Super-Crusty Grilled Steaks

(Lynn Clark)

The best steaks are salty, sizzling, and almost singed on the outside and juicy, red, and almost buttery within. It’s the contrast that makes for perfect steak. Steakhouses achieve formidable crust with industrial-strength grills and broilers (some push temperatures into quadruple digits!) that instantly evaporate surface moisture on the meat, leaving a dry surface upon which to build a substantial caramelized crust. Home rigs can’t get that hot (500 degrees is all you can ask for), so you can kiss good crust goodbye.  So how do you get that perfectly grilled steak with the amazing flavorful crust?  Follow these directions to the T and you will have a crowds praising your culinary skills.

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Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cornstarch

4 Strip, rib-eye, or tenderloin steaks, about 1 1/2 inch inches thick

Pepper

1/3 cup raisins

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup ketchup

3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoon white vinegar

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Combine salt and cornstarch. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and rub with salt mixture. Arrange on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and freeze until steaks are firm and dry to touch, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Season steaks with pepper. Grill, covered, over hot fire until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

To minimize flare-ups, trim excess fat and gristle from the steaks before grilling.

Combine raisins and water in bowl and let sit, covered, until raisins are plump, about 5 minutes. Puree raisin mixture, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, and vinegar in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for 1 week.)