I didn't think it would be any good trying to use bar chocolate and I just couldn't imagine this with cocoa mix. I mean...I was trying to figure out what I had that I could use because my lazy arse didn't want to go to the store for cocoa powder. I WILL have to hit the store for ice sometime this week. That didn't make it on the list...
Cacao nibs! Huh? You haven't heard of these little gems? They're all the rage! All the cool chefs are using them. *snort*
Cacao nibs are the roasted bits of cacao beans. After roasted, the beans are then ground into a paste where additional cacao butter, milk, sugar, etc is added and then made into chocolate. So this is like raw chocolate. You see where I'm going with this? Cacao? Cocoa powder? Cacao powder? Mole? Do I need to spell it out? I ground 2 tablespoons of these little gems and added them to my mole rub. Not quite the chocolate flavor I was thinking, but man oh man was it goooooood! S said there was too much chili in it. Maybe...for a mole. But I thought it was good. Really good.
That's smoked paprika, sweet paprika, chipotle powder, chili powder, cumin seeds, oregano, cacao nibs, and granulated garlic all ground in my spice grinder. O M G it smelled AMAZING! I was thinking, "Is it dinner time? Cause I just want to eat this."
Remember those flat-iron steaks S got at WalMart? Well, I thought this would be a perfect use for those little gems. For those that don't know, flat-iron steaks are cut from the shoulder. I never had one nor cooked with one before, but I was treating it like I would a London broil; either flash fry or slow braise. We flash fried these little gems. They were tasty and juicy!
I coated each side with mole rub. As you can see, they don't have that dark color that a mole would. The cacao nibs that I ground didn't either. They were a dark red color, just like this.
I love dry rubs, but they always seem to make a mess....of my hands.
Wear gloves? NO! Then I'd have nothing to complain about and not evidence of my hard work. LOL S heated a pan on high and added some canola oil, about 1-1 1/2 tablespoonfuls so they wouldn't stick to our stainless steel pans. If you have non-stick, then you can probably get away with just a spritz or two of cooking spray.
Cook on one side for about 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook 3-4 minutes more or until desired doneness.
S cooked them. Since they were room temperature, they didn't take long to cook, but he says they could have cooked a little longer. I think they were medium rare. *shrugs*
Mole Rubbed Flat Iron Steaks
- 2 T cacao nibs
- 2 T sweet paprika
- 1 t smoked paprika
- 1 t cumin seeds
- 1 t oregano
- 1 t chili powder
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t chipotle chili powder
- 1 pound flat-iron steaks, trimmed
- Combine first 9 ingredients (cacao nibs through chipotle chili powder) in a small mixing bowl.
- Rub the steaks on both sides with the spice mixture.
- Heat a skillet over high heat and add 1 T canola oil, swirling to coat.
- Add steaks and cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.
- Allow to rest 5 minutes then serve with Chili Roasted Potatoes and Parsnips.
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