This is another recipe I made up “on the fly” so the ratios may not be perfect. I have scaled it up to four servings. I encourage you to vary the ratios of spices and taste (before rubbing on the steaks) to suit your preference.

The inspiration on this is simple: I love coffee (and I was getting to many carbs with protein on a vegetarian diet). Bison has a small fraction of the fat of beef (it is actually leaner than Ahi Tuna). We also get a lot of it at the Naples Whole Foods store.

This dish incorporates ideas from Alton Brown, Mario Batali and Cree LeFavour.

Here it goes…

Core Ingredients

• 4 Bison Filets, 6 oz each, 1.25” – 1.5” thick
• Kosher salt (for pre-seasoning. See ‘Good Eats’ to see the science beyond using Kosher salt)
• More Fleur de sel (also coarse, for post-seasoning – just like Mario does)
• Peanut Oil (offers higher smoke point and blends well with Ancho chili flavor)
• Optional: 1 Tbsp of Ghee if you like your meat extra-juicy

Dry Rub Ingredients

• • 2 tbsp of raw Sesame seeds (white, not dark)
• 4 tsp of coarse-grained coffee beans. I prefer Latin American beans for this flavor combo, in this order: Brazilian, Costa Rican, then Colombian. De-caf is fine.
• 2 tsp of coarse-grained Ancho chili powder. You can make yourself by buying dried chilies, removing the seeds, processing in a spice mill and drying out for 8 hours)
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp of All Spice
• 1/2 tsp of Fleur de Sel (also coarse)
• Black Pepper (whole corns in a pepper mile set to coarse ground, 12 turns total)

Mis-en-Place

1. Dry the filets with a paper towel, trim them of visible fat and shape as necessary. Set aside and allow to warm for about 15 minutes
2. Combine dry rub ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Mix and taste, adjusting the balance to suit your tastes (send me any ideas for improvement).
3. After the 15-minute wait, dry the filets again. Season liberally with Kosher Salt (to taste): season one side, wait five minutes, flip then repeat. This approach lets the salt draw water-soluble amino acids to the surface (this will give you a nice crust)
4. After both sides have seasoned and waited, coat them liberally with the dry rub. Allow them to set for another 15 minutes.

Cooking

I prefer to pan sear or roast my meats. As this one will be closer to a sear, I recommend a well-seasoned black iron skillet (it will retain the heat better for all four filets).

1. Heat the skillet on a burner at medium-high (to just below the peanut oil smoke point). Given the mass of the pan, this will take 7-8 minutes.
2. When the skillet is heated, put 1 – 1 ½ Tbsp of Peanut oil into the pan and allow to heat (it will shimmer rather quickly)
3. Place the medallions in the pan. Do not crowd as the pan will get cold. Swirl the pan to allow the oil to distribute but DO NOT touch the meat while it cooks (Alton Brown here). Heat for 2-minutes:45-seconds minutes. Turn the temperature down a little after 1 minute (when you see the oil start to smoke)
4. After 2:45 minutes, lift the meat, swirl the plan, and place the other side down to cook, swirling again to distribute the oil. Turn the heat back up a notch for one minute, turn it back down then cook on 1-minute:45-seconds more. I recommend tongs instead of a spatula as you will be rotating the meat much
5. Immediately turn the burner down to low and stand the meat up on its uncooked sides for 30 seconds each. Put the butter into the pan to melt. When the butter has melted, flip the meat back down (on the original side) and flip every 10 seconds (top, bottom, and each side). This will let the meat baste and moisturize and cook slowly.
6. Continue to rotate until the meat reaches desired doneness (this will vary based on your stove). With Bison I usually baste for a total of 40-60 seconds to bring the interior to 95F (my father likes me to stop at 90F, many people like to stop at 100F). Remember that bison does not like overcooking)
7. Put the steak on each plate and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for three minutes.
8. Optional, if you like Mario Batali: After resting, carve into ¼” inch thick pieces, fan out, then sprinkle on some Fleur de sel. Add fresh cracked pepper if you like

I recommend the following accompaniments:

• Starter: Butternut squash soup – Pacific Natural foods is okay if you do not have time to make your own
• Side: Mixed Green salad with craisins, pumpkin seeds, and bleu cheese crumbles (with olive oil and balsamic dressing and touched up with fleur de sel and cracked pepper)
• A bottle of full-bodied red wine to drink (of course) – remember to hydrate with San Pelegrino. I paired this with a Cab from Argentina (sticking with the “Food of the Americas” theme)
• You need something with chocolate (dark) for dessert. Port would not hurt either ; )