Best tips for grilling beef this summer

If you think there’s nothing new to learn about steaks, think again.

I recently asked Katie Flannery, the second-generation scion of Flannery Beef, a well-regarded Bay Area beef purveyor, to share her beef grilling secrets. She told me four things I found to be aha moments that make me excited to get back to the grill this summer, with recipes from Katie Flannery herself and two Los Angeles chefs who serve her beef on their menus.

Flannery advises adding ground dry-aged beef scraps to your burgers. When I saw dry-aged beef being used in burgers on restaurant menus, I thought supremely pricey dry- aged steaks were being ground up for hamburger meat.

SICHUAN CHILE HANGER STEAK

1 1/2 pounds trimmed prime hanger steak

Flaky sea salt

2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

1/4 cup vegetable oil

10 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cups dried red chile Japones or chiles de arbol

4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 large wedge calamansi (Filipino lime) or lemon

1. Prepare a charcoal grill for direct, high-heat grilling or heat a gas grill to high. (Alternatively, heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat.) Season the steak all over with salt and add to the grill or pan. Cook, flipping once halfway through, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak reads 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare doneness. Transfer the steak to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for five minutes while you make the spice mixture. Leave the grill on.

2. Combine the Sichuan and black peppercorns and coriander and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and finely grind. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and cut across the grain into quarter-inch-thick slices.

3. Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan or skillet over high heat on the grill (or on your stove). Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds. Add the red chiles and reserved spice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, one to two minutes. Add the sliced steak and toss quickly to combine with the spices (you don’t want to cook the steak more), about 10 seconds. Season with more salt.

4. Immediately transfer the steak and spices to a large serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions, squeeze the citrus wedge all over, and serve immediately.

Tribune News Service