Hanger Steak

This is a steak that most people have never heard of. A while back I was in the local meat market, looking for some different cuts of meat. I came across the hanger steak. It is sometimes called a butcher steak, since the butcher usually keeps it for himself. There is one steak per cow, and it is from the diaphragm muscle. Very beefy and tender when cut against the grain. There is a tough piece of sinew running through the middle that is inedible. The grain of the steak runs in different directions on each side of the sinew fiber. They are small weighing between 1 1/2 to a little over 2 pounds. Since there are 6 of us eating, I usually cook two.

Remove the meat from its wrapper and locate the sinew.

Carefully slice one side free from it. Trim the other side free by running your knife slowly between the meat and fiber, pulling up the sinew from the meat. As you can see below, it is a tough fiber.

Next, check for the grain direction. Cut each section into two or three pieces, so when you are ready to slice it is easier to cut. A simple seasoning of salt and pepper is all you really need.

 Cooking is usually done on a hot grill, keeping the internal temperature on the rare side.

I am visiting my daughter and her family. They live in a condo with no grilling allowed. They do have an indoor smoker, which I will use  smoke the meat to an internal temperature of around 120 degrees. When temperature is reached, I will sear in a very hot skillet to get a nice crust on all sides. Allow to rest about 15 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain. Enjoy!