Pan-Grilled Beer-Marinated Hanger Steak

First things first.  Alex tells me I have to apologize for how ugly this picture is.  Sorry guys.  Not every picture (or dish) comes out as well as I wish it would.  A pile of steak on a plate never looks very appetizing without a fabulous side dish, but the Grilled Peach Panzanella Salad we prepared with this one didn't fit on the plate.  And if we tried to serve them on the same plate, the salad ended up looking all gorgeous while the steak looked like an afterthought.  Oh well.  I guess that was kind of indicative of how I felt about the two dishes.  The peach salad was a wonderfully composed and flavorful dish, while the steak just came off a little flat in comparison.  Don't get me wrong, the steak is not bad at all (and I admit that I am probably being overly picky).  But it just couldn't compare.  Furthermore, I am of the opinion that with steaks you should really taste the beef (otherwise why bother eating steak) and in this recipe I felt like the marinade masked, rather than complimented, the inherent rich beefiness of the hanger steak.  There was a little too much going on with the marinade for it to really appeal to the carnivore in me, but not quite enough going on for it to really excite me.  Like I said, I'm being a little too picky here, but so be it. 

Recipe after the jump!

Pan-Grilled Beer-Marinated Hanger Steak
Adapted from Bon Appetit
January 2007


INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp evoo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1-2 tbsp honey (depending on how sweet your beer is and how sweet you like your steak)
1/4 cup dark lager beer (we used bock)
1 lb hanger steaks


Whisk together first 8 ingredients in medium bowl, then whisk in beer. Pour marinade into large resealable plastic bag. Add steak, seal bag, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight, turning bag occasionally.


Spray grill pan with nonstick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry; discard marinade. Place steaks on grill pan and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare (if your hanger steak is a skinny one, cut down on the amount of time). Transfer steaks to carving board and let rest 10 minutes.


Slice steaks thinly across grain. Serve.