Thinner Steaks

Haggis · January 2006

My spouse regularly tells me in the evening what I am cooking that night - sometimes on the Egg and sometimes on the stove. Frequently its totally different than what she told me earlier in the day and is whatever she picks up on a last minute run to to the store. Planning is nearly impossible except on weekends when the kids might come home to mooch and do (or leave to be done) their laundry. So last night it was Safeway's Rancher brand strip steaks a bit less than an inch thick. Because she wanted some veggies (in this case, onions and small tomatoes) done at the same time, I opted to do a short sear, rest in foil while veggies were cooking, and then a few more minutes at 350 dome. Unfortunately it left me with a medium done steak - pink but definitely not red the way we prefer them. Thicker steaks have always come out beautifully with this method but this size doesn't. [p]Question: presuming I am doing a steak of this thickness and have sides that take different times, what is your advice on the technique, order of cooking, temps, etc., that will produce a good medium rare steak? [p](It didn't help my mood when she remarked, "You always did this so well on the Weber grill. Why can't you do it right on the Egg?")

mad max beyond eggdome · January 2006

Haggis,
for steaks that thin, i wouldn't do a trex. ... i'd set up the egg direct at around 500 degrees, and just grill em for a few minutes per side till they are done the way you want them. . .if you are really bold, remove the grid and just throw those steaks directly on the coals for about 2 - 3 minutes per side. ..you'll have a nice sear/char and should be a good medium rare in the center. . .[p]as far as the veggies and finishing at the same time, i'd do the veggies up first, then keep em warm for the few minutes it takes to grill the steaks ...or if you want them all done at exactly the same time. ... start the veggies first on the grid, then move them to the sides and throw the steaks on to grill direct and pull everything together...[p]anyway, if i'm doing thin steaks like flank/hanger/skirt/etc. .i just don't find any benefit in t-rexiing (and i'm the biggest t-rex officiendo around). ...[p]HTH

Nature Boy · January 2006

Haggis,
It goes against general thinking, but the thinner the meat the hotter you cook it. 700 for a couple minutes a side, and a short rest should get you what you want. You have a thermapen? 135 should do it. You should not get too much of a rise during the rest with those thin steaks.[p]Just some idears.
Chris

Unknown · January 2006

mad max beyond eggdome,
Saw an episode of an old Julia Child show on PBS this weekend. She had a guest that was making "dirty" steak. He took big steaks that would have been great to TREX and threw them right on the burning coals. He used lump charcoal. And then he glazed them with a caramel sauce. I would never put a sauce like that on my steak but the cooking method was interesting.

fishlessman · January 2006

Haggis,
just give them some sear and rest them under some foil if they are thin enough, i would monitor temps during the searing process for doneness and sear at about 650 to allow the internals to catch up a little. you could always cook them the same way as what you did on the webber. about 450 on one side, flip and cook on the other side till the juices start to flow on top and either remove or flip one more time. OR you could convince her to buy thick steaks because they come out sooo much better (my feeling is that she remembers those steaks to be great because she wasnt comparing them to bge steaks at the time)

Haggis · January 2006

Nature Boy,[p]I should probably add that I used DP Cowlick on them and maybe that was why she didn't think they were as good as the Weber! ;>) [p]More seriously, you guys are all pretty much where I was heading - short and hot on a more typical grill setup. On the weber I could reliably count on 3 minutes a side with the lid on and the veggies off to the side for a little longer. [p]Thanks to each of you for your comments!

RhumAndJerk · January 2006

Haggis,
One important point that I would like to let people that are new to the BGE know is that the BGE is tool. As with any new tool, there is a learning curve. Just because you pick up a hammer, does not mean that you drive a nail straight the first time. It takes practice and even seasoned veterans still miss and hit theirs thumbs once in a while.[p]Steaks are a good starter, but wait until your wife tastes turkeys, pulled pork or a brisket from the BGE. Better yet, start baking pizza, bread and pies on the egg. Then get a cast iron Dutch oven and start making beans, chili and stews that are out of this world. [p]There is one accessory that you absolutely need to get and that is a good Butcher. You will care more about your meat more than ever before and talk of cuts of meat that regular people just don’t care about.[p]Your wife will soon see the light.
RhumAndJerk[p]

Grillicious · January 2006

ChoppedPorkPlate, Alton Brown did that once too. Yes, interesting.

QBabe · January 2006

RhumAndJerk,[p]You are so right about "veterans" still hitting their thumbs. Case in point - I did some chicken thighs and drumsticks on Sunday, which is a cook I do regularly. Egg temp was 250° to 275°. Well, after about 15 minutes on the egg, I checked and flipped the pieces and noticed they were cooking a little bit hot. But, I made the mistake of trusting that thermometer rather than my instincts and let them go until the next flip to see how things were progressing. Well, one thing led to another and I didn't get them flipped until about 40 minutes later. By that time they were charred and "crispy" to say the least. Obviously, I have a dome thermo that needs calibration, LOL![p]Did I notice a post from you recently that you have moved to Georgia? Are you and the family getting settled in at your new place? How are you liking the sunny south?[p]Tonia
:~)

RhumAndJerk · January 2006

QBabe,
We are still in transit. Soon, they will start to see the light ... once we drive out of the grey clouds that is
R&J

Thinner Steaks

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