* HOST: Few words in the English language have quite the power to make our mouths water and make us hungry, more than that sizzling slab of grilled meat we call "steak."

Today, we embark on some live fire globe-hopping, from French hanger steak with caramelized onion sauce.

I love how the sharpness of the mustard sauce balances the richness of the beef.

To Cambodian steak with salads and condiments.

This is a fantastic way to eat steak.

So many textures and flavors.

To reverse-seared porterhouse with charred poblano crema.

It's like, steak channeling bacon.

Today, it's planet steak.

From the Pearlstone Campus in Reisterstown, Maryland, I'm Steven Raichlen and this is Project Fire .

* ANNOUNCER: Steven Raichlen's Project Fire is made possible by...

This is The Big Green Egg, where fire and flavor come together.

You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.

Locate a dealer at biggreenegg.com.

Fire Magic, combining style with the versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill, crafted in America for over 80 years... Green Mountain Grills, wood fired pellet grills... Blue Rhino...

Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.

And by the following... * STEVEN: The ancient Vikings roasted slabs of meat on spears or wooden stakes over a roaring fire.

That's the origin of our word "steak," and it serves as a reminder that while you can cook a steak on the stove or under the broiler, nothing boosts its flavor or develops a sizzling crust like, grilling over blazing embers.

For centuries, the steak dinner has defined the American notion of luxury and celebration.

In today's show, we'll explore how other grill cultures transform steak into a live fire masterpiece.

[fire swooshes in] * ROB: Hey Steven, this is Rob from the Pacific Northwest in the great State of Washington.

How do you do the poke method to test the doneness of the meat, whether it be rare, medium rare, medium, or God forbid, well-done?

[fire swoohes in] STEVEN: Good question, Rob, and it takes me back to my student days in Paris.

Back then, when I hungered for meat, I'd order onglet, hanger steak.

It was richly flavored, and more important, it was cheap.

That's the inspiration for this dish, grilled hanger steak with caramelized onion and mustard sauce.

* First, let me show you how to set up the grill.

I know you've done this a million times, but before you start grilling, turn on the valve on top of the propane cylinder.

Open the grill lid.

This is very important.

You never want to light a gas grill with the lid closed, otherwise, you could have a potentially dangerous buildup of propane.

Now, turn on the burner, wait a minute, and then hold your hand about two inches above the grate.

Make sure you can feel the heat, so you know the burners are lit.

We'll preheat the grill, meanwhile, I'll show you the steaks.

This is a hanger steak, so-called because it hangs between the rib and the loin, supporting the diaphragm.

It's located near the kidney, so it has a very rich, meaty flavor that some people describe as ferrous, ironlike.

It's also called the "butcher steak," because it's so flavorful, butchers used to keep it for themselves.

Now, the first thing, I'll do is season the steaks on all sides with coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and then I'm going to paint the hanger steaks with Dijon mustard.

So this is going to add an extra layer of mustardy flavor.

Now, turn the steaks over, and season the other side the same way.

* And I'll let the steaks marinate with the mustard, and salt and pepper, while I make the sauce.

Notice we're working over a pan of ice.

Always a good idea to keep your perishable ingredients chilled when you're working outside.

For the sauce, start by melting butter in a sauce pan.

* Next, add one finely chopped sweet onion, organic...please, * and cook the onion until caramelized.

That is a dark golden brown.

This will take 5-8 minutes.

Once your onions are this deep golden brown, add your heavy cream, and boil the heavy cream until reduced by half.

That will concentrate the flavor of the sauce and thicken it.

Okay, back to the grill.

You remember, I have a little mantra it goes, "Keep it hot, keep it clean, keep it lubricated."

Lay the steaks on the grill, just slightly on the diagonal.

Grilling time is about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Close the lid of the grill to hold in the heat, speed up the cooking time.

Meanwhile, on our sauce, you can see it is nicely reduced, taken on that beautiful caramelized onion color.

So, the last step is to whisk in grainy French mustard, and we'll whisk the ingredients together.

Take a taste.

Mmm, delectable.

I love the sweetness of the onions and the sharpness of the mustard.

So, just turn the sauce off.

Back to the steaks, and they are ready for your quarter turn.

Be another couple minutes on this side, then I'll turn the steaks over.

[fire swooshes in] So, how do you know when it's time to turn the steaks?

Well, you see blood pearling up on the top of the steak?

That tells you you're ready for the turn.

Cooking time, another 3-4 minutes.

* [fire swooshed in] * And once again, give each steak a quarter turn.

And back to Rob's question now, how do you know when the steak is done?

People have a little trick to help you recognize the doneness of a steak using the poke test.

You make the okay sign like this, feel that pad of flesh below your thumb?

It is soft and yielding, that would correspond to a rare steak.

Move your thumb over to your middle finger, that pad of flesh is a little firmer, that would correspond to a medium rare steak.

Move it over to your ring finger, the pad of flesh is firmer still, that would be a medium steak.

Finally, you go over to your baby finger, it's quite firm, very firm, that would be a well-done steak.

Obviously, everybody's hand is different, but really, what you want to see, you see how this meat is gently yielding?

Gently yielding?

That is the poke test, Rob.

It's a great way to tell when steak is done.

When you take the steaks off, place them on a wire rack over a sheet pan.

It keeps the bottoms from getting soggy, because air can circulate around the steak.

You don't want to serve a steak hot off the grill.

Let the steaks rest a couple of minutes, this relaxes the meat and lets the juices redistribute.

That whole thing about serving a steak hot off the grill, it's a myth.

* And now, the big moment.

You want to slice it across the grain, as we do with any fibrous steak.

You see, we've got a nice medium rare.

* Transfer the sliced hanger steak to your plate.

Then, take your mustard sauce, and spoon the mustard sauce over the meat, and finally, sprinkle the steak with some chopped fresh chives.

So there is your hanger steak with caramelized onion mustard sauce.

Let's see if, it's how I remember it from Paris.

Take a bite.

Mmm, really nice crust on the outside, very rich beefy flavor in the center, and I love how the sharpness of the mustard sauce balances the richness of the beef.

That's a hanger.

There there's no other steak like it.

[fire swooshes in] * [fire swooshes in] STEVEN: Here in North America, we like our steak simply seasoned, and big enough to bury a plate.

Southeast Asians, on the other hand, prefer their steaks with big flavor marinades, in small portions, with an abundance of vegetables and condiments.

Case in point, this Cambodian steak.

* These steaks are called "teres major," also known as "bistro steaks" or "petite tenderloins."

They're cut from the shoulder and with a little imagination, they do look like a miniature tenderloin.

First, I'll prepare the marinade.

The marinade starts with chopped fresh ginger, chopped fresh garlic, and chopped fresh Thai chilies.

Next, thinly sliced scallion and freshly grated turmeric, which is a cousin of ginger.

I'll just grate it with a microplane.

It has this beautiful vivid color, a peppery earthy flavor, and it's actually very good for your joints.

Next...fish sauce, that malodorous, but oh-so delicious Southeast Asian condiment, made with pickled anchovies, and fresh lime juice.

I'll cut the lime in half, squeeze the juice into the marinade.

I love the fragrance of fresh lime.

Next, a quarter of a cup of finely chopped toasted peanuts.

What's going on here?

We have salty from the fish sauce, we've got sour from the lime, we've got heat from the chilies, aromatic ginger and turmeric, and finally, nutty from the peanuts.

So, I'll just mix these ingredients for the marinade together with chopsticks, and then we'll add our teres major steaks.

* Just spoon a little bit of the aromatics on top of the steaks.

* Marinate the steaks in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

* The dipping sauce features that classic Southeast Asian quartet of sweet, sour, salty, and hot.

Sweet in the form of sugar, aromatic, finely chopped garlic, chopped fresh lemongrass, chopped hot chilies, and scallions, and pound these ingredients together to release the aromatic oils in the lemongrass, garlic, and chilies.

Next, work in hot water, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Then, more fish sauce, which has a killer umami flavor, and finally, freshly squeezed lime juice for acidity.

[taps side of the bowl] Take a taste.

Mmm, it's a riot of flavors.

Here are the teres major steaks, which I marinated with Asian aromatics for four hours.

Now, for the grill, in Cambodia, they use clay braziers.

I'm using a ceramic Kamado style cooker to give you the same effect, and as always, we want to clean the grill grate with a brush, and then to oil it, I have a head of garlic.

Dip it in vegetable oil, and draw it across the bars of the grate.

* Steaks, tongs, and I'll place one steak right here, the other steak here, and don't let this delicious marinade go to waste.

You can actually, spoon it over the steaks as they grill.

And to speed up the cooking, I'll close the lid, open the vent wide open.

You want to grill this over a high heat.

[fire swooshes in] Once the steaks are browned on the bottom, turn them over, and we can spoon the remaining marinade on top.

* A few more minutes will do it.

[fire swooshes in] Okay, so the steaks should be done.

Take a look.

They look done, and we just give a little squeeze on the sides.

Gently yielding, that's where I want them to be.

So, I'll take the steaks off.

* Thinly slice the steaks on the diagonal.

* To eat your steak, take a lettuce leaf, then grab a slice of steak, dip it in your lemongrass dipping sauce, then crust it with chopped peanuts, and place it on the lettuce leaf, and then we'll add Thai basil, sliced Napa cabbage, a couple of slices of a long bean, and peppery watercress, crisp cucumber, thinly sliced carrots, sliced tomato, another spoonful of sauce, and just to finish it off, squeeze of fresh lime juice, and then you roll it up.

Mmm.

This is a fantastic way to eat steak.

So...many textures and flavors.

The crunch of the lettuce and the long beans, the chew of the steak, the peppery watercress.

It's sweet, it's sour, it's salty, it's spicy, it's aromatic.

I love to eat steak this way.

So that's how they do steak in Cambodia, because sometimes a great steak comes in a small package.

[fire swooshes in] * STEVEN: Nora, do we have another rack?

[fire swooshes in] Ten years ago, few people had heard of reverse searing.

These days, it's all you seem to read about on BBQ websites.

Reverse searing turns traditional steak grilling on its head.

In a nutshell, you slow roast it at a low temperature, then flash sear it at the end.

Here's how we do it on Project Fire .

* I'm starting with these beautiful porterhouse steaks, and I will season them first with coarse sea salt, then freshly ground black pepper, then turn your steaks over, season the other side the same way.

Reverse searing relies on precise temperatures.

I'm using a wireless thermometer, which I'll insert through the side, right into the center of the meat.

My target internal temperature for the first stage is 100 degrees.

Now, for the fire.

I've set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling.

You can see the coal baskets on the side, drip pan in the center, and I lit natural lump charcoal in a chimney starter, and I'll pour half the coals in the basket on one side, and the other half of the coals in the basket on the other side.

You'll notice I'm using fewer coals than usual.

That's because I want to keep the temperature low, about 250 degrees.

Now next, place a chunk of mesquite on one mound of coals, then the other mound of coals, place the grill grate in the center, arrange your porterhouse steaks on the grate over the drip pan, away from the heat.

* Now, simply cover the grill, and adjust the vents to obtain a temperature of about 250 degrees.

Cooking time, roughly one hour, but what's really important is that target temperature of 100 degrees in the center of the steak.

I'll monitor it on my smartphone.

Meanwhile, I'll show you how to make the roasted poblano crema.

To roast the poblanos, I'm using a technique even apartment dwellers who don't own grills, can use.

Turn on your burner, position a grate over it, and roast the poblanos directly over the flame.

Roasting the poblanos enables you to remove the skin, and also imparts a smokey flavor to the peppers.

Keep turning the poblano chilies so they roast evenly.

The idea is to char and blister the skins on all sides.

Once your poblanos are charred on all sides, transfer them to a cutting board, and then scrape the burnt skin off the poblanos.

You don't have to remove every last bit of charred skin, a little black adds color and character.

Now, slit the poblano chilies open and scrape out the seeds.

* Once your poblano chilies are roasted, seeded, and cleaned, cut them into one-inch dice, then place the poblano chilies in a food processor.

* Add a quarter cup of chopped or fresh cilantro, and grind the peppers to a smooth puree.

[food processor whirring] Now, add sour cream, salt, pepper, and fresh lime juice.

* Continue processing to obtain a smooth sauce.

[food processor whirring] [opens the lid] Mmm, smoky and delectable.

Time to check the steaks, a hundred degrees.

So, the first stage of reverse searing is done.

Take off the lid.

Look at those porterhouses, a handsome patina of mesquite wood smoke.

So now, take the steaks off and transfer them to a wire rack.

* The next step is to convert your fire from indirect grilling to direct grilling.

[removes the grill grate] Remove the drip pan and using tongs, dump the coals that are in these side baskets into the center of the grill.

* Now, take the chimney of fresh coals and arrange the fresh coals over the bottom of your grill.

Then, using a spatula, rake them out in an even layer.

That's going to give us the searing heat to finish the steaks.

Place your grill grate back over the fire.

Now, you're ready to finish the steaks by direct grilling over a screaming hot fire.

Cooking time is really quick, a minute or two per side, the idea is we want to bring the temperature up to 125, 130 for a medium rare.

Most importantly, put a sear and a crust on each steak.

* STEVEN: Once your steaks are seared on the bottom, turn them over and sear the other side the same way.

Oh, look at that.

That pull them off.

* So there, folks, are your reverse-seared porterhouse steaks.

You know the drill.

Let's see how we did.

Take the steak, and a little of the poblano crema, and a sprinkle of sea salt, those big, beautiful crystals.

Let's cut in.

Oh man, that looks great.

So, we'll take a bite.

Beautiful, rosy center.

First, the steak by itself.

Mmm.

That is amazing.

It's like, steak channeling bacon.

That's how smoky it is.

Beautiful crust on the outside.

And then, if I taste it with the poblano crema... Mmm...smoky peppers, silky sour cream, really nice.

So that's how I reverse-sear porterhouse, and that's our steak show.

Thanks for watching, see you next time.

For recipes and more live-fire cooking, visit stevenraichlen.com.

You can also follow Steven Raichlen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Steven's book, "How to Grill Vegetables," and the classic, "Project Smoke," can be ordered online at stevenraichlen.com, or call this phone number for ordering and customer service.

ANNOUNCER: Steven Raichlen's Project Fire was made possible by...

This is The Big Green Egg, where fire and flavor come together.

You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.

Locate a dealer at biggreenegg.com.

Fire Magic, combining style with the versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill, crafted in America for over 80 years... Green Mountain Grills, wood fired pellet grills... Blue Rhino...

Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.

And by the following... STEVEN: That's the inspiration for today's dish.

Let the steaks rest for a couple of minutes before carving, and in the meanwhile, I'll figure out what to do next.

So there, folks, are your reverse-seared porty... Portyhouses.

So, people use a little mnemonic device to help tell the... Is it mnemonic?

Yeah, mnemonic device?

That's right, right?

Help you remember?

This is a fantastic way to eat spake.

Eat spake.

Eat steak.

* *