Lime Curry Marinated Hanger Steak

Lime Curry Marinated Hanger Steak
Adapted from my Epicurious Recipe Box

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour on the counter or up to 4 days in the fridge
Grill time: 8-10 minutes
Rest time: 5 minutes to relax the meat

Serves 3-4 depending on the size of your hanger steak and your appetite

Ingredients:
For steak:
Juice of a large fresh lime juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tbsp curry powder – this time I used Madras Sambar Masala – Mangal brand
2 lb/1kg (1-inch-thick) hanger steak (not so easy to find, so make friends with a butcher - mine is Chris de Waal of Getaway Farm)

Melon Cucumber Chutney:
2 cups chopped firm-ripe honeydew melon
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (about ¾ cup)
½ cup chopped red onion
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 to 2 tsp minced fresh jalapeño including seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin

Directions:

Chutney: In the end, I forgot to make the chutney. It's here for the next time I make the hanger steak - or flank - or skirt.
Stir together honeydew, cucumber, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with spices and let chutney stand while grilling steak.

Hanger Steak:
Butchering -

It's critical to remove the membrane that coats the hanger steak (just loosen with a sharp knife tip and peel back with your fingers), allowing the marinade to penetrate the meat.
It's also necessary to remove the thick sinew that runs down the length of the hanger steak (below: that's what it looks like when removed)
And now you have two beautiful fillets to marinate and the sinew to discard.
Marinating:
1. Stir together lime juice, oil, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a non reactive bowl .

2. Coat steak with curry mixture, massaging the paste in well and place in a zip lock baggie.

3. Marinate for up to 4 days in the fridge or one hour on the counter before grilling. The steak should be at room temperature before cooking, so if you're refrigerating the steak, bring them out about 30 minutes or so before grilling.

Grilling:
1. Heat your grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Cut the long fillets in half across, for easier cooking.

2. Oil grill rack/pan and add the fillets and grill for 3 minutes before flipping. The steaks should come free without sticking to the grill or needing any help from a spatula. In the photo above, you can see the caramelizing effect.

3. Grill for another 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and turn every minute or so until done to your liking. We usually like it medium rare and so add another minute or two on each side.

Resting:
Chef Dennis Johnston’s tip: flip the side closest to the grill grates or pan onto a plate so that the meat sits hot side up. This ensures that the heat will rise into the air rather than go through the meat and continue to cook it. Place the plate in the fridge for 4-5 minutes. The center will retain the heat but the meat will be more tender than if you serve it hot off the grill
Serving:
Slice thinly across the grain, which for the hanger steak, means lengthwise and the very reason I cut the fillets in half to grill.

The original Epicurious recipe says to serve steak with the melon cucumber chutney, which only needs to be put together while the steak is cooking. Even so, this time I couldn't quite get it together - too many phone calls while I was cooking, so I just served it with grilled asparagus.