Grilled French Onglet Steak & Anchovy Butter
Winter or summer, onglet is a great cut of beef for barbecuing. We cook it on a professional grill in M kitchens, but at home just fire up your barbecue. I’ve paired it an anchovy butter with Italian origins in the early Victorian era, anchovy butter is probably the staple British steak accoutrement, and has lately been having a bit of a renaissance. If you want a sauce that is saline and creamy and won’t overwhelm the flavour of the beef, you’re on to a winner. Serves 4.
Ingredients
50g beef fat, diced
800g onglet (hanger steak), cut into 4 equal steaks, at room temperature
rock salt, lightly crushed
Anchovy Butter (makes 300g)
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g tinned anchovies, with the oil from the tin
Recipe Tip
It’s important that your steaks are removed from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking, so they cook through evenly with hot centres.
Make the anchovy butter at least 6 hours before you plan to use. It will keep for up three weeks in the fridge, or can be frozen for up to three months.
Make sure you take the butter out of the fridge at least an hour before you plan to use for it to return to room temperature.
METHOD
Light your barbecue and leave the coals until they are glowing and grey. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over a low heat. Add the beef fat and slowly render it down until all the fat has melted.
When the coals are ready, brush one side of the steaks with the rendered fat and place brushed-side down on the grill. Season the showing side generously with salt and grill for 3 minutes. Flip the steaks over, add a light sprinkling of salt and continue grilling for a further 2 minutes.
Transfer the steaks to a plate, cover with kitchen foil, shiny side down, and leave to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Put the anchovies and 1 tablespoon of the oil from the tin in a small food processor and blitz until a smooth purée forms. Add a little extra of the oil if necessary.
Add the butter and continue blitzing until well blended.
Place the butter on a sheet of clingfilm and roll into a log about 2.5cm thick. Twist the ends tightly to seal. Transfer to the fridge for at least 6 hours for the flavours to blend. Chill or freeze until required.