The Meatwave

Everyone rejoice, Cinco de Mayo is here! In terms of eating holidays, this is my all time favorite due to the fact that I use it as an excuse to combine my love of all things Tex-Mex with my passion for grilling. It was that dynamic duo that led me to create this grilled jalapeño-marinated steak sandwich with charred onions and cotija mayo, which also just so happened to be one of the best sandwiches I have made to date.

Starting out with steak for my sandwich was a risky move; I've been burned by overly chew or tough steak sandwiches in the past that have made me weary of the genre altogether. I've found flank and skirt steaks do the job pretty damn well though as long as they're not cooked past medium-rare and cut against the grain into bite-sized slices. Hanger steak, usually a premium over skirt and flank, got the call here mainly because there was a deal on it the day I went to the butcher, but those other two similar cuts well do just fine as a substitute. The steak I had picked up was on the thick side, though, so I butterflied it open to give it more surface area for searing and picking up flavor.

Hanger steak has a loose, open structure that makes it ideal for sopping up marinades. To do that job here, I made a potent mixture of lime juice, jalapeños, olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. The idea came from a jalapeño marinated steak that I had at the Kingsford Invitational whose spicy and fruity flavor left a lasting impression on me.

This highly acidic and super spicy marinade didn't need much time to impart its flavor, so I only let the meat soak for as long as it took to prep the rest of the ingredients and get the fire going.

As the steak marinated, I created a sauce that would be strong enough to both compliment and contrast the beefy jalapeño-flavored steak in a meaningful way. I took influence from elotes (Mexican street corn) and began by grating some cotija cheese, which is the outer coating commonly clinging to those ears.

To get the cheese to stick the corn though, it's first slathered with a mayonnaise peppered with so heavily cayenne that it develops a bright orange hue. So I started the base of my sauce in the same vein, but backed down on the cayenne a bit and added in chili powder for more of an earthy flavor. I then added in sour cream for added tanginess and lime juice for freshness as well.

With the flames now going strong outside, it was time to get this sandwich grilled. I built a two-zone fire and grilled the hanger steak over direct heat while the fire was at its hottest. The steak seared in almost no time, and the meat hit a perfect medium-rare at the same time the outside was deeply browned—any more than medium-rare with hanger steak and it'll start getting too chewy.

After I had removed the steak from the grill to rest, I threw on a couple rings of onions, each secured together by a wooden skewered I had forced through the center. I let the onions cook until they were well browned on both sides and crisp-tender. Off the grill, I cut them up into a large dice.

I was gunning for this to be one of the best sandwiches I've ever made, so left no detail unattended to. For the bread, I chose a quality baguette and brushed each cut side with extra-virgin olive oil.

I then placed the baguette slices on the grill and let them cook until lightly browned, giving them an additional complexity by way of a toasty flavor.

Next I slathered each slice with the cotija mayo, helping ensure the presence of this fantastic sauce would not be lost behind the beef, which I piled on next.

I then lined the steak with a layer of the grilled onions and topped that with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro.

At this point I'd been cooking for about 20 minutes and the fire had reached a medium-heat range, meaning that the I could stick the sandwiches into the covered grill, over indirect heat, and let them slowly warm through without worrying about drying out the steak or burning the bread.

Now came the moment truth: would all the work to make this a standout steak sandwich with a Tex-Mex bend come to fruition?

Luckily, I was not left disappointed. The steak itself was pretty incredible, with the marinade embedding a fruity, tangy flavor and a slight touch of heat. The mayo came through with a bold but complementary touch, cilantro added brightness and freshness, and the grilled onions created a subtly sweet and smoky note. In the crusty toasted baguette, I'll be damned if these steak sandwiches aren't some of the best you can cook up for Cinco de Mayo, or any day.

Published on Tue May 5, 2015 by Joshua Bousel

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