The Merlot Steak, a hidden gem of the beef world, cooks up in just minutes seared in a sizzling hot pan. Juicy, tender and flavorful, slice it thin, and top it with a decadent and easy to make Blue Cheese Butter. A steakhouse worthy dinner at home.
What Is A Merlot Steak?
The Merlot Steak is a cut from the hind leg of the steer where the round and shank meet. It’s a well worked muscle, which makes it an incredibly lean cut that needs to be cooked hot and fast to remain tender and juicy. It’s ideal for grilling or pan searing and comes with a nice beefy flavor. The merlot steak has been compared to a Flank Steak, but with a much finer grain. The merlot steak reminds me more of a top sirloin filet.
Availability, Where To Buy It
Usually used for ground beef, you typically won’t find a Merlot steak at your local supermarket. 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. Which is where I found another rare beef cut, the Denver Steak.
I’ve become obsessed with this recipe for blue cheese butter, and it flavored this Merlot Steak to perfection. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients To Make Blue Cheese Butter
Fat (butter) plus flavor makes a perfect topping for any lean cut of beef steak. Simply stated, this blue cheese butter for steak is amazing.
- Butter: ½ stick (4 tablespoons) salted or unsalted. Room temperature.
- Blue Cheese: Choose a blue cheese that is sold in wedge. It’s a creamy product that will blend well with the butter. Pre-crumbled blue cheese sold in a plastic container is a dryer product. Choose any type of blue cheese, Stilton, Gorgonzola or I like American made Maytag Blue Cheese.
- Garlic and Chives
How To Make Blue Cheese Butter
- Step 1: Place the chopped garlic, chopped chives, crumbled blue cheese and softened butter in a bowl.
- Step 2: Use a fork to smash the ingredients together until well blended.
- Step 3: Use a spatula to scoop the blue cheese butter onto a small sheet of plastic wrap.
- Step 4: Roll the butter into a cylinder shape and seal the ends. Place in the refrigerator until the butter is set up and hardened. About 30 minutes.
How To Cook A Merlot Steak
As I mentioned above, a Merlot steak is a very lean cut of meat, which makes it a good candidate for either pan searing or grilling. It’s quick to cook because high heat is required to keep the steak tender.
Thanks to Culinary School, I have gotten into the habit of cooking almost any steak in my Blue Carbon Steel Pan. It’s a pan preferred by chefs and can be found in almost any restaurant kitchen. It heats quickly, it distributes that heat evenly, the metal gets very hot for a good sear. And it’s a stove-top to oven pan. You can also use a cast iron skillet. I prefer the carbon steel because of it’s lighter weight and manageability.
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase the carbon steel pan through the link I’ve provided above, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
- Step 1: Start by removing the steak from it’s packaging and pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Let the steak sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour even better. Season with salt and pepper, or Montreal Steak Seasoning.
- Step 2: Use a paper towel to coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Vegetable oil or olive oil work well here.
- Step 3: Heat the pan until it’s searing hot. Add the Merlot Steak and sear 2 – 3 minutes. Flip the steak, lower the heat slightly and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes. Use a digital read meat thermometer to determine that the internal temperature has cook to 120 – 130 degrees.
- Step 4: Tent and Slice: As with any steak, it’s important to tent the steak with foil before slicing. This allows the juices that were forced out of the edges and into the center, to migrate back to the edges. If you cut a steak too soon, all of that juicy flavor will spill out onto the cutting board rather than stay in the steak.
- Step 5: How to Slice A Merlot Steak: It’s also important to know how to slice a Merlot Steak. Slice the steak against the grain and at a bias. Since the Merlot cut is such a lean cut of beef, it won’t be as easy as a flank steak to locate the grain. Look carefully for the grain, then rotate the steak at a 45 degree angle. Thin slice the steak in about ¼ inch slices.
Tips For Success:
- Don’t try to sear any steak in a non-stick skillet. They are notorious for not creating enough heat to get a successful sear. Use a good heavy skillet.
- Not a “rare” steak person? Simply stated, a Merlot Steak needs to be cooked at an internal temperature of 120 – 130 degrees. Anything more than that will produce a dry, unappealing steak. A T-bone steak may be a better choice for those of you who like a well-done steak.
How To Serve It
Quickly add a few slices of the steak to a warmed plate and immediately top with about a tablespoon of the Blue Cheese Butter. I always like a traditional potato dish with steak. Either cooked in foil in the oven, or take a look at my recipe for Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Baked Potatoes. A green vegetable like broccoli rounds out the meal.
Variations
I truly love this Blue Cheese Butter for a Merlot Steak. The steak’s mild beefy flavor is enhanced with this creamy blue cheese flavor. Here are some other ideas:
- Country Mustard Whiskey Butter, a blast of flavor for any steak lover.
- Try this Cowboy Butter, a favorite for when I cook T-bone Steaks.
- An easy Mustard Sauce is always a good option for any steak.
- Try serving your Merlot Steaks topped with Chimichurri Sauce.
- Take a look at my recipes for Horseradish Cream Sauce, it’s not just for Prime Rib after all. and Red Onion Chutney.
Storage:
- Store any leftover steak in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Gently reheat slices stovetop in a skillet for just a few seconds per side.. Since the steak has been cooked to Medium Rare, you’ll be able to gently reheat without losing much of the tender goodness.
- Blue Cheese Butter: You’ll have plenty of Blue Cheese Butter leftover. It will keep in the refrigerator in it’s plastic wrap for up to two weeks. Enjoy this treat over any steak, chicken or even green beans. About the green beans: I tried it and it was delicious.
FAQ’s
Again, this is a very lean and thin cut of steak. Sear quickly to get a good crust, and cook to an internal temperature of 120 – 130 degrees, rare or medium rare. Anything over that will cause the steak to dry out.
Hot and fast. A heavy skillet like a French Carbon Steel Pan is my preferred way. A cast iron skillet works well here. And your outdoor grill is also a good tool. If you’re good at oven broiling steaks, this is also an option.
A Merlot steak is a good candidate for a steak marinade. Usually I just season with salt and pepper and bring the flavor with a compound blue cheese and butter. If you’re looking for a good steak marinade take a look at this Overnight Steak Marinade, or this one I use for Steak Kabobs.
It’s a “butcher’s” cut with limited yield per animal. Many processors grind it or keep in in roasts, so retail availability is rare. Ask whole-animal butchers or shop on-line.
More Pan Seared Steak Recipes
Don’t miss my category for Beef Recipes, you’ll find lots of great burger, steak, brisket and beef soups and stews. Including the most popular pan seared steak on my site for Beef Tagliata. An Italian steak recipe that will WOW the family and wow you because it’s so easy to make.
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Pan Seared Merlot Steak with Blue Cheese Butter
Ingredients
- For The Blue Cheese Butter
- 4 Tablespoons Butter ½ stick
- 2 Healthy Tablespoons Blue cheese
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Chives minced
- For The Merlot Steak
- 1 pound Merlot Steak
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Instructions
- For the Blue Cheese Butter: Allow about 30 minutes for the butter to come to room temperature, or soften the butter in a microwave safe bowl until malleable.
- Using a fork, mash in and combine blue cheese, chives and garlic until fully mixed.
- Spoon the butter onto a small sheet of plastic wrap. Form the butter into a cylindar and seal the edges. Return the butter to the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- For the Merlot Steak
- Remove steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. An hour is even better.
- Use a paper towel to pat the steak dry and season both sides with salt and pepper, or Montreal Steak Seasoning.
- Add the olive oil to the skillet. I like to use a paper towel to smear it around to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Heat the pan over medium high heat, and once hot, add the Merlot Steak. Sear for three minutes. Once the steak is browned on one side, turn and cook for another three minutes. Use a digital meat thermometer to determine that the interior temperature has reached 120 – 130 degrees.
- Transfer the steak from the skillet and place it on a cutting board. Tent with foil and let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes. Look for the grain and slice the steak against the grain and at a bias. Top with several slices of the Blue Cheese Butter and serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t try to sear any steak in a non-stick skillet. They are notorious for not creating enough heat to get a successful sear. Use a good heavy skillet.
- Not a “rare” steak person? Simply stated, a Merlot Steak needs to be cooked at an internal temperature of 120 – 130 degrees. Anything more than that will produce a dry, unappealing steak. A T-bone steak may be a better choice for those of you who like a well-done steak.
Nutrition
Merlot Steak with Blue Cheese Butter … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
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