I like a good steak – rich, tender, juicy, barely cooked. Most of all, I like a good grass-fed steak. In fact anything else leaves me a bit queasy. There’s a striking difference between local grass-fed meats and those that are raised on feedlots – not only in flavor, but also in nutrient profiles. For the natural foods cook, grass-fed beef presents an added challenge: that of preserving its tenderness.
You see, the grain-fed beef most of us have been fed throughout our lives is a distinctly different food in comparison to grass-fed meats. Lower in overall fat content, and higher in omega-3 fatty acids, than feedlot beef, grass-fed beef simply cooks differently. Its very leanness, that which makes it nourishing and flavorful, requires a tender hand in the kitchen with a mind for simple, slow technique. In our home, we can maximize the flavor of grass-fed beef and tenderize it through a simple technique of searing followed by slow pan-braising.
wine-braised steak with rosemary
Ingredients
- 1 16- ounce beef steak
- finely ground real salt (to taste)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped fine)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup red wine
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Generously season the steak with unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper as it suits you.
- Heat two tablespoons butter or clarified butter in a cast-iron skillet over a very hot flame.
- Sear the steak in the hot fat about one minute on each side.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, add garlic and fresh rosemary needles.
- Deglaze the skillet with red wine.
- Place the skillet in an oven preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about ten minutes, longer if you prefer well-done steaks and less if you prefer a rare steak.
- serve with pan juices, garnished with additional rosemary.
