Rump steak with monkey gland sauce

Name: Rump steak with monkey gland sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 4 rump steaks, about 3 cm (1 1/4 inches) thick; Coarse salt and black pepper; 1 tablespoon oil; 1 tablespoon oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 125 ml (1/2 cup) tomato sauce (ketchup); 125 ml (1/2 cup) fruit chutney; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon vinegar; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 60 ml (1/4 cup) water; A few drops of hot sauce (optional)

Thick rump steaks seared over hot coals and served with South Africa's sweet, tangy steakhouse sauce.

Coals: Hot coals
Prep: 15 min
On the fire: 30 min
Plan ahead: 30 minutes for the steaks to lose their chill
Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 rump steaks, about 3 cm (1 1/4 inches) thick
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon oil

Monkey gland sauce

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
125 ml (1/2 cup) tomato sauce (ketchup)
125 ml (1/2 cup) fruit chutney
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) water
A few drops of hot sauce (optional)

Method

Take the steaks out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Make the sauce. Heat the oil in a small pot and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the tomato sauce, chutney, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar and water. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring often, until thick and glossy. Add hot sauce to taste.
Pat the steaks dry, rub them with oil, and season well with salt and pepper just before cooking.
Cook over hot coals for 3 to 4 minutes a side for medium-rare, turning once.
Rest the steaks on a warm plate for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve with the sauce spooned over or on the side.

Done when: a thermometer reads 54 to 57°C (130 to 135°F) for medium-rare, or 63°C (145°F) for medium. Food safety agencies recommend 63°C (145°F) and a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef.

Tips

There is no monkey in it. The name is an old restaurant joke, and the sauce is tomato, chutney and Worcestershire.
A dry steak browns. A wet one steams. Pat the meat dry before it goes on.
Rump has a strip of fat along one edge. Cut through it every few centimetres so the steak does not curl.
The sauce keeps for a week in the fridge and is good on burgers.

Monkey gland sauce has been on South African steakhouse menus for generations. It is sweet, sharp and dark, and most families have their own version.