Reverse sear-Caveman finish, a whole lot of fun with fire- give it a go-

lousubcap

A 2.1 lb high choice dry-aged bone in rib eye from Porter Road. 250*F+/- on the dome to around 115*F  (about 35-40 minutes). Then the action-

Shut bottom vent and opened the dome  but then closing the dome and going full throttle (both vents open) demonstrating to new members this rig can get hot and a pic-


Things happen fast at that temp, out of the inferno-

But with long tongs and a few singed arm hairs, The $$ shot-

Definitely the way to finish a steak.  
Thanks for lookin-

JohnInCarolina

Whoa

WeberWho

Boom!

dbCooper

To be clear, you went "caveman" with bottom vent closed and dome open.  The temp demo was done with dome closed and all vents wide open?

Great looking steak!

lousubcap

@dbCooper - Correct.  I run caveman with the bottom vent shut and dome wide open, to get the fire rolling across the entire lava bed, like I do for a paella cook.
However, there was a recent post by a new member wondering about how to crank up the heat, so I took the teaching moment to change up the air (02) feeder supply to the "standard approach."  
I will post the explanation and pic on that thread-thanks for the prompt.  

GrateEggspectations

Looks incredible. A good reminder that I (still!) have to try this. 

When can we expect to see you finish your brisket this way?

bbracey21

Nailed it! Great looking steak right there and bonus points for the $$ shot. 

littlerascal56

Frank-nice fire management! And great pics.

golfguyjosh

I should of finished my cowboy ribeye last night caveman style. Guess I will come out of retirement

johnmitchell

Fantastic and that money shot is the bomb!!

ColbyLang

Stupid question, steak doesn’t get covered in ash? 

lousubcap

@Colbylang - Ash and the lump do not stick to the steak.  The high temperature does the trick.  Occasionally a piece of lump may stick but it is easily brushed off.  Time to jump in...

1voyager

Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

How long did you leave the beast on the coals?

GrateEggspectations

@lousubcap

My wife will basically only eat filet mignon as far as steak. Would that work? Or would the meat dry out considering the relatively low fat content?

Mark_B_Good

lousubcap said:

Holy smokes ... here I am starving myself for an all-you-can-eat dinner tonight ... and I have to look at these photos! This is pure torture!! Torture I tell you!!!

lousubcap

1voyager said:

Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

How long did you leave the beast on the coals?

I aim for around a minute per side.  The degree of the doneness is determined by the finish temp when I stop the low temp part of the cook.  The caveman gets the great crust. 
Edit: You will likely see a few degrees of carry-over finish temp when forming the crust.  The amount of which is associated with the steak thickness.  
For a thin steak I will skip the reverse sear piece and just toss on the lump.  In that case I flip a few times relying on my quick read thermo to gauge when it's finished.  

lousubcap

@GrateEggspectations - I have never gone with filet mignon.  However, all the caveman does is create the crust so if you bring it to the desired internal temp and then toss it in the fire, it should work.  
You just may want to caveman a ribeye (my favourite cut) and suggest she try it to get a sense of the crust it creates before going down the filet road.  
I'm not on a caveman crusade but think the method is worth a go, at least once.  

GrateEggspectations

lousubcap said:

@GrateEggspectations - I have never gone with filet mignon.  However, all the caveman does is create the crust so if you bring it to the desired internal temp and then toss it in the fire, it should work.  
You just may want to caveman a ribeye (my favourite cut) and suggest she try it to get a sense of the crust it creates before going down the filet road.  
I'm not on a caveman crusade but think the method is worth a go, at least once.  

Hard to have her agree to a ribeye, even though they’re one of my faves. It’s filet all the way for that girl! Thanks for the insight. 

lousubcap

Not even a taste?? Too young to be that hard-over with beef  😁🥩.  

Mark_B_Good

Flavor of a rib eye absolutely destroys filet (tenderloin).

JohnfromKentucky

wait...you put the steak directly on the coals? Hmmm...that's interesting. It does look absolutely awesome. 

lousubcap

@JohnfromKentucky - you are right-that move is the true beauty of the caveman finish.  If you want a steakhouse crust then the caveman will deliver. 
Read all the above regarding the approach, (he!! Dwight Eisenhower was a fan linked here-https://www.cooksinfo.com/eisenhower-steak)  
Worth at least a one off.  

Ozzie_Isaac

I really wanted to leave a smartass comment.  Something a little rude and a little funny.  But, Dayum sun, that is gawjus.  Absolutely a stunner.  Well done!

lousubcap

I feel like I dodged a bullet right there.  At least it is Friday Eve.  

Ybabpmuts

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I really wanted to leave a smartass comment.  Something a little rude and a little funny.  But, Dayum sun, that is gawjus.  Absolutely a stunner.  Well done!

I'll leave a smart a$$ comment..

I know .. at the end of the cook ... you got it crusty from the very flames of the devil's a$$. Then you put it on a cutting board that looks like it has a cool bunghole. Just so I get the process right, it goes on the the hot devil's a$$ to cook and then right on a cool wooden bunghole to rest?

Asking for a friend 🙂

Foghorn

@GrateEggspectations, I have cavemanned (it's a verb too) many filets over the years as my wife also prefers them.  They come out great.  She will tell you that the best steak I have ever cooked was a caveman filet.

StillH2OEgger

That steak looks phenomenal!

GrateEggspectations

This one’s for you, Frank. But also for me, because I very much enjoyed your recommendation. 😃 The cut up one was enjoyed by the kids. 

(Edit: Obligatory “money shot” cross-cut also in your honor - spelled without the “u;” also in your honour.)

@Foghorn: Correct you were. No issues with filet. 

YukonRon

Bow to bow to the master! I learn so much from this man, and remain very appreciative for it.
my first effort was a panic filled event ending with less than optimal results. My ensuing experiments performed exponentially better.

Thank you, as always for the tutorial. 

lousubcap

@GrateEggspectations - Way to buck up and have at it.  Great looking cook and banquet plate right there.  Gotta love the $$ shot-
I'm sure the flavour (nod) profile was sufficient to earn another go especially with the kid's endorsement.  
Well played.  

bluebird66

Very nice!