Caveman Skirt Steak - First Try

mb99zz

Hi All,

I came across an Alton Brown (Food Network) recipe for Fajita meat which called for caveman style cooking direct on the lump charcoal.  I've seen folks doing this on the site.  So, I thought I'd give it a try.  First off, the recipe is quite good and I recommend using it.  We loved the marinade's flavor (lime juice, soy sauce, dark brown sugar, garlic, scallions, cumin, red peppers, olive oil...).   Also, my wife is on a gluten free diet....so, the end result was a made-up salad I concocted.  I think this would have been awesome for real fajitas.  I also think I may use that recipe for other cuts of steak.  

These photos were from my camera phone (about as high tech as I get these days). 

Skirt steaks after an hour in the fridge soaking up the goodness

A corn, onion, and black bean salsa for the salad (no black beans in this pic though)

Here goes my first caveman cook!  Egg dome temp was around 475.  The recipe said to only do 1 minute on each side.  I think my cuts were a bit thicker than Alton's, so I did closer to 2 minutes per side.  A couple of mesquite chips added (not sure it was needed though).

Hot off the grill

Nice crusty char in places and smelling great!  I wrapped them in foil and let them sit for 15 minutes per the recipe.   I then cut the steaks and was surprised that they were pretty rare (OK by me though).  I do think I'd cook them a bit longer next time or get the egg hotter.  

The finished product.  Salad lightly tossed ahead of time with Newman's Ranch Dressing.  Then the corn/onion/black bean salsa, fresh avocado, tortilla strips, and a drizzle of more Newman's ranch.  Not bad, but like I sad -- I'd LOVE to have plain old fajitas with this meat.  Gluten Free sucks...

Anyway, I do recommend the recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/skirt-steak-recipe/index.html

cazzy

Looks great! Nice cook!

nolaegghead

damn!  Looks delish!

Village Idiot

I do caveman all the time.  Works good. 

shtgunal3

That's one damn fine salad!

caliking

Nice! Do you have to blow ash off the coals before putting the meat on, or brush it off the meat after cooking?

mb99zz

Thanks guys! No, I didn't blow off the ash. I know WGC is getting trashed these days on the forum, but that's what I was using and I felt like there wasn't much ash at all.

milesbrown4

alton browns recipes are the best.  I make his whole wheat biscuits all the time.  great cook

mb99zz

He's very entertaining too.

jaydub58

I remember a cook book I had (and lost) 20-some years ago.  It was "The General's Cook Book", based on  DD Eisenhower's favorite cooks.  Evidently he was a bit of a grilling fanatic.  In the book, he talked about doing a thick top sirloin steak directly on the coals.  He just kept a wire brush nice and clean for brushing ash off the steak when done, nice and rare.  He said it was just about his favorite steak.