Grilling Hanger Steaks with Tuffy Stone
We had the tremendous good fortune to have BBQ great Tuffy Stone come visit with us and show us his take on classic steak frites—hanger steaks grilled to perfection with crisp potato-wedge fries. Tuffy knows his stuff, and he talks seasoning, meat doneness, oil temps, and the reasons you need a super fast thermometer like Thermapen® ONE.
Watch the video below to get see the whole thing, then follow the recipe to make this delicious meal for your family and friends.
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Tuffy Stone’s Hanger Steak recipe
Description
Hanger steak frites with twice-fried steak fries and malt vinegar mayonnaise. From Tuffy Stone’s book Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue.
Ingredients
For the steak frites
- 3 large Idaho potatoes, halved and cut into ~12 wedges
- 2 Tbsp steak rub (below)
- 1 1/2 C malt vinegar mayonnaise (below)
- 1–2 C canola oil
- 2 hanger steaks, 1–1 1/2 pounds each, trimmed to your liking
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked salt (or plain salt if you don’t have any smoked)
Steak rub (makes 1 3/4 cups)
- 1/2 C cracked black pepper
- 1/4 C coarse-ground mustard seeds
- 3 Tbsp dill seed, coarse ground
- 4 tsp coarse ground coriander seed
- 5 Tbsp + 1 tsp kosher salt
- 5 Tbsp + 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp crushed red pepper
Mix everything together. Store extra rub in an air-tight container.
Malt vinegar mayonnaise (makes 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 C mayonnaise
- 1/4 C malt vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp minced cornichons or sweet gherkins
- 1 Tbsp minced capers
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives, fresh
- 1 Tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley, fresh
Mix all together with a spatula until well combined
Instructions
- Soak the potato wedges in cold water for 4 hours or overnight if possible. Drain on a wire rack until dry.
- preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C)
- Heat 1/2″ of oil in a large cast iron pan until 325°F (163°C). Check the temperature regularly with Thermapen ONE.
- Fry the potato wedges in batches of 6–8 for 5 minutes each, turning occasionally if they are not fully submerged. Test for tenderness with your Thermapen probe. When the wedges are tender, transfer them to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining potatoes until all have been cooked.
- Turn off the heat under the oil but leave the oil in the pan.
- Season the steaks generously with the steak rub and allow to sit for 15–30 minutes.
- Reheat the oil in the skillet to 400°F (204°C), using your Thermapen to track the temp. Fry the wedges, again in batches of 6–8, for 4–5 minutes, turning if needed, until deep golden brown. Transfer the cooked wedges to a paper towel-lined bowl. Toss them with a little of the smoked salt.
- Transfer them to a paper towel-lined casserole or baking dish and put them in the oven. Continue cooking the rest of the fries, seasoning, and putting them in the oven to stay warm.
- Keep all the fries in the oven until the steaks are ready to eat.
- Heat your grill to 400°F (204°C). Prepare the grill for two-zone cooking—one side of it with direct heat, and the other side without direct heat.
- place the steaks over the direct heat and cook for 3 minutes, then rotate 90 degrees and cook another 3 minutes. Flip, cook for 3 minutes, then rotate and cook another 3 minutes.
- Check the internal temp of the steaks with your Thermapen ONE. If the temperatures have not yet reached 125°F (52°C) (for medium-rare steak) move the steaks to the indirect-heat side of the grill and continue to cook, checking the temp with your Thermapen.
- When internal temps reach 125°F (52°C), remove the steaks from heat. (Leave them on longer if you want medium-done steak.)
- Cut the steaks into 1/4–1/2″ slices across the grain and serve alongside the potato wedges. Use the malt vinegar mayonnaise for the fries and the steaks.
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Can you tell me the brand name and model of the hot plate you used to heat the oil
Also is peanut oil an acceptable substitute for canola oil
Thanks in advance for your consideration
Yes, peanut oil is great. I don’t remember the hot-plate brand, but it also struggled more than we wanted it to.