Pan Seared Denver Steak with Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce

I was first introduced to Denver Steak while attending Culinary School. Our Executive Chef praised it as an emerging popular cut that every chef should be familiar with and know how to cook well. That day, we spent hours preparing Denver Steaks, experimenting with different seasonings, sauces and compound butters to compliment this unique cut of beef.

One of my personal favorites, and the version I’m sharing with you, is a Denver steak simply seasoned with salt and pepper, pan seared, then finished in the oven. It’s served with a rich, creamy blue cheese sauce similar to my creamy blue cheese dressing, that takes it over the top. The result? Melt in your mouth tender steak with a fancy restaurant feel sauce. Blue cheese and steak are, without a doubt, a perfect match.

What Is A Denver Steak?

The Denver Steak is a cut that comes from the chuck primal, serratus ventralis muscle, just below the shoulder blade. The same area where the famous 7-bone chuck roast lives. Most chuck cuts are heavily used muscles, and can be tough. The Denver Steak, due to it’s location under the blade bone is one cut that isn’t used as much by the animal, rendering it well marbled. Which means it responds to a quick cook time, rather than a roast that requires hours to become tender.

• Yield: One cow will yield two Denver Steaks.
• Tip: Buy a Denver Steak from a butcher you trust and ask if the steak has been cut from “under the blade”.

Why Is It Called Denver Steak When It Comes From The Chuck?

Interesting story: The name and cut comes from a project from the 2000’s, The Cattlemen’s Beef Checkoff Program, a project designed to discover, identify and promote cheaper cuts of meat coming from the chuck primal area. The program was successful, as it trained butchers to invent three new steaks. The Denver, the Flatiron and Teres Major. The steak’s name has no historical meaning, it was simply a marketing concept debuted in 2009.

Flavor, Texture and Value

The Denver Steak has the qualities of both a Ribeye and a New York Strip Steak in one! This cut carries all the depth of flavor associated with the chuck while remaining super tender like a fine steak. The steak is beautifully marbled with fat which melts during the cooking process, making it incredibly flavorful and moist. The Denver steak is typically less expensive than a Ribeye or New York Strip.

Availability: Where To Buy It

You typically won’t find a Denver steak at your local supermarket. It takes a skilled butcher to know how to extract this cut. Check with your local specialty meat butcher shop, or find an on-line source. Example, I order them from a cattle ranch in Wyoming, Bootheel 7 Ranch. This is also where I found another hard to find cut, The Merlot Steak.

Let’s get started:

• Denver Steaks: The two steaks pictured above weigh 1.5 pounds. In my books that’s enough for four people when serving with sides.
• Heavy Cream will make a luscious, rich blue cheese sauce.
• Shallot: A shallot’s flavor is milder and more delicate than onion. Whether diced, minced or sliced, they can be used to season about any savory dish. I don’t think a day went by in Culinary School that we didn’t use them.
• Butter and Flour work together to thicken the sauce.
• Blue Cheese: Any type of blue cheese will work for this recipe. I prefer Stilton or Gorgonzola. Purchase a wedge of blue cheese rather than already crumbled in a plastic container. The wedge will offer a creamier texture, which will melt easier.

Step By Step Instructions

1. Step 1: Make The Blue Cheese Sauce: Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter is melted and bubbles subside, add the diced shallot and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.

2. Step 2: Make the roux: Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook about 1 minute, stirring, until the flour is starting to have a nutty flavor and is turning slightly golden.

3. Step 3: Add The Dairy: Stir in the cream and whisk until smooth and starting to thicken. Then stir in the crumbled blue cheese.

4. Step 4: Stir: Whisk on low heat until smooth and creamy. The consistency will be like gravy. Set aside and keep warm while you cook the steak.

5. Step 5: Pan Sear The Steak: After steak has come to room temperature (allow at least 30 minutes) pat the steak dry using a paper towel. Melt butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbles have subsided, add the steak. Sear on one side for two minutes, or until golden browned. Turn the steak and cook the other side for another two minutes. Feel free to tilt the pan and spoon butter over the steak as sit cooks. I normally don’t do this, but some chefs like the buttery flavor this method adds.
6. Move the pan to a pre-heated 400 degree oven to finish cooking.  I recommend medium rare, at 135 degrees.

7. Step 7: How To Slice A Denver Steak: Move to a cutting board and use a piece of foil to tent for about 10 minutes. Use a Chef’s knife to slice the steak against the grain.

8. Step 8: To Serve: Spoon a couple of dollops of the blue cheese sauce onto the plate and arrange a few slices of steak on top.

Uses and Serving Suggestions

• Make a Denver Steak Salad, using my Steak Salad Recipe.
• Try this cut for Steak Fajitas, or try using it to make a Steak Sandwich.
• Sauce Options: Not a fan of blue cheese? Try serving it with this Red Wine Mushroom Sauce. Or a favorite, top it with Chimichurri Sauce.

Storage

• Store any leftover steak, thin sliced and sealed well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat gently fry in a steak pan until just warm. You don’t want to cook the steak again, just heat it up warm enough to eat it. I like to eat left over slices of steak with a fried egg, for a steak and egg breakfast.
• Store any leftover Blue Cheese Sauce in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The 50% power feature on the microwave is your best friend when reheating this sauce. Heat individual portions in the microwave in 30 second increments.