Hanger Steak is flat-out good eating. Whether you’re serving them with a big baked potato and green beans, or cutting them up and putting them on a sandwich or tacos, a well-cooked steak is always a crowd pleaser.
Today I cooked up tasty, juicy hanger steaks on my Goldens’ Cast Iron. Follow along to learn how to make them for yourself!
Making Hanger Steaks on the Goldens’ Cast Iron
Who doesn't love a good steak? The hanger steak is my favorite cut of meat. Some people call it the inner tenderloin of the cow. It's a tender, juicy cut of meat, and it can turn out incredible when it's cooked right. My Garlic Butter and Beef rubs brought the flavors of this steak to the next level.
The Ingredients
- Hanger steaks. Tender and juicy, these cuts of steak are sometimes called the “inner tenderloin” of the cow.
- Butter. Butter adds to the flavor and savory taste of the steak.
- Rosemary. I wanted a good mixture of herbs and spices on my steak.
- Thyme. Earthy, savory, and sweet, thyme gives steak an extra depth of flavor.
- Garlic. Everything's better with some garlic on it. Yum.
- Olive oil. It makes a great binder for the spices.
- Heath Riles BBQ Beef Rub. This blend of salt, pepper, garlic, chili powder, and paprika is perfect for a hearty steak.
- Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Butter Rub. This is one of the best rubs I’ve ever created. It’ll give the steak an extra dose of savory garlic flavor without being overpowering.
The Equipment Setup
I fired my Goldens’ Cast Iron up to 500 degrees F for this recipe.
The Process for Making Hanger Steaks
While I was grilling these babies up I shot a video of how I did it. You can follow along on my Youtube channel right here.
- Heat my grill. I turned my grill on to heat up to 500 degrees F.
- Lay out the steaks. I laid my steaks flat on a metal pan.
- Get the butter mixture ready. Using a small bowl, I added a stick of butter, rosemary, thyme, and a few bulbs of garlic. Then I laid the bowl on the grill to let the butter melt up good.
- Season the steaks. I kept this recipe real easy and simple. First, I drizzled some olive oil on the steaks and rubbed it into the meat with my hands. Then I shook out a generous base of my Beef Rub. Boy, this rub makes every steak taste delicious. It has all kinds of spices like garlic, chili powder, and paprika that really enhances the flavor once its cooked. I grabbed my Garlic Rub and sprinkled a nice coat of it onto the steaks, as I wanted a garlic flavor in the crust. I patted the spices into the meat with my hand to give them a better hold during grilling.
- Repeat the process. Turning the steaks over, I did the same thing to the back side and made sure the sides of the steak were coated with oil and my rubs, too.
- Put them on the grill. The meat can go directly on the Goldens’ Cast Iron grill. I used metal tongs to lay mine out, right beside the bowl holding the butter mixture I put on earlier.
- Flip them. Since I was going for a medium-rare steak, I only left the grill lid shut for about 2 minutes. Then, I got in there and flipped the steaks. I can already see a good char starting to form on them.
- “Kiss” them with butter. Dipping a brush into the now-melted butter mixture, I brushed the steaks with it. The flames from the grill shot up and “kissed” the meat. I let them cook and kept flipping and brushing them with the butter mixture about every 2 minutes.
- Remove the steaks from the heat. Once each steak hit 125 degrees F, I used my tongs to pull it off the grill.
- Let them rest. I didn’t cut into these hanger steaks right away because I wanted them to absorb and redistribute their juices. They hung out and rested on my cutting board for about 10 minutes.
- Cut into them. I cut into the steak, and they were perfectly medium-rare. I could see the juices in the meat, and I knew it was going to be damn good. For the final step, I sprinkled on a little sea salt just to wake it up.
The Results
Pure gold! These steaks were a bright pink color, juicy, and tasted delicious. The olive oil and rub mixture made a great char that added to the spicy, savory flavor. This one was a knockout.
Serving Suggestions for Hanger Steaks
One steak per person is filling, especially if you serve it with a salad and a side.
Storing It
Put leftovers in an airtight container or a ziplock back (with the air squeezed out) and store them for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Equipment and Tools
Goldens’ Cast Iron, Small grill-safe bowl, Sharp knife, Thermapen One, Metal baking pan, Metal tongs
*Notes for Making My Hanger Steaks
- After the steaks are seasoned but before they go on the grill, let them set for a few minutes. This time brings the temps up so they’ll cook more evenly.
- Sometimes you’ll get steaks that are different sizes. If that happens, you need to watch the temperature on both of them and will usually need to pull the small one off the heat first.
