Spicy Rubbed Steak & Wine Throwdown

Hey Mike! Look at your New York Strips on the grill! This is Bobby Flay's Spice-Rubbed steaks from his book Bobby Flay cooks American (page 138). I started with a trip to Tag'z Five Star Meats, where Mike Taglio runs the best butcher shop anywhere. 

We talked about how we love all kinds of food from the grill. He grew up in the north. I grew up in the south. We talked about how much fun it is to grill from other cultures. Its "home fries" in the north and its "grits" in the south - but its all great stuff. We agreed that if Bobby Flay ever actually came to town, we would make our first stop at Tag'z! Then Mike picked out these great steaks. The spice rub was made with ancho chili powder, paprika, ground black pepper, dry mustard, coriander, dried and crushed oregano, ground cumin and kosher salt. I brushed the steaks with olive oil and then, using the back of a spoon, I rubbed in the spices. The oil (Olive or Canola) should go right on the food, not the grill grates themselves. With the grill blazing, I put the steaks on with the spice side down. The sizzle and the sear is heard instantly. With the steaks grilling on one side, I added oil and more spice rub to the side facing up and then let the grill do its work. When I turned the steaks, I also tossed on some Asparagus that also had Olive Oil, pepper and salt added. Now take a look at that spice-rub crust on those steaks! That is what you want to see. I turned the heat down and closed the lid so the grill would cook the streaks through and char the Asparagus. No extra sauces or glazes or mops are needed on this steak. Excellent steak with the right spices is all you need. If you need a sauce to make it great, then something is wrong. The steak should be great standing alone - this one really reached that standard. 

What to drink? It was a Wine Throwdown! We brought together some wines that we had been given and decided to do a cost and taste comparison. 

The two wines in the throwdown were Cabernets. The first was Darby & Joan, an Australian and the second was Robert Mondavi's Solaire from Paso Robles, California. The third wine was a Marquis Phillips Merlot that was in the fridge - so we brought it out. All these were inexpensive wines, but the Darby & Joan was very inexpensive at about $8. The Solaire was about $17. 

In the photo the Solaire are the closest two glasses, the Darby are the two in the middle, the Phillips are the two glasses that are farthest away. I guess in this case, you really do get what you pay for. Dorothy and I each independently rated each wine for color, aroma and taste. Comparing notes we decided that the Darby was thin in color and taste. The aroma was "chemical." The Solaire, on the other hand, was deep and dark but translucent and clear ruby in color. The aroma also had a somewhat alcohol-chemical smell, but I also got raisins and Dorothy got honey and dried fruit. She always can tell you what the label says about smell and taste before reading it. The taste was somewhat acidic but also peppery-spicy and dry - the opposite of sweet. Hands down the Solaire was the winner, but they were all okay. That being said, none were quite as good as some of my favorite Cabs. We drank the Solaire with dinner and its spicy kick went along well with the spice-rub steaks. The Darby will be used soon when red wine is called for in a recipe. 

What was on? What else - Billy Joel's classic Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. 

A bottle of white, a bottle of red,
Perhaps a bottle of rosé instead.
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I - face to face.

Wine tastings are popular at restaurants and bars these days, and we really like to attend them - but its just as much fun to stage your own Wine Throwdown at home. We will do it again with White Wines as soon as it gets a little warmer. In the meantime, grill up some steaks, get some Red Wines and ask yourself, "Are you ready for a Throwdown?"

Paul