Pan Seared Hanging Tender Steak

Hanging tender steak served with green chile sauce, tomatoes and avocado.

Hanger steak, also known as Hanging Tender Steak, is one of those cuts that feels like a secret you weren’t supposed to find. Deep, beefy flavor, a tender bite when handled right, and usually priced below the big-name steaks.

Course Main Course Beef

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Resting time 10

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 377kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Equipment

1 Heavy Skillet Cast Iron Skillet or Carbon Steel

Ingredients

1 ⅓ Pound Hanging Tender Steak
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder or seasoning of your choice.
2 - 3 Tablespoons Neutral Oil Canola, Vegetable or Grape Seed

Instructions

Let steak come to room temperature, this will take about 30 - 60 minutes. Doing so will help the steak cook more evenly. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and season.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully lay the steak in the skillet. Cook 5 minutes per side or until each side has a golden crust and a digital read thermometer registers the internal temperature at 125 degrees for rare, 135 for medium.
Transfer the meat to a board to rest for 10 minutes before removing the silverskin and slicing against the grain.
Using a sharp chef knife, slice along each side of the membrane (silverskin) to remove it from the steak. Discard it.
It will be easy to determine the grain with the two remaining pieces of steak. Angle them so you can easily slice thin against the grain and serve immediately.

Notes

Tips For Success:

If the steak is too long to fit in the pan, it will easily curve to fit.
For optimal tenderness, pay attention to internal temperature.
Slice against the grain.
Don't treat a hanging tender steak like it's a ribeye. It's closer to skirt steak in behavior.
If you're going to marinate hanger steak (I don't), marinate for 4 - 6 hours. A traditional marinade will contain an acid (like lime juice). Due to the texture of hanger steak, an overnight marinade will break down the fibers and cause the meat to be mushy.
Don't skip removing the silverskin membrane.

Nutrition