Trout.. I thought about this when i first got the steak.... the first thing i noticed was the lack of a hard seer on Salt islands steak. The outside was slightly seered but still soft. Maybe they quick seer and then cook slower in a cooler spot. I dont think am (extended) high (>800*) temp cook would have allowed the great smoke penetration. It wasnt one of those charred outside, pink inside styles that I (try to) do at home. Dont know what they did, but they did it right. Next time, we need to stand next to the grill and watch. :twisted: :mrgreen:

On a possible thread split...

Have you tried to grill steaks over a heavy bed of mesquite, oak or hickory coals.?? not charcoal, but all wood chunks, several inches thick... maybe with some lump??

My gasser wont get over 700-800* either... but I have sucessfully gotten some real heavy seers with a heavy wood coalbed in my kettle or BYC fireboxn. Takes a while to burn down the wood and the fire is BIG to start with. Then it cooks the steaks in a few minutes with a hard char outside, pink or red inside.... not saying its what S.I. does.. its my at home technique. I was always of the school of cook thick steaks fast and hard. Think i may try the close up quick hard seer, then raise the grill way up to the top to finish and see what happens.

I prefer steaks cooked over mesquite so I do it regularly. It's better to have a lot of meat to cook 'cause you burn a lot of wood for only a few minutes of grilling!

Also, the thicker steaks are better suited to the hot farking fire you're going to get. I'd recommend you get them at least an inch thick, if not thicker, then sear those bad boys on a flameless bed of 'squite coals. Man, makes me drool thinking about it...

i meant to say that.. it takes 30--40 minutes to prep the coalbed, then everything is cooked in 3-4 mins... I take Four or five logs, and a chop saw.. and make lots of chunnks.. first i cut 2 inch thick wheels of the logs then split into quarters and burn them down on a chimney of prestarted lump. It speeds think up a little.

Also, so i dont feel guilty, I take advantange of the fire and throw some chicken thighs, breasts and sausages in the chamber for lunches while we eat the steaks.. then ya have an excuse to go back out and tend fire for a little while finishing up the chicken. :twisted: :mrgreen:

There ya go.

I think I'll try my first thread splitting here. I don't remember seeing a steak thread before...

EDIT: Cooool.


OK - how do YOU cook steak?

Oak chunks burned down to a hot bed of coals. Steak seared then moved to cooler part of grill to finish off, still over the oak coals.
I go with 1 1/2 inch thick cut as a minimum.
I would love to have one of those Santa Maria Grills like sammi got, just to cook steaks on. Man, the control you have with that thing.

Arlin, I like mesquite for grilling too, it is just that oak is our main cooking wood here, so for me it is either real cheap or usually real free.

I've found that if I pepper about 30 min. before I cook, but don't salt until right before I put it on the grill I get a much better seer. If you salt in advance, it draws moisture to the surface and keeps a good crust from forming.

How do I cook steaks???
I don't.
Raw on a cold plate is just fine for me:-D

Tonight will be some thick ribeyes on the webber kettle with some hickory.
1 mr
1 mw
1 MMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's some of Phil's earlier work on high temp that I use not only on steaks, but also thick cut pork chops:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16293

I agree with 1 1/2" minimum, when I can catch the butcher cutting, I have him cut them at 2".

I don't have a very functional charcoal grill set up so I have to go with the gasser. The "new" gasser doesn't heat up like the old cheapy with lava rocks so I do the best I can by preheating with a sheet of HD foil over the cooking grates. I cook over the hottest spots for about 90 sec per side twice to get the nice "crosshatch grillmarks" then kill all the heat except what's heating the cherry and/or hickory chunks.
Steaks go indirect with the smoke until they feel like med-rare when given the finger.
Rest for 5-7 mins while I prep my baked potato and dress my salad.

Then I eat tooo dammed much, then I sit on my ass tooo much and grin like Buddah8-)

I believe a good steak should be about an inch and a half thick and given a quarter of a turn after a few minutes to get those great grill marks but turned over only once during the whole cooking process cooked to med. rare.

With plenty of ketchup!! :shock:

Just kidding!! :wink:

Spice

I can get a pretty good cross-hatch with my Weber genesis B. I do miss the gas salamander I had in my old apartment. Steak from COSTCO.

From what I understand the places like S-I and Gibsons will put the smoke on first then place it in the HOT!!!! area, this gets the flavor and then the char. I like a heavy char and rare others in the family like their burnt. I really don't know how they do it because I have never been able to get the heat up that high and two I have never been invited into the "back room" to watch them grill my steak.

I use a method that I first saw on a TV cooking show. It was orignially done on a Weber kettle, but I've adapted it to my gasser as well (out of laziness). I start out with the steaks over the hottest fire I can get and sear them for two minutes per side. Then I move them away from the fire and cook indirect for 5 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second. For a 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick steak this is medium rare every time.

I might just have to post some webber pics tonight.
Look out!

I get whole sirlons cut to 1 & 1/4" thick. Vac pack em 2 to a bag and freeze.

When it's time to cook I go with KISS. I use the Weber with a full chimney of Kingsford. I let the steaks acclimate to room temp and hit rub them with freshly ground garlic pepper and ground sea salt.

I seer them on each side and take them off at medium. Let them rest then enjoy.

Great thread.