digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Grill steaks, specifically Grow & Behold hangers and ribeyes, using a homemade chili-coffee spice rub and a two-zone charcoal fire with a hot side for searing and a cool side for finishing. The video also pairs the steak with a fresh chimichurri sauce.
Key Points
- Grow & Behold steaks are described as pasture-raised, natural-diet animals that the host says taste better when raised this way.
- The spice rub combines ancho and chipotle chilies, instant dark-roast coffee, toasted onion, celery salt, and sugar for caramelization.
- Hanger steak is sear-first, then moved to a cooler zone so it does not overcook; the host advises no more than medium rare.
- A simple doneness check uses the finger-touch method: thumb base for rare, slightly firmer for medium rare/medium, and the ring finger (jokingly) for a joke about overdoing it, not literally well done.
- Let steaks rest loosely tented, since they rise about 5 to 10 degrees after coming off the heat.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Spice rub: Use 3 whole ancho chilies and 3 whole chipotle chilies with seeds, stems removed, torn into pieces. Blend with 2 teaspoons dark-roast instant coffee, 8 teaspoons each of the ground ancho and chipotle chili base, then 4 teaspoons of that chili blend into the rub, plus 2 teaspoons toasted onion, 2 teaspoons celery salt, and 2 teaspoons sugar. Taste is expected to be bitter and spicy; the host says to trust the process.
- Rub the steaks evenly, then turn to coat the edges as well.
- Light hardwood charcoal, which takes about 15 minutes to get hot. Bank coals on one side so the grill has a hot zone and a cool zone, with the vents open over the coals to pull heat through.
- Sear hangers over the hot zone for about 2 minutes, then flip. Do not touch the meat while searing; it releases easily when ready. Charcoal sear takes about 1.5 minutes per side, stovetop about 2.5 minutes per side, gas grill about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- Move seared steaks to the cool side to finish. Hangers are thicker and take longer than ribeyes, so cook them on their own sequence.
- Indoor alternative: sear in cast iron or heavy stainless steel, then finish in a preheated oven.
- Chimichurri: pulse about 1 cup fresh parsley, cilantro, and oregano, a rolled basil bunch, half a red onion, plenty of garlic, red chili flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Add about 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, then stream in extra virgin olive oil.
- Serve: slice hanger steak thinly across the grain, noting that the ends run closer to medium than the center; the host eats steak with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil, then dips.
- The host notes that hangers are one per steer and have a tail section that should be opened up to cook evenly.
- The guests describe the rub and chimichurri as rich and well balanced; no specific temperatures are given beyond "at most medium rare."
Bottom Line
The video presents a complete, repeatable grilling method: a bold chili-coffee rub, a two-zone charcoal fire, and a finger-test for doneness, paired with a bright chimichurri.
