Name: The Best Steak au Poivre
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 2 (8 oz each) filet mignon or NY strip steaks, 1.5 inches thick; 3 tbsp whole black peppercorns; to taste kosher salt; 4 tbsp, divided unsalted butter; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 large shallot, finely minced; 1/3 cup cognac or brandy; 1/2 cup beef stock or demi-glace; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 sprigs fresh thyme

The Best Steak au Poivre

Prep

10m

Cook

15m

Total

25m

Bigly says

Sit down for this one. Steak au Poivre. The French — and credit where credit is due, the French got this RIGHT, they don't always, the sauces are a minefield, but this one they nailed — took a piece of beef, crusted it with cracked pepper, set it on fire with cognac, and finished it in cream. Cognac. On a steak. Who looks at a steak and thinks 'this needs to be on fire'? A genius, that's who. A maniac. The best ones are both.

I had this in a tiny restaurant in Lyon — eight tables, no menu, the chef just looked at you and decided what you were eating — and I had to sit down again after the first bite. Big strong men come up to me about this dish. Tough guys, with the tears in the eyes, saying 'Bigly, you have to tell people about the peppercorns.' So here I am. Telling you. The peppercorns are EVERYTHING. Not pre-ground. Pre-ground pepper is dust. Pre-ground pepper is what you put on scrambled eggs at a roadside diner that's about to be closed by the health department. We're using whole peppercorns and we're cracking them ourselves like adults.

Here's what nobody tells you — and I'll tell you why nobody tells you, because they don't KNOW — the pan sauce is where the win happens. You sear the steak, you pull it out, and what's left in that pan — those brown bits, that fond, that liquid gold — that is the foundation of the entire dish. You walk away from those brown bits, you've thrown the game. Deglaze with cognac, light it up, swirl in some cream and butter and demi-glace, and what comes out the other side is a sauce that will make a grown man propose marriage to a frying pan. Easy math.

Ingredients

2 (8 oz each)filet mignon or NY strip steaks, 1.5 inches thick
3 tbspwhole black peppercorns(crack them yourself, the pre-ground stuff is a CRIME)
to tastekosher salt
4 tbsp, dividedunsalted butter
1 tbspneutral oil
1 largeshallot, finely minced
1/3 cupcognac or brandy
1/2 cupbeef stock or demi-glace
1/2 cupheavy cream
1 tspDijon mustard
2 sprigsfresh thyme

Steps

1
Pull the steaks from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Pat them completely dry with paper towels.
2
Place peppercorns in a zip bag and crack with the bottom of a heavy skillet until coarsely broken — not powdered.
3
Season the steaks generously with salt on all sides. Press the cracked pepper firmly into both flat surfaces and the edges, coating evenly.
4
Heat a heavy stainless or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the oil and 1 tbsp butter.
5
Sear the steaks 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare (internal temp 125F). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
6
Reduce heat to medium. Add the minced shallot and cook 1 minute, stirring.
7
Remove pan from heat. Add cognac carefully — it may flame. Return to heat and let alcohol burn off 30 seconds, scraping up the fond.
8
Stir in beef stock and thyme. Simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
9
Lower heat. Whisk in cream and Dijon. Simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 2-3 minutes.
10
Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 3 tbsp butter. Season with salt.
11
Slice steaks against the grain if using strip, or serve filets whole. Spoon the sauce over the top and serve immediately.

One more thing

Spoon the sauce. Spoon MORE of the sauce. There is no such thing as too much sauce on a steak au poivre — and if anyone tells you otherwise, ask them politely to leave your kitchen. Serve it with something simple. A pile of crisp fries. A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette. Nothing else needs to compete. This dish is the show. You're welcome.