Grilled Venison Steak with Dark Chocolate Balsamic Marinade and Allspice Rub
Valentine’s Day is approaching and I don’t know about you but I am not a big fan of going out to dinner on a holiday. The restaurants are crowded, the menus sometimes less than inspired and the service is all about getting the table turned over for the people waiting. I’d rather cook a meal at home and go out on another night when things aren’t so crazy. Here’s an easy to make meal that has a bit of spark to it so that you can make it for a special night.
Grilled Venison Steak with Dark Chocolate Balsamic Marinade with Allspice Rub on Barley
4 4 – 6 oz Venison steaks (regular old cow will work fine too)
2 TBS Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBS Canola oil
2 TBS light brown sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp allspice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup barley
Mix the Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar and the Canola oil in the bottom of a dish. Add the venison steaks and marinate for about an hour on each side. (Yes I have 5 steaks. That was what was in the package. One was very small.)
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Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the barley. Cook until the barley is al dente – about 20 minutes. Drain and if you would like add add some seasoning – I used about a TBS of Gremolata Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It has a delightful lemony/herby flavor that was going to be perfect with the grilled meat. Feel free to add some butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Mix together the brown sugar, chili powder and allspice. Set aside.
Remove the steaks from the marinade, salt them and dip them in the spice rub on both sides.
Heat a grill or grill pan until hot.
Grill the steaks ’til done the way you like them. Here we like them rare so I cooked them for about 3 minutes on each side.
Let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
Slice, drizzle a little bit of Dark Chocolate Balsamic over the meat and serve with the barley and a vegetable.
Around here that usually means green beans.
*sigh*
It was yummy!
The marinade added a richness to the meat and the spice rub was a delicious compliment; a little bit sweet, a little bit hot and a little bit exotic. I will use the Dark Chocolate Balsamic on meat again.
Now a word about Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar. When I first tasted it I thought – eh, just tastes like balsamic vinegar. And then it hits. A rich, slightly bitter, but oh, so chocolately flavor. It is quite the taste experience. I am going to try some on ice cream the next time I have some around. I can also see it being heavenly on strawberries. I’ve added it to chocolate I’ve melted for a topping on coffee cake and it added an extra something to the drizzle. This is very useful vinegar!
I was sent the chocolate vinegar by Devo Olive Oil to review. The Gremolata olive oil was a gift from the hubby for Christmas
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Disclosure: I was sent a free sample of Devo Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar for my honest review. I received no compensation for this post.
