TEX MEX PORTERHOUSE STEAKS
Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2008
Food & Wine Magazine
Active: 45 min
Total: 1 hr 45 min
4 Servings
Ingredients
• 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
• 1½ tablespoons pure ancho or mulato chile powder
• 1½ teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Two 2½-pound porterhouse steaks, cut 2 inches thick
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup lager beer
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Directions
1. Soak 1 cup of hardwood chips in water for 1 hour and drain.
2. Light a charcoal grill. In a bowl, mix the salt with the chile powder, black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and cumin. Sprinkle all over the steaks. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Stir in the beer, coffee and Worcester- shire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Move two-thirds of the hot coals to one side of the grill to create a high-heat zone and leave the remaining third in the center to create a moderate-heat zone. Oil the grate, sprinkle the wood chips over the high-heat zone and grill the steaks over high heat for 3 minutes. Slide the steaks to the moderate-heat zone and grill for 10 minutes, rotating them after 2 minutes to make crosshatches, if desired. Turn them over and grill over high heat for 3 minutes. Brush the steaks with the coffee mop and move them to moderate heat. Grill the steaks for 10 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125°F for medium-rare, mopping twice more. Transfer the steaks to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes, then carve into thick slices.
—Steven Raichlen
Wine: Fruity, luscious Shiraz.
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