The first rule of a great steak is to leave it alone, let the steak speak for itself. I completely agree. But what they don’t tell you is that most of the time, you’re not going to be getting a great steak. Much as we’d all like to head down to the butcher and pick up a 45 day dry-aged ribeye, that’s more the exception from the rule. We have jobs, budgets, and we shop at the grocery because they also sell beer, Doritos, and toilet paper. Sometimes you’re coming home with just an okay steak, and that’s just fine. Don’t let food snobs, hipsters, and general jackasses tell you otherwise.

The great part of an okay steak is that you don’t feel guilty enhancing the flavor with outside elements. So why not go all-in and make something with huge flavor? This chile-based sauce is jacked up with some coffee, like the breakfast gravy of my Southern ancestors. Serve it alongside some good potatoes, a big hunk of cornbread, and a vegetable so that you can dub this whole plate “health food.”

I used some nice Kansas City strip steaks (the same as NY strip, far as I can tell), but the whole point is to pick up whatever’s on special at your local store. Crack open a beer and put some effort into making your average steak into a badass one.

The Setup

Steak

- 4 good (not great) steaks – I went with KC strip steaks
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Queso fresco
- 1/4 c pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet
- 3 tbsp olive oil

Sauce
- 6 medium sized dried chiles (3 gaujillo, 3 mulato, if you can find them)
- 1/2 medium onion, cut into large chunks
- 6 cloves of garlic, skin-on
- 2 tbsp grapeseed or other light-tasting oil
- 1 c canned pureed tomato or crushed tomato
- 1 c really strong black coffee
- 1/4 c raw sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar

A couple notes on the stuff above:

Raw sugar is also sometimes called “turbinado” sugar. It refers to the mechanical separation process used. You can either steal a shitload of “Sugar in the Raw” packets from your neighborhood coffee shop or, less dickishly, look in the baking section of your local grocer. They’ll have it.

Dried chiles might not seem that ubiquitous to you, but any Mexican grocery store, or store in a moderately hispanic community, will have them. They’ve all got different tastes, so try a few kinds and use the ones you like. You’re throwing coffee in this sauce, so delicate flavors coming through aren’t an issue. Go nuts.

While you’re getting the dried chiles, pick some some Mexican oregano while you’re at it. It’s much more strong-tasting than your typical Italian stuff, and will come through better in Mexican and Greek dishes.

Cooking

1. Split, stem, and seed the chiles. Toast them in a foil-lined cast iron pan over medium-high heat, pressing them down with a spatula and flipping as needed, about 4 minutes total. Remove to a medium-sized glass bowl.

2. Boil some water and pour over the chiles. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit 30 minutes.

3. Char the onion and skin-on garlic in the same way, about 8 minutes in all. Remove and set aside to cool.

4. Remove the chiles to drain on a paper towel, reserving the water. Chop the chiles.

5. Remove the garlic from the skins and place in a blender with the onion, chiles, and 2-3 c of the soaking water. Puree in the blender, adding more water if necessary.

6. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chile puree and cook 4 minutes, scraping with a spoon to keep from burning.

7. Add the tomato puree, coffee, salt, sugar, oregano, cloves and cumin. Stir to mix and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let thicken for 20 minutes.

8. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

9. Preheat the oven to 375 and the grill or grill pan to high. Brush both sides of the steak with oil and season with salt and pepper.

10. Place the steaks on the grill and let sear, untouched (don’t even look at it), for 2 minutes. Flip and repeat.

11. Place the steaks in a large ovenproof skillet and roast for 4-6 minutes, depending on thickness, for a nice rare to medium-rare.

12. Remove the steaks and let rest under foil for 5 minutes. Serve the steaks with the sauce, pine nuts, parsley/cilantro, and crumbled queso.