechuan peppercorns shine through. Unrelated to black peppercorns, Szechuan peppercorns have a warm, floral aroma, similar to cardamom. They’re not spicy-hot, but the dried berries cause a buzzing, numbing sensation on your tongue, similar to what you would feel if you pressed your tongue onto the terminals of a 9-volt battery. Sanshool is the active chemical compound, and it’s completely stimulating and utterly delicious. For additional smokiness in the steaks, grill over lump charcoal and set up your grill with wood chips. A knob of butter or crumbled blue cheese finishes the steak nicely. The drink of choice is, naturally, porter, such as Fuller’s London Porter or Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, styles of beer that originated in taverns selling dark ale and a thick loin steak that eventually came to be called the porterhouse steak.
INGREDIENTS:
4 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns
1½ teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coarse smoked salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 large porterhouse steak (2½ to 3 pounds), about 2 inches thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Crack the Szechuan and black peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, or place in a zipper-lock bag and crush with