No. 1375

Delmonico Sirloin Steak of Twenty Ounces, Plain

Bifteck de Contrefilet Delmonico de Vingt Onces, Nature

Cut from a sirloin slices two inches in thickness; beat them to flatten them to an inch and a half thick, trim nicely; they should now weigh twenty ounces each; salt them on both sides, baste them over with oil or melted butter, and broil them on a moderate fire for fourteen minutes if desired very rare; eighteen to be done properly, and twenty-two to be well done. Set them on a hot dish with a little clear gravy (No. 404) or maitre d'hotel butter (No. 581).

← No. 1374 Small Sirloin Steak, with Butter and Cooked Beef No. 1376 Delmonico Sirloin Steak a la Perigueux →

For the Modern Kitchen

A plain broiled steak from Delmonico's, and the details worth attention are all in the cut, the fire and the timing. Ranhofer's cross-references send you to two of his own sauces, so those need translating too.

What contrefilet meansContrefilet is the boneless strip loin — what an American butcher sells as New York strip or top loin. Ask for a single 2-inch slab rather than two thinner steaks; a 20 oz strip at 1 1/2 inches is roughly a 4-inch by 5-inch piece.
Twenty ounces feeds twoThe original gives no yield. A 20 oz steak of this thickness, sliced across the grain, serves two generously or three at a table with several other courses.
The flatteningBeating a 2-inch slice down to 1 1/2 inches evens the thickness so the steak broils uniformly and hits the stated weight. Use the flat of a heavy cleaver or a mallet's smooth face, and only enough force to level it — this is not tenderizing, and mashing the fibers will cost you juice.
"A moderate fire"The recipe specifies only a moderate fire, meaning a steady bed of coals rather than a roaring flame — roughly a medium-hot grill you can hold a hand over for three or four seconds. Under a modern gas broiler, place the steak 4 inches from the element; on a grill, build a two-zone fire so you can move it off direct heat if the fat flares.
The timings, checked with a thermometerFourteen, eighteen and twenty-two minutes suit an inch-and-a-half steak over a good bed of coals, but coal beds and broilers vary too much to trust the clock. Pull at 120-125F in the center for very rare, 130-135F for medium rare; twenty-two minutes will carry it well past that, to what Ranhofer counts as well done.
Salt and oilSalting both sides and brushing with oil or melted butter is exactly right — the fat prevents sticking and helps the crust. If you have time, salt an hour ahead and leave the steak uncovered in the refrigerator; the surface dries and browns better.
The two finishesHis No. 404 clear gravy is not reproduced here; a degreased, lightly reduced brown beef stock — a good unthickened jus — will stand in. No. 581 maitre d'hotel butter is the usual softened butter worked with chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper, set on the hot steak so it melts into the juices.
Rest before servingRanhofer says only to set them on a hot dish. By modern practice, give the steak five to eight minutes on a warmed platter before slicing, or the juices end up on the board.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of the kitchen he ran at Delmonico's in New York for some three decades, and the sirloin steaks in the beef chapter show how the restaurant built a whole family of dishes from one cut: the plain twenty-ounce version here, then variations such as the sauce Perigueux steak that follows it. The French heading calls it contrefilet, the boneless strip beside the fillet, and the specified weight is the point — a steak billed by the ounce. The name "Delmonico steak" escaped the restaurant and is now attached to several different cuts depending on the butcher, so the modern label tells you less than Ranhofer's French does.