Grilled Cowboy Steaks with Onions and Green Chiles

When it’s nice out in Seattle you have to grill out – I think it’s actually a law or something. Last night was so beautiful and we were all in the mood for beef so I grilled up some steaks with onions and chiles. I love cooking the onions and green chiles on the grill in a cast iron pan because they pick up some of that smokey campfire flavor that adds a lot to the meal. For these heavily seasoned steaks – topped with an assertive onion/chile mix – I don’t mind using sirloin tip steaks since you don’t need a delicate cut for this dish.

Asparagus season is starting and since one of my all-time favorite foods is grilled asparagus I had to fix that also. I served the steaks and asparagus with a side of steamed white rice (I like to eat the onions and green chiles on top of the rice as well).

Grilled Cowboy Steaks with Onions & Green Chiles
serves 4

4 beef sirloin tip steaks
1 small red onion
1 medium yellow onion
1 7 oz. can whole green chiles
1 medium jalapeno
1 small red chile pepper
cumin
garlic powder
kosher salt
black pepper
vegetable oil for sauteing the onions and peppers.

1. Generously season each steak (on both sides) with the cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper.

2. Cut the onions and peppers into thin slices, put them into a bowl and season them with salt and black pepper.

3. When the coals or hot (or the gas grill has preheated for 10 minutes or so) put a cast iron frying pan onto the grate and let it heat up for a minute or two, then add a splash of vegetable oil and the onions and peppers. Mix the vegetables well to separate any onion rings cover the grill to let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (you can also prepare the onions and peppers on the stove top over medium high heat if you’d prefer or if you don’t have a heavy cast iron pan that can handle the grill heat).

4. Add the steaks directly over the coals/heat and let them cook for three minutes. Flip them and cook them for another three minutes, then move them to an area of the grill with indirect heat and let them cook for 2-6 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the steaks, the heat of the grill and how done you prefer your steaks. When the steaks are to your liking, remove them from the heat and let them rest on a platter for a few minutes.

5. Keep stirring the onions and chiles occasionally to keep them from burning to the bottom of the pan – they’re done when they’re softened and are beginning to caramelize.

6. Top each steak with a generous scoop of the onions and chiles – you should have some left over to pass at the table as well if people would like more.

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