Grilled Ribeye with West African Pepper Sauce
Chef JJ presents an environment for connection through food that transcends people, memories, and generations.
Some people think it’s terrible to put anything on a well-cooked ribeye, but this sauce is special an worth it. In West Africa, pepper sauce is the equivalent of ketchup or Tabasco, It’s on the table everywhere you go: It’s a tomatoey hot sauce made with Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. Our mustardy black pepper sauce: less heat, more tang.
It’s delicious.
Adapted from Between Harlem and Heaven (Flat Iron Books 2017) by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers
Metric conversions by The Cook’s Cook.
Ingredients
For the Black Pepper Sauce:
- 28.4 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 shallots, sliced
- Kosher salt
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) fresh thyme
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) Dijon mustard
- 118 ml (1/2 cup) brandy
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) jarred green peppercorns, soaked in 237 ml (1 cup) water overnight, drained
- 355 ml (1 1/2 cups) veal or low sodium beef stock
- 177 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the ribeye
- Four (4 cm/1 1/2-inch-thick) bone-in ribeye steaks (about 680 grams/1 1/2 pounds each), at room temperature*
- Vegetable oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*Allow the steaks to stand at room temoerature for about an hour before cooking. Thoroughly pat the steaks dry before oiling and seasoning.
Preparation
- For the Black Pepper Sauce: In a 2 liter (2-quart) saucepan, melt one cube of butter over medium heat. Stir in the shallots and sprinkle with salt. Cook until the shallots become translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the thyme and mustard. Cook for about 3 minutes, then pour in the brandy to deglaze the pan. Let the sauce simmer and reduce by one quarter, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the peppercorns and stock and bring back to a simmer. Once the sauce has reduced by half, about 15 minutes, stir in the cream and simmer for 5 additional minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and using a stick immersion blender, blend in the remaining butter until the sauce is completely smooth.
3. Preheat a large cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Rub the steaks with oil and season and pepper on both sides. When the grill pan is smoking hot, place the steaks in the pan. making sure not to overcrowd it.
4. Grill the steaks, turning frequently and pressing the edges and bone into the hot pan to sear them, for 12-15 minutes for medium-rare, or longer if desired. Remove the steaks and let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Black Pepper Sauce.
JJ Johnson
JJ Johnson is a James Beard Award-Winning Chef, TV personality and author known for barrier-breaking cuisine informed by the Caribbean flavors of his upbringing. At FIELDTRIP, his made-to-order rice bowl concept in Harlem and Rockefeller Center, JJ highlights rice as a hero ingredient in globally inspired recipes. JJ is the host of ‘Just Eats with Chef JJ’ on Cleo TV and finalist for the 2022 James Beard Awards ‘Best Chef in New York State’. He serves on the James Beard Impact Programs Advisory Committee and sits on the junior board of Food Bank for New York City, taking action to end hunger.
Read more from JJ Johnson
