MLA Barbecued Sirloin Steak with Semi-Dried Tomato Flavoured Butter

Preparation

Brush the beef steaks lightly with oil and season with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Preheat the barbecue to hot before adding the steaks.

Cook on one side until the first sign of moisture appears. Turn steaks once only. Test the steaks for degree of doneness with tongs. Rare is soft, medium feels springy and well done is very firm.

Remove steaks from heat, loosely cover with foil and allow to rest 2 to 4 minutes before serving.

While the steaks are resting, beat the softened butter until smooth. Season the butter with ground pepper and then fold in the semi-dried tomatoes.

Serve the steaks with a spoonful of the flavored butter and a salad of shredded red and white cabbage or cabbage slaw tossed with a little French dressing.

Tips: Lightly oil the steaks and not the barbecue. Do this and your steaks won’t stick and you won’t have the problem of the oil burning as the steaks cook, or flare-ups on the barbecue. It also helps the steaks to color well which adds to the flavour.

Rest the steaks on a clean plate in a warm place to keep the steaks juicy. Loosely cover the plate with foil (wrapping too tightly will cause it to continue to cook and to sweat). As a guide they should stand 2 to 4 minutes.

You can also make a pocket in the side of the steak and push a little of the butter inside. Brush the steaks with any remaining butter as they cook. This works well with a thick cut steak (around 1 inch) like fillet, rump or sirloin.