Raichlen's Tailgating! by Steven Raichlen

Author:Steven Raichlen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Published: 2011-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

Santander Cheese Steak

SERVES 4

METHOD Direct grilling

COOKING TIME 5 to 6 minutes

ADVANCE PREPARATION 1 to 2 hours for marinating the beef

Who said “kill all the lawyers”? (Actually, it was Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part 2, but never mind.) The legal profession has done at least one positive thing to advance the art of grilling: It gave us Carlos Gómez. A tax lawyer by training, with a passion for barbecue in his private life, Gómez founded Bogotá’s popular Lomos restaurant in 1986. (Talk about an appropriate name—lomo means beef tenderloin.) For over two decades local writers, artists, politicians, and embassy types have come here for such hypercarnivorous Colombian specialties as lomo al trapo (tenderloin crusted with salt and grilled in cloth), bife de chorizo (New York strip steak), and lomo santandereano gratinado, this Santander cheese steak. Lomos makes its cheese steak with grilled boiled sliced brisket. As boiling brisket is not something we normally do in North America (or in the Raichlen household), I’ve grafted the tomato cheese topping on to another Lomos specialty: red-wine marinated grilled beef tenderloin. I haven’t heard any complaints. Why the name Santander? It’s a department in western Colombia that was once reputed to be the site of the legendary El Dorado.

1 center cut piece of beef tenderloin (about 6 inches long and 1½ pounds), or 4 thin New York strip steaks or skirt steaks (each about ½ inch thick and 6 to 8 ounces)

1 cup beef broth, preferably homemade

1 cup dry red wine

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

1 large or 2 medium-size luscious, red ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise

8 ounces Gruyère, Jack cheese, or mild or sharp cheddar cheese, cut into broad, thin slices

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. If you are using beef tenderloin, cut it in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half again lengthwise through the thin side. You will have 4 broad beef steaks.

2. Place the beef steaks in a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Put the beef broth, red wine, olive oil, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme in a large nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk them to mix. Season the marinade with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the marinade over the beef and let it marinate in a cooler, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, turning the pieces several times.

3. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat it to high. Leave one section of the grill fire free for a safety zone.

4. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Drain the beef steaks well, discarding the marinade. Season the beef on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the steaks on the hot grill at a diagonal to the bars. Grill the steaks until they are browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer the steaks to the safety zone, arranging them browned side up. Top each steak with the tomato slices and cheese and sprinkle the oregano on top.

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