Sirloin Steak quickly marinated in Balsamic Vinegar, Rosemary and Olive Oil
Typical I love to grill a steak on an outdoor barbecue but there are days during the cold winter months that I crave that char on the outside steak. You know what I am taking about; that steak that has a delicious sear on the outside but when you cut into the steak it is that beautiful pink color and so juicy. This recipe can work well whether you are preparing the steak indoors or out. To prepare the steak in your kitchen you will need to have a cast iron grill pan. I really like the one I have from Lodge which happens to be on sale right now on Amazon. The greatest thing about this grill pan is that you can also use it as a griddle and at 20 inches long it fits over 2 burners which allows for even heat and room for lots of food. This pan comes pre-seasoned so it’s ready to use. To care for a cast iron pan you should wash after use and dry well then use a paper towel to rub a small amount of vegetable oil over pan before putting it away. The light layer of vegetable oil will prevent rusting and insure years of use. A well seasoned cast iron pan is a treasure and should last many years.
The steak needs to be taken out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before you are ready to grill it. This time is used to quickly marinate the steak and bring up the temperature before grilling. A good steak should not go straight from the refrigerator to the grill. In order to have a warm, pink inside you must bring the temperature of the steak up a bit. I think that 20 minutes is the right amount of time. This is also when I quickly marinate the steak in Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil and Rosemary. This seasons the steak and allows for a beautiful caramelization to occur on the outside of the steak when it is grilled. While grilling the steak I continue to baste it with a Rosemary brush dipped in Olive Oil and add a little butter on top of each steak.
Using an Herb Brush
Using an herb brush is a great way to baste steak, fish or chicken. I like to use Rosemary with steak but you can also make an herb brush with thyme, sage. It is very easy to make an herb brush, simply tie a bunch of herbs together with twine. If you are using an herb brush when you are grilling on a barbecue you may want to attach the brush to a wooden chopstick to create a handle so your hand doesn’t get too close to the fire. An herb brush will season the oil as you baste and adds a lot of flavor to your food
Plating the Steak
I like to roast whole bulbs of garlic to serve with these steaks. I serve bulbs of roasted garlic on the side. When you roast garlic it creates a nutty flavor that compliments steak perfectly. To roast garlic you need to cut off the top of the garlic to expose a bit of the garlic inside. Drizzle a little olive oil over the garlic and wrap in foil. Place it into a 400 oven for 45 minutes until garlic is light brown and tender.
After the steak is done you need to tent it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it. This step is essential so that the juices absorb back into the steak. If you cut the steak too soon the juices will run out and you will have a dry steak. So this means NO CUTTING to see if the steak is done. The steak should have an internal temperature of 135 for medium rare. The steak will continue to cook as it rests so do not over cook it. Use a meat thermometer to check steak or start to learn how to determine the temperature of a steak by touching it. If you push the top of the steak before you grill it you will find that it is very soft, as the steak cooks it becomes harder to push in. So the softer the steak, the rarer the steak. For medium rare you are feeling for a firm but still soft texture. It will take a little time to learn this technique so I suggest using a meat thermometer and also touching the steak so you learn how it should feel according to the temperature you like your steak. Whatever you do just please do not cut it to see if the steak is done. You must let it rest before cutting. After the steak rests, slice it and serve it on a platter with the bulbs of garlic and some sprigs of rosemary.
Steak with Balsamic-Rosemary
Equipment
- cast iron grill pan
- meat thermometer
- kitchen twine
Ingredients
- 2 16oz Sirloin Steak
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 5 sprigs Rosemary
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- mix vinegar and olive oil together with 1 sprig of rosemary
- put marinade in a plastic bag
- add steaks and massage outside of bag so marinade rubs onto steaks
- place bag on countertop and turn bag over every 5 minutes so both sides of steak marinate. Marinate for a total of 20 minutes.
- tie remaining 4 sprigs of rosemary with twine to make a brush
- remove steaks from bag and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- heat cast iron grill on medium high until hot
- grill steaks for 7 minutes and baste with rosemary brush dipped in olive oil
- turn steaks over and continue to baste
- top each steak with ½ tbsp of butter after 5 minutes
- continue to grill for another 2 minutes until butter is melted and temperature is 135
- remove from pan and tent with foil.
- Let steaks rest for 10 minutes then slice and serve with sprigs of rosemary and roasted whole garlic
Nutrition
Roasted Whole Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 whole bulbs garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- preheat oven to 400
- cut top off of garlic to expose cloves inside
- drizzle with olive oil
- wrap in foil and roast in oven for 45 minutes