trex steaks

citychicken

@TRex
see you are online. are you the same dude authoring the TRex tutorial on the whiz site?[p]if so, thanks so much. made two of the best new yorkers tonight that i ever had. did it your style. thanks for your help!

TRex

markkal123,[p]That's me. Glad it worked out for you.[p]One of these days I need to update that narrative - I've tweaked it a bit here and there since the original version, and don't do some things quite the same anymore, although the basic foundation of the method remains the same.[p]Cheers,[p]TRex

citychicken

TRex,
care to share some of the changes? would be interested. btw, do you like doing your steaks on the small bettter than the large? seems that the proximty to the fire on the small might make for a better sear/finnish on the meat than when cooked on the large bge?

TRex

markkal123,[p]Well, let's see . . .[p]1) I don't use mustard anymore, a habit which started when my local grocery store stopped carrying the specific kind I liked to use - now it's been several years since I've used mustard[p]2) I use a MAPP gas torch these days to light my fire[p]3) I probably don't stress it enough in the write-up, but I think, next to buying good beef at the right thickness, bringing your steak up to room temperature prior to searing is probably one of the most important steps[p]4) I rarely use smoking wood these days, mostly out of laziness[p]5) These days I try to rest the meat at least 5 minutes after the ROAST period before serving - you lose less juices this way when you start slicing the steak[p]6) I love "rules of thumb." I highly recommend learning the "poke doneness" test, where you push on the meat to estimate how well it is cooked - learn this in addition to getting a Thermapen, cause sometimes you won't have a Thermapen with you, or someone will ask you to cook 1" steaks that they bought and all of your time estimates are for 2" steaks and so you start to freak out (this happened to me once).[p]But, back to the "rule of thumb." If all the planets are in line and I am in complete control of the cook, I think I have settled on 5.5 minutes/side at 400 for a ~2" thick steak that was brought to room temperature and seared for 90 seconds per side in order to get a medium-rare finish after rested 5 minutes AFTER the roast period prior to serving. Man, that was a mouthful. To give you an idea of what I'm calling "medium-rare," here is a picture of a steak I cooked Friday night using this exact rule of thumb above and the resulting doneness:[p][p]That's about it I guess. As you can see, the foundation of the method is still the same: sear-rest-roast. Although, more comprehensively, it should be summarized as "rest to room temp - sear over lava - rest for 20 minutes - roast at 400 - rest for 5 minutes - ENJOY!![p]Regarding your last question - well, I sold my Small, so these days I either cook a steak on my Medium, my Mini, or my dad's Large. Out of all of these I probably prefer cooking on the Mini, because, as you suggest, I get a great sear right next to the coals AND I use very little charcoal AND the Mini is such a machine - it's like a little volcano in minutes and ready to sear away.[p]Hope this helps - I think I might have gotten a little longwinded . . .[p]TRex

TRex

One more thing that is different these days is that I actually know how to use a camera. Those pictures I submitted for the write-up on the Whiz's website are just embarrassing. [p]Hee-Hee[p]TRex

mad max beyond eggdome

markkal123,
t-rex (aka jason) is way to modest ...he is THE GOD OF ALL STEAKS!!!!!!! and because of him, i haven't eaten a tenderloin, sirloin or ribeye in a restaurant in over 4 years now!! . . . .

TRex

Gee thanks, Max. You are too kind.[p]How did the lamb turn out by the way?[p]Jason

mad max beyond eggdome

happy easter jason[p]lamb turned out great. ..everyone loved it (even the spawn grudgingly admitted it was good). .. simple marinade of olive oil, balsamic vinager, rosemary and mint....seared it in the small at 500 degrees direct for about 5 minutes, turning it constantly. . .then into the large indrect for about 1 hour at 325. . .great flavor. ..[p]mom and dad bothed raved about it for days. ..[p]gettin ready for easter dinner here. .have a ham smoking on the large (pre-cooked ham, coated with dijon mustard and brown sugar, and then i'll glaze it with dr. chicken's glaze with about one hour to go ... string beans, tater salad, deviled eggs to round things out. ..[p]hope you have a great day with your dad. ..