Mmmm, Hanger Steak. Mmmm, Hanger Steak with Horseradish Cream and Onion Marmalade. Sometimes I just want to throw meat in the pan and cook it. I think eating meat is good for the soul. I think it’s what God intended for us. However, I also think God never intended us to live so long or populate the planet so thoroughly. So it’s possible that the rules have changed since Adam was banging his fists on the table demanding his hunger be satisfied. Today man has to weigh many complicated issues before he bangs his fists on the table demanding steak. Our health. The impact raising beef has on our environment. It all weighs on my mind. Such is modern life.
So the truth is – despite my beefy bluster – I don’t throw meat in the pan and cook it as often I did when I was, say Adam’s age.
First The Hanger Steak
However, every now and again, I see a gorgeous Hanger Steak in the butcher’s case and the urge to throw it in the pan and cook it overwhelms me. Hanger steak may be available in every bistro in Paris, but where I live it’s not a common cut. So I always take notice when it shows up.
Some consider Hanger Steak (also known as Butcher’s Steak and Onglet) to be too chewy to enjoy. But for me “chewy” is not the same thing as “tough”. I think people too easily confuse the two terms sometimes.
Besides, what Hanger Steak lacks in tenderness it more than makes up in taste. Ounce-for-ounce it’s hard to get more beefy flavor from any other part of the cow. It’s also a rather small cut. There is only one Hangar Steak per animal. Which makes it a perfect choice for my “self-regulated” on-again, off-again love affair with beef.
One reason Hanger Steak may not be as popular in North America as it is in Europe is that it needs to be cooked carefully to be most enjoyed. And by “carefully” I mean barely. It’s intended to be a red meat eater’s reddest meat. That delightful chewy quality I mentioned can quickly become plain old shoe leather if allowed to cook much past rare. Which makes it a good candidate for cooking hot and fast on the stove top. However, if you prefer steak closer to medium-rare you can follow the instructions in this recipe below then simply pop the skillet in a very hot oven for a few more minutes.
Don’t Forget The Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Dense with a meaty character, Hanger Steak can stand up to bold flavors. This version is topped with sweet onion marmalade and a pungent, eye-searing, nose-clearing, horseradish sauce. If you are horseradish-shy this sauce may not be the recipe for you. But if it’s cold where you live and you’re craving a hot thwack of flavor I urge you to have a go at making your own. Horseradish loses its pungency quickly. The stuff that comes in a jar, though it will do in a pinch, doesn’t have quite enough punch to stand up to full flavor of Hanger Steak. GREG
Hanger Steak with Horseradish Cream and Onion Marmalade
Print This Recipe Yield 3–4Source Inspired by Jeremy LeePublishedHanger Steak is sometimes found in butcher shops cut into single serving portions. However, it more often comes in one piece weighing between 1 ½ and 2 pounds and will take a bit of trimming from the home cook to remove the inedible sinew that runs through the center.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pound hanger steak (at room temperature)
- canola oil (as needed)
- freshly cracked black pepper (as needed)
- flaky sea salt (as needed)
- horseradish cream (as needed for serving, see recipe)
- sweet onion marmalde (as needed for serving, see recipe)
- watercress (for garnish, optional)
Directions
If you’re working with a whole hanger steak it will require some preparation before cooking. Start by trimming any obvious sinew from the outside of the hanger steak. Then examine the steak on both sides and locate the thick sinew that runs lengthwise through the meat. Cut the steak in half running your knife along this sinew. Set the first piece aside then cut the sinew from the other half out and discard it. You will notice that you are left with two pieces of meat of different sizes that will cook at different rates.
Salt and pepper both sides of the meat generously just before cooking.
For this recipe, I’m leaving the pieces as they are and portioning at the table, but you may cut the steaks into three or four similarly sized individual servings if you prefer. You may also choose to butterfly the meat. This will ensure a uniform thickness and a relatively shorter cook time than I’ve indicated below. I like hangar steak thick and rare, use your own best judgment.
Once the meat is prepared heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in a scant film of oil, swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Once the pan gets very hot (almost smoking) lay the meat gently into the skillet. Let the meat cook undisturbed until it forms a good crust, about 4 to 6 minutes (less if the meat has been butterflied). Flip the meat and cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute more for rare. Move the meat to a cutting board to rest for 10 to 12 minutes.
Slice the steak into chunky pieces. Serve with a generous spoonful of horseradish cream and a big dollop of onion marmalade. Drizzle any of the juices left on the cutting board across the meat. Garnish with watercress (if using).
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup peeled and grated fresh horseradish root
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup crème fraîche
Directions
Stir horseradish, sugar, and vinegar together in a medium bowl. Set aside about 10 minutes then stir in crème fraîche and cover until ready to stir.
Can be served warm or at room temperature
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 medium sweet onions (about 2 lbs, peeled and thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more as needed for seasoning)
- ⅓ cup water (plus more as needed)
- ⅓ cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden, about one hour. You may need to add a splash or two of water if the skillet gets dry.
Once you’re happy with the color and texture add vinegar, thyme, and ¼ cup water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until juices thicken, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.
I love this Greg. I don’t eat meat as often as I’m craving it either. An amazing steak every so often is such a treat — especially this one!
What an amazing combination of flavors, Greg! You can thwack me with that much horseradish any day!
Delicious recipe! I love horseradish and can eat it with just everything, well almost everything. Thank you and greetings.
Wow, that looks so tasty. Love this recipe.
I have a steak recipe coming up and now I want to make this one! I adore that horseradish sauce and this lovely steak. Every now and then I need a medium rare piece of meat! Yum and yum!
As a child I remember my dad gleefully coming home because he talked the diner’s cook into giving him the hangar steak. Seems they butchered meat back then and some parts they didn’t know what to do with. In any case I imagine he might have done with it just what you did but I know he would have had horseradish out of the jar. And as for that horseradish, I make it every year for Passover but this year I might try your version but without the cream. Can’t wait to shed some tears!
LOVE Hanger Steak! Never see it at my butcher — local restaurants always seem to scoop up what limited supply there is. So that’s where I normally eat it. I gotta special order some and do it at home. Stovetop is definitley the way to cook it. And I’ll have to break down and do some deep frying, too (gotta serve this with French fries!). Good post — thanks.
Why did i think it was hanger steak? Must be my old brain. Those photos are just stunning. Do you sous vide? I just recently sous vided a hangAr steak — 12 hours at 131 degrees and it was incredible. No chewiness. Although I’m with you — I’ve never minded flank steak chewiness. But once you sous vide, it’s hard to go back.
No you are correct. Hanger steak is a cut of beef taken from below the diaphragm in cattle and is named for the way the muscle “hangs” over the animal’s stomach. I can’t believe I made such a big blue typo and didn’t see it. Now to decide if I go back and correct or leave it as is! GREG
I just skimmed through the post and it’s hanger in quite a few places! Funny. I’d change it.
This is exactly the type of steak I can sink my teeth into. I love good texture in meat, so the fall off the bone melt in your mouth beef is not entirely my thing. I love your recipe for horseradish cream it sounds sooo delicious! And to top it off with the sweet onion marmalade, would make it irresistible for me. Now that we are making an effort to eat less meat, the meat we do eat is deliberate and satisfies our craving much better than when we ate it more often. This recipe is definitely getting bookmarked for one of those days!
I just love your sauces. I am not allowed to cook any kind of steak in my family because I prefer my meat medium to well done. Greg, I can not comment on your blog with my IPad or phone, only with my computer. It has been going on for a while.
With those two sauces, who could resist? I’ve taken it to halfway between medium-rare and medium before, quite successfully; but that might have been a fluke. You definitely don’t want to overdo it. This is going on my make-soon list!