Hot Smoked Guajillo Strip Steaks Recipe

How to make it

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• Soak the guajillos in boiling water to cover for twenty to thirty minutes (but no longer than thirty minutes). Drain. When cool enough to handle, remove stems and as many seeds as you can, and drop the guajillos in the bottom of your food processor. Add about a cup of beef stock, and process until smooth (you may have to add a bit more stock; puree should be about the same consistency as heavy cream). Strain. (Yes, this is a pain, but guajillos are thick skinned chiles, and trust me, you don't want to skip this; if you substitute a thinner skinned chile, like anchos, you can skip the straining, though this would be very different with anchos.)
• Heat the oil over high heat in a heavy pan. Add the strained puree. Yes, it will bubble and pop. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cumin, pepper and oregano, and stir it until it thickens and darkens. Remove from heat, add the vinegar, and cool to room temperature.
• Prick all six strip steaks deeply all over on both sides with a serving fork to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place two strip steaks in a sealable gallon plastic bag, and repeat until all the steaks are in bags. Distribute the marinade among the three bags, smoosh it around so both sides are covered, suck or press out the excess air, and seal.
• Put the bags in the refrigerator and refrigerate 4-6 hours. Do not marinate these longer, or the marinade will break the meat down, and give you mushy results. Remove the steaks from the bags, and shake off any excess marinade.
• Build a hardwood fire in your grill (preferably mesquite). When the wood is burned down, grill the steaks with the cover closed, about three minutes per side for nice and rare.
• These were a big hit, by the way--you'll wonder why you haven't been cooking steaks like this all your life.