STRIP LION STEAK

Steps:

• Take the steak out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 3 hours. This is crucial and makes this method what it is. The meat should almost be at room temperature.
• When you are ready to cook, heat a thick cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. It should get very hot. Season your steak liberally with the salt and some pepper.
• Add the oil to the hot pan, carefully add the steak, and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes on one side and then 3 minutes on the other for medium-rare.
• Transfer to a plate, add the pat of butter and steak spice to the top and let the steak rest on the counter for 3 to 7 minutes before serving.
• THE JOE BEEF TEN VARIATIONS FOR STRIP LOIN: MIRABEAU
• On each steak, crisscross 8 anchovy fillets and 8 olive halves. Add Joe Beef Sauce Vin Rouge (page 250), a sprig of thyme, and a pinch of cayenne.
• HORSERADISH
• Grate a heaping tablespoon of fresh horseradish onto each steak.
• PICKLES AND MONTREAL STEAK SPICE
• Add a sliced dill pickle on top of the steak spice.
• TOMATOES AND GREENS
• Sprinkle a thick tomato slice with salt and pepper. Serve with a handful of wilted greens, a bit of butter, and Joe Beef Sauce Vin Rouge (page 250). Most of the time when you order a steak, it looks like this, our classic.
• SLAB OF STILTON
• Put a 2 1/2-ounce (75-g) piece of Stilton cheese on the steak with Joe Beef Sauce Vin Rouge (page 250).
• GREEN PASTURES (VERT-PRE)
• Serve with a watercress salad, matchstick potatoes, and a disk of beurre mâitre d'hôtel. To make the butter, in a small pan, combine 1/3 cup (80 ml) dry white wine and 1/3 cup (40 g) chopped French shallots over medium heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the pan is just dry but the shallots are not colored. Remove from the heat and let cool. With a rubber spatula, combine 8 ounces (225 g) room-temperature unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, the shallots, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, and a little salt and pepper. On plastic wrap, shape the butter mixture into a cylinder the diameter of a silver dollar and refrigerate until firm.
• STEAK AU POIVRE
• Use the Duck Steak au Poivre recipe (page 61) for the sauce, and coat the meat in smashed peppercorns on one side (the one that's facing up) prior to searing.
• THE MAIN
• At The Main restaurant on Boulevard Saint Laurent, across the street from Schwartz's, the kitchen serves a steak with a side of liver and franks. And if you're nice, they'll drape a slice of smoked meat on it.
• CHINATOWN
• If you're willing, just make the sauce for Oysters #37 (page 123) and use it on your steak. Or, serve the steak with an oyster topped with the sauce and some Chinese broccoli.
• ZESTY ITALIAN
• Use the dressing for Zesty Italian Tartare (page 245) on a steak.