Steak directly on coals… Disaster!!!

Unknown

I picked up a BIG bone in rib eye. For a little something different I decided to try searing it directly on hot lump… figured I’d read about it here so what the heck. Carefully set it on a nice flat area of white hot coals. So far so good… slowly counted to 90 and pulled it off and took a look. Nothing stuck and it looked terrific… on to the other side. By the time I hit 60 seconds I had an inferno going on in my egg. I grabbed my tongs and went after it only to drop it about half way up…$#!%!!!! Grab it again and pull it free from the flames. Finish on the grill to medium. My $35.00 steak tasted like an ash tray. I’m thinking the dropping incident kicked up a lot of ash. Fortunately it was so thick I cut off the outside and had what amounted to a prime rib. Word of warning if you try this… use long tongs, wear a gloves and don’t drop your meat.

stike

1/2 Chicken,
did you leave the lid open?[p]shouldn't have very many (if any) flames if the lid is down. that would limit ash, too.

thirdeye

<p />1/2 Chicken,[p]The closest I've come to cooking steaks on the coals was 1/16 of an inch. I cut a piece of stainless expando small enough to sit atop the coals. I tried it a couple of times but didn't like it mainly because the window of opportunity is too short for me. Now flank steak may be another story. I've heard good things about cooking it on the coals.[p][p]I still prefer either 1. The hot tub method where you season and bag a steak and warm it in 100° water for an hour, then cook over a hot fire, normal grate position. It is a short cook too but easier for me to control the doneness.[p][p]Or 2., the T-Rex method.[p]~thirdeye~

fishlessman

1/2 Chicken,
ive only done it with large lamb roasts, but maybe the ribeye is just too fatty for this.

Unknown

Like a dummy I did have the lid open. I was enjoying watching the action. Lesson learned. I think I’ll stick to pan and grill searing.

stike

fishlessman,
lotta fat on a leg of lab too, sometimes anyway.[p]i think he had his dome open, and that's the only time i've ever had flareups.[p]fire isn't as efficient at burning the lump, so you'd get more of that freefloating ash. [p]do you sear dome open?

BabyBoomBBQ

1/2 Chicken,[p]I have to agree with thirdeye, rib eye is probably just too fatty for this trick. Most of what I've read is people doing flank or similar cuts. I think it was inspired by a cooking technique from northern Mexico.

fishlessman

stike,
done it both ways, closed is better. the flame burns more than give it a nice sear so less flame is better and its easier to get it out of there without huge flames. i also give it a good bath in balsamic after the sear and scrape any heavy charred spots off and baste it a few more times while it waits 20-30 minutes for the egg temps to come down. lamb also has way more flavor than ribeye which probably offsets things a bit. you definatly need a plan to get it out quickly. watching a clock is problematic when searing, how hot is the lump, how cold is the meat going in, how much fat is on it, all make timing dificult for me. i see exact times given alot, but that never works for me. searing on the lump isnt for everyone either, some like heavey char, some dont, i like to change it up

The Naked Whiz

1/2 Chicken,
Aw come on, cowboy, get back up in the saddle! :-) You know what you did wrong, so next time, all will go well. Another thing you can do is load the cooker up with lots of charcoal so that the top surface of the coals aren't so far down in the cooker. [p]TNW

FlaMike

1/2 Chicken,
Sounds like you need one of the Lawn Ranger's pig-tail meat turners. I've got one, and haven't dropped any meat lately. It's much better than tongs for those times you "Gotta Get It In One Shot!"
Mike

Morro Bay Rich

1/2 Chicken,
Got any idea why BGE went to the expense of adding a grill? I guess now you know why. Unless you tend to eat cigarette buts I think the grill is a good idea.

BYC

1/2 Chicken,[p]UGH---I have to say the visual of this "disaster" made me laugh---sorry. Sounds like something that would happen to me however..[p]I did with this flank steak and had amazing results--no fat on a flank steak right?

BBQBluesStringer

1/2 Chicken,[p]This is almost the classic Pittsburg method. All you needed to do to improve it is partially freeze the steak before you throw it in the fire. I do sirloins this way with a heavy coating of salt on 'em. Don't bother with other organic spices because they'll just burn away in the fire. You have to like your steak COLD in the middle to appreciate this technique. I am carnivor...

Unknown

The Naked Whiz, Yesterday I did my 1st brisket ever, I used the jaccarder and the meat was extremly tender through out but I think it should have been juicier where there was no fat, I'll use the jaccarder again and after reading posts here maybe I can stay juicey.

Unknown

The Naked Whiz, Oh I bet I will try it again... just with a smaller less fatty cut.