Hangar Steak

[Boomer]

SmokeRing Boys

I was wondering if anyone ever tried a hangar steak on their pitt. I wanted to try one but no one in my area had ever heard of them. I finally found a butcher that called his supplier in New York and got me one to try. I have made several on the grill but you have to make them on the rare side. They look like a regular fillet to me only the price is half or more less than the regular fillet. A buddy was trying to come up with a good hamburger mix for his restaurant and I told him about trying to grind some of this into his mix because it is IMO very flavorful and like I said half the price of tenderloin. He was pleased with the results.

I found the below piece on Google a couple years ago when I was trying to find more about the hangar steak. If anyone has any ideas about how to make it or maybe it wouldn't be a good candidate for smoking I would like to hear your opinions cause if you guys don't know nobody does.

Thanks Boomer

Hangar steak was once so obscure that only butchers used to know about it. Taken from a smallish muscle located beneath the diaphragm and above the kidney, it's juicy, tender, and so good that butchers used to keep it for themselves. (True carnivores used to ask for a "butcher's filet," and hope the meat-man would oblige.) The hangar steak, or onglet, has a succulent, robust character seldom found even in the best strip steaks. But don't order it well-done - if overcooked, it becomes bitter and as tough as leather. The best hangar steak can be had at Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain's commendably meat-centric restaurant on Park Avenue South. Their onglet arrives grilled precisely to order, and served with a savory (but unnecessary) wine and shallot sauce. Les Halles isn't cheap, but the cost of a meal like this doesn't seem excessive once the cut is made through that sizzling surface - it's easy to see why the butchers kept it as their private preserve.
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[Markbb]

I'm thinking its the same as flank steak and if so the meat is good for a meranade and a quick braze on a open flame for sandwichs and such, but for grinding brisket makes for good hamburgers.....which reminds me I need to go and see my butcher.

[BackYardNik]

[allsmokenofire]

[Harry Nutczak]

No way is it flank, flank is some tough stuff.

At first i thought it was the "teris-major" (SP?) muscle, One of the applebee's like chains used to cal it their "Flat-iron" steak.

I have used the teris-major for a pseudo roast tenderloin, and it was great. Lots of silverskin on it if it is the same thing. and needs some tricky trimming to get it all out.

As for regular tenderloin, I think it is one of the most tasteless cuts of steaks anyone could order. the sirloin cuts are so much more flavorful.
especially with a good dry-age on them.
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[BackYardNik]

[Boomer]

I think you know what I am talking about Harry. It does have some tricky silverskin to deal with and it does look allot like a tenderloin only allot more flavor in this dummies opinion.
Did you ever smoke one Harry or does this cut not take to smoking unless fat is incorporated somehow to keep it moist while it is smoking.
It does make great hamburgers when it is ground.

Boomer
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[Pete]

The hanger looks more like a skirt, but larger, thicker and meatier. It looks nothing like a flank which is an even larger cut with long fibers. If you had to pick, a flank looks more like a brisket flat with less marbling, thinner fibers and no fat cap.

Hangers are hard to find in typical markets because they are mostly sold to restaurants, especially fine dining and/or French restaurants often for Steak Frites, aka steak and fries. Personally, I would never throw it in the smoker. Hot and fast is the best way. If you had to smoke, take it off at medium rare. That said, I have had hangers that weren't as tender as advertised, so it depends on the cow, I guess.

The flatiron is often sold trimmed and sliced into an oval shape with a piece of gristle right down the middle. For restaurants, they often trim the flatiron lengthwise (on either side of the gristle) to remove the gristle. The result is a long flat steak (one side is flat and the other is rounded) that gets portioned by the establishment. This is an amazingly tender cut of beef, especially considering that it comes from the shoulder area. Personally, I think it's more tender than the hanger. You can actually cook it to medium or even medium well and it stays tender. As a result, it is a very forgiving cut of steak. But despite that it should still be cooked hot and fast.

Of course nothing says you can't try to smoke any of these cuts.

[JamesB]

Have never dealt with a hanger steak, but here at the house, the flat-iron steak has quickly become a family favorite! We often find them on sale at the local grocery (Kroger's) in a cryo type package. They usually weigh in around 1 - 1 1/2lbs... great seasoned simply (salt n pepper) like I do a normal steak, or marinaded like fajitas... either way, don't over cook and they be great eats!

Now I gotta go and try to find a hanger steak to see what it's all about...

James.
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[Boomer]

Thanks Pete

That's what I was thinking, grill no smoking but I needed someone to tell me that. Maybe someday I will give it a try just to see what would happen. Now I guess I gotta try a flat-iron steak if I can find one.

Thanks again for your take on the Hangar Steak


Boomer
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.

[Boomer]

Forgot to ask but how thick do the Flat-Iron steaks normally run?




Boomer
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
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[allsmokenofire]

[Pete]

Yeah, I remember the day (80's) when you could get flatirons (I think they're were and still are called top blade steaks) for under $1/lb. We'd be shopping for youth group outings and find these bad boys on sale for $.79/lb. All the kids thought they were in heaven because they had steak, and really tender steak at that. The parents were impressed. Oh, and that piece of gristle was sometimes relatively tender too, so it didn't need to be cut out.

Not anymore.

[Zach Passman]

These are not great smoking meats--

Seperate the halves of the cut, and remove the membrane/connective tissue. Then grill/sear on hot grill and slice--AWESOME flavor, hard to find. I buy hangers all the time from our local Restaurant Depot (restaurant supply store).

Zach

[Boomer]

Zach

Have your ever ground them for hamburgers? What do you use on them when you grill S & P and nothing else.
Any sauce or accompanient that you like with em'


Thanks Boomer
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[mwharrell]

If you are having difficulties finding this cut under the name of Flat Iron or Hanger steaks, we refer to it at work as the "mock tenderloin."

A rather obscure cut, but kinda fun to play around with. Hell, maybe it'll be the next tri tip revolution

I also found an article about the Flat iron if anyone is still interested:
http://ard.unl.edu/rn/0302/steak.html

[Boomer]

mwharrell

Thanks for your knowledge and research it is appreciated. Heck maybe we will have something new on our hands we will have to try to make tender and juicy.


Boomer
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.

[Pete]

Too late. Hanger prices have come way up over the last 10 years. Now flatirons/top blades are way up, especially over the last few years. Just yesterday, I was at the market and noticed ribeyes on sale for $4.99/lb. Guess what the top-blade price was? It was $4.39/lb. The sole purpose of the article posted is for the beef industry to make as much profit as possible. The good news is that as these former cheap cuts come up in price due to demand, then the former premium cuts like sirloin, porterhouse, ribeye and tenderloin should come down a little. I have noticed that ribeyes and porterhouses go on sale more often.

Oh and to answer your question about making hamburgers, I wouldn't do it. I mean you could and it would be delicious, but wouldn't it just be better as a steak? I grind my own burgers and I like to use chuck, but I wouldn't use ribeye or sirloin unless I has some trim leftover that I didn't want to waste.

[Thom]

Mike,

[Thickness varies, but the flat irons I buy are typically around 3/4" thick. We have a grocery store chain here that always carries them in the meat case. They run about $4.39/lb., ]


Where in Tulsa do you buy these? Also, do you know where I could get a shoulder clod?


T.

[allsmokenofire]