Sirloin with Sweet Bourbon Reduction

Can you believe I collected this image and started eating this steak before I finally remembered the already-prepared reduction? Trust me when I say it was pretty poured over the remainder of my steak and tasted good too!

I want to expand our choices so that our beef consumption is more than ground beef tacos or chili. We don't usually have steak, but when we do, we don't have a selection of personally tried and true recipes to choose from. I liked the looks of this recipe from a Cooking Pleasures magazine because it didn't require a grill like 90% of the steak (and chicken and pork chop) recipes they offer.

Broiling, simple ingredients, and exceptionally short marinating time were all reasons why I opted to give this one a go.

I chose to get bourbon for the recipe rather than use the beef stock alternate. No, it's not that I had a hankerin' for bourbon, but rather I consider it an new "spice"! Wee! Besides that, the recipe is exactly as described on their site.

Sirloin with Sweet Bourbon Reduction

3 tbsp bourbon
2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 (1-lb.) beef top sirloin steak (3/4 inch thick)

Combine all ingredients except steak in large resealable plastic bag. Add steak, turning to coat; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes, turning frequently.
 

Heat broiler; spray broiler rack and pan with cooking spray. Remove steak from marinade; place on broiler rack. Pour marinade into small saucepan.

 

Broil steak 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. (Do not overcook or steak will be tough.) Remove steak; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; thinly slice diagonally.

  

Meanwhile, bring marinade to a boil; boil 2 minutes or until reduced to 2 tablespoons, watching carefully so marinade doesn’t evaporate completely. Spoon sauce over steak.
 
Man, doesn't it look good enough to drink straight from the pan? Or maybe sop it up with some whoop-ass bread?


This was pretty good. It was definitely easy and relatively quick. I thought it was cooked fine and sliced ok, but Rodney felt it was undercooked for his tastes and while he didn't tell me directly, I could tell he didn't like how I sliced the steak, which I suppose was not quite completely against the grain. This makes me think I should go to butcher school so I can learn the fine art of steak selection, prep and slicing in depth. Hmm...

One thing I didn't realize until tasting it was how similar this steak was to the Balsamic-Peppered Sirloin. I mean, it was VERY similar. The only thing I'd consider a bonus about this is that the amount of pepper can be metered as it is all in the reduction where in the Balsamic-Peppered Sirloin, you are stuck with the pepper but add the sweet with the sauce. Personally, I prefer the Balsamic Sirloin. What do you expect, I love pepper.

Cost:

• top sirloin: $1.97
• bourbon: $12.99/fifth = ~ $0.10

Total: $2.07, approximately. For two people, with leftovers enough for two people.

We were going to have this with a green potato salad (literally green, not "save the Earth" organic-y sort of green), but it turned out gross (and I'll post it right after this one so you don't miss out on anything). So we had instant mashed potatoes instead. Mmm! Believe it or not, I actually like those instant buggers. I am an official potato addict, unless they are covered in green, as you'll soon find out.

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