Oakridge Carne Crosta vs Santa Maria?

[JohnH12]

Just received my order from Oakridge and want to do a couple of rib-eyes this evening.
I wanted to do a different one on each steak but my wife likes hers as rare as rare can be (basically seared and serve) and I want mine medium rare to medium so I need to pick just one to start with.
I see the Carne Crosta has coffee which we've never done before.
Any opinions are welcome.

 

[sudsandswine]

I would do Carne Crosta if you've never had a seasoning "like that" before. To complicate matters, a 50/50 mix of Carne Crosta and Santa Maria works well too. I would try each on their own a couple of times before mixing so you can get an idea what each tastes like by themselves.

 

[brimclau]

Both are amazing of course... for the Carne Crosta however, you definitely want some decent direct heat to let it do its thing and form that delicious crust. I usually pack the rub on (lots, it is not too salty so you can go real heavy), let it sit for 45 mins or so, then blast it over high heat, uncovered, flipping a few times till that nice crust develops.

Surprisingly, coffee is not the 1st thing you taste on the finished product, even though I believe it is the 1st ingredient.

I've only done tri-tips with the Santa Maria but imagine it would be amazing on rib-eyes as well.

 

[Kanco Connection]

CC is an A+ on steak. SM isn't as good on steak (I'd say B+) but much more versatile.

 

[JohnH12]

Thanks folks. It'll be the Carne Crosta tonight!
I'll sear my steak first and put hers on to sear after I flip mine.
I think I'll use the Vortex in the Weber with the wide mouth up for this. That's new to me also.

 

[sudsandswine]

Dont be afraid to coat the surface of the steak in Carne Crosta - I try to get mine to where the red of the meat mostly does not show through. It's not too much, but it's easy to do too little, IMO. As mentioned, a nice high temp sear is required to really develop the flavor. It'll be black, but that's OK :thumb:

The one on the right is just S+P.

 

[Kanco Connection]

...yes what Suds said...

 

[4ever3]

Ya can’t go wrong with either one!

 

[AWilliams]

The CC doesn't have much salt so you can go heavy with it. I also do a 75% CC and 25% SM on Tri tip. You need the searing high heat to get the oil in the coffee to be released. You'll like it.

 

[sudsandswine]

I usually add a little salt after the cook if doing 100% CC. It’s not necessary but I like my beef slightly on the salty side. I’ve found that salting before CC application affects its ability to adhere to the surface of the meat and I wind up leaving some on the grates. Completely unscientific but thorough testing...guessing it would have similar affect on other seasoning applications too.

 

[ShadowDriver]

How'd CINCHOUSE like it?

I'm a 50/50 CC/SM guy... tried 'em separately with great results until I put 'em together. BossLady went nuts. Here we are.

The really fun part of this is the fact that no matter which "advice" from this thread you follow(ed), you're not going to go wrong!

 

[JohnH12]

Tried the CC last night following the advice to be sure to sear the steaks to release the oil in the coffee grounds.
The coffee rubs must be an acquired taste because we thought they were good but not as good as our previous cooks using just S&P. Maybe mixing will be our answer.
We'll try the Santa Maria or SPOGOS next.
Thanks for all the inputs.

 

[rwalters]

Tried the CC last night following the advice to be sure to sear the steaks to release the oil in the coffee grounds.
The coffee rubs must be an acquired taste because we thought they were good but not as good as our previous cooks using just S&P. Maybe mixing will be our answer.
We'll try the Santa Maria or SPOGOS next.
Thanks for all the inputs.

In your opinion, what was it missing? I love Carne Crosta, but I find that I enjoy the overall flavor profile better when adding a light additional salty/peppery rub to steak in addition to CC.

 

[Jrogers84]

Been using CC on steaks lately cooked in CI pans. Really great IMO. Ive also used it on steaks Ive sous vide with s/p, then CC for sear and it worked great. Ultra high direct heat is key

 

[AWilliams]

Tried the CC last night following the advice to be sure to sear the steaks to release the oil in the coffee grounds.
The coffee rubs must be an acquired taste because we thought they were good but not as good as our previous cooks using just S&P. Maybe mixing will be our answer.
We'll try the Santa Maria or SPOGOS next.
Thanks for all the inputs.

Mixing is the key....50/50 is a bit too salty for me. I like 25/75 but try what you like. You can always add more salt but you can't take it away. Haven't tried Spogos so I can't comment on the saltiness.