Derek Wolf, the founder of Over the Fire Cooking and popular on social media for his barbecue tips, tricks and recipes, says beer makes a great marinade for beef, as it creates a unique dual taste and flavour profile because of the hops.
"Hops gives beer that bitter flavour that is refreshing on a warm summer day and is the reason ‘hoppy’ beers, like an IPA, tend to be more bitter. On the other hand, the malt in the beer provides sweetness. That bitter and sweet combination is what we want for this beer-marinated bavette steak!"
Using a light, less hoppy beer combines the sweet of the beer malt with a small amount of bitter from the meat. The caramelisation of the sugars in the beer will further sweeten the steak and make it "out-of-this-world delicious".
"Add a sweet, creamy corn salsa, and you’ll be in heaven."
Beer-marinated bavette steak with creamy corn salsa
Prep time: 20 minutes, marinate time: 4 hours, cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
1 (360ml) bottle of beer (preferably pale ale)
¼ cup (60ml) soy sauce
4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp (15ml) hot sauce
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 blood orange
1½ Tbsp (23ml) canola oil
For steak
1 whole bavette/flap steak
For creamy corn salsa
3 or 4 ears corn, shucked
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp (30g) sour cream
2½ Tbsp (25g) diced red onion
2 Tbsp (2g) chopped fresh coriander
2 Tbsp (14g) grated Mexican Cotija cheese or substitute with parmesan
1 Tbsp (9g) diced jalapeno pepper
2 tsp hot sauce
Juice of 2 limes
1. To make the marinade: In a 4-litre zip-top bag or large food-safe bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. To make the steak: Carefully add the steak to the marinade, seal the bag, and massage to coat the steak. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to marinate, ideally overnight.
3. Preheat the grill for direct cooking over high heat (200degC).
4. To make the corn salsa: Place the corn on the grill and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, turning, or until softened.
5. As the corn cooks, remove the steak from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place the steak on the hottest part of the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 52degC for medium-rare. Pull the steak and corn off the grill and let the steak rest 5 to 7 minutes.
6. To finish the salsa: Slice the corn kernels off the cob and place them in a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining salsa ingredients and mix thoroughly.
7. Once the steak has rested, slice it thinly against the grain and top with the corn salsa for serving.
The book
Flavor by Fire: Recipes and techniques for bigger, bolder BBQ and grilling
