Beef Loin That Butchers Keep for Themselves
Hanger Steak is Pure Beef Perfection—Only Why Is It So Difficult to Find?
This tender, ultra-flavorful cutting is popular in restaurants, only you'll rarely notice it at the grocery store. What's the bargain?
Have the rich flavor of rib-eye steak—cross it with melt-in-your-mouth beefiness tenderloin, and what do you get? Hanger steak, a tasty cut of beefiness that hangs from the diaphragm of the moo-cow along the plate, or lower belly. Because this musculus does very little piece of work, information technology's extremely tender and packed with beef flavor.
Given how delicious hanger steak is, I was surprised by how hard it was to track downwardly. I've seen it on menus at high-end restaurants, simply I've rarely seen information technology in supermarket meat cases. I searched several large grocery stores in my expanse—Publix, Whole Foods, and Fresh Marketplace—and was unable to find it. I ended upwards ordering it from a local specialty butcher, who was beyond ecstatic. "I wish more people would try information technology!" he told me. He also told me that he'd actually tried to consistently stock hanger steak, but he'd struggled to sell it to his customers.
To detect out the bargain backside this elusive beef cut, I reached out to Jon Elwood, trained chef and founder of specialty beef commitment service Ranchly. "The claiming with mass marketing hanger steak is not the quality, simply quantity. Hanger steak could exist more pop with more marketing, but since there'due south simply ane per animal, information technology's a cutting that's best considered a treat," he says.
That's right. For every cow, there's numerous sirloin steaks, t-bone steaks, and filet mignon—but at that place's just ane hanger steak. "For a grocery shop to sell ten hanger steaks, they would need to purchase ten cows," explains Elwood. "This would non only take up a disproportionate amount of storage space, only it would also would require having to sell thousands of pounds of beef merely to secure ten hanger steaks."
Your local grocery shop isn't carrying hanger steak because information technology's a poor quality cut of meat. For large calibration beef production, sourcing hanger steak only isn't very practical. "Ideally, hanger steak is better suited for craft butchers or a specialty beef delivery service that takes a whole fauna approach to butchery," says Elwood, who sources only pasture-raised, humanely-treated beef for Ranchly.
Hither's the other problem—because grocery stores don't typically stock hanger steak, many shoppers are unfamiliar with it. Then even if you do find hanger steak, you probably would opt for flank steak, filet mignon, or beef tenderloin instead. "Hanger steak is chosen the 'butchers hole-and-corner' for a reason," says Elwood. "While we endeavor to stress in our messaging that a cow is much more than a filet mignon, people usually stick with the cuts they are familiar with and know how to cook—New York strip, ribeye, and tenderloin."
The truth is, cooking a perfect hanger steak at dwelling is ridiculously like shooting fish in a barrel, whether y'all're a seasoned domicile melt or full novice. If you lot have a dandy recipe and a little exercise, you'll speedily dear this coveted cut. Because hanger steak is so tender and flavorful already, all it really needs is a generous coating of salt and pepper (but a marinade certainly doesn't injure).
When it comes to cooking hanger steak, high-heat and dry meat are the keys to your success. A blazing hot grill or a sizzling bandage-iron skillet are your best friends. Before you start cooking, your steak should exist room temperature and equally dry as possible on the surface. If the steak is too cold, it won't melt as evenly. If it'southward too moist, y'all'll have a tougher time creating a golden-brown sear.
Grilled Hanger Steak: If y'all similar a smoky char on your steak, grilling is the way to go. For hanger steak, it works wonders. On a hot grill, hanger steak cooks chop-chop—await about 3 to 4 minutes per side. To go the best marks, you lot want to place the steak in the hottest area of your grill, but yous don't want information technology to be completely engulfed past flames either. Requite these grilled hangar steak recipes a shot:
- Cola-Marinated Hanger Steak
- Korean-Style Grilled Hangar Steak
Credit: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Karen Rankin; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson
Pan-Seared Hanger Steak: If the grill isn't an option, pan-searing your hanger steak in a cast-iron skillet is just equally delicious. Using a preheated and oiled skillet, await to cook the steak near 3 to iv minutes on each side. Here'southward the best part about using the cast-fe skillet—afterward the meat cooks, the leftover rendered beef fatty in the skillet is perfect for cooking veggie sides like potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, bong peppers, and onions. Try these easy recipes for pan-seared hanger steak:
- Pan-Seared Hanger Steak with Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, and Lemon-Herb Butter
- Balsamic Hanger Steak with Greens and Parmesan
Regardless of what method you use, aim to cook hanger steak to medium rare (130 to 135° F), and let it rest for nigh x minutes before slicing. Resting is crucial for keeping meat squeamish and juicy on the inside. Last but non least—never slice a hanger steak (or any cut of beef for that thing) with the grain! Avoid tough and chewy meat by slicing information technology against the grain.
Credit: Christopher Testani; Styling: Kaitlyn Duross
Serve hanger steak with a uncomplicated green salad and a flossy or tangy dressing for a lighter meal that's perfect for warmer weather. You tin can likewise dress up a hanger steak for special occaisions—top it with a homemade Lemon-Herb Butter or Chimichurri Sauce, and then and whip up hearty sides like garlic mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. Leftover steak? Brand Hanger Steak Sandwiches.
While you lot probably won't see hanger steak at the grocery shop anytime soon, ordering information technology from a specialty butcher store or beef delivery visitor similar Ranchly are worth the actress step. Don't go me incorrect—I am all well-nigh a succulent beefiness tenderloin or indulgent prime number rib. Simply why non treat your taste buds to something new?
Source: https://www.myrecipes.com/ingredients/beef-recipes/what-is-hanger-steak-where-to-buy
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