Main · 1 hour, including resting · Serves 3
Barbecued steak with Smoke & Flame
Smoke & Flame carries smoked paprika, chipotle and a little hickory smoke, so on a barbecue the steak tastes as if the fire did twice the work. It also carries sugar, and over the hottest part of the grill sugar goes from caramelised to burnt quickly.
The answer is a fire with two zones: one side hot, one side cool. The steak gets its colour and its bars over the hot side, briefly. Then it moves across, the lid goes down, and it finishes in the gentler heat, where the rub can darken without burning.
Flank, bavette and rump are the cuts for this: full of flavour, a little loose in the grain, and best no further than medium-rare. Resting and slicing are what make them tender. Find the lines of fibre running along the meat and cut thin slices straight across them.
- Serves
- 3
- Time
- 1 hour, including resting
Ingredients
- 1 flank, bavette or rump steak, about 700 g and 2 to 3 cm thick
- 1 tbsp Smoke & Flame
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- Flake salt, only if it needs it
Method
- Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it and pat it properly dry on both faces.
- Set up the barbecue with two zones. On charcoal, bank the hot coals to one side and leave the other side empty. On gas, turn one side to high and the other to low or off. Clean the grate and oil it lightly.
- Rub the steak with the oil, then with the Smoke & Flame on both faces, pressing it in. Do this just before it goes on the grill, not hours ahead.
- Sear it over the hot side for about 2 minutes a side, lid open, until it carries dark bars. If the rub starts to blacken or flames jump up, move it across sooner.
- Move it to the cool side, close the lid and cook for another 4 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness, turning it once. For medium-rare, the thickest part should read about 52°C on a thermometer.
- Lift it onto a board and rest it for 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
- Slice it thinly across the grain, holding the knife at a slight angle.
- Taste a slice before you salt, because the blend already has some, and pour any juice from the board over the slices.