coffee and cocoa rubbed flank steak, smashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts

Coffee and Cocoa Rubbed Flank Steak (4 servings)

1 flank steak (about 2 lbs)
coffee and cocoa rub (recipe below)
salt and pepper

– Allow flank steak to sit out for 30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature, or at least take off some of the refrigerator chill
– Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cocoa rub lightly over flank steak; you want it to coat the steak, but not form a thick layer
– Grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side for a medium-rare steak that’s about 3/4″ thick

• If half of your steak is thicken than the other then just cut it in half and grill them separately. That way the whole steak will be cooked to the desired temperature

– Allow steak to rest for at least 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a bias

1 1/2 lbs brussel sprouts
6-8 small cloves garlic, smashed
2 lbs easter egg, fingerling, or red potatoes
salt and pepper

– Halve potatoes larger than 1 1/2″. Place potatoes into a pot of water and bring water to a boil
– Cook potatoes until tender, or a fork goes through them easily
– Drain potatoes, and then using the back of a metal spatula, smash potatoes
– Put potatoes onto baking sheet and toss with olive oil salt and pepper
– Preheat oven to 450
– Remove ends from brussel sprouts and halve larger ones (1/2″ diameter or larger). Rinse brussel sprouts and dump onto the baking sheet with the potatoes
– Drizzle sprouts with olive oil and sprinkle with smashed garlic cloves, salt and pepper
– Place baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Toss potatoes and brussel sprouts and roast for another 5-7 minutes until potatoes and brussel sprouts are crispy

Cocoa Rub (makes about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder
5 tbsp fine ground coffee
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne

steak rub and a grilled tenderloin

Steak Spice Rub
This is a ratio recipe, meaning there are not exact amounts, just ratios, which enables you to create a batch as big or as small as you want. Just start with one of the spices with 1 part, and go work from there.

1 part smoked paprika
1 part freshly ground black pepper
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part mustard powder
1/2 part ground coriander
1/4 part cayenne powder
1/4 part fresh thyme, minced

Grilled Tenderloin
Using a section of a tenderloin, in this case a whole tenderloin, rather than individual steaks,
keeps the meat a lot moister, and decreases your chances of overcooking it. Remember, meat continues cooking once you take it off the heat, especially larger cuts, so if you’re aiming for medium-rare, you want to pull your tenderloin off at 120 degrees, medium:130 degrees…anything beyond medium, and I’m sorry, but there’s no point in spending the money to eat tenderloin.

1 tenderloin, trimmed
1/2-3/4 cup spice rub
1 1/2 sticks butter
kosher or rock salt
disposable aluminum roasting pan

– Bring your tenderloin out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you’re going to cook it
– Preheat grill; if you’re using a gas grill you’ll want medium heat, if it’s a charcoal grill, make sure your coals are spread out evenly and you can hold your hand over them for about 8 seconds.
– Trim off skinny ends of tenderloin, so tenderloin is approximately all the same diameter (about 2″-3″ off each end)

• You can use tenderloin ends for steak and eggs, stir fry’s, etc. Use tenderloin ‘chain’ trim (the stuff with some fat and sinew, on the bottom right in the picture) in stews or to flavor gravies/stocks

– Melt butter and pour into roasting pan. Roll tenderloin in butter and then cover liberally with rub and salt. It’s okay if some of the spices fall off into the butter, because the tenderloin will continue to cook in it
– Place roasting pan on grill and cover. Cook tenderloin for about 5-10 minutes, before rotating a quarter turn. You’re looking for a nice brown crust to form on the outside. Make sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer periodically so you don’t overcook your tenderloin!

• You can’t control the temperature on a charcoal grill as precisely as you can on a gas grill, so just keep watch. Depending on the temperature of the coals your tenderloin could be done in as little as 20 minutes, or may take up to 45 minutes
• The butter will look dark brown, but it should not be black. If you see your butter starting to turn, that’s probably a good indication that your heat is too hot

– Remove roasting pan from grill, and remove tenderloin from roasting pan and allow to rest for 10-15 minute before slicing and serving with your favorite steak sides. Drizzle with the brown butter drippings