Crow steak, a delicious piece of meat of the Belgian white-blue cattle
They are walking in just about every Belgian meadow: the Belgian white-blue cattle. The Belgian Blue is our national pride. You can immediately recognise these cows by their white skin with bluish or black spots, their hairiness and their muscle mass. The meat of these cattle is pure pleasure: tender, juicy and tasty with very little fat. In this recipe, we prepare a delicious piece of hanger steak, also known as crow steak or onglet de boeuf. A crow steak is the muscle of the cow that makes the lungs move. A delicious dish!
Preparation of the lightly smoked Belgian Blue on the BBQ
For the preparation of the lightly smoked Belgian Blue - the crow steak - we use a Kamal kamado barbecue. This charcoal egg BBQ is made of ceramic which ensures that the heat is retained for a long time. The kamado BBQ works like an oven, because the ceramic bowl and lid allow you to hold the temperature longer and keep it constant.
Soak the red wine wood chunks in water for several hours beforehand. Wood chunks have a coarser structure than smoking chips and are perfectly usable with a Barbecook smoker or charcoal barbecue.
Fill the charcoal basket of your kamado BBQ for about 1/2 with charcoal and light it with some firelighters.
Chop the fresh rosemary. Brush one piece of crow steak with grain mustard and sprinkle the finely chopped rosemary over it. Place the second piece of crow steak on top of the first and wrap both in the bacon. In order to keep the pieces together nicely, it’s best to tie them together with butcher's twine.
Once there is a thin layer of grey ash on your charcoal, sprinkle a handful of soaked wood chunks over the coals. This will give a delicious lightly smoked flavour. Then place the grid on your kamado BBQ and place the tied crow steak in the middle of the grid. Close the lid. Play with your air supply until you reach a temperature of about 180°C. Then close the air inlet to maintain an even temperature.
After 5 to 10 minutes, carefully turn the crow steak over so that it can grill on the other side as well. When your preparation is sufficiently cooked on both sides, remove it from the barbecue and cut it into thin slices.
Bon appétit!
Extra tips
How long it takes before you can turn your crow steak depends partly on the thickness of the piece of meat. We advise you to use a digital thermometer, so that you are guaranteed to cook it perfectly. The temperature should be 51-53°C for a medium rare result and 54-57°C for a medium result.
