New York Pepper Steak with Jack Daniel’s Sauce, Applewood Bacon, and Straw Onions Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6 guests 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) for sautéing 4 (10-ounce) New York steaks ¼ cup coarsely cracked black pepper 1 tablespoon kosher salt 6 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced into ¼-inch pieces 2 bunches green onions, sliced thin crosswise 8 ounces Jack Daniel’s Sauce 2 brown8 onions, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon Lawry’s seasoned salt 2 cups vegetable oil for frying onions 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Jack Daniel’s Sauce: 1 teaspoon shallots ¼ cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey 1 cup demi-glacé (see recipe on page 37)
Separate onion slices to make thin onion rings. Marinate onion rings in buttermilk for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a 4-quart saucepan. Remove onion slices from buttermilk and dredge rings in flour mixed with Lawry’s seasoned salt. Shake off excess flour and place rings into hot oil to fry. Place fried straw onions on a paper towel on a plate to drain. Heat ghee in sauté pan over high heat. Dredge one side of each steak in cracked pepper and place steaks pepper-side down in hot ghee. Sear steaks for 1 minute to cook some of spice out of black pepper. Turn steaks over and sear other side for 30 seconds. Remove steaks from pan and place them on a pie tin or cookie sheet in a 375-degree oven to finish cooking to desired doneness. Pour off any remaining ghee from sauté pan and add diced bacon to pan. Sauté bacon until crisp. Pour off any bacon fat and add green onions to pan, quickly sauté, remove from pan and set bacon and green onion aside. In the same sauté pan used to cook the steak, bacon, and green onions, add chopped shallots and ¼ cup Jack Daniel’s (careful, as it will flambé), reduce by half. Add 1 cup of demi-glacé, bring to boil, then lower heat. Remove steaks from oven and place on serving plates. Top steaks with Jack Daniel’s Sauce, then bacon-green onion mix, and finally straw onions. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
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