Tender juicy hanging steak! Quickly sear this steak in a hot pan, then serve with a shallot and butter sauce in a wine reduction. This makes a simple, yet impressive, home-cooked meal.
Have you ever tried hanger steak? The best part about having a butcher close by who knows meat is that we are often inspired to try cuts that would otherwise be unfamiliar to us.
Hanger steak is one of those cuts.
Also known as a “butcher’s steak”, the hanging steak “hangs” from the ox’s diaphragm, the plate, between the breast and the flank (according to Wikipedia). It is one of the tastiest cuts of beef.
Shopping for Hanger Steak
Hanger steaks are sold either whole and look a little like a “V”, or trimmed from the middle gristle, in which case they resemble a fillet. If you end up with a whole piece, make sure you cut away and discard the middle major gristle connecting the two fillet pieces.
If you don’t have a hanger steak, You might want to try this recipe with a flank or skirt steak.
How to cook hanger steak
Hanger steak is very flavorful but not perfectly tender, so it responds well to rapid cooking with searing heat. Simply heat a pan of oil over high heat, sear the steaks on all sides and cook until done to your liking.
What to serve with hanger steak
This recipe calls for a delicious shallot sauce drizzled onto the sliced steak. We picked up the recipe from our local butcher at Corti Brothers, who in turn got it from Chef Daniel Boulud. According to chef Boulud, French bistros traditionally serve this hanging steak alongside Pommes Frites (French fries).
We skipped the fries and went with broccoli and boiled potatoes. Outstanding! And very easy to do.
More great steak recipes
- Quick and easy roasted flank steak
- peppercorn steak
- How to grill the best steak
- Skirt steak with avocado chimichurri
- Sous vide steak
Hanger steak with shallots
If you don’t have a hanger steak, you might want to try this recipe with a flank or skirt steak.
Hanger steaks are sold either whole and look a little like a “V”, or trimmed from the middle gristle, in which case they resemble a fillet. If you get a whole piece, make sure you cut away and discard the middle major gristle connecting the 2 fillet pieces.
Recipe adapted from Daniel Boulud’s Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook.
ingredients
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1 tablespoon rapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil
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4 hanging steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each (trimmed from main cartilage running through center)
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Salt and fresh ground pepper
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2 tablespoon unsalted butter
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6 Middle shallotsthinly sliced
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2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
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1/2 Cup red wine
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2 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
method
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Sear steaks on all sides:
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan or sear over high heat. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
When the pan is hot, place the steaks in the pan and sear them on all sides. (Don’t move the steak pieces until they’re browned on one side, moving them won’t brown them easily.)
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Cook until done to taste, remove from pan:
Continue turning them until cooked to your preference, 6 minutes total for medium-rare (the steaks will continue to cook while they rest), a few minutes more for more done.
Transfer the steaks to a warm bowl and cover with foil and let rest while you prepare the sauce.
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Make the sauce:
Reduce the heat to medium, add a tablespoon of butter and the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the vinegar and cook until evaporated, then add the wine.
Bring the wine to a boil and reduce by about half. Remove pan from heat, stir in remaining tablespoon of butter and chopped parsley.
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To serve, cut steaks across the grain:
To serve, slice each steak thinly across the grain. Fan the slices out on a warm plate. Drizzle the warm shallot sauce over the meat and serve immediately.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 668 | calories |
| 35g | Fat |
| 13g | carbohydrates |
| 71g | protein |
