Steaks went for a bust

smokesniffer · December 2011

Well we are trying to get a handle on this egg. Tonight was not a good episode. Pre-heated the egg to 575 and put the steaks on. Let them sear for about 2 minutes. Then turned them over. My understanding was that we could leave the steak alone. Learned the hard way. Brought them off the egg after 9 minutes, both steaks needed some more time, so I put them back on, but I should have flipped them over. Did not and when I brought them back in, my wife, (who is an awesome cook) cut into hers and it was more to the well done side of things, (we were shooing for medium rare) with a good bark on the grill side. Lesson learned, expensive steak lesson #1 took place. Needless to say we are kind of frustrated with the egg. But I do have a soft spot for it, so I need to keep experimenting with it. Any suggestions for grilling some steaks for the next time would sure be helpful. :(( :(( ~X(

uncledave · December 2011

I also burned my first steaks. I usually cook an 1-1/4" thick new york or ribeye. I get the grill to 450 and put the steaks on for 3 minutes. I let the grill run up to 500 and then dampen it enough to hold around 500. I flip and go another 3 minutes. I flip and shut the egg down and leave for 4 minutes. Have had perfect steaks since my first try which I did at 650 like the bge book said. Way too hot.Good Luck.

ChokeOnSmoke · December 2011

Best advice you'll ever get: Always cook to temperature, NEVER time. Time means nothing.

If you want medium rare, get a decent instant read thermometer and pull at 120-125.

Read as much as you can and understand what temperature is "done" for each meat.

Once you understand this, you'll become and excellent cook. It's that easy.

Have fun. Good things will come soon.

uncledave · December 2011

make sure to use an instant read thermometer to make sure they are how you want them.

rodent · December 2011

I did some strip loins last night , 1.5 inches thick. Seared them both sides for 2 minutes a side right above the charcoal (I used my spider and a cast iron grate) then did the edges for a minute each. I took the steaks off and put the regular grill grate in and put the steaks back on and closed lid and cooked to 125 using a meat thermometer. They came out perfectly medium rare.

smokesniffer · December 2011

Thanks everyone. I will keep on grillin, I am going to master this. I will get a thermometer and give that a try. Thank-you for the advice.

psalzer · December 2011

Only had my Egg for about a year.....I get the Egg to around 700, two minutes per side, then shut vent and put the cap on.....wait 2-3 minutes and check temp of steak...usually it is ready for me ..... it takes another minute or to for my wife.....never failed yet.

4Runner · December 2011

Good posts in response. My first thought 9min was too long. I started with thicker than what I was used to and found that gave me more wiggle room on temp until I got a handle on the Egg. This might help too

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1145329#Comment_1145329

and/or

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/trexsteak.htm

burr_baby33 · December 2011

My 1st steaks were singed, not seared. Mistakes I made were, I tried searing with top closed and left them in too long. after asking fellow eggheads I learned the value of hot tubbing steaks and searing with top open. Sear, flip, sear flip, then check internal temp with good instant read thermometer. Now you can have a good idea on how to finish. After the hot tubbing and searing you will see your internal getting close. Finish with top closed.

bigguy136 · December 2011

After watching this post, I think I'm going to try more red meat. 95% of everything I do on my egg is pork or chicken. I think some steaks for Christmas will work.

Thanks for all the great reading.

BarManBean · December 2011

OP. You make it sound like you thought you didn't have to flip the steak...? Just to be clear, you do not need to flip things when cooking INDIRECT (i.e. plate setter or some other heat deflector). In general, when you are cooking direct you need to flip your food.

Ignore me if I read your post wrong.

Theophan · December 2011

I STRONGLY urge you to follow the link 4Runner posted above on the "TRex" method. It's how I always cook steaks now (though I'm less precise than I should be, probably, about the exact temperatures). The steaks are WONDERFUL every time! It seems very odd at first, but you sear the steaks at a quite high temperature on both sides, rather briefly, then take them out of the Egg and let them sit on a plate for 15 minutes or more while the Egg cools down to a lower temperature (I forget -- see the link above). Then you put the steaks back in and cook them to temperature as others above emphasized. You're almost baking them in the second cook, as many high-end steak houses do (they sear first to get the tasty outside, then bake them to cook the inside to exactly the right temperature -- the difference with the egg is that the "oven" is the wonderful, smoky Egg instead of a flavorless indoor oven). Some people do a "reverse sear" and do the lower temp cook first and the higher temp sear afterward; might be good but I've never tried it.

Another thing that may seem sort of nuts, is very many people on this (well, really the original forum) swore by a thermometer called Thermapen, and they're considerably more expensive than any other instant-read thermometer I've seen, but these people seemed so knowledgeable I went for it and bought one, and no kidding, this thing really is INSTANT-read. It's amazing. I love it, and use it with every cook. It's way, way better than the so-called instant-read thermometer I had before. Really good. FYI

Theo

gte1 · December 2011

T-Rex works well for me also, but make sure you have some thick stakes. I have tried searing then shutting down the vents, but steaks were way too smokey go me.

JerkChicken · December 2011

I just cooked my first steaks on my new egg tonight. I can honestly say they were some of the best steaks I've ever grilled, and I am a fanatic!

They were 1" thick NY Strips with the Dizzy Pig Cowlick rub. I used the T-Rex method as posted by Naked and others. I don't have a lowered grid, so I was able to use an old chargriller SS basket for veggies etc. It set right into the top of the fire ring and bows out so that it doesn't fall in completely, getting me about 3" below the normal grid height. Worked great for me!

I think I seared them a tad too long (which in my case was under 2 minutes per side) but they still came out tremendously juicy and perfectly medium rare after completing the T-Rex method.

By using the wealth of this website and others like it, you really can't go wrong. Just keep reading and keep practicing...

smokesniffer · December 2011

Practice make Perfect.

ribnrun · December 2011

I ruined me first steaks on my egg by following the video that came with it. Then just started doing it like I had done on my Weber for years and they come out amazing. Heat egg to 600 dome with grate on firering. With top open, sear steaks for 2 min on one side, flip them then close yer lid. Adjust your vents to stabilize at around 400 dome. The second side sears while the egg stabilizes temp.Check temp after a few minutes. Only way I know of to be able to adjust temp just by looking at your vents is with practice, but just have a beer and stand there first few times till you are confident you can set it. 5-8 minutes after you close lid, open it back up and flip. Another 5-8 and they will be done. Depending on thickness and how pink you like em. I have found I can do away with the thermometer and just press em with the tongs to know how they look inside, again, it is just a practice thing. I was a devoted Weber lover, but after a few Egged steaks, my Weber has been demoted to burgers and dogs for family cookouts only. I usually cook bone in New Yorks, or Tbones that are less than 2" thick.

llrickman · December 2011

I do 1.5'' sirloin , ribeye whatever. I get my egg as hot as i can get it 700-800 degrees sear about a minute and a half on each side then close vents put on rain cap and let sit 2-4 min or so and have a med rare but if your steak are thinner they will cook much faster

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Steaks went for a bust

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