Time to cook a steak - What's your setup?

JMCXL

I have my way of doing just about anything cook (not always the right way - what ever that means), but I want to know your way.

Let's say you are having steak tonight - let me hear how you do it from beginning to end.

What'ss your go to Steak (why)?

How to you start the Egg? Weed Burner, gas, chimney???

How long does it normal take to get to "Your" temp for cooking? Don't you love using used lump - quicker to cook time for me.

What temp do you want the Egg?

Do you let the steak sit out and come to room temp or drop it on (in the coals)?

What temp do you pull it off?

Do you let it rest and if so how long?

Any trade secrets you care to share? - come on we are all friends here...

feel free to add anything I might have forgotten.

Thanks for your insight - have fun with it...

Langner91

Wow.  Great topic!

• What's your go to Steak (why)? - I like Ribeye, but a NY Strip is fine, too.  I do not have an aversion to marbling or fat in a steak.  Some do.  I will also buy a T-Bone on occasion, too, if it has a nice "tail".  I love the ribeye texture when it is cooked fast.
• You didn't ask, but my set-up for steak is almost always cast iron (skillet, ManGrates, Grid) close to the coals.  I think the cast iron just holds the heat better than stainless steel wire.  I like to get the cast iron onto the grill as soon as the electric starter is out of the coals and as close to the coals as possible.  I like the cast iron to be screaming hot when the steak goes on.
• How to you start the Egg? Weed Burner, gas, chimney??? - I use an electric starter, stuck down into the coals every time I light my egg.  8 minutes and I pull it out.  It is what I have gotten comfortable with.
• How long does it normal take to get to "Your" temp for cooking? Don't you love using used lump - quicker to cook time for me. - If I am not cooking anything else on the egg, I leave the dome open and let her run for about 15-20 minutes to get good and hot!  If I am doing the sides, I shut the dome much sooner and watch it closer.  Normally, I am doing potatoes, or appetizers, not just the steak.  So, I have to watch a little closer.
• What temp do you want the Egg? -  I base my target temp on the thickness of my steak.  If I have a real thick steak, I try to stay under 500, otherwise, I don't even look!  Let her run!
• Do you let the steak sit out and come to room temp or drop it on (in the coals)? - I season it while the electric starter is in the egg.  This gives me 20-30 minutes for it to rest.
• What temp do you pull it off? - I pull at 120-125.  If I am cooking for anyone else, I pull about 5 to 10 degrees less than what they prefer to let it carry over.
• Do you let it rest and if so how long? - at least 5 minutes.
• Any trade secrets you care to share? - I have tried about every rub, seasoned salt, seasoning, coating there is, and I gotta say I like salt and pepper the best.  Everything else is just noise on a good steak.  Once in awhile, I will use something else, but not often if the steak is high quality.

This is the first thing I practiced a lot.  I wanted to be able to nail steak.  Not only because of price, but because I eat a lot of steak.  I feel I have gotten pretty good at it.  I have tried reverse sear, and many other tactics.  But, I seem to come back to this.

lousubcap

My simple answer is ribeye caveman.  Dry brine for 2 days or so.  Give it a run.  Best crust you will get.  Pull at around 118*F for rare.  FWIW-

tcmagee

I use my charcoal Weber for steaks most times.  I go low and slow to 115 degrees, pull and dry them off with paper towels.  Back on the Weber for a sear.  We eat a lot of steak type cuts too, so I am looking to save time.

I salt the steaks generously the night before I am going to cook. I usually cook tri-tip, rib steak and picanha in that order of frequency, with picanha in a distant third since I have to order it.  I am at the point where I only use salt to season.  I really like the taste of beef, beef fat and salt.  

Although I am working from home, I still have a pitiful amount of spare time.  I can get dinner on the table faster with the Weber than my Egg.

This is somewhat OT given the non-Egg method, but hey, good steak is good steak.

EggNorth

• Pull steak from refrigerator and salt
• Heat a Egg and Cast Iron Grid, to around 450, usually give it a good 1/2 hr
• Apply dry rub to streak, (no salt here)
• Steak on grid, once nice marks then flip
• Cook to about 150
• Pull, and rest 10 min or so while we prepare the plates
• Serve

Depending on heat, sometimes move off to cooler side to finish.

Mark_B_Good

Rib Steak (and even better a Tomahawk) is one of the best cuts in my opinion.

I light my egg in one spot in the middle of the coal pipe with propane.

I normally season the steak the night before and let it sit like that overnight in the fridge (at least 12h, preferably 24h before the cook).  I then take it out about 30 minutes prior to cook to reach room temperature.

I like to cook steak by starting with a high temperature sear ... I do this on the Napoleon which has a sear station ... runs about 1200F. If you don't have a gas grill, or don't want to use the gas grill, you can sear in a frying pan with some butter prior to taking it to the egg.

Then I cook the steak indirect at 300F to 350F (max).  I like to infuse some applewood smoke (mesquite works nice too) for the duration of the cook.  

I like my steaks medium rare to medium ... takes about 30 minutes at 300F to 350F, but I go more by the feel of the steak ... it can't be too squishy or too firm, there's a feel I know I'm looking for.

I then take it off, cover it and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving it.  Normally I throw a melted butter garlic mix (or just butter is fine) on top of the steak just before serving.

rekameohs

JMCXL said:

Let's say you are having steak tonight - let me hear how you do it from beginning to end.th it...

I'm a convert to Sous Vide, especially for thick Rib Eyes.  1 - 1.5 hours at 129, followed by a minute on each side in a screaming hot cast iron pan.

JMCXL

rekameohs said:

JMCXL said:

Let's say you are having steak tonight - let me hear how you do it from beginning to end.th it...

I'm a convert to Sous Vide, especially for thick Rib Eyes.  1 - 1.5 hours at 129, followed by a minute on each side in a screaming hot cast iron pan.

I need to get that a try. Heard good things

fishlessman

trex it, dont cover it for the final rest, rest it on a wire rack as a cold plate ruins the crust and sucks some juices out of it

Mark_B_Good

fishlessman said:

trex it, dont cover it for the final rest, rest it on a wire rack as a cold plate ruins the crust and sucks some juices out of it

Why not tent it?  I think a slow cool is better at keeping the juices in.

fishlessman

Mark_B_Good said:

fishlessman said:

trex it, dont cover it for the final rest, rest it on a wire rack as a cold plate ruins the crust and sucks some juices out of it

Why not tent it?  I think a slow cool is better at keeping the juices in.

i dont tent, it softens the crust on steak, turns turkey skin to rubber.  try using a rack over a platter as well, really works better during the winter instead of the cold plate. you can put the wire rack in the egg while the steak is finishing up. they dont tent in restaurants, they use warming lamps etc to rest

Mattman3969

Definitely no tent and a wire rack for the rest. Don’t want to trap the steam and kill the skin/crust texture that I worked hard to achieve. 

A cold plate will also draw more moisture from the steak making it seem tougher than rested on a rack. 

As far as methods for a steak for a ribeye I like to trex it but I use 2 eggs to do so so I don’t get bad smoke while the egg is cooling down for the roast portion of the cook.  Any other thick steak I will generally SV then sear on the Mini 

danv23

I do a beef tenderloin filet, indirect at 250 degrees until an internal temperature of 130 with cherry for smoke (thin blue). Remove the Rig, put the grate back on and get it to about 600 degrees for a minute and a half sear per side.

Heaven.