That Old Gas Grill

Gandolf

Seems I have to keep my Weber Genesis only to do steaks these days. My wife likes hers to be charred on the outside, but medium or less throughout. Gas grill flares up and "burns" outside of the meat without center being overdone. I haven't mastered that on the Egg. I've only attempted with mega temps, (pushing 1000°) perhaps too high. Everything, everything else is BGE'd and she thinks it's incredible, but I could use some tips on those steaks. Thanks

KennyG

Gandolf,[p]How thick are the steaks that you normally cook? You should be able to achieve your desired doneness with at least 1 inch thick cuts (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 is better yet)running the Egg (large I assume) at around 650* Four minutes per side with the flame just kissing the meat should yield a nicely charred medium rare relative to 1 1/4 inch thickness.[p]The small Egg seems to be a better steak machine with the cooking grid in closer proximity to the coals.[p]K~G

Tim M

<p />Gandolf,[p]I could never do that type steak on my gasser - how do you do them?[p]I do them on my ceramic grills quite easily. I did some beauties the other night on my small egg. My small doesn't get to 1000° and won't do more than 600-700° unless I do unusual things -like face it into a nice breeze (something the Wright Bros knew we had here in their flying area) but I can get it up to 600° and that works fine. My very large cooker works well but uses more lump than the small, so I use it more often since I only do 2 filet mignons.[p]I add salt and pepper to the steaks and toss them on the hot grill. 4 min on one side - flip - 3 min - flip - then I start checking with a thermometer for doneness. I got a Thermapen and WOW what a difference. I flipped again the other night and when they hit 110° I pulled them. The outside was black and the middle went up to 130° while I brought them in and served them. My old SLOW thermometer would have made me wait longer and the middle would not be done to medium but more like med/well. I did that to a lot of good steaks and the Thermapen has already saved me twice. No dwell, just flip,flip,flip check,flip,check, etc. Let it stay 4 min or so on one side to let it blacken well, flipping after 2 min hardly warms the meat. Now - this is me cooking a 1.5-2" filet mignon (my new favorite steak place is http://www.allenbrothers.com/products/steak_filet.htm) and this may not be the same for more marbled, thin steaks. [p]Good luck, but if you can do it on a gasser I would certainly think over a hot fire would be easier.[p]Tim
[ul][li]Allen Bros filets[/ul]

Tim M

KennyG,[p]We seem to agree. I thought you would bring up that super dooper 1500° grill you have (it's name I forgot). Do you still have it?[p]Tim

KennyG

<p />Tim M,[p]Hi Tim and Oh Yeah I still have it. It comes in handy once in a while when dinner gets off to a late start and the wife wants to eat NOW!!!!![p]With a tear in my eye, I push the ignitor button.[p]K~G

Gandolf

KennyG,
My Egg is a Medium. Last ones were 1-1/4 inch porterhouse, but sounds like a lower temperature, around 600 - 700° will be better than the mega temps that I've used before. Thanks to you and Tim for the tips.

Gandolf

Tim M,
Man, looks like you could eat those right out o' the box!

Tim M

Gandolf,[p]There is no fat on them, but you do need to cook 'em.[p]Get that Road King out and ride down here some time -- It's too dangerous up there or I'd come there. My Heritage Softail is developing rust on chromed parts - dang this salty air![p]Tim

TRex

Gandolf,[p]Steak is still my favorite thing to cook on the Egg (I have a Medium, but just bought a Mini at Eggtoberfest!). I buy 16 ounce NY strips, 2" thick, with a nice marble. I always try to get the butcher to cut me one fresh from a large side of beef that he pulls from the back of the shop. That way, the steak is cherry-red when it is handed to you (hasn't "bloomed" yet). Avoid buying a display case steak. I try to cook the steak within a couple of hours of having bought it. So, I bring it home, set it on the counter (so it can start coming to near room temperature) and go fire up the Egg. I get the Egg to lava temperatures (>750 F) for searing the steak. Just five minutes before I sear the steak, I rub Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, spicy brown mustard, and a little bit of olive oil on each side (really rub in the salt). Doing this 5 minutes before searing allows the salt to draw juices out of the meat to its surface, thus giving you a better sear. So now you're ready to sear the steak. I sear for 2 minutes a side over the lava (try to find a new spot on the grill grate when you flip) and then remove the steak from the grill. Regarding searing: I've tried searing on the grill grate in its normal position, on the grill grate with the grate sitting basically on the
coals, and in a cast iron pan that has come up to lava temps with the Egg. If you're in the char crust, the skillet is your best bet. I didn't notice a big difference in how close the grate was to the coals except that it is just plain easier to sear on the grate in its normal position. Now, after searing comes the most important part. Set the seared steak on a plate and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. I learned this step from a friend of the family who has been a chef in several great steak houses. Because meat is a muscle, the intense and sudden heat of a hot grill causes the muscle to "tense up." Resting the meat for 20 minutes lets the muscle rest again, thus you get a much more tender steak. I wouldn't rest for more than 20 minutes b/c I've noticed that at times longer than 20 minutes, juices can start to come out of the meat. Now, during the time your steak has been resting, bring the Egg down to about 400 F. Throw on some mesquite chunks and get 'em smoking (sometimes I just throw them directly on the grill grate instead of the coals--they tend to get hot enough to smoke but never burn (this is starting with dry (not soaked) chunks)). I usually resalt (lightly) and repepper the steak before throwing it back on the Egg. Now, at 400F, I cook a 2" thick NY strip about 4 to 5 minutes a side for medium-rare. As Tim says, check with a Thermapen if you have one, but don't use a normal slow read thermometer like I have--the temp of the steak rises while you're waiting for your themometer to equilibrate. Like Tim was saying, 110 F internal is probably a good internal temp to remove, depending on how you like your steak cooked (I've never measured on a steak, so I'm not sure what my internal temp is when I remove it from the grill--I just go on thickness and time), b/c after removing the steak from the grill you'll want to rest it again for just a few minutes before serving. During this time the internal temp will rise to about 130 - 140 and the muscle will relax some once again. Now, cut thin slices and enjoy! It doesn't get any better than this.

jwitheld

Gandolf,
Try removing the ring so that your grill is closer to the fire[/b]

Gandolf

TRex,
That sounds great!