76 Layers of Sirloin
This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite restaurants in all of NYC - Shmoné. Shmoné is one of the newest restaurants, inspired by Legendary Israeli Chef, Eyal Shani. They have this dish called 76 layers of Waygu, where they thinly slice layer after layer of prime Wagyu, skewered and roasted over open coals and served atop pureed tomato and Tahini. As a home cook who is often cooking for a crowd (10, 12, sometimes 20+ people). I was looking for a way to recreate this dish, but make it accessible for a dinner party. What you’ll find below isn’t really a recipe (you dont need one for this dish!), but more of a list of ingredients and techniques that I used to pull this together
Ingredients: Recipe Serves 8 (scale up or down to fit your party!)
4 Prime NY Strip Steak - Ask your butcher to cut these 2” thick
1/4 Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
4 Yellow Onions, halved
4 Beefsteak Tomatoes, halved
4 Beefsteak Tomatoes, grated
1 LB of Shishito Peppers
1 LB of Radishes
1/2 cup Tahini
Maldon Flaky Salt to Finish
High-quality Olive Oil to Finish (I use XXX)
Preparation:
Salting the Steak: 24 hours prior to cooking, arrange a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Place your steaks on the rack and salt liberally with Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. The recipe calls for 1/4 of salt because these steaks are VERY thick. Don’t worry, you will not over-season this steaks. Flip the steaks over, and proceed to salt all 4 sides. Once thoroughly coated, place rimmed baking sheet in the fridge, uncovered overnight. This will allow the salt to fully absorb into the steaks, and then dry the outer layer. When we go to sear these steaks, the dry exterior is crucial!
Prepping the Vegetables: Slice tomatoes, onions and radishes in half (vettically). Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet with the shishito peppers and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Set aside (we will cook those after the steak). this can be done well ahead of time (2-4 hours) and left in the fridge. After this, grate the remaining 4 tomatoes with a box grater, refridgerate.
Cooking the Steak: 1 hour prior to cooking, remove the steaks from the fridge and allow to come up to room temperature. In the meantime, preheat your grill on high with a cast iron griddle placed directly on the grates. Once ripping hot, place the steaks on their fat cap, ensuring not to overcrowd the griddle. Allow to sear for 60 seconds, then flip to their broad side. Allow this to sear for another 90 seconds, then flip again. If you are concerned you didnt get enough color on the first side, don’t worry! The caramelization will build up over the cook. Continue to flip every 90 seconds until your steak registers 115-120 degrees on your instant read themometer. Pull off the griddle and allow to rest for 10 min on a wire rack lined baking sheet.
Cooking the Vegetables: While the Steak rests, places the vegetables face down on the same cast iron griddle. Allow to seat for 10 min, maximizing color on the flat side. Pull off, and set aside.
Cutting the Steak: With your sharpest knife, slice the steak against the grain into 1/2 inch slices.
Plating the Final Dish: On a 8x15“ dish, arrange the steak, fanning out to reveal the perfect medium rare cook. Arrange the vegatbles around the plate. Dollop grated tomato, and drizzle on tahini and olive oil. Finish with Maldon salt.
