Bone in Ribeye Smoke / Sear?

Aromit

Hey all,

I have had my BGE for about a month and boy have I had to adjust to this new way of grilling. I was a gas guy before and I can tell you that I aint never going back after having the BGE.

I'm planning to smoke / sear a couple of bone in ribeyes that I have sitting on the fridge with some olive oil and cosmic cow rub. They are about 2 inches thick.

I was looking at the cowboy ribeye steak recipe but I'm not 100% confident in it because its very vague.

http://biggreenegg.com/recipes/cowboy-ribeye-steaks/

So here are some questions:

• Is it alright to smoke these ribeyes for 30 minutes at 250F despite being 2 inch thick? Should it be smoked for longer?
• In regards to the searing after the smoke process; Is two minutes per side at 650F enough despite them being two inch thick?
• Should the 120F internal temperature (for medium rare) be monitored throughout the smoke? or should it be lower?

I might be undergoing paralysis by analysis here but I want to make sure that it's done right. Any help or insight would be much appreciated.

HTTRQ

Search Trex method. Use that. You won't regret it. 

ColtsFan

At 2" thick, I would just get the egg up to 450-500ish and flip often until desired doneness. Crusty ribeye goodness will be the end result.  Imo not thick enough for reverse sear. 

Sea2Ski

@aromit I reverse sear just about every steak over 1" so  I respectfully disagree with @ColtsFan.  With that being said, there are as many ways to cook a steak as there are types of grills. Anything that gets you the result you want, is the correct way for you.

What I do: I monitor temp, cooking at 225F to about 110 internal for a 1", 115 for 1.5", and 120 > 1.5"   Once desired temp is reached, I remove from heat and I get coals screaming hot and sear - usually about 1 min a side (30 secs, flip, 30 sec flip and repeat. 

Various Results:


Welcome to the forum and try various methods to see what works for you. 

Hans61

Perfect size for reverse sear!

I would  set them out for an hour to an hour and a half before the cook, have your dome at 250-275

id be cooking with charcoal no added wood. My seasonings: garlic infused olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of cayanne pepper.

 I would flip them once during the low temp part of the cook near the halfway point, around 88 degrees. 

At 125-130 i pull them out,  take out the plate setter and open the air vents -  after the egg gets to 600° I would sear 45 seconds then do a 90° twist then another 45 seconds

Then flip, second side about a minute to a minute 30 no twist needed on second side

EVERY TIME MOVING THE STEAK  PICK A NEW HOT SPOT ON THE GRILL!

Oh, one other important thing... have your beverage of choice present at all times, critical to the process!

Aromit

Guys. Thanks a bunch. Even the pictures! Sounds like @Sea2Ski and @Hans61 are on the same principle. I read up on TRex method. I'll try it after the reverse sear. 

I will update this post with pictures of my own and the results.

Thanks again! Glad to be part of BGE now.

Aromit

@Hans61 just to clarify. You use the convEGGtor during the first phase? Also, whats the reasoning behind choosing a new spot on the grill every time you turn the steaks?

ColtsFan

You won't be disappointed! 

Sea2Ski

Aromit said:

@Hans61 just to clarify. You use the convEGGtor during the first phase? Also, whats the reasoning behind choosing a new spot on the grill every time you turn the steaks?

Indirect at the low temp, direct when searing.  New spot on the grate so you get nice lines (charing) and the meat is less likely to stick.

Aromit

Thanks @Sea2Ski. Makes sense.

Sea2Ski

Throw in a *small* chunk of oak or handful of chips at the beginning as well - it makes a big difference as well! 

Hans61

agree with @Sea2Ski - turning in the same spot won't be as hot (meat is absorbing heat) as a new spot - The grill marks are nice for presentation :-)

BTW @Sea2Ski my dry aged rib roast was fantastic!

Hans61

Yes use the conveggtor/plate setter for the indirect part :-) 

I don't have one, but lots of guys here use a cast iron pan for the sear part - If you have one throw it in your egg and forget the twist new spot stuff

chasgh

dont forget a drip pan on the plate setter so you dont make a mess.  I am a big fan of the reverse sear as well.  Its how I do all my steaks now (I dont do skinny steaks).  By cooking slow the meat is cooking evenly and then searing at the end you get the good sort of crisp exterior. 

Aromit

Well guys. I tried it and I have to say, it was great! I'm going to post exactly what I did and if any of you notice something I missed or should have done to make it better, feel free to let me know.

PREPPING PHASE:

1. Applied first cold press olive oil to both steaks generously- front and back.
2. Once fully oiled, I rubbed the seasoning on to make it stick (as seen in the pictures below - I used cosmic cow on one and omaha reserve seasoning on the other)
3. Put them back in the fridge
4. Dropped about 1 pound of wood chips from whisky barrels in water and submerged them.
5. I took out the steaks one and a half hour before cooking was to commence in order to let them come to room temp
6. Internal temp for both steaks before going to the egg was 61F

SMOKING PHASE:

1. Fired up the egg to 290F - 310F and waited for all blue smoke to clear. Only clear smoke was coming out.
   
2. Drained all the water from the whisky wood chips and dropped them around the perimeter of the coals. Not in the middle.
3. Immediately after dropping the chips I placed the convEGGtor on and the grid on top.
4. I placed both steaks on the grid and closed the dome.
5. Temperature stabilized after about 5 minutes at 310F because dropping moist chips lowered it momentarily.
6. About 45 minutes later I checked the internal temperature of the steaks and it was at 125F.
7. I pulled out the steaks. Removed the grid and convEGGtor. Put the grid back in.
8. I ran the egg to 600F in no time and placed the steaks back in.
9. I ran it for about a minute on each side to sear it and took them out.

WERE I THINK I MESSED UP
I was so excited after pulling them out that I did not let the steaks rest. I cut them open and watched all the juices flow out! I guess I should have let them rest for about 20 minutes?

Also, I smoked it for about 45 minutes and when I checked the internal temp was at 125F already! I didn't even get the chance to flip them. I know this is because I was running at 300F instead of 250F - 275F and I should have checked sooner.

Still the conclusion is that this is BY FAR one of the best steaks I have ever cooked. I'm still looking to improve it.

Next up is a set of lamb ribs... I'll be sure to post those as well.

Big thanks to @Sea2Ski and @Hans61 for all the help.

Pictures below.

COSMIC COW SEASONING


OMAHA STEAKS RESERVE SEASONING


AFTER THE REVERSE SEAR



CUT OPEN AND READY TO SERVE


EVEN THE DOG GOT SOME!

Sea2Ski

Looks great!  

Comments:
You do not need olive oil.  Dust the beef and moisture will come out after 10 mins.  You can do a second coat then if needed. 
1 lb of chips is a lot.  I use one small handful (really I use one small chunk). 
I also preheat the conveggerator as the egg is stabilizing.
You do not need to rest a steak with a reverse sear in my opinion. The heat is already through the protein.

All of those comments are easily subject to deep and heated discussions due to personal preference. 

Fact is - you steak looks killer good!  Great job!

Mission accomplished! 

jtcBoynton

Looks good.  Here are a couple of comments. Lots of variation on how to do it. Basics are a low temp cook to get even doneness inside and a high temp cook to get crust. 

Aromit said:

Well guys. I tried it and I have to say, it was great! I'm going to post exactly what I did and if any of you notice something I missed or should have done to make it better, feel free to let me know.

PREPPING PHASE:

1. Applied first cold press olive oil to both steaks generously- front and back.  A waste of good olive oil - after cooking all the flavor is lost, you could use canola oil with the same results.
2. Once fully oiled, I rubbed the seasoning on to make it stick (as seen in the pictures below - I used cosmic cow on one and omaha reserve seasoning on the other)
3. Put them back in the fridge
4. Dropped about 1 pound of wood chips from whisky barrels in water and submerged them.  That's a lot of smoke.
5. I took out the steaks one and a half hour before cooking was to commence in order to let them come to room temp  Don't know of any reason to warm up this long, doesn't hurt but can't see a reason to do it.
6. Internal temp for both steaks before going to the egg was 61F

SMOKING PHASE:

1. Fired up the egg to 290F - 310F and waited for all blue smoke to clear. Only clear smoke was coming out. Pretty hot for the low temp portion of the cook, try around 225-250° to get a more uniform internal doneness.
   
2. Drained all the water from the whisky wood chips and dropped them around the perimeter of the coals. Not in the middle.
3. Immediately after dropping the chips I placed the convEGGtor on and the grid on top. Make sure to bring the indirect plate up to temp before cooking the steak, make sure the temp has stabilized.
4. I placed both steaks on the grid and closed the dome.
5. Temperature stabilized after about 5 minutes at 310F because dropping moist chips lowered it momentarily.
6. About 45 minutes later I checked the internal temperature of the steaks and it was at 125F.
7. I pulled out the steaks. Removed the grid and convEGGtor. Put the grid back in.
8. I ran the egg to 600F in no time and placed the steaks back in. It doesn't hurt to let the steaks rest a bit before returning to the cook.
9. I ran it for about a minute on each side to sear it and took them out. Level of crust development is a personal preference. I like a heavier crust so I cook to a lower temp during the low temp stage so I can go longer at high temp to get more crust. 

WERE I THINK I MESSED UP Don't think you messed up.
I was so excited after pulling them out that I did not let the steaks rest. I cut them open and watched all the juices flow out! I guess I should have let them rest for about 20 minutes?  Cooking at a lower temp should help.

Also, I smoked it for about 45 minutes and when I checked the internal temp was at 125F already! I didn't even get the chance to flip them. I know this is because I was running at 300F instead of 250F - 275F and I should have checked sooner.  If cooking at a low temp, flipping doesn't add much.