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Caveman Style Ribeye

bigguy136
bigguy136 Posts: 1,362
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum

This is from Friday night. I always do the T-Rex method of cooking a steak and I read on the forum here about throwing the steak right on the fire. Without anyone else eating, I thought why not (I could always run to McDonalds if needed). I was showing 650° on the dome so I threw on a 1.5" thick ribeye for 1 minute, flip and 1 more minute. Pulled, rested and drop temp to 400°. Cooked to 135° (first time using my therm pen, very nice). I will do this from now on.

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Big Lake, Minnesota

2X Large BGE, 1 Mini Max, Stokers, Adjustable Rig

Comments

  • nice bigguy. I do that from time to time as well. Especially on fajitas and flank steak
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • bigguy136
    bigguy136 Posts: 1,362
    Thanks! If I keep cooking/ eating all the great stuff the egg makes, I will need to change my name to even bigger guy. The steak was great. I only planned on eating half of it but I figured if I re-heated the steak, it wouldn't taste as good so I had to do what was right and eat it all.

    Big Lake, Minnesota

    2X Large BGE, 1 Mini Max, Stokers, Adjustable Rig

  • Leftover steak is for quitters :))


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • ratcheer
    ratcheer Posts: 189
    Wow, I did the TRex, yesterday. My grid was at normal height and 90 seconds per side at 800F got mine more blackened than those.

    Tim
  • eggo
    eggo Posts: 492
    Bigguy, that looks great. Gonna try that soon.
    Eggo in N. MS
  • Ellis
    Ellis Posts: 195
    I do the caveman a lot, used to it on the webber kettle back in the day, It's just better on the egg
  • Wow, I did the TRex, yesterday. My grid was at normal height and 90 seconds per side at 800F got mine more blackened than those.

    Tim

    That's the cool thing about going directly on the coals. It actually chokes off all the oxygen to that part of the fire so flare ups cannot happen. it browns them very nicely without andy fat burn off (acrid taste) from steaks like ribeyes. I've had great luck with it when I used it.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    I've seen you guys talk about this, but never tried it.  How does the steak not pick up ash from the fire?  No ash, just hot coals?
  • I've seen you guys talk about this, but never tried it.  How does the steak not pick up ash from the fire?  No ash, just hot coals?

    it picks up remarkably little ash. You can just brush off any that sticks
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Rubmyrock
    Rubmyrock Posts: 266
    Nice......

    Never tap out half way through a fine piece of meat. Finish strong .
  • nick_banich
    nick_banich Posts: 110
    Is this a pretty standard method for caveman? Think I want to try it this week...

    650 for the initial sear and then finish at a lower temp?

    Does anyone go hotter than 650 for the initial? Does anyone not finish it at a lower temp? What are the best cuts for this? Sorry for all the questions- spent some time in the archives and nothing really paints a full picture of what they recommend. Would love to hear everyone's take.
    -Large BGE since 6-13
    -Indianapolis, IN

  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    Is this a pretty standard method for caveman? Think I want to try it this week... 650 for the initial sear and then finish at a lower temp? Does anyone go hotter than 650 for the initial? Does anyone not finish it at a lower temp? What are the best cuts for this? Sorry for all the questions- spent some time in the archives and nothing really paints a full picture of what they recommend. Would love to hear everyone's take.
    I haven't tried caveman, but I try to the sear with the dome open to minimize heating the ceramics so the roasting phase can occur at temp around 300*.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    Many ways to skin a cat. I am usually a TRex guy myself so I can control the finished temp better. I did reverse sear on two black angus filets last night and they were the most tender steaks I have cooked.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    Caveman is next
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • sumoconnell
    sumoconnell Posts: 1,932
    That's how a badass cooks!

    @nick_banich, I'm a hoosier also. I even went to the football games:).   I think Oladipo will only get better, what a great athlete.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Austin, Texas.  I'm the guy holding a beer.
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Is this a pretty standard method for caveman? Think I want to try it this week... 650 for the initial sear and then finish at a lower temp? Does anyone go hotter than 650 for the initial? Does anyone not finish it at a lower temp? What are the best cuts for this? Sorry for all the questions- spent some time in the archives and nothing really paints a full picture of what they recommend. Would love to hear everyone's take.

    The temperature at the dome or on any thermometer really doesn't matter.  Hot, orange coals is what is important.  I usually just leave it on the coals a little longer and finish it - and don't do the lower temp roast to finish.  I realize that I may have some peripheral meat that is cooked more than if I did the full TRex or reverse sear, but I like to keep it simple most of the time. 

    As for ashes, if you wait until the coals are white with ash you can definitely pick up some of that fine white ash on your meat - so don't do that.  Do it while the coals are orange and hot.  Some relatively big pieces may stick to the steak when you turn it, but they brush off easily.

    I've done this with T-bones and filets and they are both excellent.  I've also done it with chicken wings (pretty good), bone-in chicken breasts (don't do it), ribs (interesting and edible, but not great), and sausage (very bad idea).

    This video is pretty illustrative and reassuring.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhDTcHFLP7Y

     


     

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795

    "so I had to do what was right and eat it all."

    @bigguy136 is clearly a man of great character.

    And that picture of the finished steak will likely get more people on the caveman bandwagon.  How could it not?

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • bccomstock
    bccomstock Posts: 338
    I still need to try this.. That steak up there looks amazing @bigguy136!
    LBGE
    MS Gulf Coast - Proud member of the Who Dat Nation!
    My Not Frequently Updated Basically Dead Blog: http://datcue.wordpress.com
  • nick_banich
    nick_banich Posts: 110
    So difference between Trex and caveman is if you then finish at a lower temp? 

    @sumoconnell - have season football and women's basketball tickets just to improve my men's basketball seats... 


    -Large BGE since 6-13
    -Indianapolis, IN

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    apples and oranges.  Caveman is throwing the food right on the hot coals.  Trex is a whole method for cooking steaks that stays on the grate.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • I did a reverse sear caveman over the weekend that was killer. I think caveman really shines on reverse sear because searing at the end leaves a really nice crust on the steak. Searing fist and then dropping the heat to finish off seems to soften up the crust a little. But either way, caveman is awesome!
  • nick_banich
    nick_banich Posts: 110
    Did a first go at this last night - think my steak was too thick - so I REALLY charred the outside before I got everything up to temperature.

    Next time, I'm either going with a thinner steak or butterflying the filets.  Also - think I may have wen't "too orange lava" on the fire prior to putting on.  The parts of the steak that weren't completely charred were AWESOME.

    Just wanted to share my experience since there is still limited talk about this method in general.  
    -Large BGE since 6-13
    -Indianapolis, IN

  • bccomstock
    bccomstock Posts: 338
    Are the steaks going straight onto the fire from the fridge?  Or do they sit out a bit and come to room temp?  Just curious if that plays into it..
    LBGE
    MS Gulf Coast - Proud member of the Who Dat Nation!
    My Not Frequently Updated Basically Dead Blog: http://datcue.wordpress.com
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593

    Worse thing is the wait for cool down for the indirect part of the TREX.

    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • How thick were your steaks? I'm thinking about trying it.
    San Angelo, texas
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795

    Are the steaks going straight onto the fire from the fridge?  Or do they sit out a bit and come to room temp?  Just curious if that plays into it..

    I have better results when the steaks warm up before putting them on the fire.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Pretty think filet - wish I would have measured
    -Large BGE since 6-13
    -Indianapolis, IN