Hanger Steak
I will venture a guess that most of you have never eaten a hanger steak. I know I haven’t. But the more I read about this steak the more I want to give it a try. For years the hanger steak was considered a “butcher’s steak”. This is because most people didn’t know about it but butcher’s knew how good it was and they kept it for themselves. Hanger steak has a nice beefy flavor to it and a great texture you don’t get in most other cuts.
Where does the hanger steak come from?
The hanger steak gets its name because it “hangs” from the diaphragm of the steer. The outer skirt steak comes from right about the same area (hanger and outside skirt basically make up the diaphragm) It comes from right around where the plate, flank, rib, and short loin all join up together. Hanger steak is connected to the last rib and runs up to some of the vertebrae.
Hanger steak has a tough sinewy vein running down the middle of it. If yours isn’t already cut into two pieces you will need to cut down that seam and remove that tough membrane. An untrimmed hanger steak can also have some silverskin on the outside of it. If your butcher hasn’t trimmed that off you will need to do that as well.
You might also see a hanger steak called a butcher’s steak, onglet, or mis-named as a bavette or skirt or something like that. Most hanger steaks will be around 20-24 ozs so when you split it you have a couple nice 10 oz or so steaks.
Hanger steak has a somewhat loose texture like you would find in a skirt steak. Flavor-wise it is a bit more similar to flank steak. I have seen it described as ever so “livery” in a good way.
How to cook a hanger steak
Hanger steak (like skirt steak and flank steak) needs high heat and a fast cook. This means either a grill or a pan sear for the most part. There isn’t a lot of connective tissue that needs to be broken down on a hanger steak so you don’t want to do a braise or anything like that. It is also fairly thin so if you have a nice hot grill or hot cast iron pan you can get a nice sear on the outside and the inside will be a nice medium rare.
With a skirt steak you don’t really want to go past medium rare. If you can hit 125-130 degrees you will have a great steak. Cook this cut rare and it will be a bit mushy, cook it beyond medium it will get rubbery and dry.
The hanger steak takes well to a lot of different marinades and rubs. Any sort of Mexican or Asian or Middle Eastern marinade or seasoning will do well on a hanger steak. Chimichurris are popular as well. This red wine marinated hanger steak with flatbread recipe is one that caught my eye.
This picture is from a recipe at FineCooking.com for a grilled spice rubbed hanger steak that looks amazing.
To cook just grill over direct heat for about 3-4 minutes per side. Don’t burn the outside but get a nice sear. If you don’t have a grill you can use a hot cast iron pan. Or you can use your broiler which is basically an upside down grill.
Where to buy hanger steak
Hanger steak can be a difficult cut to find. Not every grocery store will carry it, since there is only a couple pounds of meat per steer not many butchers will have it regularly. This is where it pays to know your butcher. If you have a good relationship with your butcher you can probably have them order it in for you. Or if they happen to come across one they can even hold it for you when they do get one. Even a butcher at your local grocery store can accommodate special requests like this from time to time.
Your best bet will be to keep an eye on your meat case every time you go to your store. A Mexican grocery store that carries meat might have them from time to time. Basically if you see one snatch it up.
I can’t wait to try some hanger steak. It has been on my wishlist for a while now and you can be sure the next time I see one at the butcher shop it will be on my grill that night.
Like what you read? Be sure to share it with your friends and come back tomorrow to learn about another cut of beef.
