Pastrami-Spiced Steak With Charred Cabbage

Pastrami-Spiced Steak With Charred Cabbage
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(179)
Notes
Read community notes

Pastrami is typically a time-intensive affair, but in this recipe, its seasonings — black pepper, coriander, sugar and paprika — are applied to strip steaks for a fast weeknight dinner. Coat the steaks with the spice mixture, then brush them with mayonnaise to magnify the flavor of the spices better than oil does. (Instead of steak, you could also use tofu, chicken or a firm fish, reducing the cook time as needed.) To brown the steak without burning the spices, follow an unconventional method engineered by Andrew Janjigian, a recipe developer and writer: Start the steaks in a cold skillet, then turn the stove to high, and flip the steak every couple minutes. Eat with charred cabbage seasoned with garlic and the steak’s resting juices, plus a spoonful of mustard. Mashed potatoes, roasted carrots or simmered lentils wouldn’t be out of place, either.

Learn: How to Make Steak

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Steak

    • 1teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
    • 1teaspoon light brown sugar
    • 1teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1teaspoon onion or garlic powder
    • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
    • 2(1-inch-thick) strip steaks (1½ to 2 pounds total)
    • 2tablespoons mayonnaise

    For the Cabbage

    • 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed
    • 1pound green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces, leaves separated
    • 2garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
    • Spicy brown or Dijon mustard, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

514 calories; 39 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 676 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, brown sugar, coriander, onion powder and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Rub the spice mixture into all sides of the steaks. Coat one side of the steaks with half the mayonnaise and place the steaks in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, mayonnaise sides down. Paint the tops with the remaining mayonnaise.

  2. Step 2

    Set the skillet over high heat and cook for 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare, a further 8 to 12 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so the steaks are sizzling but not smoking. To prevent spices from falling off, grab the steaks by the edges instead of tops and bottoms. If steak has a fat cap, hold upright to sear the fat cap until crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate to rest while you cook the cabbage.

  3. Step 3

    Wipe out the skillet, then add the oil and heat over medium. Add the cabbage and spread into an even layer. Cook undisturbed until charred underneath, 3 to 4 minutes, then toss occasionally until charred in spots and crisp-tender, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and any steak resting juices and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Cut the steak against the grain. Eat the steak and cabbage with a spoonful of mustard, for dipping and dragging through.

Ratings

4 out of 5
179 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Made this with 1 and a third pound piece of Oregon Country Beef top sirloin - YUM! Didn’t wipe out the skillet before cooking the cabbage - why would you? Steamed (Jacques Pepin method) some matchstick carrots too. SUPER DELICIOUS!

This is even better with a thick pork chop.

This method still scorched the spices, unfortunately, and the steak ended up tasting burnt while still being very rare. I like the combination of spices, though. It would be great for sous vide. Cabbage turned out great but I had to crank up the heat to get some char.

I have an egg allergy, so use oil instead of mayonnaise, and the spices stay on the meat just fine. I also find that the cook time for the cabbage is too short and that cooking it for twice the time listed still leaves the cabbage with crunch but makes it less raw. I use prime sirloin for this recipe. My husband and I both love it!!

Relative disaster. I’m cooking on a (new to me) smooth surface electric range using high quality stainless cook wear and so *maybe* I wasn’t prepared for how quickly the recommended high setting would sear the spices onto the pan, putting on an 8-minute pyrotechnic show. Managed ventilation between sides. Cat is terrified. Dining on well-done pan-fried steak in a smoke-filled apartment and glad for the mustard. Cabbage came out fine in a fresh pan. Consider starting this out over medium high.

Could you sub another steak as strip doesn't do it for me ?

Everyone enjoyed this, including the little ones! A dash of balsamic vinegar on the cabbage improved it for us.

We liked this. Used New York Strip steaks. Rubbed on the spice mixture, then cooked sous vide at 130 for 2 hours. Seared in a cold pan as directed, then added the cabbage. It was a hit.

I thought it needed more salt. But I like a bit of salt. Nice recipe.

Agree with other posters about strip steak. Always tough, especially at high heat. Bone-in pork chops were quite good. Would try prime sirloin next time, as suggested by another poster. Thank you NYT for this seasoning. It'll be good on a lot of things!

I also used ribeye and followed the recipe, with the exception of adding a splash of red wine vinegar over the cabbage before I flipped it. Some of the steak spices got stuck and burnt but the moist cabbage picked it up and it was delicious. I also had pickled mustard seeds (left over from the Celery Victor Salad recipe here on NYTC) and drizzled them over the cabbage to serve, instead of the Dijon. It was incredible!

Made with top sirloin, and did not wipe out pan for cabbage. Next time will make in cast iron skillets - impossible to get caramelization/char in nonstick skillet.

Honest: This was mediocre. The method worked—great idea with the spice rub, cold pan and mayonnaise. We love cabbage. But this whole dish was a waste of time—the meat was fine, not interesting. The cabbage was lovely but not new or complex. Disappointing over all.

Yum!! I used ribeye. followed direction of beginning with a cold skillet (used cast iron). turned every 2 minutes. cooked perfectly! tender, flavorful, delicious. family of 4 loved it. Definitely don't wipe out the skillet before adding the cabbage. I doubled the cabbage, used 2 pans so it would all get a nice char rather than steaming in a crowded pan. divided the steak juices between the 2 skillets. served with white sushi rice. thought mashers would be to rich all together.

Wondering if this would work with portobello mushrooms for the vegetarians in the family, or if a different vegetable/protein would be better? (I did see the note about tofu, but I am not great at cooking it properly.) Some of us eat meat, and others do not, so I am hoping this could be a good flexible meal to fit everyone's needs.

I’m curious why a nonstick skillet? Not ideal for browning or charring anything, really…

So the spices so t stick and burn.

This is Ann Burrill's steak rub with addition of coriander.

Coriander is traditionally used in pastrami. So, it’s probably more a case of someone’s steak rub being pastrami rub minus coriander.

This was fantastic with the steak, but I've now made it three times with pork chops and that's great too. Also I agree with not wiping out the pan before putting the cabbage in.

Relative disaster. I’m cooking on a (new to me) smooth surface electric range using high quality stainless cook wear and so *maybe* I wasn’t prepared for how quickly the recommended high setting would sear the spices onto the pan, putting on an 8-minute pyrotechnic show. Managed ventilation between sides. Cat is terrified. Dining on well-done pan-fried steak in a smoke-filled apartment and glad for the mustard. Cabbage came out fine in a fresh pan. Consider starting this out over medium high.

I used hanger steaks here and cooked them in a cast iron—watch the temp, the spices and sugar want to scorch. I seared first side, flipped them, finished in the oven at 400° It was tasty!

I have an egg allergy, so use oil instead of mayonnaise, and the spices stay on the meat just fine. I also find that the cook time for the cabbage is too short and that cooking it for twice the time listed still leaves the cabbage with crunch but makes it less raw. I use prime sirloin for this recipe. My husband and I both love it!!

The steak was fantastic, the cabbage less so. As others have noted, it ended up mostly just steaming, and the steak did not really release enough juices to give it a lot of flavor. Next time I will wipe out the pan (to prevent burning), sear the cabbage on much higher heat, then add some more of the spice mixture to give it a consistent flavor.

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