JANA MCMAHON’S STEAKS ON A HARDWOOD FIRE
Photos by Jana Morgan. President Eisenhower is noted for loving to cook his porterhouse steaks directly on hardwood coals and Julia Child dedicated an episode of her PBS show to cooking “dirty steak.” Adam Perry Lang coined this method “clinching,” after a boxing term for closing the gap between one and an opponent. Placing meat in direct contact with hot coals leaves no room for the fat to ignite into flame, eliminating that greasy black slick that can compromise the best of steaks. The results are astounding, an umami-rich crust and moist meat with a slightly smoky flavor revealing just where that steak has been. I chose macadamia nut for my fire, a hardwood that burns down easily and evenly, imparting a neutral smoke flavor. Kiawe would work, or any hardwood local to your area.
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- Hardwood Or Lump Charcoal (No Briquettes)
- Fire Starter(No Lighter Fluid)
- Cast Iron Pan
- Food Processor Or Blender
- Jar With Lid
Ingredients
Steaks
- 4 New York Strip Steaks
- Sea Salt (Coarse Crystals)
- Lemon Garlic Dressing (See Recipe Below)
Homemade Maui Mustard
- 1/2 Cup Black Mustard Seed
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard Seed
- 1 Can Maui Brewing Co. Coconut Porter (12 oz.)
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- Sea Salt (To Taste)
Lemon Olive Oil
- 1 Whole Lemon (Diced, Meyer Lemon Prefered)
- 1 Cup EVOO
Lemon Garlic Dressing
- 1 Cup Lemon Olive Oil Mixture (See Recipe Below)
- 4 Cloves Garlic (Finely Minced)
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
Instructions
Prepare Homemade Maui Mustard.
- Soak mustard seeds in the beer overnight. The longer the seeds soak, the milder the mustard.
- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, blender, or Vitamix. Blend less for coarser mustard, blend more for smoother mustard. This recipe is simply a template; feel free to mix up the soaking liquid, vinegar, and sweetener.
Prepare Lemon Olive Oil.
- In a Vitamix or high-powered blender, purée one whole lemon, diced — yes, skin, seeds, pulp, and all — with oil. Meyer lemon is preferred due to its thin skin for this recipe, but any lemon will work. Use this flavorful, citrusy wonder as a base for all kinds of concoctions, marinades, or bastes.
Prepare Lemon Garlic Dressing.
- Shake all dressing ingredients together in a jar.
Prepare Fire and Steaks.
- Get your fire started. Make sure there is enough wood to create a 4 to 6-inch bed of red-hot coals.
- While fire cooks down, bring steaks to room temperature.
- Slightly wet hands and rub both sides of the steak with generous amounts of salt. Don’t hold back, really get the salt rubbed into the muscle fiber, it helps form the crust.
- When wood has cooked down and the coals are glowing red with a cover of white ash, the fire is ready. It should be so hot that you are not able to hold your hand over the coals for more than a second or two. Flatten the surface of the coals to a uniform height of about 5 inches (I use a cast iron pan.) Fan away the grey ash from the top of the coals using a sheet pan or similar.
- Place steaks directly on the coals. A 1¼ lb. steak will take about 9 minutes to cook. Time the steak for 4 minutes. Turn and baste the cooked side with lemon garlic olive oil mixture. Time second side of the steak for another 4-5 minutes. Turn and baste again with olive oil mixture.
Serve And Enjoy.
- Rest steaks and serve with homemade Maui mustard. Enjoy!
