Recipe: Cowboy Steak with Chipotle Mayonnaise

the appetizer:

Members of the Lobel family present another essential meat cookbook, Lobel's Prime Time Grilling, with recipes like Cowboy Steak with Chipotle Mayonnaise and Grilled Quail with Raspberry-Cranberry Cumberland Sauce

Cowboy Steak
with Chipotle Mayonnaise

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Serves 2

Cowboy steaks are big, brawny, extra-thick, bone-in rib-eye steaks, weighing in at about two pounds each. We french the rib bone, which means it's stripped of meat and so adds to the steak's robust appearance. These huge steaks, which take a good 30 or 35 minutes to cook, develop a lovely crust during grilling, and while they need no accompaniment, we like them with a dab of zesty chipotle mayonnaise. Make sure the thick steak has time to come to room temperature before grilling and then grill it over indirect heat for all but the initial searing. One will easily serve two people, and probably even three.

Heat: Hot Coals

Steaks

One 2-pound cowboy steak, about 2-1/2 inches thick
Olive oil
2 teaspoon crushed fresh black peppercorns
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
Cooking spray

Mayonnaise

1 small chipotle chile in adobo sauce, wiped dry
and chopped fine (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup mayonnaise, store-bought or homemade
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Make the steaks: Rub both sides and the sides of the steak with olive oil. Sprinkle the crushed peppercorns on both sides of the steak, pressing them lightly into the meat. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking (see page 7 of the book): Lightly spray the grill rack with vegetable oil cooking spray. Light the coals or heating elements, and let them burn or heat until hot.

3. Grill the steak over the hottest part of the grill for about 5 minutes. Turn and sear for 5 minutes on the other side. Move the steak to the cool part of the grill and grill, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn and grill for 15 to 20 minutes longer for medium-rare or until it is cooked to the desired degree of doneness.

4. Prepare the chipotle mayonnaise: In a small bowl, stir the chile into the mayonnaise. Add the garlic, cilantro, and lemon juice, stir gently, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate if not using within 30 minutes.

5. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving with the mayonnaise on the side.