Snow Creek Ranch Strip Steaks with Porcini Mushroom Rub

June 30, 2009  •  Condiments, Local Sources, Meat & Poultry

One of my favorite parts of summer is the Sunday market on Pearl St. in Denver. It’s a small market and it’s not that packed with farmers selling produce, but it’s a lively atmosphere and you can wander the market in the morning then stop in for brunch. We like Black Pearl for their Sunday brunch – the entrees, like my BP Heuvos below, are delicious yet moderate portion sizes so you don’t feel like you need to nap all day after your meal. And they offer a bottomless Mimosa for $8, so as long as you’re not the driver it can be fun!

One of my favorite vendors is the Snow Creek Ranch beef stall at the market (they also sell at other farmers’ markets in town). For those of you who are looking for the flavor of corn fed beef from an animal that’s been raised naturally in open pasture on grass, you can’t beat their beef. The grass fed meat provides more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and because they are only fed corn for a short period (30 days), they don’t lose that much. Plus, as the Snow Creek Ranch folks will tell you, they put the corn out in the field so they continue to eat both grass and grain. Try a sample at a market near you and you’ll be hooked!

So with some strip steaks in hand as we came home that day, I was intent on having steak for Sunday dinner. My favorite seasoning for beef is a porcini mushroom rub that I adapted from some cooking show I watched years ago. It’s easy and incredibly flavorful. Make sure you season the steak liberally with the rub and pat it in to stay put while grilling. And by all means, let your meat rest before slicing it so that the juices don’t just all run out.

Snow Creek Ranch Strip Steaks with Porcini Mushroom Rub
Serves 2

1 Snow Creek Ranch NY strip steak with bone in, about 1 pound
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Trim any large chunks of fat from the steak, living a thin layer around the steak. Grind porcini mushrooms in a spice grinder then add salt, pepper and garlic powder and grind everything together to create a dry rub. Pat the steak dry they liberally coat with the dry rub, pressing it in to adhere. Grill over a low flame until meat reaches the desired temperature. Let stand 5 minutes under foil before cutting and serving.

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