Rosemary Dijon BBQ Sauce over Ribeye with Homemade Mac & Cheese - Part II

We know you've been waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of this series. You've wanted to get to the real meat of the recipe (ba ding!). Well, here you go. The Rosemary Dijon BBQ Sauce over Ribeye.

This sauce was also inspired by a recipe from the Dinosaur Barbeque cookbook. Although the recipe presents the sauce as an accompaniment to lamb, it goes well with pretty much any meat. It's very quick to make and has a great flavor that will really heighten your meal's overall flavor.

The Steak

A bone-in ribeye. For us, this is the best. The bone adds a whole other dimension of flavor. 

First, let's start with the steak. We used a ribeye, as it's one of our favorite cuts. But, you can use really any cut you have access to - the sauce will make anything taste great. 

Take the steak out about 30 minutes prior to cooking it. This will allow the steak to get to room temperature and facilitate cooking. It will help make sure you don't have a charred outside and a cold inside. To best compliment the rosemary dijon sauce, season the steak with salt and some lemon pepper seasoning when you take it out, and then let it sit with the seasoning rubbed in so that the flavors mingle together.

The lemon pepper is a great compliment for the sauce. Use kosher sea salt to add texture in addition to flavor. 

We love to grill a steak over charcoal more than any other means of preparation. There's just something about the combination of the seared grill marks, the perfectly even cooking, and the flavor of the smoke that makes this just perfect. Unfortunately, we're averse to carbon monoxide poisoning and thus our balconyless apartment limits our grilling abilities. Fortunately, we've found a pretty decent solution in the form of a cast-iron grill pan and our stove. 

We put a thin layer of oil over the grill pan and then turn the heat up high for a few minutes until it gets really hot. At the same time we pre-heat the oven to about 350. We want to use the grill pan primarily to sear the steak and start the cooking, and then finish it off and get it to our desired level of doneness in the oven. 

Adding the steak to the hot grill pan. 

Once the pan is hot, on goes the steak. At this point, it's good to stand by the fire alarm as there will be some smoke, and it will likely go off. Sear it about 2 - 4 minutes per side, depending on how thick your cut is. 

Look at those grill marks. Glorious, glorious grill marks. Get the pan real hot to make them perfect. 

When you're almost done with the second side, put the entire thing, grill pan and all, into the oven, and set your timer. For a 1 in cut of steak, about 4 - 6 minutes is about all you should need to get to medium. 

Once the time is up, take the grill pan out (be very careful to use protection and not burn your hands, the grill pan will be extremely hot - even the handle), and move the steak off the grill pan to a dish. Let the steak sit for about 8 minutes so the juices can distribute and finish the cooking. Then, check it out to see if its to your level of doneness. You can do this by slicing it open on the bottom to check, or you can push it down in the center with your finger. The more it gives when you push it, the closer to rare it is. After you do it a few times, you'll start to get a feel for how it should feel.

Heat radiates off this juicy, perfectly cooked steak. Let it rest for a few minutes before diving in, to let the juices distribute throughout. 

The Sauce

The sauce comes together rather quickly so you can start it once the steak is in the oven. Start by mincing up some onions or shallots and a clove of garlic. To serve two, you'll probably only need half of an onion at most. Drop this into a sauce pan as well as two tablespoons of butter and turn the heat up to get everything sizzling together.

Add a branch of rosemary and stir ir around, and then add about half a cup of red or white wine. The red will give it a stronger flavor - really good for when you're serving it with lamb. White will be a bit more subtle. Bring it to a boil, and then add about a tablespoon of the dijon mustard. Stir everything together, and let it cook down rapidly over high heat.

Combine the veggies, rosemary, wine, and mustard. 

Once the wine has cooked down, you can add in about a cup of barbeque sauce, preferably Dinosaur Barbeque's variety. It is delicious. Stir it all together and let it simmer. Lastly, add in a bit of honey (to your liking - I usually do about a tablespoon), and a bit of lemon juice. Stir it all together, and taste to make sure everything's balanced. 

Juice half a lemon into your sauce. 

Finally, add about a quarter cub of sliced scallions, and then taste and season to your liking with salt, pepper, or more mustard.

The Result

Put each piece of steak onto its own plate, and drizzle the steak juices over each. Remove the rosemary branch from the sauce pot, and ladle the sauce over your steak.

Is it dinner yet??

Feel free to use a lot of the sauce, as you can dip your mac and cheese into it to combine the flavors in a really amazing way. Served up with your mac and cheese, you've got yourself a truly delicious, decadent meal. 

Enjoy!

And - if you enjoyed the photos here, check out the steak and mac album for the full set of pictures.