Hanger Steak with Shallot Browned Butter: my New Addiction

Ever cruise your local meat case, looking for something a little different? I often do, just to keep things exciting at dinner time.

I tend to stay clear of the overly solicitous butchers at Whole Foods who stand behind their neat rows of ruby red cuts of meat.  They're a little like the snooty girls at Cartier, guardians of such luxury that their mere gaze pressures me to commit to standing rib roasts of beef or delicate Frenched racks of lamb with the frilly little white paper hats to cover the nude bones. I only approach their lair when I'm ready to succumb for special occasions, fully intending to bust the budget a bit for a memorable dinner. During my weekly shopping trip, I stay in the shallow end, at the meat case whose neatly wrapped celophane packages are much less likely to inspire acts of folly.

Yet the meat case is exactly where I found my latest obsession: hanger steak. There I was, standing there under the bright blinking fluorescent lights, trying to tame the pace of our life by planning a week's worth of dinners ahead of time. One hand on my chin, the other clutching a pencil and a stained and wrinkled shopping list. I was so deep in thought that I almost missed it, a small package lost between rows and rows of ground beef.

But something about it caught my eye. It could have been the gorgeous marbling, or maybe the swell of its pillowy folds. The label had no description, no marketing copy full of promises. Just two words: hanger steak.

I grabbed three packages quickly, without looking around, terrified that someone would pry them out of my hand. I quickly finished my shopping and raced home to deposit my prize in a position of honor in the fridge. That night at dinner, I told everyone that I had something really special for them.

The hanger steak did not disappoint. The kids had it plain, just pan fried with a little butter. They couldn't get enough of it. Steve and I had ours pan fried with a drizzle of browned butter shallot sauce on top. As tender as fillet but as flavorful as ribeye, it was a meal we won't soon forget. It's no wonder that Hanger Steak is also known as the butcher's tenderloin. It's a well-kept secret that the world should know about.

Hanger Steak with Browned Butter Shallot Sauce
Serves 2
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound of Hanger Steak, cut into 2 chunks to fit your pan
2 large shallots, chopped finely
4 tablespoons of salted butter

1. Take your steaks out of the fridge 15 to 20 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature.
2. Heat your pan on high heat to get it very hot.
3. Melt a half a tablespoon of butter in the pan, swirl it around to grease it, and quickly add your steaks.
4. Sear on one side for 5 minutes and then flip to the other side to achieve even browning, another 2-4 minutes. Remove from pan and place on plate to let the juices distribute.
5. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the pan. As soon as the butter begins to turn brown, add the chopped shallots and lower the heat to medium. Cook until the shallots are softened, adding more butter if the sauce begins to evaporate too much.
6. Spoon over steaks and serve immediately.

Throwing in the Towel on Brining

I tried another recipe from Chef Marcela's upcoming Fresh Mexico cookbook this week: Roasted Pork Loin with Pineapple Glaze. I thought the combination of pineapple with roasted pork sounded delicious. And it was, with the small exception of the brining of the pork.

For years I've heard foodies rave about the benefits of brining to turn typically dry meats like turkey and pork into moist dishes. Soaking a piece of meat in a salt and water solution for a day or two seemed like a small inconvenience compared to the promise of a succulent golden bird on the Thanksgiving table.

The last (and only) time I tried brining was on Christmas eve four years ago. I bought a special pot to hold the magic mixture I would be soaking my turkey in for 24 hours, infusing it with delicious flavors. The bird came out of the oven with a beautiful golden crust, but its beauty was definitely only skin deep. The meat was so salty that we literally couldn't eat it.

We didn't risk another Christmas turkey with a brine soak, but when I saw this recipe for pork roast, I decided to give it a try. I soaked the pork roast in a mixture of warm water, brown sugar, salt and spices for 12 hours. The meat was moist, but very salty, not inedible, but still way too salty. The crust, caramelized onions, and sauce were absolutely delicious though. I'll definitely be doing this recipe again, just without the brine.

There are so many great recipes in Fresh Mexico that I can't wait to try like Mascarpone-Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Raspberry Vinaigrette, Chipotle Cream Shrimp, and Ancho-Chocolate Braised Short Ribs. I love how approachable Marcela makes Mexican cooking, offering easy substitutions for hard to find ingredients like Mexican chocolate and jalapeno jelly.

Roast Pork with Pineapple Glaze (minus the brine part)
Ingredients
1 center cut boneless pork loin (3 to 4 pounds)
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup of dry white wine
1 cup pineapple juice
1 pound pearl onions, peeled

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. Mix the garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme in a small bowl. Spread this mixture over the side of the roast that is not covered in fat.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Add the pork, fat side down, and sear until browned (about 4 minutes). Carefully flip the pork over and sear the mixture covered side for another 4 minutes.
4. Transfer the pork to a rectangular baking dish that leaves an inch around all sides of the pork.
   
5. Add the wine to the saute pan you just used to brown the pork. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the browned bits, for 1 minute, until almost evaporated. Stir in the pineapple juice and remove from the heat.
   
6. Pour the mixture over the pork and arrange the pearl onions around it.
7. Roast the pork, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes until a thermometer inserted into the middle registers 150 degrees Farenheit, about one hour and forty minutes.
8. Let pork stand for about 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute. Then cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and serve topped with sauce and pearl onions.