Ancho smoked Kobe steak and pasta with peas and pearl onions

Ancho smoked Kobe steak with garlic and herb mafalda pasta with a beautiful roux to cover and sweet peas and pearl onions.




This was a very simple and awesome dish to prepare. You will need a quality choice of meat to start. I used Kobe beef marbling grade 6 which would be like using a premium cut of New York Strip.

Generally speaking, the one common denominator to look for within all cuts of beef is marbling distribution. Marbling is the white fat that you see in all cuts of beef. Some cuts, such as rib eye, will naturally have more marbling than others.

Just keep in mind that a substantial amount of evenly distributed marbling is a good thing, which is why Wagyu (Kobe) beef cost so much. Sure this beef locally cost like $40 a pound BUT the steak I used was a lower marbled grade, less than half a pound and was around $13-$14!! Which when cut on a bias feed my daughter, wife and I!!

Wagyu refers to several breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat.

The meat from wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, and a high market value. In several areas of Japan, beef is shipped with area names. Some examples are Kobe, Mishima, Matsusaka, Ōmi, and Sanda beef.

Highly prized for their rich flavor, these cattle produce arguably the finest beef in the world. These different breeds produce beef that range from expensive (by any measure) to extremely expensive (about US$ 50 per 150 grams of filet steak sold retail in Japan).

Always allow your steak to approach room-temperature prior to cooking. I seasoned my meat with dried ancho smoked chili powder, Yakima apple wood smoked sea salt and white pepper on both sides.

I cannot overstate how important this step is in achieving a perfectly cooked steak. Depending upon ambient temperature, always remove your steak from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes prior to the time you plan to actually cook it.

The reason for this is rather simple:

The colder the steak, the longer it takes to reach the desired serving temperature. An ideal steak will arrive on your plate as evenly cooked as possible. Now if you had an immersion circulator, this would be easily achievable. Sadly, most of us do not have an immersion circulator sitting in our kitchen. The best way to cook a steak as evenly as possible is to slowly raise the internal temperature prior to exposing the outside of the steak to a hot pan, oven or grill.

In order to achieve maximum flavor accumulation, the steak must remain undisturbed for a long enough period of time to allow a maillard reaction to occur.

Simply put, a maillard reaction is a process that allows meat to brown. It won't happen if you continually fiddle with your steak! So leave it alone until it's had a chance to brown, and then turn it over and leave it alone for another extended period of time. And NEVER, EVER, poke your steak with a fork while it's cooking. Always use tongs or a spatula when turning your steak.

Time and temperature vary greatly depending on thickness of cut and choice of heat source. I.e. gas range or electric range top.

I've found that the best way to determine when your steak is cooked to your liking is to simply look at it and touch it. Gently press your finger into the middle of the steak. If it doesn't bounce back at all, it isn't cooked yet. When it just begins to lightly bounce back, it's medium-rare. The more bouncy and firm it becomes, the more well-done it is. With a bit of practice, it'll become very easy to know exactly when your steaks are done.

I learned by using the”face method”, here’s how you learn the various levels of doneness:

With a poker face — no smiling or you’ll be eating beef jerky — touch your cheek. That’s how rare meat feels. Offering no resistance when pressed, it has a red center but should be warm all the way through.

Touch your chin. This is the feel of medium rare. The color should be bright pink to red when cut.

Now, touch the end of your nose. This will coincide with the texture of medium doneness. It has a pink center.

The area just above the bridge of your nose on your forehead is the tactile equivalent of medium-well. It has a thin line of pink remaining in the center. The bottom of your shoe is well done.

Some Chef’s prefers gauging doneness using touch also, but with their fist.
First, make a relaxed fist. The web of your hand between the thumb and forefinger on top feels like rare meat. If you slightly clench your fist, that same v-section of your hand is now medium. Clench your fist tightly, and the area will now feel like well done — hard, and in my opinion, inedible. As meats cook, the juices are drawn to the upper surface. That’s why when you cut into a steak, the juices rush out.

Never bind yourself by time when cooking steaks. They're done when they're done.

ALWAYS allow your steak to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting!!
I can't overstate how important it is to allow your steak to rest prior to cutting into it.

Why go through all that work to cook the perfect steak, only to ruin it by cutting into it while it's steaming hot?

By cutting into a still-hot steak, you effectively allow a substantial amount of its internal moisture to escape in the form of steam and tangible juice. The same moisture you worked so hard to trap and protect. This will result in a steak that is undesirably dry.

When allowed to rest, a hot steak will retain the majority of its moisture. It's that simple.

When cutting your steak, always cut across the grain.

If you cut your steak with the grain, it will be noticeably tougher to chew than it would be had you cut across the grain.

The reason for this is that by cutting with the grain, you allow the natural fibers of the meat to remain intact. You'll wind up with a mouth full of still-intact meat fibers, which can be tough for the teeth to break down for further digestion.

When you cut across the grain, you immediately break all those tough to chew fibers into small pieces, thereby making each bite as tender as possible.

Once I removed the meat from the pan I deglazed it with a little water then added flour, Serrano infused sea salt, a couple of tablespoons of butter and a teaspoon of minced garlic to make my roux.

The garlic and herb pasta can be purchased in a box for cooking ease. You do not have to limit yourself to that flavor or shape of pasta, be creative and take this and make it your own!

That’s what creative cooking is all about.

The peas and pearl onions were canned which made it super easy because anyone that has had to peel pearl onions know that’s a task that a labor of love because there’s no fun in it!! Add your favorite seasonings to the pot with the peas and add a teaspoon of butter and bring the peas to a boil and then turn heat as low as it will go and simmer until you are ready to either plate them or bring them to your table.