T-Bone Steaks in 5 Steps

This blogpost is the continuation of the Chef Table's series. To read about Chef Massimo Bottura's episode click on Butter Chicken's recipe. To read about Chef Barber's episode click on Som Tum's recipe.

Episode 3: Francis Mallmann, Argentina

Francis Mallmann is a free spirit chef. Cooking for him is the pursuit of discovering new flavors, and an avenue for freedom. Cooking is a creative art form. He discusses the value of cooking on fire. Much like him, I also believe that food prepared using fire will always be superior to the one cooked on electric stove. Fire has an organic quality which cannot be replicated with electricity.

He also advises that when cooking meat, it's important to let the protein sit on a hot surface before turning it. This practice ensures that all of the juices and flavor remain intact.  The constant flipping and flopping prevents the meat from getting a nice sear.

And, that is exactly how you cook these amazing T-Bone Steaks. T-bone steaks are cut from the sirloin of a cow. They are quite large in size, and in my opinion, shaped like a heart. That's why I decided to make these steaks for my husband for Valentine's Day. T-bone steaks are one of the priciest cuts of meat. But, following the simple methods shown in the video below, you can easily make these steaks at home.

As much as I like to honor the protein I am working with, I do like to introduce as much flavor as  I possibly can into a recipe. The dry rub that I use here compliments the meat beautifully, without overpowering it. I usually eyeball the quantity of the spices, but I have given the rough estimations below. 

T-Bone Steaks
Every carnivore's ultimate dream - T-Bone SteaksRecipe going up on www.cultivateflavors.com on Sunday. Stay tuned!
Posted by Cultivate Flavors on Thursday, March 3, 2016

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: Overnight
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients
2 T-bone steaks
Dry Rub
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of chili flakes
1 teaspoon of black peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of zataar
4 tablespoons of oil (for greasing the grill)
4 tablespoons of butter (for basting the steaks)

Step 1: In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.

Step 2: Rinse the steaks, and pat them dry. Gently massage the dry rub on all sides of the steaks. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Step 3: Heat up a cast-iron grill or skillet over high heat. Make sure it is well greased.

Step 4: Place the steaks on the hot grill. Cook on each side for 6 minutes for medium doneness. To create the grill marks on the steaks rotate the steaks after the first four minutes of cooking. Cook for another 2 minutes. Flip. Cook for 4 minutes, rotate, and cook for another 2 minutes. Refer to the video above.

Step 5: To keep the steaks moist you can baste it with some butter while it's cooking.