Spice-Crusted Steaks with Cherry Sauce

June 2022. Memphis summer, 63 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 38 years of marriage. Walter Jr. came by with the grandchildren, bringing the noise and energy that grandchildren bring, the house expanding to hold them the way a good pot expands to hold a good stew.

I experimented this week — smoked pork belly burnt ends, cubed and re-smoked with sauce and butter until they were sticky, caramelized, and indecent. The kind of food that makes Rosetta say "Earl, your arteries" and then eat three more pieces, because even nurses have limits, and the limit of smoked pork belly burnt ends has not yet been found by human science.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 63 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

The burnt ends that week were indecent, as I said, but they got me thinking about the crust — because a good crust is where the fire lives, whether you’re on a smoker or over a cast iron pan. These Spice-Crusted Steaks with Cherry Sauce are what I reach for when I want that same bark-and-heat energy inside the house, something I can cook with Walter Jr. or Trey standing right next to me at the stove, learning the same lesson I learned from Clyde: you build the flavor in layers, you don’t rush the sear, and a good sauce at the end is just the fire’s way of saying thank you. This is a pitmaster’s recipe translated into a kitchen — the chain holds on the stovetop too.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 ribeye or New York strip steaks (about 1 inch thick, 8 oz each)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted and halved
1/3 cup dry red wine (such as Cabernet or Merlot)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter (for finishing the sauce)

Instructions

Build the spice crust. Combine the smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Pat the steaks completely dry with paper towels, then press the spice mixture firmly onto both sides of each steak. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes so the crust adheres.
Sear the steaks. Heat a heavy cast iron skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add the olive oil, then lay the steaks in carefully. Sear without moving for 3–4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until a deep, dark crust forms. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil to rest.
Build the cherry sauce. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
Deglaze and simmer. Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan — that is the flavor. Add the cherries, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and thyme. Raise the heat to medium-high and simmer for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces by about half and the cherries have softened and broken down slightly.
Finish the sauce. Remove the pan from heat and swirl in the cold tablespoon of butter until the sauce is glossy and silky. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Serve. Slice the steaks against the grain or serve whole. Spoon the cherry sauce generously over the top. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spice-Crusted Steaks with Cherry Sauce — The Crust Is the Story