Cooking for two

Red chile sauce flavors grilled porterhouse steak

This always happens: I eat one meal while devising the next.

Recently, while tableside cooking thin slices of garlicky pork, golden chicken and spicy mushrooms at a Korean barbecue restaurant, the conversation turned to grilling steak.

Steak, we agreed, is the quintessential summer indulgence. The perfect cut? Easy. Porterhouse -- the best of both worlds -- tender filet, beefy strip. To season or not? Always. Serve with steak sauce? Wow. A division among the ranks. Some eschew the idea; others couldn't imagine the absence.

As if on cue, a waiter arrives with a tray of sliced boneless beef steak heavily coated in a bright red chile sauce. A thrilling aroma rose from our charcoal grill while the steak edges crisped. Sweet, spicy, tangy, utterly delicious; we nearly inhaled the tender bits.

A consensus among the diners. By all means, steak sauce! This one!

Later at home, noodling around in the kitchen with a bevy of condiments ensued. The result: an intensely red, powerful chile sauce that beautifully complements the rich flavor of beef.

The key component: gochujang. This trendy ingredient, made from fermented soybeans, brown rice and red pepper paste, is found in Korean stores and the Asian section of large supermarkets.

For a steak sauce, I tame the red chile heat with dark, rich hoisin sauce and bright tangy ketchup. A bit of ginger adds intrigue. I say yes to wine with steak, so I add it to the sauce -- I like rice wine here, but try dry vermouth, red or white wine too. An ounce of brandy makes a potent, but delicious, substitute for the wine.

Of course, you can select other steaks in addition to porterhouse. I like strip for its meatiness, especially when I can find it sold on the bone. T-bones, like porterhouse, contain the strip and the filet (although the filet is skimpier on a T-bone). Believe it or not, the super-rich mouthfeel of rib-eye pairs well with the red chile. Smear a flank steak or flatiron with this sauce, and leave it in the refrigerator for a day or two; when it's grilled to medium-rare, you'll be delighted with the tenderness and flavor. Skirt steak (select the outside skirt when you can), coated with the sauce and grilled, makes the best steak sandwich ever.

Red Chile-Glazed Porterhouse Steak

1 porterhouse beef steak, 1 1/4 inches thick, 18 to 20 ounces

1 to 2 tablespoons Red Chile Steak Sauce (recipe follows)

Finely sliced green onions, optional

Pat steak dry. Very lightly smear some of the red chili sauce over one side of the steak. Let sit at room temperature while the grill heats, or refrigerate, covered, up to several hours. Remove steak from refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare a charcoal grill for direct grilling, or heat a gas grill to high heat. Put the grill in place, and let it heat thoroughly.

Put the steak on the grill, plain side down, directly over the heat source. Cover the grill; cook without turning, 5 minutes. Flip the steak; cover the grill and cook, 2 minutes. Smear the steak with another light coating of the chili sauce; cook until medium-rare, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove the steak with tongs or a spatula; let rest a few minutes. Cut the filet portion and the strip portion away from the bone. Carve each into thin slices. Serve sprinkled with the sliced onion.

Makes 2 very generous servings.

Red Chile Steak Sauce

1/4 cup medium-hot Korean gochujang (see note)

1/4 cup rice wine, mirin or dry sherry

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 to 4 tablespoons ketchup, to tame the heat

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon refrigerated ginger paste OR 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, for up to several weeks.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Note: Gochujang is available at Asian markets and some supermarkets. If you can't find it in your area, substitute 4 tablespoons red pepper flakes mixed with several dashes of soy sauce and a teaspoon or so of sugar. Or substitute prepared sriracha. The flavor will be different, but still tasty.

Food on 07/27/2016

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