Other working titles: “Have Porter, Will Beef” and “Porter: It’s What’s for Dinner. This may seem familiar, but for as long as this keg of porter lasts I’m eating red meat, dammit.
Tonight’s gustatory throwdown was pan-seared/oven-roasted steak with a porter-mustard pan sauce, with preparation cues from Mark Bittman. Slainte, Mark Bittman.
Just four ingredients, and one of them is beer – blam, as the man says.
- 4 steaks (cut thin enough to be suitable for pan-cooking – I used 1″ chuck eye)
- salt
- 1 pint porter
- 1 TB prepared spicy brown mustard.
Preheat the oven as hot as it will go, then pour the porter. Using a cast-iron (or other ovenproof) skillet that’s large enough to fit the steaks without crowding, heat it til it’s smoking, then sprinkle it with salt. Add the steaks and let them sizzle for a minute or two, then – using an oven mitt – put the skillet in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Using the oven mitt again, remove the skillet from the oven and remove the steaks to a plate, covering them with foil or another plate. While the steaks rest, heat the skillet with the steak drippings and pour half the porter into the hot skillet to deglaze. Add the mustard to the liquid int he skillet; drink the other half of the porter while you stir. Let the sauce reduce by about half, then drizzle over the steaks. Serve with roasted winter vegetables and – of course – more porter.
Slainte, steers.
the beer engine 
No flipping the steaks?
Bittman said no, but … hey, he’s not here.
Can it be made with two porters? – I may stir slower or drink faster.
Ha! Yes, but it will certainly change the perceived porterness.
You never did give us any tasting notes for your pacific style porter, how did it turn out?
Oversight! Good, pretty close to what was intended – will give it a write-up soon. Cheers!
If you do a re-brew I might suggest you not fear the roast. I find when you up the sacc temp you blunt the delicate flavors you might get from a dryer beer. West coast style=over the top, especially if its going into your own fridge! I use 1.75lbs of black and 1.25lbs of chocolate malt into my house porter(1.072 og). Cheers!
Thanks, and I hear ya – I definitely think higher-octane porters and stouts can easily go above 10% roast malt in the grist since the alcohol (and higher malt bill) imparts a sweeter impression. I’m pretty happy with the roast profile on this batch, and a porter isn’t necessarily a delicate beer … for me, and with the Heretic/Eel River examples I had in mind, this was an exercise in balance of roast-malt-hops-alcohol. If anything I’d sub out the yeast to something with a little less neutrality, or maybe work in some Munich or amber malt.
Point understood! Maybe a yeast with a touch of diacetyl? This might even be a nice beer to open ferment, get that quasi Samuel Smith thing going. Me thinks me knows what will be on tap here for St Pats, thank you very much!
Yeah, exactly – Wy1187 or WLP037, something like that. Proper tasting notes forthcoming, honest.
I love adding beer into my cooking! Mike, we gotta get you (and Jake) back on camera and enlightening the homebrew world again!
“…using an oven mitt – put the skillet in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Using the oven mitt again, remove the skillet from the oven…”
Sunflower or Sushi?
Ha! Oh, definitely sushi.