Winter recipes: Beacon's roasted sirloin with blood and butter gravy for National Meat Week

For its 10th annual Beefsteak in February, Beacon will be roasting 600 pounds of dry-aged strip loin.

The Beacon

Some traditions are worth preserving—even those that poke a finger in the eye of social convention. Take the "beefsteak," a no-holds-barred celebratory dinner common in New York in the late 19th century that centered on obscene quantities of steak and beer. Participants, generally limited to the male of the species, ate with their fingers and drank with abandon.

Thanks to Waldy Malouf, owner and chef of Beacon, the beefsteak lives—if only one night a year. This year Beacon's annual beefsteak (its tenth) will be held appropriately on Fat Tuesday (I will give you a heads-up and further details as the date approaches). As always, a portion of the proceeds of the event will benefit Green Chimneys Children’s Services, an organization that provides help to children with emotional, behavioral, social, and learning challenges.

   Beefsteak ca 1900

Courtesy: Keens Steakhouse

You can get a head start on this year's beefsteak by preparing the home version of the roasted strip loin that Beacon will serve up to its hungry guests. The recipe, which Chef Malouf was gracious enough to share, follows. You will notice that the ingredients include a half pound of butter. Before you go phoning the cholesterol police, bear in mind that the recipe serves 10 to 12.

Obviously, you will want potatoes with your steak, and Chef Waldy has your back. He has provided a two-fisted recipe for crispy potato wedges with mustard, which you will find here.

• 1 whole boneless sirloin (#180 strip loin), approximately 8 pounds
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Season the sirloin heavily with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan, fat side down and roast for 30 minutes. Turn meat over (fat side up) and add onions. Roast another 30 minutes.
3. Remove roasting pan from the oven. Turn oven off and leave the door ajar to cool slightly.
4. Transfer beef to a rimmed platter, loosely cover with foil and return to the oven to keep warm. Carefully spoon off about two-thirds of the clear fat in the pan (leaving any dark juices beneath) and add the beef broth. Place over high heat and boil until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add butter, Worcestershire sauce, and any juices that have collected in the platter of beef. Return to medium-low heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. Strain sauce into a warmed pitcher or serving bowl.
5. To serve, slice sirloin into inch and half steaks and then cut each steak crosswise into long strips 3 to 4 inches long that you will be able to pick up with your hands. Serve the gravy very hot. Dip the meat into the gravy as you eat. You can also serve the meat with a stack of sliced white bread to use as an edible napkin.

Preparation time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 10 to 12 servings