Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Steak: one step closer

blind99
blind99 Posts: 4,971
No thanksgiving leftovers so here's a steak. I'm getting closer to my perfect steak. This one went sous vide at 131. Then dried, seasoned with kosher salt and pepper, then a light brush of grapeseed oil. On the small for a sear, with the lid open at least 3"

I want solid mahogany crust and an even warm pink inside. This was pretty darned close. 




Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
«1

Comments

  • tikigriller
    tikigriller Posts: 1,389
    That is High Quality Steak House Material right there!!!! Now I wish I was cooking a steak right now instead of a Pork Chop.
    Just bought an Egg?  Here is what you get to look forward to now:

    Plate Setter, FlameBoss 200, Spider, PSWOO-CI, Additional Rig Shelf for dome cooking, Thermapen, iGrill2, Cast Iron, Blackstone, Cooking Accessories for the Blackstone, Cover for the Egg and the Blackstone, shopping for Rub like a fine wine or IPA, and a new fascination with lump and what brand is the best-all to be debated every Friday Night.  Next desires-Joetisceriie, Adjustable Rig, Grillmates, table and more eggs

    Livermore, California
  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,676
    Looks great. I've had good results using Sous Vide. I set the bath at 100 Degs and cook for an hour or so depending on the thickness.
    Using the lower bath temp allows the steak to spend more time on the egg helping to develop a good crust.
    It looks like you had excellent results using the higher 131 Deg temp.
    It also looks like a very good quality of beef also, I bet it was delicious.
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    edited November 2016
    @tikigriller thank you sir - I tell ya, I'll put a good pork chop up there with any steak, any day. 

    @gregw thanks! I'm still learning the times and temps of the sous vide. I love the flexibility it gives me. No more timing everything else around the meat. Steak was a random piece I had vacuum packed in my freezer, dropped into the sous vide. It was very tasty!
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • bhedges1987
    bhedges1987 Posts: 3,201
    Lookin top notch. 

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


  • tikigriller
    tikigriller Posts: 1,389
    blind99 said:
    @tikigriller thank you sir - I tell ya, I'll put a good pork chop up there with any steak, any day. 
    Well it's an SRF Chop...so it shall be tasty indeed I'm sure!
    Just bought an Egg?  Here is what you get to look forward to now:

    Plate Setter, FlameBoss 200, Spider, PSWOO-CI, Additional Rig Shelf for dome cooking, Thermapen, iGrill2, Cast Iron, Blackstone, Cooking Accessories for the Blackstone, Cover for the Egg and the Blackstone, shopping for Rub like a fine wine or IPA, and a new fascination with lump and what brand is the best-all to be debated every Friday Night.  Next desires-Joetisceriie, Adjustable Rig, Grillmates, table and more eggs

    Livermore, California
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    blind99 said:
    @tikigriller thank you sir - I tell ya, I'll put a good pork chop up there with any steak, any day. 
    Well it's an SRF Chop...so it shall be tasty indeed I'm sure!
    I hope it's getting the egg treatment and that you'll post it. I still haven't ordered anything from SRF but it looks like great stuff. 

    @bhedges1987 thanks!
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • If you want a solid mahogany crust, put on a cast iron pan to get nice and hot. use some oil or butter, and let that meat get nice and crusty without flipping it all over the place--like so many men do--and then do the other side. I love char and this was the best method I've ever used.
    Judy in San Diego
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    Great result right there.  Congrats.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    World Class! Bravo!!
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    That looks fantastic!!  Great technique brother.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Outstanding. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • solid mahogany is the hallmark of a dry aged steak. Begins browning immediately, because there is less water in the flesh that needs to be driven off before it can go all maillard on you 
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    Blind....let me know when you finally get that steak right....I'll be right over. Looks like you are there to me.
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • Brother Blind that is one mighty fine steak!!!
    Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Looks great!  But, for me anymore on anything sans a bone-in I prefer a CI pan or skillet sear and usually skip the pepper until the plating.  
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • looks awesome!!  Grapeseed oil - can't beat it!!
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    @JustineCaseyFeldown I'm not sure if my cooking technique is getting better, or if it's the sous vide.  I notice the SV results in a lot of liquid loss.  Maybe that's helping with the drying? I don't know if it causes any more liquid loss than the first stage of a reverse sear.

    @johnnytarheel @bgebrent @Foghorn @lousubcap @pgprescott thanks!  @northgacock come on by!

    @Judy Mayberry you totally nailed it.  i flipped that darned thing like crazy!  i'll try the CI again sometime - I used to use it a lot to sear in ghee.  one issue is surface area- i have to use the large to fit my CI pan.  The small egg is such a nice size for searing a few steaks and cooking for a few people.

    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    @NPHuskerFL  thanks friend!  i used to think people were getting great crust by covering the steak in heavy salt and pepper and other seasonings before the sear.  i was obviously wrong.

    @Paul B. I started using it recently.  along with ghee, it's my high-heat go to.  i like that it has almost no flavor of it's own.  
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • @blind99

    i bet that is part of it. And you said you pat dry. 

    Good looking steak
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    @blind99

    i bet that is part of it. And you said you pat dry. 

    Good looking steak
    thank you sir

    i was toying with other ways of dessicating the steak quickly, like using the polymer inside a diaper.  that just seems offputting though.  someday i'll give dry aging another go. i'm still smarting from my first try / epic fail.
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    If you want a solid mahogany crust, put on a cast iron pan to get nice and hot. use some oil or butter, and let that meat get nice and crusty without flipping it all over the place--like so many men do--and then do the other side. I love char and this was the best method I've ever used.
    Flipping often keeps the meat from getting bands of grey that is the hallmark of a steak left alone for 2-3 minutes. You still get the same crust since each side is getting the same amount of sear time.
  • @blind99

    epic fail? I don't remember that

    has to be a temp issue? Because it is so easy, even i can do it. 
  • GregW said:
    Looks great. I've had good results using Sous Vide. I set the bath at 100 Degs and cook for an hour or so depending on the thickness.
    Using the lower bath temp allows the steak to spend more time on the egg helping to develop a good crust.
    It looks like you had excellent results using the higher 131 Deg temp.
    It also looks like a very good quality of beef also, I bet it was delicious.
    I agree with the method but it isn't really sous vide. I say that because it may scare off some folks from trying it. We used to call that the " hot tub" method. It doesn't require vacuum sealing and can be done in a pot with hot tap water. You aren't cooking it just warming it up. 

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • ^what he said. 

    hot tubber here. I don't sous vide, even though I think it is a pretty cool concept

    but i do hot tub steaks
  • Hot tub steaks....  Awesome... Picked up on the grapeseed oil a while back and I think it is a no brainer when cooking (my super market has two brands of grape seed oil and 36 of olive oil.....).  I have never used Ghee I looked it up - mind sharing the benefits?
  • Ghee is just clarified butter that's been cooked a while to give it a nutty flavour. Same benefit as using clarified butter. Higher smoke point

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    @Paul B. what @Little Steven said.  Ghee has a nice high smoke point so it doesn't burn like butter does if you go hot.  But it's got a lot of flavor, unlike the grapeseed oil.

    @JustineCaseyFeldown  Last year I took a nice bone in rib roast and put it in my beer fridge.  I thought it was keeping the temps OK, around 35.  It turned into a putrid mess.  I didn't have it on a wire mesh, so maybe some of the liquid grew bad bugs?  After I smelled and saw what was going on I elevated it.  And when I thought it was done I trimmed the parts that had been touching the liquid.  It still smelled awful.  I tried trimming the outsides and it was still awful.  Maybe I'll give it another go this winter.

    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • You generally age whole primals. The rack would help cause it allows air to circulate around the meat. 

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • if you didn't have it elevated, then you had a wet surface somewhere.  not good.

    needs to dry.  if it dries, it dies.

    you can age a roast.  sub primal is ideal.
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    @Little Steven @JustineCaseyFeldown what cut would you recommend for a beginner, that would fit in a beer fridge?
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle