An award-winning food expert has shared a simple but transformative technique that guarantees perfectly tender steak every time. Ixta Belfrage, an acclaimed cook and writer, insists that the secret lies not just in the cooking, but in how you slice the meat.
The Golden Rule: Slice Against The Grain
Belfrage's key advice for home cooks is to always 'slice against the grain'. She explains that the lines running through the meat are muscle fibres, known as the 'grain'.
'Position your knife so that you cut across these lines, rather than along them,' she advises. 'By cutting against the grain, you shorten the muscle fibres, which makes the meat feel softer and easier to chew.' The only prerequisite for this technique is ensuring you have a nicely sharpened knife to hand.
A Bold and Speedy Steak Recipe
To put this technique into practice, Belfrage offers a vibrant recipe for Quick Steaks with Coffee and Chilli Butter that serves two people. The total prep time is a mere five minutes, with a cook time of just four and a half minutes. The steaks must rest for eight minutes, making it an ideal speedy meal.
The recipe calls for two 220g rump steaks, which should be brought to room temperature an hour before cooking and patted dry before being generously seasoned with fine sea salt.
The Marinade and Chilli Butter
The steak's bold flavour comes from an untraditional marinade featuring ground coffee, Urfa chilli flakes, and maple syrup. The ingredients are:
- 1 tbsp mild olive oil
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- ¾ tsp ground coffee
- ¾ tsp Urfa chilli flakes
- ¾ tsp ground urucum (also known as annatto or achiote)
- 50 twists of freshly cracked pepper
After mixing the marinade, cooks should coat both sides of the steak, reserving some for the later sauce. The cooking process requires a very hot pan and good ventilation. The steaks are cooked for 2½ minutes on one side, flipped, and cooked for another 2 minutes.
While the steak rests, the flavoured butter is prepared using the pan's residual heat. It combines 30g of salted butter, finely chopped spring onion greens, fresh coriander, lime juice, and the remaining marinade.
Finally, the rested steak is sliced using Belfrage's prescribed method—against the grain—plated, sprinkled with flaked salt, and lavishly spooned with the coffee and chilli butter. It is served with a fresh lime half.
This recipe is featured in Belfrage's new cookbook, 'FUSÃO' by Ebury Press, priced at £28, which showcases bold, Brazilian-inspired dishes.
