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Prep time
25 minutes
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Cook time
10 minutes
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Makes
2 servings (can be doubled)
Author Notes
Dry-aging steaks gives them a mineral, earthy flavor—not sweet, but more savory, even umami— that is highly prized among steak lovers. It’s ordinarily a many- months process in a special, humidity- and temperature- controlled chamber. Having someone else do it for you quadruples the price of the steak, but you can do it on your own tonight with this easy rub that mimics those flavors.
Additional notes:
- You must use a cast-iron skillet for this technique. The temperatures will go well above any regarded as safe for nonstick coatings. Even a more standard skillet can begin to warp under these temperatures.
- The steaks must be boneless—indeed, must be flat—so all the meat rests against the hot cast iron.
- You must use ground white pepper, which has a far muskier flavor than black pepper.
- You won’t get the soy sauce to stick to a wet steak. If there’s any surface moisture, blot the steak dry with paper towels.
Reprinted from 'The Kitchen Shortcut Bible' by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough with Hachette Book Group, 2018.
—Food52
Ingredients
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1 1/2 ounces
dried porcini mushrooms
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1/2 teaspoon
granulated white sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
ground white pepper
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2
10-ounce boneless New York strip steaks, about 1 inch thick
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2 tablespoons
soy sauce (gluten-free if that is a concern)
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3 tablespoons
unsalted butter
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2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
Directions
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Grind the porcini, salt, sugar, and pepper into a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder.
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Rub the steaks with the soy sauce, then coat with the mushroom powder. Set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature.
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Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven; heat the oven to 400°F.
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Set a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the butter, wait a couple of seconds until it melts, then set the steaks in the skillet. Sear well without moving the steaks for 3 minutes.
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Flip the steaks and transfer the cast-iron skillet to the oven. Roast until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each steak registers 125°F for rare or 130°F for medium-rare, about 4 or 6 minutes.
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Transfer the steaks to serving plates. Pour the vinegar into the superhot skillet and scrape up any browned bits. Drizzle this mixture over the steaks and serve.
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