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The Fire 50 · cook it at home

Basque-style bone-in rib steak (txuleta) at home

1 hr 15 min (45 min tempering), 20 min hands-on · 2 to 3 people

The asador way is almost no recipe at all: a thick, well-aged chop, coarse salt, and heat strong enough to crust the outside while the middle stays rare. A charcoal grill is best; a cast-iron pan and a hot oven get you most of the way.

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The real one

You need

• 1 bone-in rib steak, 5 cm (2 in) thick, about 1.2 kg (2 1/2 lb), dry-aged if you can find it
• 1 tbsp flaky or coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil or rendered beef fat (cast-iron method)
• To serve: 6 jarred piquillo peppers, warmed in a pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 sliced garlic clove; a green salad with sherry vinegar

How to make it

1. Temper (45 min): Take the steak out of the fridge 45 minutes ahead and pat it bone-dry with paper towels. Do not salt yet; the asadores salt just before it hits the heat so the surface stays dry and crusts fast.
2. Build the fire (25 min): For charcoal, light a full chimney of lump charcoal and pour it into one even, compact bed. It's ready when the coals are covered in white ash and you can hold your hand 10 cm above the grate for only 2 seconds. For the indoor method, heat the oven to 230°C (450°F) and put a large cast-iron pan on high heat for 5 minutes until it just starts to smoke.
3. Salt and sear (8 to 10 min): Scatter the salt generously over both sides and the fat edge. On charcoal, grill 4 to 5 minutes a side without moving it, until a deep brown crust forms; stand it on its fat edge for 1 minute to render. In the pan, add the oil, lay the steak away from you, and sear 3 minutes a side, then 1 minute on the fat edge.
4. Finish (3 to 8 min): A txuleta is served rare to medium-rare. On charcoal, move it to the edge of the coals until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads 48°C (118°F). In the pan, slide it into the oven for 4 to 6 minutes to the same temperature.
5. Rest (8 min): Rest on a board, bone side down, loosely tented with foil. It will climb to about 52°C (125°F), rare in the middle with a pink band.
6. Carve and serve (5 min): Cut the meat off the bone in one piece, then slice across the grain into 1.5 cm (2/3 in) strips. Lay the slices back against the bone, sprinkle with a little more flaky salt, and pour any juices over. Serve with the warm piquillos and the salad.

Tips

• Thinner than 4 cm? Skip the oven and sear 3 minutes a side.
• In Tolosa they serve it on a hot plate so each diner can cook their slices a little more if they want.
• Buy from a butcher who dry-ages; 30 days or more gives the nutty, deep flavor the Basque grills are known for.

Chef Amazing's own home version of bone-in rib steak, in our words; not any restaurant's recipe.