Black-Pepper Honey Steak

Copyright 2007 Lynne Rossetto Kasper

This recipe appeared a couple of years ago in our Weeknight Kitchen newsletter and got an enthusiastic response. Well, it's a spot-on candidate for the grill. You could do the recipe with any steak—from rib eye, Porterhouse, T-bone, New York strip, or Delmonico, to the delicious money saver, a tender cut of chuck steak.

Most important is it should be cut thick, at least 1-1/4 inches and ideally 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches.

Honey is the flavor edge here. Beef and sweet flavors are a golden combination. Once cooked, you taste only the barest hint of sweetness, yet the sugar in honey creates fabulous crustiness on the outside of the meat, while opening up all the bold beefiness in each mouthful. You get a hum of black pepper, while the alcohol in the wine frees up every possible nuance of taste not touched by the honey. Evidently more flavors are soluble in alcohol than in any other substance.

Serves 2 to 4

• 3 tablespoons red wine
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pound steak (rib eye, Porterhouse, T-bone, New York strip, Delmonico, or the tender part of a chuck steak), cut at least 1-1/4 inches thick, trimmed of excess fat
• Salt to taste

1. Combine the wine, honey, garlic and pepper in a shallow dish, add the steak and turn to coat both sides with the mixture. Let stand at room temperature while you set up the rest of the meal.

2. High heat is needed here to get a good sear. Prepare a charcoal grill for direct grilling or preheat a gas grill set for high heat. Oil the grate.

3. Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Arrange the steaks on the hot grate and sprinkle with salt to taste. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes. Turn the steaks over using tongs (don't use a fork; poking the meat releases the flavorful juices), sprinkle with salt and more black pepper, and grill the second side for about the same amount of time, or to desired doneness. The best way to make sure the steak is done to your liking is to insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching bone. Let steak rest a few minutes before serving. See tip below.

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