I can be a bit of a snob about steak; see I grew up in an area when some of the best beef is produced. Yeah, Northwest Iowa!! But sometimes you just want a steak and you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg. And sometimes that means less expensive grocery store or “no name” steaks- well frankly, they can use a little help. That’s when you want to make this Coffee Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak.

Coffee & Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak with Chimichurri

That’s when a rub or a sauce (or both) can work a little magic. This Coffee Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak is a perfect example. I am actually a little surprised I was able to sneak this rub on the steak at the folk’s house. They’re my favorite Octogenarians, and they’re a little snobby about their steak, too, and are firmly in the camp that nothing should go on a steak other than salt and pepper! They loved this, though – never knew what hit them!

About Coffee Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak:

Let’s talk about the rub on this steak. The Coffee Coriander Rub (and no worries, it doesn’t taste like coffee, just like magic) enhances the steak but doesn’t take over. Once grilled it adds indescribable flavor without being so brash you’re going to think “That’s coffee on this here steak.” The salt helps it act like a dry rub, the spices add flavor and the touch of sugar helps everything caramelize beautifully, even on a tougher, less marbled grocery store steak.

So what you really get for this wee bit of effort in making the rub and letting the steaks sit for a couple of hours before grilling them is a lot of marvelous flavor that just enhances but doesn’t overpower the steak.

The Chimichurri Sauce I used on this steak just gilds the lily a bit and is optional, but it goes beautifully with the coffee rub and the flavorful mix of rub and Chimi can help distract from a less than a prime cut of meat. Since I always forget, I’m going to put it down here: The grading in the States here goes from Prime (almost never found in a grocery store) to Choice and then Select.

Chimichurri

Making Coffee Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak:

The first rule to know when cooking steak: Don’t overcook your steak (I wasn’t in charge of the grilling on this one or it would have been a bit more charred & a quite a bit rarer) and this is even more important when you’re using on the more inexpensive grades. They will have less marbling, the tiny veins of fat running through the steak and be more prone to being dry. So of course, the more it’s cooked the drier the steak. Keeping the steaks on the rarer side helps a lot.

This steak needs a two-zone fire, a hot side to sear the steak and a side that’s just a bit cooler to allow the steak to cook through. Add your steak to the hot side of the grill, get your char, turn to char the other side then move it to the cooler side and let it do its thing. Don’t move, poke, press or prod and you’ll be rewarded!

When you serve this steak, cut across the grain at right angles and you’ll have a very good steak – even at a grocery store price. And rather than tossing a hunk of steak on everyone’s plate, consider resting it a few minutes and slicing it on a platter or tray and passing it around – you’ll find it goes further.

Coffee & Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak with Chimichurri

Saving Money on Coffee Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak:

Look for steaks to be on sale before every summer holiday when the stores are trying to draw you in for their shopping. You’ll also find great prices on steak around Christmas and especially around New Year’s Eve, so if you have a hankering think about shopping strategically for your steak.

Sometimes you’ll find a roast to coincide with the steak you are thinking of and roasts are almost always less expensive than the actual steak. If you’re shopping in a store with a butcher, pick a roast you like and ask them to cut the steak for you. Most groceries will have a little bell or buzzer for the butcher and be patient and wait. It may take them a minute or two to finish a task and/or clean up and get out to you.

I mentioned the grading on a steak, above. Those grades come from the USDA and if the steak has been inspected and graded by the USDA it will say so on the label. Sometimes stores have big sales where the steak is labeled prime, choice or select but there is no stamp. Beware. It may be an incredible deal or a mistake, so know about how to identify a good steak and do take a close look.

Coffee & Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak with Chimichurri

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Today, of course, I’ll be linking Coffee Coriander Rubbed New York Strip Steak to our very own Throwback Thursday Link Party, hosted by Quinn of Dad What’s for Dinner, Meaghan of 4 Sons are Us, Alli of Tornadough, Carlee from Cooking with Carlee and Moi! That’s right – me!

Click over to our latest Throwback Thursday post for links to their blogs and social media, rules and more info or, as always, to see all the links or add your own, click on the little blue frog, below.

And, as I do almost every Friday, I’ll be linking up to Angie’s Fiesta Friday – this week is Fiesta Friday 123, co-hosts this week are Margy @ La Petite Casserole and Linda @ La Petite Paniere.