Hasselback Steaks

Bon Appetite published a recipe for Hasselback Short Rib Bulgogi. (It's their photo at the top here, too.) I bet it's good, but I wasn't specificially interested in the bulgogi recipe (bulgogi means 'fire meat' by the way). I was intrigued by the hasselback style slicing of the meat before it was grilled. I just thought it would be a great way to get more surface area and therefore more flavor infused and more maillard reaction going on! 

Maillard, to add another vocabulary bonus tip, is similar to caramelization...that delicious browning and often crustiness that develops when foods are heated or seared. Caramelization involves a reaction with sugars, so that's what's typically happening with fruits, veggies and baked goods; the maillard reaction has to do with amino acids found in proteins.

Directions

Before marinating and broiling my steak (I used a smokey, African spice blend, but the specific marinade isn't critical here, nor the specific cut of meat), I sliced it diagonally, hasselback style - slicing in opposite directions on each side. Even with a relatively short marination time, it had lots of flavor. The lacerations also made it seem even more tender.