House Smoked Hanger Steak

[bgood]

I had a very tasty House Smoked Hangar Steak at Zoe in Seattle a few months ago. Also Alder Smoked Braised Beef Short Ribs at Coco Pazzo in Vancouver. Both very tasty and toothsome.

I'm wondering how they get the smoke flavour into somethings that then needs to be cooked. I've barbecued ribs but the smoking and the cooking are all one. How do you get smoke flavour into a steak without cooking it? Inquiring minds, mine at least, need to know.

[Dave the Cook]

You've bought smoked sausage, kielbasa, andouille. pork chops and bacon--they're all smoked meats. You just haven't thought about it in restaurant terms before.

So it's really not a big deal. You simply put the meat in a grill or smoker for a while at a low temperature. If you're not going to finish it off right away, you can refrigerate it at this point, and finish it in the oven later. The smoke flavor lingers. Alton Brown's book has a recipe for smoked short ribs done just this way, as a matter of fact.

I do this with sausages and vegetables all the time; pork back ribs I usually do all the way, but the way I do them takes three to four hours, so I'm wondering if they could be done half-and-half, too. According to the Colonel and CathyL, the God and Goddess of Smoke, the meat will only absorb smoke for so long anyway, and of course, I believe them. With meat, my experience says stick to red meats and sausage, and be prepared to monitor your temperatures carefully.

If you're lucky, Klink or the lovely CathyL will have some wisdom to impart as well. Did I mention they were deities?

[CathyL]

Thanks for the buildup, D the C. Your share of the latest sacrifice is in the mail.

Yes, bgood, a very low grill-level temperature (under 150 degrees, say) can impart smoke flavor without cooking the meat. Chilling the steak thoroughly before smoking will help. A friend of mine quasi-freezes his steaks first.

[bigbear]

You don't have to smoke beef for very long to impart flavor. I think it's easy to over-smoke beef.

[bgood]

Hmmm, this sounds very good. Am salivating as I type. Have to put it to the test ASAP.

Dave the Cook, I'm very interested in what you're saying about the amount of time meat needs to absorb the smoke flavour. Do you have any rough guidelines? I do know 'low and slow' also produces nice tender meat but there are times it would be nice to try a couple of different methods so that I'm not spending so much time sitting around trying to balance empty beer bottles on my nose.

[CathyL]

Once the surface of the meat hits about 140 degrees it won't absorb much smoke. At that point the center temp is a lot lower - how much depends on the type, shape and size of what you're smoking.

To maximize smoke flavor, start cooking at a low temperature and run up to your target cooking temp gradually. And chill the meat before it goes on the fire. If you want to be really obsessive , let a big hunk o' meat (e.g., pork butt, brisket) come to room temp and then park it in the freezer for an hour or so: the colder surface/warmer center means more smoke, less risk of drying out the exterior before the interior is done.

Click here for an entertaining discussion on the science of barbeque.

[col klink]

Thanks for the link Cathy.

Down in Lockhart, Texas (the official bbq capital of Texas) they serve smoked prime rib at Kreuz's market. Positively one of the best smoked meats you can buy. They smoke it at a really low temperature for I believe somewhere between 4 and 8 hours and serve it medium rare. They achieve this by not raising the internal temperature about 130~135F meaning the temp of the smoker isn't too far above 150F. Also, they smoke the whole prime rib which what a couple of feet long? The bigger the piece of meat the longer it can stay or the longer it needs to be in the smoker.

I do the same for my tender red meat roasts and I pull 'em off the smoker when they reach 135F. Lamb is so good this way.

[Dave the Cook]

What she said.* For maximum smoke flavor, there's no getting around low and slow.

Having said that, I kind of agree with Jeff that, depending on the cut, a little smoke goes a long way with beef.

*Cathy, I'm out of virgins. Verbal worship alone will have to do from now on...

[CathyL]

*Cathy, I'm out of virgins. Verbal worship alone will have to do from now on...

I accept chocolate, in a pinch.

Col., excellent point about the size of the cut. Heat transfer happens by inches, not by pounds.

[bgood]

This is a fantastic discussion! The scales are falling away from my eyes. I am beginning to see possibilities all over the butcher counter.

One thing I am wondering about is what to use for smoking. I have had reasonable success with a 2 burner gas grill using only one side for smoking and the other for heating the chips. This was after I abandoned my water smoker that I had converted to gas.

What is the best way to do cool smoking without resorting to a log burning pit? I have been advised that if I do get one it better be a big one because it'll become my principal residence.