Bison or Beef Steak Rub


 

K Kruger

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I know many people like nothing or just salt and pepper on steak. For those who, like me, rub steaks, this was last night's rub for two beautiful 1.5-inch, 1-lb bison rib-eyes.

(For those of you in the Atlanta area, I got them at Harry's in Marietta ($14/lb) along with some great evoo--Morea, an unfiltered Greek oil pressed from Koroneiko olives--delicious [thanks, Bryan].) I served the bison steaks with mashed plantain with cumin and lime, sauteed kale with shallots, and a mound of freshly made guacamole topped with diced ripe beefsteak tomatoes.



1/4 c powdered dried mushrooms (I used a mix of cepes, shiitake, and oyster but a single variety would work. Put in a spice grinder and grind till completely powdered.)

1 T gran onion

1 T gran garlic

1 T ground Ancho chile

2 t celery seed

2 T fresh ground green peppercorns

pinch Turbinado



Either allow the steaks to come to room temp, about 30-90 min, depending on thickness. Rub the steaks with evoo, if desired, then salt to taste plus a bit more. Apply the rub lightly; rub it in and apply a bit more, or salt the steaks to taste (plus a bit more - both sides) when you take them out of the fridge. Allow to sit on the counter at least 60 min. Rub with oil first, if desired, apply rub.

Grill.



Variation made for Jane:

1/2 c ground-to-a-powder dried wild mushroom mix

2 T ground Ancho

2 T onion powder

1 T gran garlic

1 T thyme

1 T marjoram

2 t ground celery seed

2 t rubbed sage

several turns of a white peppermill

Mix well. Prep as above.
 
I absolutely LOVE celery seed in my rubs. It adds so much depth. This sounds fantastic Kevin. Thanks for the recipe.
 
Jane--

The little bags of mixed dried mushrooms that TJ's sells would be good for this if you ever decide to try it.
 
Probably 2 T of Kosher, 1 1/2 of table. Though the quantity of the rub isn't great (the recipe makes a bit more than a half-cup) I had quite a bit left over since I applied somewhat lightly. I think 2 T would work well and still allow for post-cook salting to taste, if desired.
 
Kevin,

Can't wait to try your rub on a steak! The dried mushroom addition is something I would hve never considered. Thanks,

Ray
 
Hope this helps. I got this info from Penzey's:

Whole Special Extra Bold™ Black Peppercorns
Whole Sarawak Black Peppercorns
Whole Tellicherry Indian Black Peppercorns
Whole Malabar Indian Black Peppercorns

Peppercorns
Pepper grows in warm, moist sunny climates, usually within about 15° of the equator. In most countries pepper is grown as a commodity to be sold at a prefixed price per ton, and is picked as soon as the berries are formed on the vine. When quality brings no extra cash, and margins are preciously slim, farmers can't take any chances. The longer the peppercorns are left on the vine, the greater the risk that they will be eaten by birds, or that the whole crop could be lost in a devastating storm. In a few places like India and Borneo, pepper is viewed as more than just a commodity. Here, it is part of the cultural heritage of the people, making growing and harvesting more like craftwork than factory production. Extra time and effort are taken to nurture the plants to produce the bold, rich flavors that have made pepper the king of spices for millennia. Both Tellicherry and Malabar pepper come from the same plant and are harvested at the same time. The Malabar corns are already a big step up from other peppers. Their size is noticeably larger in comparison with what supermar-kets sell as black peppercorns. Tellicherry are even larger, having matured further before harvesting. Some spikes of peppercorns are in a better location on the vine and receive more sunlight. Even on the individual spikes the corns towards the top tend to get more sun light and more nutrients, maturing faster as well. Only the largest 10% are able to bear the name Tellicherry. The growing and grading of pepper are taken very seriously; pepper is more than a crop with monetary benefits, it is a part of the Indian culture. In the Sarawak region of the island of Borneo, as in India, the local farmers use their experience and knowledge gained over the centuries to grow and harvest their pepper crops. In India the peppercorns are dried in the sun for about a week, losing a share of their flavor in the process. This method is used for nearly all of the pepper in Borneo as well, but now with the help of the Ministry of Agriculture in Sarawak, the largest of the crop are rapidly dried indoors with hot air to prevent such a loss. Sheltering the pepper from the elements produces more fully-flavored, cleaner peppercorns that fetch a higher price for the farmers. This technique was developed in response to the demands of meticulous German sausage makers who wanted extra clean pepper for their unique, cold-curing process, and were willing to pay extra for it. The hot air-drying of pepper in Sarawak has been perfected, yielding a surplus of peppercorns for export which we have been anxiously anticipating for the past few years. While the size of a peppercorn is important, maturity is the most important factor. As strong as the urge is to make an analogy to people, the analogy to tomatoes is probably better. The largest peppercorns from a crop, like our Tellicherry and Sarawak, are better than small for much the same reason that vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh from a farmer's stand in the middle of August, are better than shelf-ripened tomatoes from the supermarket in January. A tomato plant produces something that looks like a tomato fairly quickly, but it is only in the final weeks of ripening that the rich, sweet flavor develops. Peppercorns are the same way. Immature pepper is still nice and well worth a trip to the market, but it is that extra ripening time that makes the trip half-way around the world, possibly stumbling upon America along the way, seem like a worthwhile effort.

Green Peppercorns
Green peppercorns come from the same Indian vines as our robust black Tellicherry peppercorns, but are harvested before they mature, yielding green pepper with a fresh, clean flavor. Well-suited for poultry, vegetables and seafood. Dried green peppercorns can be ground in a peppermill like black peppercorns or crushed between your fingers. From India.

White Peppercorns
White peppercorns start out the same as black peppercorns, but then are allowed to ripen more fully on the vine. The black outer shell is then removed in one of two ways: the Muntok peppercorns are soaked in water until the black shell loosens, while the Sarawak peppercorns are held under a constantly flowing stream of Artesian spring water, yielding a whiter color (see photo below), and an extra clean product. Both white peppercorns have a traditional rich, winey, somewhat hot flavor that is nice used in soup, on grilled meat or poultry, in light-colored dishes, or mixed with black peppercorns for a broader range of flavor. Preferred for cooking the foods of Southeast Asia, and Southern and Eastern Europe.

Pink Peppercorns
From the French island of Reunion. These expensive pink berries add a touch of color and a rich, sweet flavor to almost any dish. Unlike the black, white and green, the pink really aren't peppercorns, but they are called so because of their size and flavor. Called for in almost anything-from poultry to vegetables and fish.

I use green whole in sauces. I have used different varieties of black, but I end up buying the whole from Costco because I use so much of it. I can go through an entire mill's worth in one service easily, depending on how fine the grind is. Yesterday I used 3/4 of my mill.

I have pink, white, black and green on hand always. They have distinctly different flavors and strengths. Kevin would know way more than I, I think he is getting his new truck and not available. I will tell him to check here so he can further advise you.
 
Thank you Jane-I should have thought to use that resource. Asmuch as I like fresh black pepper, I suppose it would sub just fine.
 
Steve--

You can certainly sub.

While I agree with most of Penzey's info there are a few points where I differ. The brightness of green pepper offers a welcome contrast to the deep flavor of beef--especially seared beef--and somewhat cuts the richness of duck. It is for that reason that I also like it for salmon sauces (which I often make on the rich side) or for other rich sauces. Nice added to the mayo mix for tuna salad. Green peppercorns are also available brined--very tasty.

White pepper absolutely makes mashed potatoes. Try it in place of black, ground very finely, when you add the butter and half-and-half. It is the pepper of choice for white sauces that you would like to stay white but blends well with black and green peppercorns or both (as Penzey's notes) for a full range of pepper flavors. Nice solo on roasted vegetables--particularly the sweeter ones like onions or winter squashes. White with green is practically standard for me when sauteing mushrooms (along with thyme).

Pinks are very tasty with fish, especially tuna, and a sauce based on them is easy and delicious. They also make a great color contrast in white or light sauces and condiments.
 
I made the first rub posted last night for a cheapo cut of steak, and it was very good. I had porcinis that were brought back from Italy, so I thought I would give this a try. Definitely worth keeping on hand.
 
Tried this tonight on a free-range filet (1.75 inches thick). Grilled over lump with one piece of walnut. Lightly salted and EVOO, let sit for an hour. Rubbed, grilled 5 min one side, 3 min the other, 6 minutes indirect, let sit 10 minutes....absolutely perfect. Great depth of flavor Kevin. I'd like a bit of heat...just got in some chipolte powder? I've got an all natural chicken salted for tomorrow...I think this might be great on chicken as well.. Thoughts?
 
The mushroom base would work well with chicken. If you went with the first version, try the variation as well and see what you think. As written, good for beef. For chicken I would cut the thyme to 1 t, the marjoram to 1/4 t, and the celery to 1 t. For a chicken version of the first recipe I'd simply cut the celery to 1 t (and probably add 1 t sage).

Chipotle could be added to either recipe or could replace some of the ancho.
 
Thanks (again) Kevin. I added a bit of heat to the initial version and tried it on a locally raised chicken which I had dry brined with grey salt and fresh thyme for ~ 36 hours. Roasted at very high heat 450+ using lump and apple/walnut mix. Excellent results. This is a keeper of a rub. I really like the depth of flavor using the mushrooms (used some woodear I had on hand).
 
Just an update, used this again (first variation), with a heafty pinch of chipotle powder on a lovely NY strip...I salted the steak with grey salt and left sit for an hour at room temp, rubbed generously...this is just fantastic.
 
I want to give this rub a shot, been looking for something different and this sounds wonderful. Any idea where to get cheap dried mushrooms? At my local grocery stores they're absolutely outrageous how much they want to charge. $5 for a package with like three shrooms in them.

Henrys? Whole Foods? Costco? Asian/Hispanic shops?
 

 

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