“Hawaiian” Ribeye
Hillstone, formerly Houston’s, made famous this “Hawaiian” ribeye. Sweet-yet-savory and Asian-inspired, I’ve visited Hillstone several times a year just for this steak. However, with Covid running rampant in California, I’ve taken to making this restaurant favorite in the safety of my own home.
What I love most about this steak is the harmony of flavors. Everything tastes in balance —sweetness, saltiness, acidity, fat — while still allowing the natural flavor of the beef to shine. The flavor profile is reminiscent of Korean Kalbi (BBQ short ribs), but where Kalbi marinade uses Asian pear to offer sweetness with mild flavor, Hawaiian marinade embraces the bold acidic sweetness of pineapples.
While my favorite cut is ribeye, with its decadent marbling, you can use practically any cut with this marinade. So the next time you’re cooking a celebratory steak dinner, whether for two or a crowd, try out this marinade to kick it up a notch! Your guests and your taste buds will thank you, I guarantee it.
The Recipe
Makes enough for 2 ravenous people (or 3-4 moderate servings)
This recipe has been modified from Bon Appétit; ingredients and language have been adjusted.
Ingredients
Marinade & Steak
2 cups pineapple juice (🎩Tropical Choices)
½ cup soy sauce (🎩Salt Survey)
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
½ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
⅓ cup chopped onion, white or red
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1-inch-thick boneless rib-eye steaks (about 3 pounds total)
Compound Butter (Optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Pineapple Chutney (Optional)
¼ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained of excess juice
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Instructions
Make the marinade:
Take out a large ziplock bag, two if the steaks cannot fit into one.
In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir to combine. If you are planning to make the compound butter, reserve 2 tablespoons on the marinade liquid. Place the steaks and marinade in the bag(s), squeezing as much air out before sealing.
Refrigerate the steaks for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours (🎩Salt Survey) flipping the bags halfway through your planned marination time.
Make the optional compound butter:
In a small bowl combine the softened butter, reserved marinade liquid, and sesame oil. Mix until homogeneous. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook the steaks.
Make the optional chutney & cook the steaks:
An hour before you are ready to cook, take the steaks and the compound butter, if using, out of the refrigerator (🔥Perfectly Pink). Remove the steaks from the marinade and place them on a plate; if you are planning to make the chutney, reserve the marinade for later. Clean off the steaks as best you can, then pat the exterior dry with paper towels (🔥Wet Blanket). Rest the steaks uncovered at room temperature for an hour.
If making the chutney — while the steaks are resting, strain the marinade into a sieve. You should have about ½ cup of “chunks” (onions, garlic, and ginger); press out some of the excess liquid so that it’s not sopping wet. Transfer the chunks to a medium non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron pan, then set the heat to medium-high. Allow the liquid to evaporate, stirring every minute or so to prevent from burning. Cook until all excess liquid is evaporated and the chunks begin to caramelize and turn dark brown. Transfer the chunks to a small bowl. Add the ¼ cup of canned pineapple chunks and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Stir to combine. Reserve for later.
Cook the steaks — set a large heavy bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and let it get hot enough for a full 2 minutes. Place one steak on the pan and let it cook undisturbed for 3 minutes (🔥Sear-iously). Check the bottom of the steak to ensure it’s turning dark brown but not burning. If all clear, cook undisturbed for an additional 3 minutes, then flip the steak. For the second side, cook undisturbed for 6-8 minutes (🔥Happy Medium) then transfer to a plate. Cook the second steak using the same process as the first.
IN CASE OF BURNED BOTTOMS — it’ll get VERY smoky and you’ll smell burning sugar. Transfer the steak immediately to a dish. Turn the heat off, then wipe the pan with a wet paper towel to remove as much of the burnt residual as possible; dry with a paper towel. Set the pan back on medium heat. Add a bit of oil back onto the pan and allow a full 2 minutes to get the pan hot again. Place the steak back on the skillet and continue with the cooking process.
Finish and Garnish:
If you made the compound butter, top each steak with a dollop of butter allowing it to melt slightly before serving.
If you made the chutney, serve the chutney in a small dish alongside the steaks.
Let the steaks rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them.
Enjoy!
Hot Tips 🔥
PERFECTLY PINK — If you cook steak directly from the refrigerator, the inside of the steak will remain cold and raw while the outside of the steak sears quickly. By taking the steak out in advance, the interior of the steak comes closer to room temperature allowing for a more even distribution of heat when cooking. The result is a seared outside and medium-rare interior, rather than a blue or rare interior. If you forget to take the meat out in advance, try increasing the cooking time by 1-2 minutes on each side.
WET BLANKET — In order for meat to take on that flavorful dark brown sear, the meat must be in direct contact with fat (oil) and heat. If there is liquid on the exterior of the meat, the water creates a barrier between the oil and the meat, delaying the browning until the water has evaporated. The additional time that it takes for the water to evaporate adds significant heat to the interior of the meat, easily taking it from medium rare to well done. So dry your meat before adding it to the pan!
SEAR-IOUSLY — Sugar caramelizes easily, so all that sugar in the marinade helps to develop that nice brown char. However, since sugar burns easily, it’s important to check on the side of the steak in contact with the pan. If the steak is dark brown but looks like it might burn soon, turn the heat down. If you’ve turned the heat down, don’t forget to turn it back up before cooking a raw side!
HAPPY MEDIUM — The doneness of your steak will depend on how long it’s cooked and the intensity of the heat. As a general rule, use high heat for a short period of time to quickly develop char on the exterior; use moderate heat for a longer duration to cook the interior of the steak. I’ve found that 12 minutes total over medium-high heat yields a medium-rare to medium done steak. If your steak is extra thick, increase the total cooking time by 2-4 minutes, searing the edges of the steaks with the extra time. If your steak is thinner than an inch, decrease the cook time. Additionally, if you’d like the steaks rarer, decrease the time. Conversely, for more well-done steaks increase the time. For those of you with instant read thermometers, pull the steaks when the interior reads 120 degrees for medium-rare.
Tricks 🎩
TROPICAL CHOICES — The recipe yields the best results when using pineapple juice; however, in a pinch, you can substitute 2 cups of pineapple chunks. Blend or food-process the chunks if possible to extract as much liquid as possible.
SALT SURVEY — You can use either regular or less-sodium soy sauce. However, if you use regular soy sauce, I would not recommend marinading the steaks for more than 24 hours as they may become too salty.