Question about steaks on the BGE.....

It very well could be the quality of the steak at the restaurant was better than what you are cooking. Try cooking a prime grade steak. -RP

first of all, a question for you....what is the quality of the meat you are buying?? no matter how well you are cooking that steak, if you are starting with inferior meat, you are going to get an inferior end product (well, you may get a decent product, but it may not be as good as that restaurant steak if they are starting with a better product than you are). ...

you should at least be grilling choice steaks on your BGE, even prime if you can afford it (but its not necessary to get great flavor)....1 1/2 inches is sufficient thickness....try different cuts, rib-eyes, sirlion/strips, tenderloins . .. don't go crazy on the seasoning. ..go simple, salt and pepper, maybe a little dizzy cow lick or raising the steaks (but not a lot)...let the meat shine through...don't go crazy with extra wood on the fire. ...

sounds like you have fire ok ..yes, you have to remove the daisy wheel to get to high searing temps ...follow the t-rex method....sear a 1 1/2 inch thick steak for 90 seconds per side at 750 degrees, remove for 20 minutes per side to rest while you get the egg down to 400 degrees to finish the steak to your liking....then rest again for 5 minutes prior to slicing to let the juices re-distribute ...

HTH

From what I understand, restaurants suck up much of the available "prime" cuts, so what's left in the supermarket troughs range from "choice" to "select", with a liberal variance between the two. I've bought what I hoped was a decent cut of prime ribs, only to have it eat like tough steak. Best thing is to somehow befriend a meat distributor (like Sysco) or your local butcher shop. Happy hunting!!

the only advantage i see with the cast iron grid is that you can sear at a lower temp than with the regular grid. i dont like fully charred burnt beef. your burning your other ingrediants though which can make things bitter dont add anything butt salt before searing and fidels right with the beef, i get 45 day dryaged beef when i want something special, at 20 bucks a pound its reasonable compared to the steak houses

we have "the meathouse" up here, they are opening chains pretty quickly now, was just newhampshire and one in maine last year but now are in 6 states
http://www.themeathouse.com/locations/index.html

Another pretty good way to get a nice tender flavorful steak is to completely coat the top of an 1"1/2 steak with sea salt one hour prior to cooking. Now some where between 20 minutes and 40 minutes of room temp rest,(depending on your taste for salt) wash the salt completely off under cool water, and then pat it completely dry with paper towels, then season it with fresh cracked pepper. Let it continue to rest at room temp for at least the full hour. I think your cooking method is fine.

Now for the science behind this. First salt is a natural tenderizer. Secondly the salt will pull the natural moisture from the meat (which you would think is bad) but through the process of reverse osmosis the meat will begin to pull that moisture back inside. Thus, you will have a steak that is seasoned completely through with all of it's moisture back in it, (which is now seasoned) rather than just a seasoned crust that has pulled moisture from the center out. Letting steaks come to room temp before the cook is critical because it is essentially a cold muscle. This is some of the theory behind the hot tub method, without all the hassle. EVOO has a flash point of about 475 degrees, if you are cooking above that temp, your basically burning the oil. Oil also promotes flames and could cause over charring. Good char comes from making sure the steak is patted dry. Lastly a good rest after the cook is important.

One last note would be, if you want to add other flavor, such as garlic or fresh herbs, you can incorporate this during the period in which you have the steak SMOTHERED in sea salt. Those flavors will get pulled back in with the moisture.

BGE Dawg,

I haven't read all the other posts but I stopped doing the high temp front end sear a long time ago. I cook the steak at 400* until 5-10* below my desired temp , remove, open the vents and give it a quick sear at the end. Resting is really important.
The beef grde is the most important factor along with the aging time.
Hot tubbing can really be a positive.
Letting the steak at least come to room temp as well.
Steve

RRP,
Thanks for sharing info on the dry bag steak. Always fun to learn different approaches.

Daniel

Buy a PRIME ribeye,strip,whatever your preference.Wet or Dry age it for 21-28 or more days in an Eggstra fridge.If this is not an option that's O.K.Still buy PRIME!Costco sells it.You can order it online.Let it come to room temp or "hot tub" it.(Po-mans Sous vide)Salt only,Sear at HIGH temp,pull,rest,roast til desired doneness.Season with whatever you like after sear.I personally like an end sear.Cook til 110-115 Internal,pull,let egg get outta control then sear.Do not add seasonings that will burn until AFTER ANY sear whether it be front or end sear! The only way to screw up a GOOD quality(PRIME) steak is to overcook it!Remember,you can throw it back on for a couple of minutes,but NOBODY can UNCOOK anything!

Kroger often has select steaks on sale. Be careful when you see really good prices what the quality is. Myself I'm a huge fan of Sam's Club choice steaks. Tend to come three per package. Just right for one for momma half for the kids and 1.5 steaks for me! :woohoo:

I've T-Rexed steaks and for me it charred them a bit too much for my liking. I'm more a 450 ish for 3 minutes per side then shut the Egg down with the steaks in for however long to get the doneness required. Really dead for wife and kids and more or less dead for me.