Issue 019: Ride Em Cowboy!

Hey Q-Crew!

Believe me, nothing makes you feel like a real cowboy (or cowgirl) like chargrilling a large steak. Tomahawks are basically the steaks that used to tip over the Flintstone’s car at the drive-thru. And don’t tell your PCP, but we’re topping them with butter. This week’s recipes: Chargrilled Jerk Tomahawk Steak & Jerk Compound Butter.

BTW, if you take nothing else from any of my recipes, remember this: the secret to a homemade steak that tastes like it deserves a Michelin star is dry brining. That’s where you pat the steak dry with a paper towel, salt it generously, and place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Yes, that long. That’s why my steaks always require at least 24 hours notice lol.

What this does is allow time for the salt to draw the water out of the steak and be reabsorbed, bringing that delicious flavor deep into the meat, then air dry out the surface of the steak which will lead to that perfect brown crust when pan-searing or grilling.

This month’s theme is You’re A Jerk! Well not you, I think you guys are fantastic. But we’re spending the next few weeks incorporating a single element into all of our dishes: jerk seasoning! The recipes run the gamut from mains to sides, Southern to Jamaican to Italian to Mexican, but every dish will feature jerk seasoning as a main ingredient. You can make your own jerk seasoning using the recipe here, or you can purchase a brand like Walkerswoood!

Jerk Chargrilled Tomahawk Steak

Prep time: 10 minutes (+24 hours of dry brining time)

Cook time: 1-2 hours depending on thickness and desired doneness

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 Tomahawk steak roughly 3 inches thick
• enough salt to cover both sides
• 2 tbsp jerk seasoning
• 1/3 cup dry rub of choice (mine is a homemade mix of salt, black pepper, paprika, turmeric powder, ground cloves, cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and a little cayenne pepper)
• 2 tbsp melted beef tallow or olive oil

Step 2: The next day, rub the outside of your steak with the jerk seasoning as a binder.

Step 4: Heat your grill to 225-250° using the indirect heat method (One side of the grill is heated while the other is not). If using a propane grill, only light one burner. If using charcoal, pile the charcoal on only one side of the grill. Then add your tomahawk.

NOTE: The temperature will continue to rise while resting. So you want to go by the on grill temp to hit your preference. Always measure near the center in the thickest part of the meat avoiding bone and fat.

Step 7: Heat your grill up to 400° and sear the steaks directly over the fire to desired level of char. Roughly 3-5 minutes per side.

Step 9: Serve topped with cowboy butter!

Jerk Cowboy Butter

Prep time: 1 hour 5 minutes (+1 hour softening time)

Cook time: 0 minutes

Servings: Many

Ingredients:

• 2 stick softened unsalted butter
• 2 tsp jerk seasoning
• 1/2 lime zest
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp Olive oil
• 2 tsp honey

Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, add the softened butter, jerk seasoning, lime zest, olive oil, honey, and sea salt.

Step 4: Place the butter mixture into plastic wrap and roll into a rounded tube shape then twist and tie to seal the ends.

Step 6: When ready to serve, unroll butter and slice. Serve on steak, fish, roasted corn, or grilled veggies for a buttery spicy kick!

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