I don’t go looking for grass fed beef. It seems to find me – a concept I still cannot fully grasp. After exhausting the treasure chest of organic, grass fed beef from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats, I thought I’d have to go back to buying my grass fed beef (poor me, right? Somewhere, someone is playing the worlds smallest fiddle for me). However, as fate would have it, I was gifted with some more grass fed goodness from a client of mine. He had gone in on a quarter cow with some friends of his, and generously gave me a pair of rib steaks and some ground chuck out of his packed freezer.

No more than a few days passed before I brought out the rib steaks for a little bit of kitchen fun. We’ve already covered a robust and easy citrus marinade, as well as a recent smoked paprika recipe. What is so great about those two dishes is that their flavors are versatile – but I wondered if they could work together? Lime juice is easy going, garlic and shallots taste great on just about everything, and smoked paprika brings smoky complexity to everything it touches. So why not combine all those great tastes?

Ingredients:

• 2 rib steaks
• 1 lime, freshly squeezed
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp ground pepper

Process:

1. Pulse garlic, shallot, lime,and spices in food processor.
2. Slowly add in olive oil while blending.
3. Blend until mixture is smooth.
4. Pour over steaks and let marinate in refrigerator for 1-4 hours.
5. Preheat oven to broil, with the rack about 6″ from the flame.
6. Place steaks on a broiling pan and pour remaining sauce over steaks.
7. Broil for about 8 minutes a side (for 3/4″ thick steaks).

[Printer-friendly version – click here]

These rib steaks would be equally good on the grill, as they are hot out of the broiler. If you choose to grill them, go easy on the marinade and reduce the oil to no more than 1/8 of a cup. The oil drips will cause flare ups (and if overdone, cause a fire) – so be mindful of that. No matter how you choose to enjoy this smoky lime marinade, it’ll be sure to please.