Caveman steak - time to find converts-too simple; give it a go!

lousubcap

Been too long since I offered a caveman cook in the interest of getting more forum engagement (a stand-alone thread) and extolling the benefits of such a cook.   🥩
So here I am-the sacrificial steak was a Sakura Farms 1 lb American wagyu boneless ribeye. 
Cook details- steak around 1" thick.  90 seconds for the first two flips then around a minute on each to the finish temp. (High speed thermo a necessity for this).
Into the lava- (sunny side up...)

One of the flips-

And the $$ shot-

I enjoy steak rare and the crust build is what separates this method from others.
(However if you have thicker steaks then by all means reverse sear and cavemen finish is the way to go.)
Key trick to get that lump lava bed rolling is to get your fire going (for me, 4 spots on a LBGE)  and then shut the bottom vent to get the fire to spread across the lump load.  Once it is cranked up you can full open the lower vent to juice it up even more.  
Always a banquet-
Thanks for looking-You owe it to yourself to try it at least once! 🥩

johnmitchell

Great post and that ribeye looks amazing 😋

GrateEggspectations

Salivation’ over here. I am generally a medium rare man, but you make a pretty convincing case for rare with your description and photos. 

JohnInCarolina

Looks great as always, Frank.  What internal temp are you usually shooting for with this? 

Canugghead

Agree the main forum needs a boost, OT land has more posts lately. Great post and bloody good outcome, may try that one day when I feel less timid 

alaskanassasin

Dammit boy! Looks great 

RRP

Frank - for the uninformed (ME) do you mind venturing a guess why caveman doesn't result in crunchy ash covered steaks? Or does it?

dbCooper

Fabulous!  Pic #2 is what makes this cook so sweet.

lkapigian

Bombdiggity!

Stormbringer

Looks great. I have the same question as RPP and also what dome temp did you run at?

lousubcap

Thanks for the questions and interest-nothing sticks as the lump is running quite hot-well above 1200-1400*F full throttle at the surface. If a stray piece sticks it is easily knocked off.
Regarding cook temperature-never measured as the objective is to get the lump lava bed as hot as it can go and then go for it-
But my experience is for the 1" (2.54 cm) or so thick steak , the above timing will get rare, pulling at around 120*F.  
Another critical piece-when doing the flip(s) always find a new area of the fire for the landing zone as once the meat hits, the temperature of the lump will drop.  
So, those with the XL or XXL have a whole lot of lump real estate to work with.  

CPFC1905

Great work Frank, love it. 
Is that the dream that kept you motivated while travelling at depth unknown, following bearing unknown, for duration unknown?  

lousubcap

CPFC1905 said:

Great work Frank, love it. 
Is that the dream that kept you motivated while travelling at depth unknown, following bearing unknown, for duration unknown?  

Sorry but I've gotta admit that when running submerged and undetected such dreams did not make the hit parade!!

MasterC

Yes sir cap that looks perfect.

bluebird66

This is the way that I like my steaks!

paqman

👀

Wooderson

Love the caveman method. Been too cold so I haven't even cooked on my egg in weeks

Buckwoody Egger

Cap I am gonna take the leap here soon. leaning toward friday.  thanks for the suggestion 

lousubcap

Buckwoody Egger said:

Cap I am gonna take the leap here soon. leaning toward friday.  thanks for the suggestion 

You've got this given your cooking prowess.  You will be justly rewarded.  A great time to crack the BBC Fusion #9 bourbon as well.  Enjoy the cook and follow-on evening!

Buckwoody Egger

asset secured. 

caliking

Masterfully executed, @lousubcap . Wouldn't have expected less. 

Of all the methods I've tried, caveman has been the best. It's been too long since I've done this.

Buckwoody Egger

the marbling on this was exemplary. this cow did not do yoga. 



indirect with the pswoo. such a great thing to have. extra egg feet on the table for when it comes out of the egg. close enough to 250 to roll.  the 1.5” ribeye was on the kitchen counter for an hour pre-cook so it was room temp.  30-45 minutes in this setup at most. target temp was 15-20 under final temp. 



this was the rest while the egg converted to caveman mode


egg roars to 700+. laser temp gun reads charcoal at 800 to “hi” out of range. flipped some coals over so the steak was sitting on red. lot of fun!  would only do a couple at a time but its sport cooking for sure. 

went with 45 seconds per side, pulled for temp then back in for another 30 seconds per side. you can trust your nose at this point for the degree of sear. 




plated with some shredded something green and blue cheese. i also sprinkled some montreal seasoning (10 year supply at costco for $8) after plating. forgot to do the sprinkle at the start of the rest. 

this was ribeye that ate like filet mignon. fantastic!  thanks cap for the challenge. will repeat. 

lousubcap

@Buckwoody Egger - fantastic post.  Way to jump in and enjoy the outcome of your efforts.  Great documentation and results.  Hopefully will encourage more to give it a go!
After the first time (perhaps applies to more than a caveman cook...) you know you can nail it.
As has been said, this cook requires a quick read thermo.
Just beautiful banquet right there!

Buckwoody Egger

thanks Cap— yes it seemed like an addendum to your post was the best approach here. hope others do the same!

Stormbringer

@Buckwoody Egger looks like you did a reverse sear, with the sear being on the coals directly. I could try this tonight, we have a 1.5 inch thick ribeye. I'm going to sous vide it and was going to sear in a CI pan on the stove but I could try the coals. Did you get any ash or charcoal bits on your steak?

Buckwoody Egger

do it! had same concerns since it was dark outside. a couple times a piece of lump stuck but removed clean. make a bed of red by flipping a few if necessary. seared steak was cleaner than what my dirty grid put on the steak during phase 1. long tongs and a glove and you’ll be a steak blacksmith 1st attempt. 

lousubcap

@Stormbringer - here are a few comments I recently posted about the caveman cook:

Nothing sticks as the lump is running quite hot-well above 1200-1400*F full throttle at the surface. If a stray piece sticks it is easily knocked off.
Regarding cook temperature-never measured as the objective is to get the lump lava bed as hot as it can go and then go for it-Instant read themro to nail the finish temp.  
Another critical piece-when doing the flip(s) always find a new area of the fire for the landing zone as once the meat hits, the temperature of the lump will drop.  

Give it a go.  You will be justly rewarded.  

lousubcap

I am confident that Sunday we will hear from @Stormbringer one way or the other.  But given his life-style it could quite soon. 

Stormbringer

I decided to go with how I normally cook for this one @lousubcap and experiment with a cheaper cut (sirloin) next weekend. 

CPFC1905

Stormbringer said:

I decided to go with how I normally cook for this one @lousubcap and experiment with a cheaper cut (sirloin) next weekend. 

'cheaper' ?  That's King James' legacy out the window, then.
Luckily there's all that bible, Shakespeare, gun powder plot, Ulster and America stuff of course.

A bit of 17th Century third rail stuff for you there, Frank

Buckwoody Egger

well just think of all the time you would have save not having to wash the cast iron skillet. but that is not correct. IYKYK. also check out jason isbell if you haven’t heard his music. 

interesting question is what’s better—  a cheaper cut thicker and reverse seared  seems better than 1” sear only.

but how much cheaper is it really? and you would not have ruined the ribeye.  multiple options to finish the cook if you didn’t like the first cut. so i am in the premium cut camp or maybe try a thin flat iron.