A Primitive Method for Grilling Steaks

[Shel_B]

This link was sent to me by Thermoworks ... thought I'd share it.  Would love to read any comments ...

[Deryn]

Probably many will disagree with me but frankly that article is a waste of time to read. Either that or it is hilarious - still trying to decide which. I guess some people just have too much time on their hands, and too much steak money to burn. 50 steaks to figure this out? And the best part .. is only the first bite? Has this guy ever gone camping?

[rotuts]

this technique is not new.

 

you get a very very very hot fire with very little fuel.

 

that's its claim to fame.

 

no more, no less.

 

ive notched my chimney starter to accommodate a small grill grate for stability

 

best burgers Ive even made were this way

 

excellent char,  medium rare or less.

Edited July 12, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[MSRadell]

I think cooking steaks like this over and extremely hot fire makes for great steaks. There are many ways to accomplish it and the article just shows one of them, there was another thread not too long ago about putting steaks directly on the coals which is basically the same thing. I'm not sure why they talk about a recipe in the story, what part of it requires a recipe? They make it sound like some secret sciences involved and it's not!

[rotuts]

they do 'pre-heat' the steaks in an oven

 

also not new nor really a Rx.

 

if I had one of those $ 100 Wayu-ey steaks, Id cook it this way with the pre-heat, and the chimney but with my very small grate 

 

that's notched in.  Id also use a welding glove on my L hand to stabilize that grate when I flipped the Wagyu-ey.

 

I know it would come out perfect.

 

I might also be entitled to a BBQ 'Carbon-credit'    hard to say.

Edited July 12, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

Actually Im pleased this got brought up.

 

next time I do 'Prime' chuck burgers, Ill do them this way with a new twist for me :

 

Ill them. them up in the CuisiSteamBoy first. much better low temp control and no drying out ! Since there's not going to be any

 

Wagyu-ey steaks on the horizon any time, soon or not.

[dcarch]

"Ultimate Charcoal-Grilled Steaks,"?

 

Ultimate? Not even close. It's just an OK steak. 

 

For a thick steak, I like to have all the sides seared as well. What are the scoring for? what is the 1/4" gap between the steaks for?

 

For some people, poking through uncooked meat introduces bacteria inside the meat.

 

dcarch 

[Dave W]

ATK loves their superlatives.

Rotuts,

I find that the grate on the chimney gets too hot and burns my steaks so sticking them on spits makes sense. However then you have a hole in your steak so all the juices can leak out before you sear to lock them in.

Just kidding. But anyway a hole in the steak doesn't present well to me visually.

Dcarch I agree that searing the sides is necessary. There's a fair amount of convective transfer up the sides of steaks over a chimney though. It's not as effective as starting a big ribeye in a pan standing on it's fat cap though.

There's really no reason to use your oven for this either. The results are perfectly achievable in a kettle grill with only charcoal.

Another product for similar fire management purposes:

www.vortexbbq.com

[gfweb]

When grilling steaks I pretty much do what I do in the kitchen.

 

Sear on the grill-grates then put them up on the rack above the grill to oven cook till done. Only trick is keeping the temp at 350 or so.

[haresfur]

"Ultimate Charcoal-Grilled Steaks,"?

 

Ultimate? Not even close. It's just an OK steak. 

 

For a thick steak, I like to have all the sides seared as well. What are the scoring for? what is the 1/4" gap between the steaks for?

 

For some people, poking through uncooked meat introduces bacteria inside the meat.

 

dcarch 

 

I don't think poking holes is an issue unless you do it a long time before cooking and keep the steaks at room temperature.

[rotuts]

Shiska-Steak ?

 

I only use 1/4 or so of chimney charcoal.  it gets wicked hot, and i oil the grate.  I think the grate is 8 "

 

its a 'grate' that maybe weber sells that's supposed to go on the bottom of the kettle to keep the charcoal off the bottom so ash can

 

drop into that ash clean out thing some webber's have

 

i think i got it at HD as a 'part'

 

BTW N.B.: the test kitchen is never really 'tool-et'  they would never ask anyone to modify anything or rarely

 

as Aaron Franklin says  " I got a Shop-ey Shop "

[Shel_B]

this technique is not new.

 

you get a very very very hot fire with very little fuel.

 

that's its claim to fame.

 

 

Don't forget to add 90+ minutes in the oven.  Overall, it seems like a lot of time and energy to simply grill a steak.

[rotuts]

not much energy in a CSB

 

and tasty too.

[gfweb]

Don't forget to add 90+ minutes in the oven.  Overall, it seems like a lot of time and energy to simply grill a steak.

 

90 minutes in an oven?  At what temperature?-

[rotuts]

you could pop the steak in a zip-lock, add hot tap water to a 'cooler'

 

and give it a soak if need be so you could feel Good and Green .

[Shel_B]

90 minutes in an oven?  At what temperature?-

 

Actually, it's 90 to 150 minutes in an oven @ 200-deg F. for the meat to reach an internal temp of 120-deg. F.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Shel_B (log)

[gfweb]

Actually, it's 90 to 150 minutes in an oven @ 200-deg F. for the meat to reach an internal temp of 120-deg. F.

 

Good grief. Sous vide would be quicker. And what regular oven can give you 200 stable degrees? Sheesh, ATK is out of control.

[rotuts]

zip-lock it is.

[Shel_B]

How "primitive" is the technique if it calls for a (modern) oven to do most of the work?  Grilling a steak is, in and of itself, a primitive cooking method.  Adding an oven to the mix removes it from the realm of primitive into the modern era.

 

While CI/ATK have some great recipes, many are overly complex or time consuming for the result obtained.  Perhaps this is one of those recipes.

[AlaMoi]

...And what regular oven can give you 200 stable degrees? Sheesh, ATK is out of control.

 

ATK out of control?  whenever have they been in control?  seems pretty normal behavior for ATK.

 

as to ovens and temps,,,, the newer controls (digital) will do the 200'F job - even in builder's grade.

I have a old style mercury-in-glass-used-to-be-traceable-calibrated yadda yadda thermometer that I use to check my oven. 

the oven is accurate and stable at low temps.  in a long roast, I routinely use 245'F for poultry and pork, 265'F for beef.

 

there is in basic principle no difference in the chimney from the grill method.  the chimney just provides a smaller fire area and the natural draft created does produce higher temps - superficially that is.  using lump charcoal and adjusting the distance grate to coals one can do the same with a $25 yard sale Weber.

 

except of course, using the chimney method works out best if you are cooking for one.  it's kinda' a tiny grill area.....

[jayt90]

The chimney is small, unwieldy, and hellishly hot. Using Heston's quick turnover method (flip the steak, chop or burger every 30 seconds) I can grill two strip loins or one large Porterhouse (for two). It's a practical home method to achieve steak house grill temperatures.