NEW YORK STRIP WITH BROWN BUTTER BACON SAUCE + BALSAMIC DRIZZLE
It’s grilling season, and meat master Tuffy Stone has a foolproof recipe for summer cooking that can satisfy a crowd. A memory from the man himself: “The first time I made this recipe, I was competing in the Kingsford Invitational barbecue competition in New York City, as part of the One Bite Challenge, with a winner-take-all $5,000 prize. I had to present and explain my dish to the judges while they tasted it in front of me. I could tell they liked it. When my team won, one of the judges, Ed Mitchell, a pitmaster from North Carolina, told me, ‘Tuffy, you’re one tough dude.’ I took it as a compliment. The balsamic drizzle added to the steaks just before serving adds a brightness that cuts through the fat in the brown butter bacon sauce.”
Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
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2 tsp. kosher salt
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1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
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8 Tbsp. (1 stick) salted butter, divided
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½ c. bacon, finely diced
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½ c. balsamic vinegar
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4 New York strip steaks (8 to 10 oz. each)
METHOD
Combine the salt and pepper and season the steaks evenly on both sides. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.
Meanwhile, to make the brown butter sauce, melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small cast-iron skillet, like the Heather, over medium-low heat. Add the diced bacon and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until the fat is three-fourths rendered, and the bacon is not yet crispy. Add the remaining butter and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the butter smells nutty and turns brown. Transfer the sauce to a heatproof container, cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil, and set aside until ready to use.
Clean the cast-iron skillet and return it to medium-low heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the vinegar is reduced by half, but be careful not to over-reduce the vinegar, as this will make it bitter. Transfer the sauce to a heatproof container, cover loosely, and set aside until ready to use. (Note: You can also swap the order of these sauces and then cook everything in the Lili for a one-pan version, cooking the steaks in the remnants of the bacon sauce.)
When you are ready to cook, either heat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, using the direct-heat grilling method, or cook in a large cast-iron skillet on stove or over coals by browning the steaks on both sides, flipping occasionally and cooking to your preferred doneness.
When grilling, place the steaks directly over the heat and cook 4 minutes, then rotate them 90 degrees and cook another 4 minutes. Flip the steaks, and cook 4 minutes, then rotate them 90 degrees and cook an additional 4 minutes, or until a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the steak reads an internal temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit (aka medium rare). Remove from the heat and let the steaks rest 5 minutes before serving.
To plate, top each steak with 1½ to 2 Tbsp. of warm bacon-brown butter mixture, and drizzle each with 1½ tsps. of the balsamic reduction. Pass any additional sauces around the table.
Recipe courtesy of Tuffy Stone. Photo by Ken Goodman.
SEAFOOD FRITTERS
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is, for all intents and purposes, clam country. In fact, the Old Dominion State has the largest clam fishery in the United States, hauling in hundreds of millions of both farm-raised and wild varieties, from little necks, cherrystones, and razors along the coastal peninsula’s Chesapeake Bay shorelines to quahogs off the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. And if you’re not eating them raw or roasted, there are few ways better to indulge than the local delicacy of a pan-fried fritter.
CHESAPEAKE OYSTER STUFFING
A round of oysters is always cause for celebration, and this time of year on the Chesapeake Bay, that shows up in the form of oyster stuffing. Whether stuffed into a bird or cooked in a cast-iron pan, it’s a time-honored tradition during the holiday season. Or, as Harris’s book reports The Baltimore Sun putting it in 1914, “Inside the oyster belt at Thanksgiving time, it is nothing short of heresy to fail to serve turkey with good old-fashioned oyster stuffing.” Throw it into a Joan and consider it tradition.
SEARED HANGER STEAK WITH CHARRED SCALLION SALSA
There was a time not that long ago when you’d walk into certain butcher shops, ask for a hanger steak, and get a quizzical look. Perhaps that’s because, for some time, the secondary cut was also known as a “Hanging Tender,” hailing from inside the ribcage (in fact, it’s part of the diaphragm), as well as “the Butcher’s Steak,” with those cunning meatmongers often keeping this deeply flavorful, textured specimen for themselves. “But the gig is up,” says Pryles, who shares her pan-cooked version with us, featuring wagyu, no less, and a bright salsa to boot.
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