Garlic Butter Steak Bites

This is another one of Scott's favorite recipes to make on the grill. It goes great with the feta red potatoes.

Garlic Butter Steak Bites

Ingredients: (For our family of five, we often double this recipe.)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1½ pound sirloin steak (cut into bite size pieces, or strip loin, tenderloin, strip steak or rib eye)
• ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon parsley (fresh, chopped)

Directions:

1. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over high heat. Make sure the olive oil is hot, then add the steak pieces to it. Season them generously with salt and pepper. 
2. Cook for at least 2 minutes before stirring the steak pieces. You want to make sure you get a good sear on them. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes until they’re golden brown. If your skillet isn’t big enough, you may need to do this batches.
3. Transfer the steak bites to a plate and in the same skillet add the butter. Turn the heat down to a medium and after the butter has melted, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds while stirring, just until the garlic becomes aromatic and starts to brown.
4. Pour the garlic butter over the steak bites and toss well. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Marsha's Notes:

Sometimes when cooking bite-sized pieces of meat, you can end up with lots of liquid in your pan that was released by the meat during the cooking process. Here are some tips I have read to help prevent this:

• Searing your meat creates a crust that prevents all of the juices from escaping, so this is the goal.
• Make sure your meat is at room temperature so when you add it to your hot pan it doesn't cause the temperature of the pan to drop too much, ruining your sear.
• Be sure to not over-crowd your pan, as this also lowers the temperature of the pan and prevents the meat from cooking quickly.
• Get your pan super hot (some even say "smoking"). Cast iron is recommended because it retains the heat much better during the cooking process.
• In the case of steak, where you might want to retain some pink in the middle of your meat, you can feel free to cook things hot and fast.