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Steak with Cumin and Mustard Rub
Background info: Since the first evidence of cooking with fire, dating back to over 700,000 years ago, grilling food (especially choice cuts of meat) over a heat source has played a key role not only in human nutrition, but in our physical development. Although this early cooking method provided our ancestors with more bioavailable nutrients, evidence has shown that it also led to smaller, weaker jaws in their descendants.
This structural deficit, while largely in place by the time of our shift from hunter-gatherer to farmer over 12,000 years ago, continues to be exacerbated by readily available processed foods. Choosing quality proteins, like grass-fed beef, not only provides extensive nutritional benefits (such as high levels of omega-3 fatty acids), but also can help improve jaw strength, as whole foods require thorough mastication in comparison to the processed foods of modern commerce.
– Price-Pottenger
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Prep: 10 minutes / Cooking: 8 to 25 minutes / Yield: about 4 to 6 servings
This is my favorite way to season and cook steak. It combines three great spices that add immense flavor and antioxidants. I like to leave any visible fat on the steaks. It adds moisture, particularly with lean cuts of meat, and a lot of flavor.
For a smaller piece of meat, reduce seasonings and cooking time as needed. An 8-ounce buffalo steak might only take about 2 or 3 minutes per side to come out rare.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless or 2 pounds bone-in grassfed beef or bison/buffalo steak (at least 1-inch thick): sirloin, tenderloin, fillet, New York strip, top loin, round tip, flank, London broil, rib eye, T-bone, porterhouse, club or sandwich steak, or other cut
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, or as needed to coat
- 1 tablespoon ground dry mustard (powder), or as needed to coat
- ½ to 1 tablespoon coconut oil, non-hydrogenated palm shortening, or avocado oil
Directions
- Preheat a medium-hot gas grill or preheat broiler. If using broiler, position a broiling rack 2 to 3 inches from heat source for ¾-inch thick steaks, 3 to 4 inches for 1- to 1½-inch thick steaks, or 4 to 6 inches for 1½- to 2-inch thick steaks.
- Pat steaks dry. Lightly sprinkle both sides with sea salt and pepper. Liberally sprinkle one side with cumin and rub in with the back of a spoon. Turn and repeat with mustard on the second side. If time permits, let meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover loosely with parchment and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- If using an electric oven or toaster oven, add ¼ cup water to the bottom of the broiler pan. The liquid should not touch the bottom of the meat rack. Lightly mist, brush, or rub the steaks with oil. During cooking, leave the door of an electric oven ajar. If grilling, place meat on hot grill, then reduce grill to medium.
- Grill or broil steaks, turning them after the halfway point. To test for doneness, make a small slit in the steak and check the center. The interior should be slightly less done than desired (a bit pink); the steaks will continue cooking after you remove them from the heat.
- Allow steaks to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle, then cut into strips or bite-size squares, and serve or refrigerate for later. Deposit bones in a bag in the freezer for making broth or stock. Consume leftovers within 3 days.
Variation
To cook steak(s) in a skillet: Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of fat or oil to a hot cast iron or heavy stainless steel skillet over medium heat for 1 steak. Sear one side of steak for 2 to 4 minutes, depending upon thickness, then repeat on the second side, cooking to desired doneness. Repeat with additional steaks as desired.
Reprinted with permission from The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz (Planetary Press, 2004).
Check out other Rachel Albert recipes:
Soothing Ginger, Squash & Apple Soup
Roasted Onion, Sweet Pepper & Salad Greens with Spice-Rubbed Steak
Published in the Price-Pottenger Journal of Health & Healing
Summer 2013 | Volume 37, Number 2
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