Pushing the Mini to the LIMITS!

tenpenny_05

My wife and I were invited to a birthday dinner at a local high end steakhouse Saturday night.  For two of us to share a steak and a salad, our bill was $90 after the tip.  Thats no potato, no veggies, no drinks, no sides of any kind. One ribeye. One ceasar salad. 90 American dollars.  And it wasn't even that good.
I had to restore balance to the world, so I decided to treat us to another steak. One prepared at home this time.
1.75# cowboy ribeye reverse seared on the Mini.  Dry brined, then salt, pepper, garlic and a pinch of chipotle powder.  The steak was so big (and the mini was so small) I couldn't get my temp probe where it needed to be in the steak.  So there was a little guess work on my part.
I so badly wanted to get a beauty shot, but we cut into it and ate it right off the cutting board standing around it at the kitchen island.  Ate every last piece of meat and fat, bouncing up and down between bites because it was so damn delicious. 

thetrim

Excellent and TRUE!  Very nice job, and I really like the CI grid!

JMCXL

Been thinking of getting a mini, how is it a temp control ? What temperature will it reach with that size steak? 
Looks good

buzd504

Ooh, that looks like a great piece of meat!

@tenpenny_05, would you please describe your dry brine process?

tenpenny_05

JMCXL said:

Been thinking of getting a mini, how is it a temp control ? What temperature will it reach with that size steak? 
Looks good

Temp control is pretty good, but can act a little funny. With the dome thermometer so close to the fire it can be all over the place when getting it going, but usually settles in pretty nicely. I've done ribs on it a few times and once it gets going it stays put for the most part.
For searing I don't pay attention to the dome temp. I take out the grate, platesetter and charcoal ring and just let her rip and sear with a cold grate right above the coal bed. Turns out great every time

tenpenny_05

buzd504 said:

Ooh, that looks like a great piece of meat!

@tenpenny_05, would you please describe your dry brine process?

It was a great piece of meat. It was $30 by itself at the grocery store, so I handled it like I would my own human baby

For dry brining, I liberally sprinkle sea salt over all sides of the steak and let it sit on a drying rack for an hour or two on the counter before you plan to cook it. This will draw some moisture out that I dry off with a paper towell.  I've seen guys say to do it for 2 or 3 days in the fridge, but who has that kind of time

buzd504

tenpenny_05 said:

buzd504 said:

Ooh, that looks like a great piece of meat!

@tenpenny_05, would you please describe your dry brine process?

It was a great piece of meat. It was $30 by itself at the grocery store, so I handled it like I would my own human baby

For dry brining, I liberally sprinkle sea salt over all sides of the steak and let it sit on a drying rack for an hour or two on the counter before you plan to cook it. This will draw some moisture out that I dry off with a paper towell.  I've seen guys say to do it for 2 or 3 days in the fridge, but who has that kind of time

Thanks.  That's about what I do, too, but I didn't know if there were extra steps required to call it "dry-brining".  I've never gone more than a couple of hours either.  (TWSS)

Hungry Joe

I don't mind a high priced meal if I leave feeling satisfied. Last week I had a bone in filet for $60, just the steak. It was ok but I know I do better. As for the whole meal, it was a little pricier then yours but over all was pretty good so I didn't b!tch about the steak. But man, it will be a while before I break my never "pay for steak out" rule again.

tenpenny_05

@Hungry I agree with you 100%. I actually enjoy spending money on a good meal if I can thoroughly enjoy it. Otherwise it is almost upsetting.  I better leave saying "damn that was good" not "damn I wish we would have gone to Chilis instead"

GrillSgt

I rarely order steak out because mine are better than theirs. Game, duck or fish. That was a nice looking ribeye you had there. 

TN_Egger

Dude.