The French classic, Steak au Poivre, is probably my favorite "non-grilled" steak recipe. You would think that the big chunks of black pepper would make it overbearing but I think it is just perfect. This recipe is a variation of Steak Au Poivre.
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Served with garlic green beans and twice baked red bliss potatoes with bacon crumbles. |
When my sister, aka "Nibble Me Sis", was in town for a week, she declared that this was the best steak she had ever tasted. The ingredients and preparation are very simple so you want to be sure to use a quality beef since it will stand out. You'll also need some type of flat grilling surface, like a cast iron plate setter, grilled or pan.
Green Peppercorn Encrusted Manhattan Filet
www.nibblemethis.com
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 New York Strip Steaks
- 1 tablespoon finely ground NMT Beef Rub or other beef rub
- 2 tablespoons green peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 1-2 tablespoon black peppercorns, moderately crushed
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 450°F. Place the cast iron skillet or griddle in the grill to preheat also.
- Trim off excess fat from the steak and cut into half lengthwise, resulting in 4 filet total. Tie around each filet with butcher's twine.
- Season each side of the filet with the finely ground beef rub. Place the cracked pepper (green and black) on a plate and then pressed each side of each steak firmly into the pepper so that a crust adheres to the meat.
- Place butter in the skillet or griddle and sear the steaks about 2 minutes per side (see notes).
- Switch the steaks to a raised rack and put them back on the grill with the dome lid closed. Allow the steaks to roast until they reach your desired internal temperature. I was going for 130°F for medium-rare and it took about 7 more minutes after the sear.
- Allow to rest (or don't) and serve.
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Since this has few ingredients, you want quality meat. This time I was using a Meyer Natural Angus NY Strip (Choice) branded as Greenwise at Publix. |
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For steaks, I grind my NMT Beef Rub finely as shown in the upper left. For briskets and chuck roasts, I use very coarsely ground like on the right. |
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My pepper grinder won't ground coarse enough for my liking so I crush the peppercorns by pressing down on a mallet. |
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You want to get as much pepper to stick as you can get it, it will form a crust. |
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Here I was using a cast iron plate setter. You definitely need to add butter/oil because you want the peppercorns simmering in it a bit. I've tried au Poivre straight up on a dry heat grill and it usually burns instead of forming a crust. |
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If you don't want to mess with the rack, you can just cook the steaks 3-5 minutes per side on the cast iron. I like using the two step process, you want the crust dark, not burned. |
Another option would be to compliment this steak with my Green Peppercorn and Blue Cheese Sauce. Personally, I like it straight up without any sauce other than maybe a compound butter on top.
Great looking steaks Chris and a dish we've never made, I like how you trimmed up the strips.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, do you do requests? I saw another recipe for a crusted steak recently and thought I'd pass it along. It was a simple rub using salt, pepper and finely ground pu-erh tea. Pu-erh tea has a very subtle, earthy mushroom component that would go well with beef.
ReplyDeleteI do now! That is going on my "try this soon" list. Now just have to find some of that tea.
DeleteI have been looking forward to this post to see your green peppercorn crust. For a while I assumed you were going to use green peppercorns in brine, not sure why. I don't think I've ever seen dried green peppercorns sold alone, only in a blend. I'll keep my eye out. From time to time I can find the pink ones alone and they are fantastic. So are the green peppercorns in brine. Happy weekend Chris. Hope spring is on it's way soon to Tennessee.
ReplyDeleteSam
This looks fantastic. I have to find some of those peppercorns!
ReplyDeleteWe found ours at Publix here in Knoxville but I think Kroger also carries them. A bit pricey at around $9 for a small bottle but just love how the flavor works with steak, brisket, and burgers.
DeleteI just learned a lot in this post. Never had a Manhattan filet before. I'll be trying this recipe soon.
ReplyDeleteYou learn something new everyday. I will have to cut Manhattan steak out of some New Yorks. I have a quick question. I loved the first image with the colors and composition. Did you actually eat the beans or were they only a food prop?
ReplyDeleteChilebrown - yeah, we actually ate them, my son loves green beans. Had to throw these back in the skillet for another 2 minutes as they were a bit too crunchy for my liking. We blanche them first (3 min boil, then shock in ice) earlier in the day and then when ready to cook just toss in a skillet for a few more minutes with butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Easy and quick.
DeleteI've been trimming strips like this for years. I'm glad to know it has an actual name. I like it because it has the elegance of filet, but the better taste of strip. GREG
ReplyDelete