Recipe

Smoked-Tea Rubbed Steak with Mango-Ginger Salsa

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Smoked-Tea Rubbed Steak with Mango-Ginger Salsa

Photo by Oui, Chef

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Flank Steak
  • cookinginvictoria's Testing Notes: This inventive and unusual recipe delivers robust, bold flavors. Oui, Chef has you rub smoky Lapsang Souchong tea and other peppery spices all over the meat an hour before cooking it. After...

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  • Chef

    Oui, Chef's Notes: As with most things in life (and food) there are few absolutes, and that definitely applies to this dish. Where most people will only use a savory salsa or chimichurri with beef, I LOVE this...

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Serves 4

  1. For the spice rub, combine all ingredients in a bowl. * This recipe makes a LOT of tea rub. Feel free to halve, or even quarter the recipe if you desire. Store leftover rub in a ziploc bag in your freezer, where it will last practically forever. Note: Bulk tea leaves will generally be coarser and will therefor give you and more textured / crunchy coating on the steak. Tea pulled from tea bags will be finer and leave you with a smoother rub.

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  2. For the salsa: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

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  3. For the steak: Remove the steak from the fridge and rub all over with the smoked-tea spice mix. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit for about an hour to come to room temperature. Grill over a medium-high flame for only 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting across the grain, and serving with the mango-ginger salsa.

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24 Comments on Smoked-Tea Rubbed Steak with Mango-Ginger Salsa

Reply

I've never thought to use a smokey tea like this in a in a rub! Sounds incredible, and I love sweet-spicy hot salsas with everything from beef to fish. Another great one to try. Thanks Oui, Chef!

Morgan3x5bw Reply

I'll tea smoke anything, thanks for the recipe.

Newliztoqueicon-2 Reply

Yet another have-to-try recipe. LOVE the rub and spicy salsa, Steve! Thumbs up!

Sausage2 Reply

This looks mind-blowingly delicious. I'm strongly feeling that you should just come over tonight and cook it for us! ;-) Barring that, I'm saving it to try myself.

Kg_in_evanston_cropped Reply

I love the idea of a spice rub with tea leaves. I look forward to trying this.

Scan0004 Reply

https://marktwendell.com/Hukwa.htm
Mark Wendell is in Acton MA, and there should be stores selling the Hu Kwa teas. The web site doesn't have a retail list, but they ship, and you can contact them about picking it up there. I know my store sold it years ago and it was popular. Nice tins too. It's more mellow than the usual Lapsang, if I remember correctly. When I retired I was getting good quality teas from an importer in Vermont, Vermont Tea and Trading, but no Hu Kwa.

Summer_2010_1048 Reply

What an amazing flavor combo! I'm hooked on Lapsang Souchong too. I've been drinking Hu-Kwa from Mark Wendell, which isn't as smoky as some.

Steve_dunn02 Reply

Thanks, Midge. I'd love to try the Hu-Kwa, where do you get it around here? - S

Summer_2010_1048 Reply

Cardullo's and Formaggio Kitchen both carry it.

Summer_2010_1048 Reply

and they both ship!

Shamrock-medal Reply

I love Lapsang Souchong! I typically get one called Pine Smoked Black made by Tao of Tea. It's got a rich smoky flavor & I bet it goes beautifully with the salsa. Gorgeous recipe!

Steve_dunn02 Reply

Thanks, hardlikearmour. I've had the lapsang from Tao of Tea and love it! - S

Ab_sum Reply

I am lucky to have a great tea place nearby in Northampton, but they also do an online business. Mary Lou and Bob travel to hand select many of the teas they carry. Every time I visit they seem to have another book out, too: http://www.teatrekker.com/main.htm

Chocolate_peppermint_truffle_cookies_032 Reply

The spiciness of the rub looks like it would be a perfect combination with the mango salsa! I have the same question aargersi does - can you tell us a little about the tea leaves, and a good sub if we can't find Lapsang Souchong?

Ab_sum Reply

It's more common than you might think. If you can't find any, I will mail you and aargesi some! It is maybe like a very smokey Earl Grey? I want to try this this weekend.

Scan0004 Reply

About Lapsang Souchong: this tea is smoked over wood fires in traditional practice. When I first drank it, I made it at my desk at a very conventional work place. People would come over for a whiff, and say "Eeuw, it smells like creosote." They were right. I now find it too strong to brew alone, so I add a few pinches to another tea as base. One option for a substitute is a smoky Russian Caravan tea. But any place that sells bulk tea is likely to have it.

Steve_dunn02 Reply

susan g gives a great description of the tea here. To me, it smells like a campfire (and I mean that in a good way), it IS a strong tea, but one I enjoy drinking on a cold winter day, its too heavy for summer. I find it pretty readily around here. Thanks for you lovely comment, Suzanne! - S

036 Reply

This looks great - we love mango salsa too - I am not familiar with that tea - is there something common and comparable so I can "taste" it in my mind?

Steve_dunn02 Reply

Thanks, aargersi. Close your eyes and think campfire. That's the tea. - S

036 Reply

Got it :-)

Copy_of_me Reply

Fabulous, Oui, Chef...thanks for sharing!!

Steve_dunn02 Reply

Thanks, lapadia...I hope you give it a try this grilling season.

Ab_sum Reply

Beautiful. Love the rub and the hot fruity salsa.

Steve_dunn02 Reply

Thanks, Sagegreen. Hot-fruity salsa makes just about everything taste better! - S

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