Grilled Spice Rubbed Ribeye with Homemade Steak Sauce

He's baaaaack!  My handsome hubby is back, friends!  He is helping me with this post on steaks.  I think since he's making a second appearance on my blog we should give him a blog name.  So, without further adieu, meet "A Boy Named Sous."  This perfect name will be explained in a post to come later.  For now, back to the business of food and eating (because that's what we live for, right?!)  This spice rub and steak sauce comes to us courtesy of Bobby Flay.  It can be found in his cookbook, "Bobby Flay's Grill It!"  The rub makes a lot so plan to have leftovers (unless you are feeding a crowd!)  The steak sauce is tangy and sweet and just downright perfect!  Enjoy!

Grilled Spice Rubbed Ribeye with Homemade Steak Sauce (adapted from Bobby Flay's Grill It!)

For the spice rub and steaks:

1/4 c. chili powder
1 1/2 T. sweet paprika
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. dry mustard
2 t. sea salt
2 t. black pepper
1 t. ground cumin
4 (8 oz.) boneless rib-eye steaks
2 t. extra virgin olive oil

Combine the chili powder, sweet paprika, oregano, coriander, dry mustard, sea salt, black pepper and cumin in a bowl with a tight fitting lid and shake to combine.  Brush the steaks with the olive oil and coat the steaks liberally with the rub.  This can be done early in the day or just 20 minutes before time to grill.

NOTE: this makes at least 2-3 times the amount of steak rub you'll need for 4 steaks, but it will keep for 6 months in an airtight container.

4 servings (440 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com

For the Steak Sauce:

1/2 c. Dijon Mustard
1/4 c. whole-grain mustard
1/4 c. molasses
2 T. ketchup
2 T. honey
1 T. prepared horseradish
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.  Bring to room temperature before serving.  

NOTE:  this makes a lot of steak sauce.  I have frozen it with great success!

Makes approximately 1 cup steak sauce.  8 servings (2 tablespoons each serving)  150 calories each serving according to my calculator on loseit.com

Now, I hand it over to the man.  He will tell you how to grill.

Grilling steaks is one of my favorite things to do. Shel doesn’t let me do much in the kitchen, but I have been granted free reign of the grilling world, so I have a lot of experience there and really love grilling a good steak. You can do it too and it's not as hard as you think.

It begins with a good rub or marinade (see above!)

Pull the rubbed/marinated steaks out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. (this takes about 30-45 minutes)  Start your grill and get it hot (400-450 degrees F), I use a gas grill because it’s convenient, consistent and controllable.  For more smoky flavor I put an aluminum pan with small wood chips (hickory, apple, cherry, etc) in one corner when I start the grill. In about 5-10 mins they will smoke and impart that flavor into the meat.

I quickly open the lid, put on the steak and shut the lid, leaving on high heat for about 30 secs to get a good sear (essential!), then turn the heat to low under the steaks. If you have room and a grill with different heating zones, leave the other side of the grill on high. That will give it more convection heating.

I go for medium to medium rare because it cooks thoroughly enough while preserving flavor and retains juiciness. The thinner and/or less fat your cut has the less time it needs in this stage.  For a thin steak 3-4 mins and for the thickest 5-6 mins has been my experience.

Turn heat to high, uncover, and flip them over once. If your grill has hot spots you may want to adjust placement upon flipping so that they all cook evenly, or if you are cooking to order to different doneness you can use this knowledge of your grill to place steaks as needed.

Cover and leave on for 30 seconds to sear on that side, then turn to low, let them cook about the same amount of time.  You can check them, then turn off the heat and let them sit covered for another minute or two. Plate them and let them rest for 5 minutes before digging in.

As a personal preference, I prefer my steaks with minimal to no steak sauce since (like barbecue) I think it can easily mask the depth of flavor from grilling. But it is nice to dip or smear a bit over the top before cutting into it. Another tasty steak sidekick is a spoonful of prepared horseradish on the side. Or mix equal parts horseradish with Dijon mustard.

Happy grilling!

TIPS:

Use tongs, never prongs (forks). Poking holes in the meat lets out the juices and delicious flavor.

Know your grill and hot/cold spots it has.

Watch for flame flare-ups – they can make your steak catch fire and ruin it if unchecked. A spray bottle of water usually extinguishes quickly.  If it’s flaring up a lot you may have a fatty portion over high heat, so just move the steak away from the problem area.

Don’t move the steaks around too much or mess with them. Less is more!

Try to leave them covered and resist the urge to keep checking on them visually. Trust the plan.

Dry Ranch Style Seasoning

I like the flavor of dry ranch seasoning in many dishes but I dislike the MSG, maltodextrin and soy in the packaged stuff.  This is a great substitute, has zero calories and zero guilt!  Enjoy!

Dry Ranch Style Seasoning (adapted from sixsistersstuff.com)

2 T. dried parsley
1 t. dried dill 
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt

Combine all spices in an airtight container and shake to combine.  Makes the equivalent of 1 (1 oz.) packet of dressing mix.

ZERO calories!  Zippo!  Nada!  Zilch.

Crock Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken

This is one of the easiest and most delicious chicken recipes I've ever tried.  I browned the chicken thighs before I put them in my slow cooker for added color and crunch but you could absolutely skip that step and still have delicious chicken!  The slow cooker is great in the hot summer months when you don't want to heat up your kitchen and don't have time to grill.  You could throw this in your crock pot the night before and cook it the next day.  Serve with rice pilaf and a salad and you have a dinner fit for a king!

Crock Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken (adapted from therecipecritic.com)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
8 bone-in, skin-off chicken thighs
1/2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 package dry Italian dressing mix (or make your own sugar free version - recipe below)
1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. chicken broth

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  Brown chicken, in batches if necessary, and place it in the slow cooker.  Whisk Italian dressing mix, lemon juice and chicken broth together and pour over the chicken.  Cook chicken on low for 3-4 hours.  


8 servings (119 calories each servings - feel free to have 2!) according to my calculator on loseit.com

Italian Dressing Mix (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 1/2 t. onion powder
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. dried basil
1 1/2 t. dried parsley
1/8 t. celery salt
1 T. salt

Mix all together in an airtight container.  This can easily be doubled or tripled and stored for future use!

Taco Seasoning

Have you ever read the back of the packet of taco seasoning you picked up at the store?  I picked up one recently that contained whole wheat flour, sugar, lactose and "natural flavor."  Really?  What the heck is "natural flavor" anyway?  That just doesn't sound, well, natural.  So, I give you a recipe for taco seasoning that really IS natural.  You can throw it together in minutes and the good news is you can double or triple it and keep it on hand for a quick, easy taco fix anytime!  

Taco Seasoning (allrecipes.com)

1 T. chili powder

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

1/4 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. paprika

1 1/2 t. ground cumin

1 t. sea salt

1 t. black pepper

This makes enough taco seasoning for 1 to 1 1/2 lb. ground meat (I use turkey) depending on how spicy you like your taco meat.

No calories here!  :)