Set to sizzle
Dish’s new columnist, Gareth Stewart, executive chef of the Nourish Group – which includes Jervois Steak Houses – joins us to share his knowledge of all things meat. This issue, we find out how to sous vide a delicious skirt steak at home without expensive gadgets.
The skirt is a cut of meat from the diaphragm muscle of the cow – it’s a long, flat cut that can be slightly tough, but has bags of flavour, and lots of intermuscular fat which keeps it moist. In this recipe, I’ve sous-vide the steaks, to lock in flavour and tenderise the meat, then finished them by searing on the barbecue to caramelise, giving you a bit of extra flavour and texture.
If you have a sous vide machine at home you can, of course, use that, but it’s easy to get the same results with sealable plastic bags (make sure you choose good-quality Bpa-free ones) in a water bath in your oven at a low temperature.
You will need a kitchen thermometer, to make sure the temperature of the water bath is correct. And bear in mind the sous vide process could take up to nine hours, so get on to it early on the day of your barbecue (you can actually keep the sealed cooked bags in the fridge for 3–4 days – and bring to room temperature before barbecuing).
Sous-vide and Barbecued Skirt Steak with Green Harrisa
1 kilogram skirt steak 4 sprigs thyme 1½ tablespoons peppercorns 4 cloves garlic, peeled
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 bunch spring onions salt and pepper
Green harissa
1 green capsicum
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted 3 green chillies, deseeded, thinly sliced 1 small spring onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup each chopped flat-leaf parsley
leaves and coriander leaves and stems ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice Preheat the oven to 55°C. Fill a deep roasting dish or casserole dish with warm water and put it in the oven, testing the water until it maintains a constant 54°C temperature – adjust the oven accordingly.
Trim any excess fat and sinew from the skirt, then cut into 4 steaks (see step one).
Put each steak into a sealable plastic bag, along with a sprig of thyme, 4–5 peppercorns, a clove of garlic and a tablespoon of oil. Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge each bag in the water before you seal it – this helps to force the air out (see step two).
Quickly put the sealed bags in the 54°C water (see step three), then cover with a lid or foil.
Cook in the oven for 8 hours, testing the temperature of the water after 1 hour, and again every few hours after that (make the green harissa during this time).
When you’re ready to barbecue, preheat the barbecue to medium-high. Remove the bags from the water bath and carefully unseal, then remove the steaks to a plate. Drizzle the spring onions with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper, then set aside for 5 minutes.
Sear the steaks for about 30 seconds each side – just long enough to get some colour, then set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Char the spring onions for 5 minutes, turning, until coloured.
Slice the steaks across the grain then arrange on a platter with the spring onions and drizzle with the green harissa. Serve with the remaining harissa on the side.
Green harissa: Burn the green capsicum directly on the gas burner before placing in a container with a lid to sweat. Scrape away the black burnt skin once cool and split the capsicum in half to remove the seeds. Roughly dice and set aside.
Put the toasted cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle and roughly grind, then add the chillies, spring onion, garlic, green capsicum, parsley and coriander, and pound to a rough paste. Add the oil and lemon juice and mix to combine, then season with salt. Serves 4
For more from Gareth, watch The Weekend Chef series via the Wine & Food Society at foleywineclub.co.nz.