Green Chile Steak Seasoning

[FTC Disclaimer]  This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef® Brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC.  All opinions are my own.

I'm a believer in that good steaks only need a little salt, pepper, and garlic.  But sometimes you want to shake your seasonings up a bit.  That's why I came up with this Green Chile Steak Seasoning this weekend for a pair of Certified Angus Beef® Brand ribeye steaks.  

I tweaked the usual salt, pepper, garlic base with cumin, coriander, and poblano chile for something that is more "Summer-ish" to me.  Poblano is very mild, it is more fruity than spicy to me. Hatch chiles are another great chile to use for this.  If you want to elevate the heat, switch it out for jalapeno or even serrano chiles.

Green Chile Steak Seasoning

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper (16 mesh, Malabar preferred)
• 1 tablespoon ground dried poblano chile
• 1.5 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 3/4 teaspoons ground dried shallot or onion
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients together and keep in a dry, airtight container for up to six months.
2. Wipe your steak dry and apply a small amount of oil.  Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons per ribeye.
3. For best results, apply the coarse seasoning (as made) to steaks either immediately before cooking or at least an hour prior.  Then use the seasoning finely ground as a finishing seasoning.

The hardest thing about this recipe is getting the ground dried poblano because that is not something you are likely to find at any grocery store.  You can find ground ancho chile, which is the smoked version of poblanos.  That would also work, but I like the fresh variant for this steak seasoning.

Here's how I dry poblanos.  Wash them, cut off the stems, remove the seeds, and cut them into 1" pieces.  Place them in a dehydrator at 135°f until they are thoroughly dried, pliable, and leathery.  This takes about 12 hours. 

Dried chiles last for months, so we make them any time they are on sale or look particularly good.  We often make several types in one batch because the dehydrator has plenty of room.

I put the pieces of dried chili in a coffee grinder and run it in 10-15 second intervals.

After each interval, I dump the chiles into a sieve to separate the fine particles from the pieces that still need more grinding.

After several passes, you will have this delightfully fruity and slightly spicy ground green chile.

This Green Chile Steak Seasoning is good on any type of beef steak - ribeyes, strip, flank, flat iron, etc.   This weekend I used it on a pair of ribeye steaks that I bought from our local Food City.

When buying steaks, I look for a deep red color, at least 1" thick, and plenty of well-distributed marbling.  The Certified Angus Beef® Brand sticker makes that easier because their 10 quality standards ensure only the Best Angus Beef wears this label.

For the best grilled steaks, pat them dry and apply a small amount of high temperature cooking oil (avocado, canola, etc.) before seasoning them.  Also, season them at least 1 hour before cooking and keep on a raised rack OR season immediately before grilling.

I grilled these ribeyes on a small kamado grill with a cast iron grate. The smaller sized kamados are great steak cookers.

I grilled them at 500°f until they reach an internal temperature of 125°f, about 4 minutes per side.

 

Always use an instant-read thermometer to make sure your steak is done correctly.  Tactile and visual cues are great too, but the thermometer is the best way to know for sure.

As always, rest your grilled meats on a raised rack.  This keeps the bottom from steaming and causing more juices to leak out of the steaks.

 

To complement the green chile seasoned steaks, we topped these with sliced avocado and fresh pico de gallo.

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