Grill/Barbecue

Steak for a Brooklyn Backyard Barbeque

August 13, 2009
4.4
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

My friend Jay just moved into a new house in Park Slope. To celebrate I came over with a bottle of sparkling wine and we made this dinner together. The steak was the centerpiece. We served it with chanterelles from the Union Square farmer's market sauteed in butter. A salad of arugula with olive oil, lemon, and parmigiano cheese, and some cherry tomatoes tossed with oil, a little red wine vinegar and basil. - Giulia Melucci —Giulia Melucci

Test Kitchen Notes

Giulia says this is an easy recipe and it really is. We were drawn to it because we both like smoked paprika, which adds a toasted warmth to dishes. Everyone should have a steak rub that takes no time to make, something that you can throw together after work. If you don't already have a recipe, make this one yours. You'll probably have leftover mint -- sprinkle some over the sliced steak just before serving. - Amanda & Merrill —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 1 pound sirloin steak
  • 1.5 teaspoons smoked spanish paprika
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Rub the steak with the olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, mint and salt. Allow the meat to come to room temperature, it should sit with the rub for 15 minutes or so, but if you don't have the luxury of time, it probably doesn't matter. Grill over a very hot flame. We did about 7 minutes per side for a perfect medium rare on a particularly thick piece of meat.
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14 Reviews

Norman J. September 16, 2014
Norman Johnston

I have attempted to submit a recipe but "adding another ingredient" just does not work. How do I get past this?
beccaoco September 8, 2014
May I substitute a flank for this? Anyone else do this?
Michele September 7, 2014
I have made this twice now, the first time following exactly. Last night I threw all the rub ingredients into the mini ninja chopper because I wanted a more intense burst of the mint. I also added just about a teaspoon of turbinado sugar and a tsp or so of the thick "black" soy to give it a little tinge of caramel. My picky 9 and 11 year olds were practically licking their plates! I love these basic idea recipes that are so fun to personalize. Delicious both times, thank you for sharing.
Karenc56 August 29, 2014
My partner, who isn't a fan of rubs, loves this recipe. He even suggested that we try it on chicken and fish. Don't let the mint keep you trying this recipe! It is a keeper.
ontilt September 29, 2012
I made this this evening and it was fantastic. My wife who is not a huge steak fan wanted more along with the rest of the kiddos. Big hit for us... will make it again. Thanks!
Betsy L. August 14, 2012
Loved it. Both my husband and son (18 years old) complimented the rub. And I got to use the abundant fresh mint from the garden.
babs1652 August 14, 2012
I turned this into a marinade by adding rice wine and balsamic vinegar (we only had baseball cuts to work with). I was quite sceptical about the mint but, wow (!), it was fantastic. My son, who hates mint, loved his steak. The combination of flavours was terrific and I will definitely be serving this again.
Ham July 18, 2012
I had a fairly thick piece of meat so I let the rub sit at room temperature for 30min before throwing it on the grill. The sirloin turned out fantastic, but with a very slight hint of the rub itself. I'm wondering if letting the rub soak in an extra 15 minutes would make a difference? Regardless, absolutely simple and delicious.
Sugartoast July 8, 2012
Made this last night with a 2-lb sirloin that the butcher talked me into buying (it was on sale!). I normally buy skirt or T-bone and was skeptical about sirloin... but the rub made the steak shine in all its salty, earthy, herbal glory. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
JWB May 14, 2012
Amazingly delicious and perfectly cooked! I never would have combined these ingredients, but they work very, very well together. Served with Merrill's Farro salad and grilled vegetables. Thank you!
cook I. March 20, 2012
learning some info about cooking something good thank you the info.....
lapadia July 26, 2010
Just wondering, when you submitted this recipe (a couple minutes ago) it says you submitted to the Wildcard....what is that, where is the Wildcard contest?
Giulia M. July 27, 2010
I submitted it about a year ago. Amanda and Merrill used to pick a wildcard every week along with the regular challenge. But they may not be doing that this year. Also, I don't think there was a wildcard category to enter, they just choose recipes they liked.
RayRay May 19, 2010
I found leaving a steak to get at room tempature a great advantage to get a perfect steak. However , it takes a bit longer than 15 minutes, at least 1/2 hour.