Ever cook a steak this way?


 
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Brett_Roundy

Brett_Roundy

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Last week I wanted to grill a couple of New York strips but I was out of Propane so I decided to fire up the WSM. Got a chimney full going good and dumped them in the charcoal ring. I noticed that I hadn't cleaned the racks very well after the last pork butt cook, so I decided to do it the lazy way...let the heat burn it of, so I set the top rack directly on the charcoal ring.

As I was watching the remnants burn off I thought that I could get a good sear with it set up this way, so after a quick brushing I tossed the strip on the rack, got good sizzle action and decent grill marks. After both side were seared I pulled the rack off and put it on the main body (with no water pan) tossed a couple of chunks of hickory on the coals, and put the body and lid on the base. Pulled the strips off when they hit 130 internal...they turned out great.

I was considering buying a weber kettle, but this way seems to work pretty well. Would there be advantages of using a kettle vs. this method?
 
What you did was very similar to banking hot coals on one side of a kettle, getting the cooking grates very hot, searing the steaks and then moving them to the other side for indirect cooking till done like you wanted them. With a kettle you wouldn't have to bend over the charcoal bowl while searing, move a very hot cooking grate, add the middle section to the WSM and probably wait a little for it to come back up to temp for the indirect cooking. Sounds like a pretty neat cook, but I beat you'd enjoy the kettle also. The kettle can also be used to cook smaller amounts, indirect, and you don't use as much charcoal.

But, the big question is - Don't you really want another toy ? /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Paul
 
My new favorite way to cook individual steaks is to fire up 3/4 of a chimney of charcoal, stick an old Smokey Joe or 18.5" grate on top, and put steaks right on top when the coals look like an afterburner. About 2.5 minutes on each side and you've got a great medium-rare steak, if it's not too thick. Too thick and you'll get pretty rare in the middle, you can't overdo each side or you'll be eating Steak a la Kingsford.

I saw Alton Brown do this to tuna steaks on Good Eats, it's a whole lot of fun. Of course, this only works when you're doing a couple of steaks, but it does a great job on cuts like ribeye.

I have a couple of Weber Kettles, they're great for steaks as well, especially if I'm doing several. I put a double layer of hot coals under one half of the cooking grate, you get a nice sear that way - then you can move cuts over to the other side of the grill and put on the lid to further cook thicker cuts that will otherwise burn over the high heat.

Another fun thing I've done is to light a charcoal chimney full of mesquite chunks instead of charcoal. Mesquite burns nice and hot and gives the steaks a very appealing aroma, and you can tell your guest that you're having mesquite grilled steaks. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Brett...

That is exactly how I have done all my steaks over the past year. At first, I didn't think about putting the middle section back in and placing the steak on it. Someon on this very board suggested it and VOILA!!

I do agree it is a hassle and I have a kettle...very old and due to be replaced. I have to admit, I will NOT be buying a Weber.

One thing that has constantly irked me about Weber kettles is there is no way to raise and lower the cooking grate or the charcoal grate. So, to get the coals directly touching the cooking grate you need lots of charcoal..even when banking, even when using lump..which is all I use. I think this is critical to searing and searing to me is the most important thing in cooking steaks.

I will be buying the new Brinkmann Professional Grill that our Sam's just started carrying this year. At $149 and much more cooking area than the Weber 22 1/2" I love it for the simple fact, you can raise and lower the charcoal grate. It gets right up and touches the cooking grate and then can be backed way down to finish.

I saw the Santa Maria type grills they use in California and immediately fell in love with them.

But, if you don't want another grill and you only cook a couple of steaks at a time, then the WSM is just as good as anything.

Dwain.....

That is exactly how we cook on our camping trips. Over REAL hardwood logs! Once they are burnt down, place the grill directly on them and cook away. Now, using this method does have a drawback...the coals will actually get snuffed out pretty quick...the steak literally smothers them and allows no oxygen to keep them fired. That makes it critical when flipping to use a new part of the grill. You should also have steaks that are not too thick...like you mentioned.

Of course, as long as you have the air coming from UNDERNEATH the coals it is not an issue(Remember, with a camp fire it is on the ground so no air from underneath). That is why I like the idea of a moveable grate.
 
Kevin

Our Sams also has the $149 Brinkman Professional which looked pretty good to me. I had been thinking of ordering the Bar-B-Chef from BBQ Galore, but the two look very similiar, except for the latter costing $300 more than the former. Have you compared them ? There is a lot to be said for this wagon type grill with an adjustable charcaol grate and CI cooking grates. While I love Weber and have said I would buy a Weber truck if they ever made one, the set-up of the other style grill does have a lot of positives. I suspect there may be some negatives which I'm no aware of but would like to hear about from others.

Paul
 
Paul...

I have never been to a BBQ Galore store, so no idea what their version looks like.

The only drawback that I noticed to the Brinkmann is their inferior quality on the low end stuff. This unit is pretty thin metal, BUTTTTT, I will only use it for cooking with high heat. That means it doesn't have to hold any heat so the thickness should not be a major issue.

I suppose the thing will eventually burn out, but I cover and take pretty good care of my grills and smokers.
 
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