Prepare Chipotle Marinade. In a non-reactive baking dish or a
resealable plastic bag, add the steaks and the Chipotle Marinade. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the Mango Salsa.
Remove steaks from refrigeration 1 hour before cooking and wipe excess marinade off the steaks. When you are ready to grill, preheat barbecue grill.
Do not salt your steaks just before cooking. Salt brings moisture (water) to the surface of the steak, and the water sits on the
surface as you cook the steak. Thus, you are again basically steaming the steak. I know that some people do salt their steaks
before cooking, but trust me and don't salt - the result will be juicy, delicious steaks to serve your family and guests!
Salt after the steak is cooked to your liking, has rested the required time, and just before serving.
Place steaks onto hot grill of your
Barbecue
and grill to the desired degree of doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Use a
meat thermometer to test for doneness:
|
What constitutes rare and medium-rare cooked meat? To satisfy government home economists, the Beef
Council says rare beef means an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Well, that is ok if you like well-done and dry meat. If you like moist, rosy meat (like I do),
rare begins at 120 degrees and starts to become medium rare at 125 or 130 degrees. To cook your meat properly, you must purchase and use a good instant-read digital
meat thermometer.
 This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking: Remember, the steak will continue to cook as it sets. The
temperature will rise to 125 degrees F. to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes. So, pay attention to how long you let the cooked
steak sit before serving.
Residual Heat Definition:
Carry-over cooking is caused by residual heat transferring from the hotter exterior of the meat to the cooler center. As a
general rule, the larger and thicker the cut of meat, and the higher the cooking temperature, the more residual heat will be
in the meat, and the more the internal temperature will rise during resting due to carry-over cooking. This means the meat
must be removed from the heat at an internal temperature lower than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the
residual heat to finish the cooking.
|
When the steaks are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the grill and let sit 15 minutes before serving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees
after it is removed from the oven). Serve your perfectly cooked steaks with the prepared Mango Salsa.
Makes 4 servings.
Chipotle Marinade:
1/4 cup
olive oil
3 tablespoons canned
chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely minced*
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed
lime juice (2 medium limes)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon minced
garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh
cilantro leaves
Pinch of salt
* Chipotle chiles (dried, smoked jalapenos) can be purchased dried
or canned in a spicy adobo sauce. Since dried chiles need to be rehydrated for
20 minutes in warm water, I prefer the convenience of canned-and the adobo
sauce is extremely flavorful.
Place the olive oil, chipotle chiles, lime juice, honey, garlic, cilantro, and salt in a blender; puree until smooth.
Mango Salsa:
2 mangoes, peeled and cut lengthwise around the pit into slices and then diced
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans (or canned and drained)
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 jalapeno
chile pepper, seeded and minced (or to taste)
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh
cilantro leaves
Juice
of 1 fresh-squeezed
lime
Salt to taste
In a medium-size bowl, combine the diced mangoes, black beans, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno chile, cilantro, and lime.
