First T-Rex Steak

Thermal Mass

I considered myself pretty good at cooking a steak; I have been grilling them on a Weber grill for about 20 years. I have also been to a number of decent steak houses, including Ruths Chris. However, I have never had a piece of meat as good as the T-Rex'd steak I had for lunch today.[p]On the Weber, my favourite steak was the rib. I think all the fat kept the meat moist enough to keep the steak juicy and tender. After doing both a rib and a NY strip on the Egg, I understand why T-Rex thinks that it is a great cut for this method.[p]For my first t-rex, I decided to use a Wholefoods rib steak as well as a New York strip. The strip was prepared in the t-rex method as on the TNW web-site - I used Fleur de Sel and Dijon mustard, but skipped the pepper and oil (wife does not like pepper). The rib was marinated for 10 minutes in vinegar and soy sauce. On to the grill they went, and thanks for the clarification on keeping the dome open for the sear. After 90 seconds per side, I let the meat rest and brought the temp down to 400. During that time, I put chopped fresh cilantro on the rib, and did the final 3 minutes per side.[p]Served with new potatoes, corn on the cob, and fresh cauliflower, and it was a memorable summer lunch. Wow![p]The rib was easily the best I have cooked, but I could not believe (seriously) how good the New York strip was. While the salt/mustard strip was clearly something special, I still recommend trying the soy sauce/vinegar marinade and doing the dwell cook with fresh cilantro on a rib steak. My only caveat is not to marinate for more than 10-15 minutes, or the vinegar/soy will make the meat mushy.[p]Mark[p]

stike

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<p />Thermal Mass,
no comment on the vinegar/soy marinade! i'm a purist. salt, with pepper afterward.[p]but i agree re: strips. before the egg, i butchered them and found them tough. i think i finally learned how to cook a steak now, and the strip is my "go-to" everyday steak. hard to cook one badly. unless alcohol is involved.[p]i have a soft spot for rib-eyes. don't get me wrong. but sometimes they just fall apart too much. they can almost be too moist and fatty sometimes. [p]...which brings me to THIS. as much as i love the strip, when i can swing it, i will get a dry-aged ribeye, 45 days, prime (see top photo). not too often. once a month maybe? the thing is, when dry-aged, the ribeye firms up, the fat gets very hard, very firm. there's a whole bunch of other things that happen to it too, but primarily for me i get to have that great flavor (the fat) without having a floppy, falling apart steak. if you could marry a steak in Massachusetts (and i think in ten years you might be able too, at this rate), this would be my (other) wife.[p]here's one raw...[p][p]and here it is cooked. [p][p]these are the same steak. notice how the thing actually firms up a bit more, instead of falling apart. damn good. the fat is melted, but it has lost so much water from aging that it doesn't have that jello- mouth feel. it's firm, almost like the beef. good grief. now i've done it. i need a steak.... folks here are probably sick of seeing those photos. i can't get enough though. it's steak p0rn!
ciao.[p]

Thermal Mass

stike,[p]Looking at that steak, I could do lunch all over again![p]I tried buying dry-aged (30 days) steaks from a very pricey butcher for a while back in my Weber days, but found that the steaks were a bit chalky and dry. Reading your post, I think it makes sense, given the way I was cooking them. With my newfound Egg understanding and your prompting, I will definitely give the dry-aged rib another try. They sound incredible.[p]Mark

stike

Thermal Mass,
they cook faster... if you cooked them the way you cooked regular steaks (time and temp) they'd be dry (overdone).[p]rare to medium-rare is best for those puppies