Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, April 2017
Written by Gail Collins
Steak. The word brings meat to mind. Not just any beef, but a premium, savored experience. While the term steak defines any fast-cooking cut, most of us wouldn’t be so generous. Taste, tenderness and marbling all play a part in making a steak great.
In general, meat is muscle, so the choicest steaks are sliced from lesser-used muscle areas. The loin or backstrap runs along either side of the spine in long, tender muscles outside the ribs. The tenderloin or filet mignon lies on the inside of the ribs below mid-spine. From these two muscles come four ideal candidates for steaks: ribeye, tenderloin, strip and T-bone. In each of these cuts, fine flecks of fat—called marbling—baste the meat with flavor.
Though diners may have preferences, there are a few classic culinary rules for achieving steak nirvana. First, apply generous amounts of coarse Kosher salt to meat left at room temperature for 30 minutes. Brush with clarified butter or oil to prevent sticking and use a smoking hot grill. This shortens cooking time for more tender beef, adding a flavorful crust. Lastly, after cooking, let the steak rest for a few moments to absorb the pockets of juice. Most consider the ideal steak to be an inch-and-a-half ribeye, served medium rare with a pink, warm middle plus sufficient char.
Steak is an iconic meal, and northeast of Flagstaff—a few miles up U.S. 89—an icon has been serving them for more than four decades. Horsemen Lodge Steakhouse opened in 1975 and quickly became a hangout for Babbitt cowboys working on the CO Bar Ranch. The restaurant name pays homage to the ranch lifestyle in its authentic details—Western art, six-shooters, brands, chaps and spurs—and its cowboy-inspired menu, featuring steak. This has won the rustic outpost the Arizona Daily Sun’s Best of Flagstaff Award for Best Steak for two years running. Kudos to majority owner Steve Alvin for rebuilding Horsemen’s status and presence in the community.
Chef Justin Bowers specializes in steak and hand-cuts, weighs and measures each one for consistency in tenderness and marbling. Selected Black Angus from Creekstone Farms are grain-fed with no hormones or steroids and raised in a humane environment with non-stress kill to support a superior steak.
“The boneless ribeye, with a minimum of 50 days aged, is the best steak for tenderness, juiciness and a little fat for flavor,” says Rebecca Wallace, director of operations. Boasting great grill lines, the thick ribeye yields under the knife, revealing pink perfection. The steak can be seasoned four ways: a char-crust of roasted garlic and peppercorns; the Horsemen traditional java made with ground coffee, molasses, honey and cayenne; butter with shallots, rosemary and merlot reduction; or original salt, pepper and garlic—the most popular.
Every cowboy needs boots, like every a steak needs a potato. Horsemen’s signature dish is twice-baked. Mixed with seasoning, bacon, cheese and chives, the potatoes are re-stuffed and baked off. Bust the crust for a fully-loaded bite. Or crunch through a side of crisp fries—cooked in magical oil, said Wallace. The cowboy beans are a scrat
ch-take on baked beans with molasses and cayenne pepper. They kick it up in a slow-simmered spicy over sweet result. All recipes are house-creations.
Game is big at Horsemen. Besides the trophy mounted kind, the bison burger claims a three-quarter-inch patty on a griddled pretzel roll, tender and tasty with a simple salad garnish and pickle spear. “The buffalo tenderloin is a quality cut available nowhere else in town, and up several notches from beef,” Wallace said. The elk chops are imported from New Zealand. Lean, mean elk has plenty o
f beef flavor with less fat and more iron.
Room for dessert? The cowboy tiramisu is an es
presso and cocoa-dusted meld of cream, layered with delicate, soaked lady fingers—a mmm-ellow indulgence. The most popular finish for a large meal is crème brulee. Crack the glassy burnt sugar to spoon luxurious, golden custard.
The Horsemen Lodge’s ambience of iron works and planked paneling is cowboy rustic. Wagon wheels and lanterns welcome guests to a hearty meal and a relaxed era. Enjoy a premium steak, and if you’ve a mind, give ponies Bonnie and Clyde’s noses a rub on your way out. NAMLM
Learn more at www. horsemenlodge.com