Henao Family Steakhouse Dinner

//Henao Family Steakhouse Dinner

My husband Harvey (Henao - that’s our family name) and I never miss the opportunity for a steakhouse dinner on the weekends if we can. With two active kids we don't always spring for a sitter and expensive dinner downtown so this is how we splurge. Bone-in ribeye steaks are preferred, but for a real splurge we'll go for dry-aged, bone-in ribeyes if we find them. Harvey has really perfected his craft in steak cooking; we start off by air-chilling the seasoned steaks (we like Gibsons salt or Back of the Yards butcher rub from The Spice House) during happy hour (with blue cheese olive martinis) to further dry them out so they get that nice, crusty sear. To pair with the steaks, we'll make some basic baked or twice baked potatoes with sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives and I’ll make a salad with blue cheese dressing. Crusty bread from Hewn or La Fournette and European-style butter (left out to come to room temperature for an hour before dinner) rounds out the satisfying weekend meal.
Servings 2 hungry adults (and two young kids or with potential for leftovers for a steak salad or tacos)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 bone-in or dry-aged, bone-in ribeye steaks (cut 1.25-inch thick)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper or your favorite steak seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp. high smoke-point oil (such as avocado oil)

Instructions
 

  • Rub steaks generously with salt and pepper or the rub set on a plate or sheet pan and transfer to the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Air-chill, uncovered, for an hour or two. Alternatively you can just let the seasoned steaks sit out and come to room temperature and skip that step below. 
  • Preheat the broiler to high (make sure your windows can open and your fan works, it can get smoky). 
  • Add the oil to a cast-iron pan (now is a good time to get one) and set in the broiler for about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, remove steaks from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
  • When the cast iron pan is smoking hot, carefully remove from the broiler using high-heat-proof oven mitts (now is a good time to get these). Set pan on the range over high heat.
  • Sear steaks for about a minute and a half each side. Return pan to the broiler and cook steaks for 3 minutes, carefully flip, and cook another 3 minutes. Cook for 2 minutes per side for steaks less than an inch thick, or until a meat thermometer reads 120-125 degrees F for medium-rare (temperature will rise while resting).
  • Rest steaks for about 10 minutes, uncovered, on a wooden chopping board. This is super important. If desired, add a dollop of herb butter to the steaks.
  • Serve steaks with sharp knives, a cold, crisp salad and good bread and butter.
By | 2023-08-28T22:36:53-05:00 April 5th, 2020|Recipes|Comments Off on Henao Family Steakhouse Dinner

About the Author:

Amelia Levin is a Chicago-based food writer and magazine editor, cookbook author and certified chef who writes about food, foodservice and the restaurant industry. Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines and newspapers as well as online.