RUBBING THE MEAT (snicker, snicker...)

I’ve actually been wanting to bang-out this “bad-boy” of a dry-rub recipe for some time—ever since Anne Burrell told the story on “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” of how the meat delivery guy (for her NYC restaurant) said: “What do you do to your meat?! It tastes SO GOOD!” Anne’s recipe calls for 1 to 3 day marinade on the rib-eye for an “aged beef” affect, however, I’ve experimented a little with this recipe, making it 5 different times. I’ve simplified it based on my experimenting and I really feel that 1 hour for the dry rub to flavor the rib-eye is enough. The seasonings in the rub are full-flavors, which means a little goes a long way. I’ve found that just taking the meat out of the fridge, rubbing it, wrapping it and putting it aside to acclimate to room temperature (an additional tenderizing technique) is enough time for the meat to “get the flavor” before grilling. Also, I didn’t use a “bone-in” rib-eye any of the times I made it and the size of my steak compared to what she called for was a bit smaller. I made it and ate it, using Alton Brown’s pan searing instructions (I wanted a quick way to cook it)—and I never ate red meat so greedily in my life—I knew what the meat delivery guy meant—it tastes TOO good! Better than red meat has a right too! Cholesterol be damned!!!

I also just made the Rib-eye Love Supreme yesterday again with my Simi Valley drinkin’ buddies, hence the grill picture. The first picture of the meat is on my grilling pan the second time I made it.  The next picture of the meat (three steaks, one has it's "close-up") is on my buddy’s grill. The vote on the rub was unanimous once again, giving the rub a big double “thumbs-up.”

I bow to the rib-eye rub recipe and the joy it brought my taste buds last night again. I don’t eat red meat that much for health reasons, but I will not hesitate to volunteer this recipe to all my grilling buddies—this is sure to be a staple in my recipe repertoire, a real “love supreme.” Thanks Anne!


RIB-EYE LOVE SUPREME
Modified from Anne Burrell’s recipe

Ingredients
2 tablespoons salt
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon pulverized crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons pimenton (Smoked Spanish Paprika)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Oil, for brushing grill
2 (22 to 24-ounce) bone-in rib-eye steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Use your fingers to make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Rub the outside of each steak generously with the rub. Wrap each steak in plastic wrap and put aside, while letting meat acclimate to room-temperature.

ALTON’S (Brown) PAN SEARED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature. When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides. Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

ANNE’S COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush and oil the grill to loosen and remove any crud. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Right before cooking remove the plastic wrap and lightly oil the steaks. Place the steaks on a very hot grill to put a char on both sides of the steak. When both sides of the steak have become well charred move the steak to a cooler part of the grill to continue cooking for 6 to 7 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove the steak from the grill and let rest in a warm spot for 7 to 8 minutes. Cut the steak off the bone and slice on the bias across the grain. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.