Carne Crosta question.

[KC Smoke]

I'm going for trial run number 2 with Carne Crosta. I have two Teres Major seasoned and set for the grill. On my first run with CC I went for straight sear over a really hot fire and ended up excessively charring the outside. I'm certain that I had too hot of a fire. Now that being said do you get the best results over direct heat or should I try more of a reverse sear method? By the way, holy crap this is some seriously good rub!

 

[dwilson1980]

I did some ribeyes with the reverse sear then did some pork loin chops just standard with a hot charcoal fire. The flavor seemed to come more through on the pork chops. It seemed it may have "melted off" when did the ribeye steak with reverse sear. Not sure if anyone else has had the same experience? No matter what it's a awesome rub for steak or chops and I'm sure many other things.

 

[nsbbqguy]

I just did some beef tenderloin with some, was going to do a reverse sear but decided on just grilling, came out great, lots of flavour. If I did do the reverse sear I was going to dust a little more carne crosta on before the sear see how that works.

 

[dwfisk]

Done both, I actually like the high temp sear and crust better. Actually, I'm thinking I like a high temp sear on the griddle best but I'll need to experiment a lot more to know for sure:wink:

 

[MisterChrister]

High temp direct sear, within reason as you stated. You can burn anything. Another huge factor in the successful use of CC is the fat component. The rub is formulated to work best with a good amount of fat. For very high quality cuts that have excellent marbling throughout, it's good to go. For less than excellent prime marbling, I like to paint the cut with EVOO, then apply the CC and let it rest before grilling. I also like to continuously paint the charred sides while grilling/flipping, with melted beef fat that I save from rendering off when making beef stock. I've even had excellent results with CC on lean grassfed cuts of beef doing this. The griddle/skillet method that Dave mentioned keeps the melting fat in contact with the CC and char, which contributes to a perfect crust. I think I get close to that by re-painting the charred sides while flipping on the grill. Both excellent methods.

 

[Decoy205]

I agree it works best direct grilling. Even though it likes fatty cuts it is amazing on filet mignon.

 

[Pocchampion]

Best result for myself has been high temp sear flipping every two minutes til done. Total cook time for strips and rib eyes has been 6 to 8 minutes. II burned the rub when I only flip once. Have cooking on the akorn with lump and oak, very very hot.

 

[KC Smoke]

Thank you all for your input. I ended up going with the direct sear although this time I let the coals get a lil to cool. I swear some times I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. The end result was good but not great. I think that next time I'll be trying some additional rub through the cook. I did the EVOO before the rub but the idea of brushing with butter sounds like a winner to me. Welp onwards and upwards. You're not learning if you're trying new things.

 

[KevinJ]

If you read the directions it works best with direct high heat, I also follow their recommendations for prepping the meat. I've cook Ribeye's and Burgers as hot as I could with no problems, great stuff.

From their website

Carne Crosta (pronounced car-nay crow-sta), loosely translated as “Beef Crust” in Portuguese, is exactly what this rub will produce. It excels when cooked over high direct heat, especially on well-marbled cuts of beef. The high cooking temperatures are necessary to release oils in the rich Brazilian coffee, which intertwine with the spices and rendered fat, creating the most sumptuously-crusted steak you’ve ever experienced.

This is our most technical rub and does require correct cooking technique to achieve the best results. We recommend applying a light coating (about a teaspoon per side) of extra virgin olive oil to all sides of the steak or cut of beef prior to applying the rub. The purpose for the EVOO is not to help the rub stick, it will do that just fine on its own. Instead, the purpose is to use this specific type of oil to develop yet another layer of flavor to the steak. This step is purely optional, but recommended non the less. You see, extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point, and some of it will burn when you sear your steaks, but this is desirable, as the flavors imparted by the slight burning of EVOO are quite pleasant and very tasty.

Additionally, you will want to cook this rub with very high (600º-700º F) direct heat. This means you will need to sear directly over the coals. Cast iron grill grates work the best as they allow the direct radiant heat to contact the sides of the steak while also making killer grill marks. However, any standard open wire grill will do just fine. We use Weber charcoal grills exclusively and have wonderful results with their stock grates.

Unfortunately, the raised aluminum grilling grates currently on the market, while wonderful in their own right, do not allow enough radiant heat from the coals to reach the sides of the steak during the sear. This blockage will prevent the crust from forming across the entire side of the steak, which is not desirable. So, if you like those neat grill marks created by these grilling grate products, sear first over an open wire grill to form an even crust, then quickly set your grill marks on the as a final step.

 

[GATABITES]

I need to try this stuff.

 

[Ylouder]

I've tried it with a cast iron sear and then a komodo 700 degree sear. I thought it was better in the cast iron pan at a lower temp around 500. Formed a great and flavorable crust.

I love doing steaks with salt, pepper, garlic and oil at 700 over a open fire, but the heavy concentration of coffees and other spices in carne Costa tasted more burnt cooked that way.

 

[Gary Tomato]

I've used it on tri-tip, which i reverse seared with excellent results, and flank which was done over high heat (charcoal), both ways were excellent. I recall the packaging saying it works best for high heat grilling.

 

[lantern]

Here's how I do it. First, when searing I use my nose as an indicator. If it smells off then I'm cooking too hot and need to get it of the heat and change something.

I use safflower oil or plugra clarified butter on the meat before the rub goes on unless it's a fatty burger then I just press the rub in.

On direct grill great I like a fire that's between 500 and 700 turning frequently. The rub and fast well bubble and boil all over when it's doing its thing so you'll know when it's on track. If you see burnt marks or some spots not bubbling you'll know to adjust the heat or steak one way or another.

On a griddle it's dead simple. 450-500 on an oiled surface flipping less frequently till you're satisfied with the color.

A note on reverse searing. I have started reapplying some rub before it's time for the sear. I've also used only salt and pepper for the start and then applied carne crosta a few minutes before it was time to go direct with great results.


As far as preference goes..... it's close between griddle and grill with steaks. But, I seriously love a carne crosta burger on the griddle.