Steak Cooking Methods

Well, not even close..

I think what started this thread prior to the split.. the Salt Island Porterhouse has ruined me.

Here was tonights try to duplicate that wood taste.

Loaded the firebox with a chimney of lump and 2 large oak logs. Once the logs caught added some chunks of hickory and mesquite from the bag and let things burn withthe firebox lid and door open. Once all was burning good, I close the doors and put the steaks in a cool spot in the chamber and dampered down a little to make some heavier than normal smoke. Let the steaks sit in the chamber for about 30 minutes, with white smoke coming from the chimney. Chamber temps were around 225-250... After 30 mins, i opened up the dampers and chamber climbed to 400+. I knocked the logs apart and had a decent coal bed that i couldnt put my hands over for more than a second, and that was from ABOVE the top of the door... Steaks went on then, about 2 inchs over the coals... I gave them about 2 minutes on each side(didnt want a hard char) and then i moved the grate to the top rung, about 14 inchs above the coals and closed the top door. Gave them about another 2-3 mins to med rare, 125-130 on the instant read and let them rest.

well.. 4 great steaks.. no where near the smokey flavor I was looking for, but great steaks.. family agreed.. steaks were good, tasted like they always do, but not what i was trying to achieve. Have to figure a way to get more smoke without doing real BBQ...

will try again next week.. think my arteries are gonna get a workout till I get it right.


Sorry, forgot to take pics before i inhaled the filet... and those red things with the green stuff on top??

those are toe-may-toes.. it is like a vegg-et-table.... it is not a GREEN vegg-et-table,( i know its a fruit).. Some people eat those things. These just got pulled off the vine.

willkat98 said:

Phil

If I may be so bold...

Can you look at the link I posted to your 600 Degrees thread (really 700 in the hot spot per your report) and read what you just posted on tonights cook.

Although you didnt get smoke penetration, is there anything from thread #1 to this thread you would change to get better results?

I skipped using foil on the grate to wait to bring the grill up to temp in place of an inverted baking sheet. Don't know the temp, but the grates are glowing.

But I practice 1nce a year at best,

I know you do more, and might do more now as you are on a "bender"

Thanks for posting the pics

Edit: This thread will quickly become a Roadmap thread once everyone chimes in. I'm interested in Phils response, plus Midnight or Neils 2 cents (same Northern cooking conditions as me mod)

Click to expand...

dunnno

The hight temp technique I used in the BYC is more like wood roasting. The flavors are great, but the smoke flavor is very light. Its more like rotiserre flavor.. Works well on steaks too, but wasnt what i was trying to do tonight. I figured by starting at lower temps, and heavier smoke, the meat would absorb some smoke prior to the grilling, but that did not seem to happen. it tasted like a grilled steak, while the roasting technique definately has more smoke flavor, but the end product still has hints of low and slow BBQ... including a bit of smoke ring. The steak at the restaurant had none.. I was even wondering tonight if they cheated with a smoky rub or even(cringe) liquid smoke rubbed lightly on it. I like the high temp technique, but the end result, although excellent, is different from what i was trying to duplicate.

I think maybe a cold steak(mine was room temp), at 200 in smoke for a little longer and maybe allowing it to start to cook in the chamber a bit. The steaks tonight were still raw when i moved them to the grate. The next change will be longer smoke, higher internal temp before grilling.

then again.. u may be on to something.. High temp in the hot spot and quick stint on the grill may just be it.. I have done it before.. that technique may just need some "steak" tweaking.. i only did steaks a couple of times, usually chicken and roasts are usually along side the steaks and they get the attention.. there may be something in that technique.. An 800+ degree offset hotspot is achievable with mesquite and oak(or apple). Thats worth a try too.

the thing is.. this started with the Steak at the Salt Island restaurant.. they dont go thru this when they cook it.. My steaks tonight took about 45-50 minutes... at S.I... they are at your table 15-20 minutes after u order it. There is a trick somewhere.

and... where is the part where something is wrong with that?

maybe the Frozen steak on grill part? I would think that would make charred outside, raw inside.. but hey.. if it works.. good eats!!

Tonights Experiment.

Took Bills advice and went back to basics..... High temp, hot spot that i have been doing for chicken and steaks... . I think hes right.... this is the start of where i want to go..

I started with a large bed of lump and 3 logs, hickory and cherry and mesquite..(had no split oak and I was lazy). Pit was 450 in the cool spot when i put the steaks in the hotspot...directly over the baffle from the firebox.. flames were shooting in and just touching the meat.

about 10 minutes steaks were at 120. i took them off and threw them on a grate in the firebox about an inch over the coals for about a minute each side.

Well they were just like the hightemp steaks I have done before, smokey, super tender and as u can see, about as juicy as they can be. Soft char outside... the climbed from 120, to 130 quickly so i pulled them off. When i took them in to rest, found the analog instant read thermo was off, digital had them at 125 still, so retuned it to the hotspot for about 5 minutes more. They could have spent another minute or two on the firegrate and gotten a better char, but i wanted to get a taste and not risk overcooking it for the experiments. I think this is a technique that will make something close to that orgasmix porterhouse, but the key at Salt Island was the wood, just pure wood, some kind of oak, no lump charcoal, maybe some supplimental gas for higher heat. Im going to stay down this path, next try will be pure oak, nothing else, high heat and a late seer.


this is fun, steak every night till i get it right...

anyone know an artery donor?