Steak pepper

Steak Pepper from Altes Gewürzamt, coarsely cracked

Steak pepper from Altes Gewürzamt is a coarsely cracked blend of black Tellicherry, long pepper, grains of paradise, allspice, and garlic. Five ingredients that are added to the meat after searing and provide a satisfying crunch under the knife.

Steak pepper is Altes Gewürzamt's bold blend, built on five ingredients and coarsely cracked rather than finely ground. Ingo Holland combined black Tellicherry and long pepper with grains of paradise and allspice, adding a generous portion of garlic.

Tellicherry, grains of paradise, and plenty of garlic

The garlic gives this steak pepper its warm, almost meaty depth, long before it even reaches the plate. Straight from the tin, it smells of garlic and warm wood.

On the steak, four distinct characters meet: nutty Tellicherry, sweet and warm long pepper, fruity grains of paradise, and aromatic allspice. However, only two of these are true peppers.

Tellicherry and long pepper belong to the genus Piper; grains of paradise, on the other hand, are a West African member of the ginger family, whose heat spreads warmly and broadly across the tongue. Allspice is the berry of a Central American myrtle tree, and the word "spice" in its German name (Piment) describes its character rather than its lineage.

Long pepper is the most idiosyncratic of the five, with a sweet undertone and a heat that develops slowly. This warmth is exactly what rounds out the blend on beef, while the grains of paradise provide a bright, fruity contrast.

Generously applied to beef steaks, only after searing

Steaks, quick-seared dishes, and anything off the grill take exceptionally well to the strength of Altes Gewürzamt.

Press it generously onto the meat, but only after searing at high heat, as garlic and peppercorns will burn and turn bitter over glowing coals. Its moment is during the meat's resting phase, when the spices infuse the escaping juices.

Being coarsely cracked, it remains on the crust instead of disappearing into it, creating a satisfying crunch under the knife. For an old-school pepper steak, press it firmly into the meat after cooking; for a rump steak, a generous sprinkling is sufficient.

The blend contains no salt, so you can season with salt separately and control the amount yourself. Baked potatoes and grilled corn on the cob pair just as well with it as beef fillet.

It also works well on lamb chops and thick-sliced grilled mushrooms, and when sprinkled over tomato slices with olive oil, it becomes a complete appetizer. Stirred into herb butter, it melts beautifully over a hot steak later on.

Why the coarse crack carries more flavor than fine powder

Coarsely cracked grains release their oils more slowly, allowing them to last longer on a hot piece of meat. Fine powder would disappear into the crust and lose its heat all at once.

Tellicherry is a black pepper from India that ripens longer on the vine than standard varieties, making it larger and more aromatic. At Altes Gewürzamt, it is added to the tin cracked, together with dried garlic, which provides more toasted notes than fresh garlic.

The tin contains five ingredients, and since none of them are sugar, nothing will burn on the edge of the steak. Stored in a dry, dark place, the cracked blend remains free-flowing and retains its aroma throughout an entire grilling season.

For grilling, it is worth browsing our grilling spices and BBQ rubs, and for everything else, visit Altes Gewürzamt.