Preferred steak preparation/cooking method


 
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Daum

TVWBB Super Fan
Hey Guys -

I know there are a couple of threads where some people have talked about their ways they've done their steaks, but haven't found a single thread which is just asking, how do you prepare your steak and cook it? I'm just curious to hear all the different approaches.

I've done bunch of different ways, almost always these are on rib-eyes as those are my favorite cut. I'll start from when I first start to where I am now.

  1. When I first started I use to just take the steak out of the fridge, throw some lawrys and pepper on it, and grill it until I thought it was good. Temperatures were all over the place, usually medium high. This ended up in fine steaks, but often not with a great crust, and often relied on total guessing of when it'd be medium rare. Also there were huge rings of doness in this method.
  2. Next I started to take out the steaks and let them come up to temperature. I also bought a meat tenderizer (just the steel knives type) and used that before. I'd use same seasoning. For cooking I'd start out with the grill preheated to as hot as it could go. Throw them on, do about 1 minute a side, switch to MOM, finish them in the next 6-10 minutes. This usually created pretty great steaks, sometimes you'd have to deal with flare ups way too much and it'd interrupt the cooking schedule.
  3. Now days I'm pretty hooked on the following method. I take the steaks out hours before. I salt them very heavily, but no pepper. Now I like to use charcoal, and I'll start with a single bin on the far side of the grill. Let them slowly come up to about 110. It takes around 30-40 minutes to do this. As they get closer, I light up enough charcoal to completely fill another bin slightly over the top. Once they hit 110, I pull them off the grill. Put the charcoal in the other bin, make sure it is blazing hot. I then throw them back over that for about 1 minute a side or so. Right after I flip the first time, I throw on fresh cracked pepper. After I take it off, I pepper the other side. I've noticed with this method, the pepper is much stronger so you don't need to use as much. This has resulted in each time pretty much a perfectly medium rare all the way through steak.

Saturday I'll be cooking up my first porterhouse (along with a rib eye) and am expecting to do the same method.

How do you like to do your steaks?

Daum
 
Thickness of the steak always plays into the prep/cooking method.

I like my steaks thick about 1.5 inches. One hour before cooking I pull them from the fridge and K-salt on both sides. Then they go on a rack over a pan. I get the grill really hot and go direct about two minutes per side and then I let them rest about 10 minutes before cutting.
 
For me, in the kettle w/smoke low and slow round 180/190F up to 122/124F int temp. Then I let it rest until dinner time. Then I move to the grill. Only briquettes for me cause lump its too hot. Grill grates heated and searing action starts. Probably final IT is round 130F.
My method is good from steaks to roast to tomahawk. Recently I reverse searing also the thinest steak in my exp.
This one


IMG_3716 di BBQness, su Flickr


IMG_3718 di BBQness, su Flickr


IMG_3736 di BBQness, su Flickr

Maybe this time I went TOO MEDIUM but Im not used to this thin steaks!
But some more exp and Ill do better!
 
Salt method and reverse sear for me.

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I've never tried reverse sear although some restaurants have served me steak that way I know. I like mine almost blue so I do not think that will work. For me - just cut off the ears and tail, wipe the ar$e and run it past the flames! :)
 
I try to only buy steaks that are around 1.25 to 1.5 inches thick and I try to buy them in family packs. Wife does the seasoning (SPOG and some Korean "beef" seasoning) and then into vacuum bags and into the freezer. Pull out a couple the day before we plan to eat them and into the fridge to thaw. Pull them out of the fridge a couple hours before grilling them.

For just steaks, we use our gasser, set up indirect with my Grill Grates upside down (griddle up) over the hot side. Throw steaks on cool side until they get to around 110*. Slap them on the hot griddle to get a good sear on both sides and bring the IT up to around 135*. Remove to plate, and put them in the microwave (off) to rest until time to eat.
 
Daum, your technique number three is optimal. I'd never change from that for grilling steaks. Reverse sear is the truth. That holds true for pan cooking, too.
 
Since exclusively going with my latest method I have never been happier with my steaks. I start with a thick boneless Ribeye and salt and pepper it just prior to hitting the heat. I used to do the salt heavy salt early method but it is not necessary with this technique. I then place the steak on a very hot grill and at the same time put my cast iron skillet on opposite the meat. I turn the meat several times until the steak has a nice char completely covering both sides of the meat. I am not interested in cross-hatch marks- I want the full surface of the steak to offer all those wonderfully complex flavors created by the Millard Reaction.
After turning for a few minutes I remove the steak and slice it east/west into ½ inch cuts. I then place the steak, holding it together as if it were still one piece, into the cast iron skillet. I top it with several pats of butter spread out over the steak so they can melt and run between the slices. I then let it cook for several minutes until done to my liking (med-rare). This can be determined by peeking between the slices to view the stage of doneness (pinkness). Once done I remove the steak and plate it. I pour the butter which has now mixed with the steak juices over the slices and its time to eat. I got much of this method from watching two shows on TV. The first was a visit to Peter Luger’s steak house in NYC and the second was simply a Bobby Flay cooking show.
 
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I've posted this before. Season steaks with salt, pepper, and garlic. For thick steaks, 4-5 minutes a side over hot coals, finish indirect. I use a Smoke EZ ring since I have one.

Here are the steaks cooking direct. Also had some yukes on.

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Finishing indirect.

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The finished product.

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I always seem to get good results doing it this way.
 
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My favorite steak is ribeye, but I no longer buy them packaged in the grocery stores. Instead, I will buy whole boneless ribeye roast and slice to about 1-3/8" thick
and package the steaks. About 20 minutes before I am ready to grill, I rub the steak with a light coating of peanut oil, then season with a little celery salt, onion powder
and garlic powder. They are grilled on an old kettle, with hot coals, and grill grates direct. About 9 minutes total grilling time works out to a medium rare, just the way
that I like them. Top with a pat of butter as they come off the grill, and park it on the plate with a baked potato, some bbq beans and some nice fresh onion rings.
Somebody call the paramedics..... no they just stopped by to eat.
 
Method 3 is the reverse sear. For a thick steak it's the only way to go in my opinion. Below is NY Strip cooked at 185 degrees until internal temp was 115. They finished on high heat for roughly 2 minutes each side.



 
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