Hanger steak is my new favorite cut of meat, especially now that it’s summer. A hanger steak is a cut, not unlike skirt steak and flank steak, that has a long fiber. These cuts have a really great flavor and are best served rare to medium rare so they don’t get tough. I think that the hanger steak is more tender and less sinewy than a flank steak. The skirt steak is great too but has more fat and is thinner and thus easier to overcook. Traditionally the hanger steak is one of those cuts that the butcher used to keep for himself, but has become popular because of the flavor and lower cost. The hanger steak comes from an area near the diaphragm of the steer.
I used my go-to marinade for the steak: A few cloves of garlic chopped fine, a bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley, salt, pepper, and grape seed or olive oil. You can put all of the ingredients into a food processor, but I prefer to chop it on the cutting board. I don’t like turning it to mush. Slather the meat in the chopped parsley and garlic mixture and allow it to macerate for about an hour. If you like it medium rare, leave it out at room temperature. If you like it really rare, you can throw it in the fridge and put it on the grill a bit cold to slow the speed at which the internal temperature rises relative to the outside, which I prefer well- caramelized.
I have a searing burner on my grill. I sear it until it doesn’t feel too floppy, take it off, and let it rest for a few minutes.
Cut it into slices against the grain. Enjoy the summer weather and a glass of red wine.