This is a recipe that ideally needs a good charcoal or gas barbecue with a lid, and that is big enough to have a hot side (where the charcoal or gas is really hot) and a cooler side with no coals or the gas off. This will give you a “direct” cooking zone for searing and browning the meat and an “indirect” zone for the slow roast.
If you only have a small charcoal grill without a lid, don’t worry, you can start the meat off on the charcoal and transfer it to your kitchen oven for the remainder of the roasting. There is nothing at all wrong with doing that – using the equipment you have available to get the best result is the important thing
Method - BBQ Buffalo Cowboy Steaks (serves 4)
Preparation time: 30 minutes (10 minutes for the rub, 20 minutes for the sauce)
Marinating time: 6 hours
Cooking time: Approx 40-45 minutes (10 minutes to prepare, 10-15 minutes cooking and 20 minutes resting) .
For this dish you need a French-trimmed buffalo (or beef if you prefer) fore-rib rack, chine bone removed and cut into individual steaks. If possible have your butcher prepare the fore-rib so that the bones are cleaned back to the eye of the rib, or trim back the excess yourself with a sharp knife. Cut into individual steaks; these are known as côte be boeuf or “cowboy” steaks. Resist any temptation you may have to trim off the fat from the edge of the steaks. The dry rub of sugar, salt and spices works best on the fat and as the fat melts the flavours will be released into the meat.
Begin well ahead of time (remember you need 6 hours marinating time) by preparing the dry rub and the sauce.
All of the spices will be available from Asian supermarkets or from spice retailers on-line. But if you can’t get hold of some of them, don’t worry, you can try substituting your own select, perhaps fenugreek instead of galangal or sumac instead of asafoetida. By all means try out your own blends.
Making the Dry Rub and Marinating
1/ For the rub, combine all the ingredients in a strong plastic bag large enough to hold the joint. Shake the dry ingredients together so that they are thoroughly mixed.
2/ Put the joint in the bag, seal and thoroughly coat the joint with the dry rub ensuring that all the fat in particular is completely coated.
3/ Refrigerate until an hour before you want to begin cooking. Don’t leave the steaks for longer than 6 hours in the rub as the salt will extract too much water from the meat.
The raw steaks and cooked as prepared by Nigel Barden for Simon Mayo's Drivetime on Radio 2
(picture courtesy of Radio 2)
Making the BBQ Sauce
1/ For the sauce, finely chop and sauté the onion and garlic in a pan over a low heat until softened and beginning to colour.
2/ Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to mix thoroughly.
3/ Bring to a gentle simmer until the mixture is thick and transfer to a blender or blending jug and blitz until smooth. Allow to cool and refrigerate letting the flavours mature.
Cooking the Meat
1/ Remove the meat from the fridge an hour or so before you begin cooking and remove it from the bag. Rinse the dry rub from all parts of the steaks and pat each one dry with kitchen cloth.
2/ Prepare your barbecue so that you have a hot, direct cooking area and a cooler indirect area. If you have a barbecue with a lid you will get the best results but you can still cook these on a non-lidded barbie.
3/ Coat the meat and fat thoroughly in the BBQ sauce with a basting brush, avoiding getting any sauce on the exposed bones (this will just make it look better on the table). It’s a good idea to use a silicone brush as basting over hot coals can cause nylon bristles to melt!
4/ Sear the steaks on the hottest part of the grill for about two minutes, rotating through a quarter turn to get a bit of browning going and some good cross-hatched sear lines. Once seared well on both sides move the steaks off the direct heat and shut the lid.
You'll be looking to maintain a cooking temperature of 140-180 Celsius as shown by the thermometer in the lid of your grill. Obviously what temperature you achieve in that range will determine how long the steaks will take to cook. The longer they take the more tender the meat will be. Rib should be served around the "medium" mark as it has a bit of fat running through it and if it is too rare the fat can be a bit chewy so use a probe thermometer and aim for a core temperature of about 65-70 Celsius.
Try to resist the temptation to lift the lid too often for too long but give the meat regular coating of your BBQ sauce. If you’re using a BBQ without a lid you’ll need to cook the steaks for a little longer and over a more direct heat so try not to let them burn and keep them basted. The steaks should take around 12-14 minutes to cook to perfection.
5/ Once cooked allow the meat to rest for 15-20 minutes, somewhere warm, if you can resist!
To Serve BBQ Cowboy Steaks
These are very filling chunky steaks. You can serve with triple fried chips, baked potato, or savoury rice and a tomato and onion salad.
Wine suggestion:
These steaks shout out for beer, such as our Laverstoke Real Ale. If you prefer wine then a good robust red is recommended, such as a Barolo, Chianti, or Rioja.