Hanger steak

Last barbecue of the summer?

A plain steak dinner is easy to make at home, so we never go out to fancy steak houses. But just about every restaurant on our California trip had "hanger steak" on the menu. John ordered one in Calistoga, and we ate the leftovers in a sandwich the next day on a picnic. It was good.

It's only been in recent years that you could find hanger steak at regular grocery stores in Seattle. At first I was put off by those shrink wrap packages with "use by" dates out to about the time I go on Medicare! I'm picky about cooking fresh meat right away. But of course it's fine, and refrigerated "aging" in that vacuum packaging may even tenderize the meat. Hanger steak was once known as "butcher's steak" because the wily butchers kept cuts of ultra tasty meat to themselves.

The hanger steak is a thick strip of meat from the underside of the beef cow. (I'll spare you a picture of a raw piece, but Google hanger steak images if you want.) The meat hangs near the diaphragm between the rib and loin, hence the name. In England they call it skirt steak, which sounds more civilized. It's flavorful meat, but like flank can be tough and dry if overcooked. A good marinade and outdoor grill is the way to go. Keep an eye out for the Stonewall Kitchen brand of onion-fig sauce and their other quality condiments. Pricey, but worth it: