This generous red blend’s rich fruit and smooth tannins make it a must for premium steak cooked over fire.

The festive season calls for feasting and, with South Africa’s warm weather, something delicious on the grill. Few things capture the moment quite like a piece of steak cooked over the coals – that perfect mix of char, tenderness and deep, savoury flavour. Add a spoonful of bone marrow butter, and you’ve got a dish that feels both rustic and luxurious all at once.

There’s only one vintage suitable for such a gourmet pairing – our flagship red, Frans K. Smit. The utterly delicious and more-ish butter melts into the meat, adding a richness that perfectly balances with its bright cherry, blackberry and herbal fynbos notes. This Bordeaux-style blend’s ripe fruit, subtle spice and silky structure bring out the best in the sirloin’s aged depth, while a glass on its own is pure pleasure once the plates are cleared.

Tip: For a smokier end result, roast the marrow bones in a closed kettle braai (instead of roasting in the oven) before making the butter.

Chargrilled aged sirloin with roasted bone marrow butter

Ingredients: (makes 3 logs of marrow butter, will serve a crowd)

2 large marrow bones, cut lengthways in half (ask your butcher)
olive oil, for drizzling
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
2-3 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
finely grated zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
a handful parsley, roughly chopped
250 g butter at room temperature, cubed
salt & pepper, to taste
200-300 g aged sirloin (per person)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220°C. In a large deep roasting dish, arrange the marrow bones with their cut sides up, then drizzle with some olive oil and season with paprika, salt & pepper. Add the garlic cloves on the side, drizzle with a little oil, and scatter rosemary in the bottom of the roasting dish. Roast for 25 minutes until the bone marrow is golden brown on top, then remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes.

Scoop out the soft marrow into the bowl of a food processor, then peel the garlic and add it too, along with the lemon zest and juice, parsley, butter and some salt & pepper. Process until you get a smooth flavoured butter. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then scoop the mixture into thirds and roll up in logs using squares of baking paper. Twist the ends, then refrigerate until set.

To serve, cut into rounds and leave to melt on top of freshly grilled steak (use a kitchen blowtorch to melt it quicker).

To cook the steak, season the meat on both sides with salt & pepper. Grill over a fire until cooked to your liking (or pan fry in a skillet over high heat). While the steak if resting, top with the flavoured butter to melt on top. Serve with your choice of fries or potato wedges.