Best way to cook a hanger steak

If you like rib eye but are looking for something more affordable, hanger steak is a great alternative.

Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Montiel

When Angie Mar suggests a cut of meat, we listen. The executive chef and owner of NYC's Beatrice Inn, and a 2017F&W Best New Chef, stopped by the Test Kitchen today to school us on all things steak, and when Culinary Director Justin Chapple asked her what her favorite cut of meat to grill is, she said it was rib eye steak. There's a reason rib eye is so popular: it's large, marbled, and versatile. But because rib eyes are so well-liked, they can also be expensive.

If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, Mar recommends hanger steak.

"It has a beefy flavor like a rib eye, but it's more cost-effective and a little bit different and it actually cooks quicker," she says.

The hanger steak is actually a slender individual muscle from the short loin primal that "hangs" from the cow's trailing rib, connecting to its diaphragm. Hanger is well-marbled and has a coarse grain, which takes well to marinades. Hanger steak is quite tender when you slice it on the bias, or against the grain.

The first step when prepping a hanger steak is removing the sinew, if the butcher hasn't already done so. Mar does this with a long sharp knife, pulling the sinew taught and slicing in long strokes. For a better grip, Chapple likes using a paper towel to grab the sinew. It's really simple to do, and it's cheaper to buy the meat with the sinew, so Mar and Chapple both recommend taking this route. A bonus? Instead of throwing it away, Mar suggests browning the inedible bits and throwing them into a pot with bones to make stock.

Once the meat is ready to cook, you should season it liberally with salt as you would any other piece of meat. (You can use black pepper, too, but Mar doesn't like the taste of burnt black pepper, so she sticks to just salt.)

While hanger steak does have a nuttier flavor than rib eye, the biggest difference between them is the texture and grain of the muscle, and here's where the crucial distinction in cooking comes in. Though Mar likes to cook rib eyes rare, hanger steak benefits from longer cooking, so she cooks them medium. "The heat helps all the tissue break down and you'll get a more tender piece," she says.

Though it used to be known as a butcher's steak, it's becoming an increasingly popular cut, Chapple points, out, so get on it. Here are eight recipes to get started with:

Tender juicy hanger steak! Quickly sear this steak in a hot pan and then serve with a sauce of shallots and butter in a wine reduction. This makes an easy, yet impressive, home cooked meal.

Have you ever tried hanger steak? One of the best things about having a butcher close by who knows a thing or two about meat is that we are often inspired to try cuts that would otherwise be unfamiliar to us.

Hanger steak is one of those cuts.

What Is Hanger Steak?

Also known as a "butcher's steak", the hanger steak "hangs" down from a steer's diaphragm, the plate, between the brisket and the flank (according to the Wikipedia). It's one of the most flavorful cuts of beef.

Shopping for Hanger Steak

Hanger steak is sold either whole, looking somewhat like a "V", or trimmed of the center gristle, in which case they resemble a tenderloin. If you get a whole piece, make sure to cut away and discard the center main gristle that connects the two tenderloin-ish pieces.

If hanger steak isn't available where you are, you might want to try this recipe with a flank or skirt steak.

How to Cook Hanger Steak

Hanger steak is highly flavorful but isn't perfectly tender, so it responds well to quick cooking with searing heat. Simply heat a skillet with oil over high heat, sear the steaks on all sides, and cook until done to your preference.

Hanger steak is best served sliced thinly across the grain.

What to Serve With Hanger Steak

This recipe calls for a delicious shallot sauce drizzled on top of the sliced steak. We picked up the recipe from our local butcher at Corti Brothers who in turn got it from Chef Daniel Boulud. According to Chef Boulud, French bistros traditionally serve this hanger steak along with pommes frites (French fries).

We passed on the fries and went with broccoli and boiled potatoes. Outstanding! And very easy to make.

More Great Steak Recipes

• Quick and Easy Pan-Fried Flank Steak
• Peppercorn Steak
• How to Grill the Best Steak
• Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri
• Sous Vide Steak

If hanger steak isn't available where you are, you might want to try this recipe with a flank or skirt steak.

Hanger steak is sold either whole, looking somewhat like a "V", or trimmed of the center gristle, in which case they resemble a tenderloin. If you get a whole piece, make sure to cut away and discard the center main gristle that connects the 2 tenderloin-ish pieces.

Recipe adapted from Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook.

• 1 tablespoon canola oil or extra virgin olive oil

• 4 hanger steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each (trimmed of main gristle running through center)

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 6 medium shallots, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

1. Sear the steaks on all sides:

   Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper.

   When the pan is hot, place the steaks into the pan, and brown them on all sides. (Do not move the steak pieces until they have browned on one side, if you move them, they won't brown easily.)

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2. Cook until done to your preference, remove from pan:

   Continue to turn them until they are cooked to your preference, 6 minutes total for medium-rare (the steaks will continue to cook as they rest), a few minutes longer for more well done.

   Transfer the steaks to a warm dish and cover them with foil and let them rest while you prepare the sauce.

3. Make the sauce:

   Reduce the heat to medium, add a tablespoon of butter and the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until the shallots are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

   Add the vinegar and cook until it boils away, then add the wine.

   Bring the wine to a boil and let reduce to about half. Remove pan from heat, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the chopped parsley.

4. Slice steaks across the grain to serve:

   To serve, cut each steak across the grain into thin slices. Fan the slices out on a warm dinner plate. Drizzle the warm shallot sauce over the meat and serve immediately.

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