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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Extreme Grilling, Alaska Style

Between the last week of rehearsals for Love, Loss and What I Wore and traveling to Seattle for a deposition, it's been a busy last five days.  It's also been a very snowy last week, as snow storms have been buffeting Alaska.  Everything looks very white and clean, but Seattle's fifty degrees yesterday felt heavenly.  However, I made the mistake of wearing the same knee-length dress I'd worn for the deposition on the flight home.  I emerged into zero-degree weather and immediately regretted that choice.

David and I have a very basic Weber grill that sits out on our back porch.  It's not a very advanced grill and we're not very advanced grillers.  It might have occurred to us to pull it into our garage and have some sort of shelter over it when winter hit, but what can I say?  It didn't.  The result is that the snow is as high as the grill, and that's without the additional snow on Saturday night:


Before I headed out of town, I made another run at steak with a porcini mushroom slather.  I tried a wet rub last October containing the porcini mushroom powder I bought on a whim from the local spice store;  it mostly didn't work.  This time around I tried a dry rub and the result was a kick-ass steak.


Since it was just for David and I, I used a one-pound ribeye on the bone that we sliced and shared.  For more than two, you might want to consider boned, smaller ribeye steaks.

Porcini-Crusted Ribeye Steak
Inspired by Flavors from The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton

1 lb. bone-in ribeye steak
3 tb. porcini powder
1 tb. granulated sugar
2 peperoncini peppers
1/4 tsp. truffle or kosher salt
Pinch fresh-ground pepper and salt
Good-quality extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for garnish

You can buy porcini powder ready-made;  here is one source.  Otherwise, grind dried porcini mushrooms to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle or a mini-prep food processor.

Combine the porcini powder, sugar and salt in a small bowl.  Crush the peperoncini peppers into fine bits and add them to the mixture;  stir to combine.

Completely coat the ribeye in porcini powder and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the steak for at least half an hour.

When the grill is started, pull the steak out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.  Pat any remaining porcini mixture onto it.

Season with a bit of additional salt and pepper just before the steak goes on the grill.  Cook for approximately eight minutes on each side, or until a meat thermometer reaches 125 degrees.  This will make for a rare steak;  cook longer for the desired degree of doneness.

Drizzle the plate with good-quality olive oil and then splash the steak with good balsamic vinegar.


I served this with roasted, cubed potatoes and roasted zucchini.  Delicious with an earthy red wine such as an Oregon pinot noir or a Chataneuf-du-Pape.

30 comments:

  1. This looks gorgeous - just the level of rareness I love. I adore mushroom crusts and have never attempted one, myself, high time I change that!

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  2. Oooh porcini powder sounds like an awesome addition! YUM!!

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  3. I love a good ribeye steak and this looks fantastic. It's a great shot of your grill buried away in the snow. I live in Seattle and I think it's cold so to hear that you were here and it felt nice makes me feel like I should appreciate it more lol.

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  4. I love that you got snow! I don't mean to sound not-content but here in Seattle the mild weather is nice but would be great to get some beautiful snow once in awhile during the proper season. :) I hope everything went well while you were here.

    I think I might have to try this sometime! You have my mouth watering. I heart steak.

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  5. that porcini powder sound really good for ribeye steak,my mouth watering too right now : ) serve with cube potato even better !!
    Ridwan

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  6. HA! That photo of the grill is hilarious! Y'all are proper grillmeisters :)

    Buzzed

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  7. This looks delicious! I'm loving the almost buried grill there lol

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  8. That snow is just crazy! It was like 75 out here today!

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  9. I am still amazed that you and Dave still gill on that old Weber. I am impressed with the recipe and the porcini powder sound awesome.

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  10. Terrific stalwart grilling aficionados you guys are! Great preparation for a steak , too, no matter what the weather. Love the photo of the grill int he snow...

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  11. When I lived in Maryland - I would grill in the snow, too....our neighbors used to come to the window and watch! ...but it was nothing like the snow you're having! The steak look delicious and I've never heard of porcini powder - sounds delish!

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  12. Oh my! That steak looks so deliciously lonely out there. :D I've never seen nor heard of porcini powder. That would be a real interesting condiment to have around the home. I can just imagine the flavors of that steak ... yum!

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  13. I don't think I've ever seen porcini powder. I love having new ingredients to try!

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  14. I've never heard of porcini powder... sounds good.

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  15. Nicely grilled with a crispy outer layer and that soft meat inside. Just like you, I am not like big in grilling and most of the grilling done at home is over the stove by using the portable grill. Except if we have functions at home, then the big grill will come out.

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  16. I thought of you this weekend when I heard of the massive snows that hit some places in Alaska! Hope you're okay. :) You guys are amazing to grill in the snow. I see an inch and I freak out. I say it's my inner "island girl" mentality. These steaks look so good and I feel bad my poor hubby doesn't get to eat more steak because I can't cook them right and I don't cook red meat. He's always getting steak at a restaurant. LOL! He would be so jealous if he saw this steak and that you guys did it right at home with snow on the ground. I love the rub... it's looks fantastic. :)

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  17. I hadn't considered ground mushrooms in a meat rub. Pulverizing them is the only way I can pass them by some of my children, so it is definitely something that has merit!

    That snow is amazing. Hope you are keeping warm!!

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  18. I love the earthiness of this steak - really the porcini powder really caught my eye. We have an old (almost 30 year old) Weber and every spring we look at new grills and every spring we go, "why?" It's a workhorse! Nice to have a break from winter - even if it's one warmish day in Seattle.

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  19. A really man dish! The steak is cooked to mediu perfection. Love porcini rub too.

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  20. I've heard about your snow!!! We haven't even had to break out the shovels yet this year...but my hubby will grill all year round, snow or no snow.

    Your steaks look terrific...and porcini powder on steaks may be the only way I can get Bill to eat mushrooms :)

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  21. You are humble, not very advanced grillers-ha! Your steak looks amazing and thanks for the intro to porcini powder. Definitely will be on the lookout for that.
    Weather does not keep us from making a great grilled steak here either.

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  22. You have me on the hunt for porcini powder now. I've seen the news about the Alaska snows. Hope it is not too bad where you are. And, cudos to you for braving the weather and grilling! That's dedication.

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  23. It's so funny seeing you BBQing in the snow while my husband complained that it's too cold to BBQ outside in 50F weather. LOL!! The dry rub look and sound delicious!

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  24. The steaks look absolutely fantastic and imagine we are complaning in Greece for just a dust of snow we had! First time at your blog, you have very tasty recipes!

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  25. I grill outside year round as well, but alas, I'm in South Carolina... ;-)

    Stay warm! Love the blog.

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  26. I love this! The Husband and I do the exact same thing - rain or shine, snow or wind - we grill year round!

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  27. It is funny to BBQ in the snow! But, hey, gotta do what ya gotta do! This steak looks delicious!

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  28. The steak looks amazing! Look at that rareness! Mmm..

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