Steak and savory flavors like thyme, rosemary, and garlic go hand in hand. But in Katie Lee Biegel‘s kitchen, cocoa powder is the spice that makes her steak better than the rest. It’s true — the baking aisle staple makes a great steak rub when paired with other unconventional flavors like coffee and brown sugar, as well as staples like garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Is your mouth watering yet? Same here.
“These are actually pretty quick,” Biegel says of her hanger steaks in a clip from The Kitchen, adding, “I love hanger steaks. I just think that they are such a good cut and can be a little underrated.”
The cocoa powder, Biegel says, gives a “richness” to the rub, “especially when you add the coffee to it, it gives it kind of this cowboy steak thing going.”
Before adding the spices to the steak, Biegel recommends patting the meat dry with a paper towel first so the rub really sticks to the surface and crisps when cooking. Then, after the rub is applied, let the meat sit at room temperature for about a half hour to marinate and absorb the flavor.
Biegel then cooks her hanger steaks in a cast iron pan and makes sure to sear all the edges. Then, let the steak rest for a few minutes before cutting into them so that they retain their moisture. And with that deep, nutty, cocoa and coffee rub, you’ll get that excellent crunch and then a melt-in-your-mouth experience.
Grab the whole recipe here to try cocoa-rubbed hanger steaks for yourself and get ready to taste a whole new kind of steak. Who knew cocoa could taste so savory?
Before you go, check out Garten’s best dinner recipes below:
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