“The steak in it’s first form.” photo: Ben Stanziale.
A brisk morning in West Orange, New Jersey left my great grandfather Marty Horn walking away from the bank where he worked for many years. Little did he know, he was about to walk towards a family legacy that is still going strong today.
Fired from his first job, at the bank, he was left with nothing in 1932, the heart of the Great Depression in America. After thinking about how he could continue to make a living and put food on the table, Marty Horn and his friend, Roy, borrowed Roy’s mother’s ten foot by twelve foot rough wooded shed and set up shop on the corner of two of the busiest roads in West Orange.
It was official; “Pals Cabin” was open for business selling hot dogs. Marty figured, “It was better than selling apples on the street corner.” The two pals, Marty and Roy, grilled foot long hot dogs over warm, glowing coals and included a cold Coca-Cola that brought motorists off the road and up to the shed by the dozens. With great success, the rickety shed became one of the most popular establishments in the region.
By the time 1934 rolled around, Marty was acclaimed as “The Grill Master of New Jersey”. In ’34, the two friends decided it was time to add charcoal broiled steaks to the menu. Sold for 50 cents a piece, these mouthwatering steaks were served with buttered toast to patrons who flocked to the front of their shed in New Jersey. Marty’s flavorful steaks were so well loved by the public, that even baseball legend Babe Ruth found time to stop by the shed and devour those hot juicy steaks.
In 1939 Marty and Roy decided to build a restaurant, a cabin which would include the longest bar in New Jersey. After a while they realized people weren’t coming to drink, but to eat the juicy steaks. Several expansions later, Pals Cabin remains in the same spot, serving American food like the foot long hot dogs and their famous steaks that have been a menu item since the early days of the roadside shed. Marty never knew that his steaks would have such a lasting impact, but they are certainly a staple item that my family continues to enjoy to this day.
There are many secret techniques behind cooking Marty and Roy’s charcoal broiled steaks that made them such a successful item. What really set their steaks apart from the rest was the fact that their beef was aged. In fact, Marty would buy a whole side of beef and butcher it himself in the restaurant.
While today my dad isn’t buying half a cow and chopping it up in the backyard, we still get the beautiful aged cuts from the restaurant and grill the tender steaks at our own house, over scorching, glowing charcoal and aromatic woodchips. The smell of the steak and crunch of the toast points are all familiar senses in my house today.
Since dry aging was the method that Marty used to get the steak so tender, the two pals would take their cuts of meat and have them hang like pants on a cloths line, in a controlled refrigerated meat locker. The amount of attention needed to treat the beef not only reflected on Marty’s dedication to food, but his hard work. Steaks of the finest grade were kept between 32-36 degrees Fahrenheit or else it would spoil, and the humidity around 85 percent to avoid the cut from drying out. The cuts of sirloin were hung in a special meat locker allowing complete airflow around the beef to prevent bacteria. Most importantly this all happens for some 15 to 20 days under the watchful eye of Marty and his experienced butcher. Topped off with a piece of crispy, golden toast points, the meal was hard to beat. Marty’s steaks are still cut, aged, and served the same way at Pals Cabin today.
Ever since I was little, I remember having nights where I would be surprised with steak and toast. As a kid I loved eating it, and I still do now. Whether we enjoy steak at Pals, or on the deck at home; for a special occasion, or just Sunday night’s dinner- the steaks never get old and are a lasting tradition in my family. This special meal that has been a tradition for so many generations is even more enjoyed when my relatives come over to the house and we share each other’s company and family stories (plus the steak of course). The smell and splatter of the steak on the grill is something the Stanziale family can instantly identify with.
INGREDIENTS:
12oz sirloin steak (dry aged) per person
A dry rub consisting of:
- ¼ cup salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder or my Dad’s favorite, he says it reminds him of Pals’ rub, Stubb’s Bar.B.Q spice rub.
- two slices of you favorite bread cut in quarters or points
MAKE THE STEAK:
- Obtain dry aged steak (several mail order steak company sell them). More info. on aging steak here
- Rub spices into beef.
- Get grill very hot (500 F).
- Lay steaks over charcoal with mesquite chips scattered throughout
- Rotate steak after a few minutes a ¼ turn to produce nice grill marks.
- When juices rise flip steak and repeat step 5.
- Cook to medium or rare. Recommend rare.
- Let steak rest 5 min before serving to distribute juices.
- Before serving, brush steak with clarified butter (only the golden yellow part of melted butter skim off white milk portion).
- Serve with 2 golden pieces of toast.
WARNING
*It is not recommended for amateur food enthusiasts to age their own steak*
Mr. Food Exploration 