Beer-brined Steak Sandwich

Looking for a new way to cook your steak? How about brining it in beer! The process makes the meat extra tender and adds lots of extra flavour. In this recipe from beer writer Melissa Cole, she uses a coffee stout to give the steak a smoky char

15 minutes, plus resting time prep, 15 minutes cook

Serves 2

Ingredients

25g fine sea salt

4 fresh bay leaves, torn

6 garlic cloves, smashed

6 sprigs of thyme, lightly pounded

1 tbsp hot sauce

500g coffee stout, chilled

450g sirloin steak, preferably with a few centimetres of fat on it

Groundnut, grapeseed or other neutral oil, to coat

Freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwich:

1 large or 2 small ciabattas (or other bread of choice)

Handful of shredded iceberg lettuce, to serve

Finely sliced red onions (optional), to serve

Ketchup or other condiments of choice like mayo or beer mustard

Method

In a large non-metallic bowl, mix 50g of hand-hot water and the sea salt until the salt dissolves, then add the bay leaves, garlic, thyme and hot sauce and stir for 1 minute. Put the beer into the same bowl, stir briefly and submerge your steak in it, then add a little cold water to cover the steak if it needs it. Leave for at least an hour and up to 4 hours in the fridge.

Half an hour before you’re ready to cook your steak, remove it from the brine and pat dry with some paper towels, leave on a plate to come up to room temperature and discard the brine.

Heat a large frying pan (skillet) over a high heat, until it starts to smoke slightly. Rub the steak on both sides with oil and place in the pan. Leave it alone, do not move it. When the steak is onethird cooked through, turn it over, season generously with ground pepper. If you prefer it medium rare, when you can still see a thin line of pink meat (about 3 mm in the middle) take the steak out of the pan and place it on a warmed plate. Allow the steak to rest as you prepare the bread and other fillings.

Slice your ciabatta in half lengthways and arrange the lettuce on the bottom half. Pickle your onions (if making) and gather your various condiments. Arrange your steak on top of the lettuce and season more if you like. Top with your condiment of choice and pickled onions, cover with the top half of bread, slice in half, as pictured, and devour.