MiddleTerranean Steak

Making a title for this steak was a real brain buster.  So instead of actually making a decision, I took the cheap route and threw up a blasphemous  non-answer to what this recipe is.  The reason I called it MiddleTerranean is because it takes page from Middle Eastern cooking and Mediterranean, and maybe even some Northern African.  I might not have a legit title, but there is one thing about this recipe that couldn’t make M.C. Hammer quit, it’s freakin tasty as can be.  Most of the recipes that I come up with need some tweaking, or get completely nixed so that I move on to the next, this MiddleTerranian dish does not fall in either category.  First ball pitched, and I knocked it out of the park.  Sometimes, I’m due to get lucky, throw enough against the wall and somethings bound to stick.

I couldn’t tell you what made me think to put these ingredients together, but the rub is phenomenal, all the flavors, and there are a lot, go extremely well together.  If you haven’t had allspice before, it’s not a blend of every spice smacked together to make an uber spice.  Allspice is made of the pimento plant’s seed.  As with all-spices, (see what I did there), there is a dramatic difference when you grind them yourself.  This rule goes double for allspice, I’m not sure why, but the difference of freshly ground to store bought powder is night and day.  Every item in the rub cumin, fennel, sesame seed and  allspice compliments each other, even more than my Mom when she tells me how handsome I am.  Did you hear that ladies?

A steak can be made indoors, and taste just as good as a grill.  The key ingredient being an almighty cast iron skillet.  If you don’t have one, now is the time to go buy five, or at least one.  Getting a high quality black pan can be had for as little as 20 bucks.  Heck, that alone should be enough to convince you to go the way of the black arts of cast iron cookery.  So why is a cast iron pan the mother of all steak cooking vessels?  It takes a bit longer to heat up, BUT, once it gets hot it will stay hotter for longer, and heat mo betta than any other pan.  Also, if you ever want to blacken, then give the black pan a go (buy an exhaust fan).  If you don’t have a cast iron pan, but promise to get one, go ahead and cook this recipe with whatever you have.

There are a few ways to cook a steak on our friend the black pan.  It depends on the thickness of your meat, (errr), and personal preference.  The cut of beef I used was flat iron chuck steak, which is on the thinner side.  Because of this I started the pan screaming hot gave it a sear, dropped the heat for 2 or 3 minutes, cranked the heat to the max, seared the other side, and finished it by dropping the heat again until my desired temperature was met of 125, which will get you somewhere between medium rare and medium.  Had I been cooking a thicker hunk of cow, I’d have seared the steak in a super hot black pan for two minutes a side, and slid it into a 450 degree oven until my temp hit.  My favorite way to check the temp is to use a leave in probe thermometer that can be umm left in while it cooks, even in the oven.  You stick the thermometer in after you flip the steak.  Having one of these devices is invaluable for the home cook, especially if you like to have a few beers or glasses of wine while you create your black pan masterpiece, it’s Adamproof, I mean idiotproof.  Beyond those two ways of cooking a steak, there are others, like the reverse sear, broiling and more.  But I really don’t have much experience in those methods, though if that’s what you’re sold on, go for it.

My Jerry Springer final thought is – be sure to let your steak come to room temp before you cook it, let it rest on a warm plate for at least five minutes after it’s done, and be sure to slice it against the grain especially cuts like flat iron or skirt.  But most of all eat it bloody and enjoy!

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