chuck steak

Here's one that could become a standby, although it is a bit much for three. We ate it for two nights, and still have leftovers.

Chuck Steak.

I did not even know there was such a thing, truth be told. I was familiar with the chuck roast. With ground chuck But as a steak? The front shoulder is the hardest working part of any cow. It is flavorful, to be sure, but needs slow roasting to break down the fibrous tissue. Steak hits the grill and comes off within ten minutes (maybe fifteen, depending on whether it is two or three fingers thick). No dice.

So, enter sous vide.

I seasoned the steak heartily with four seasons rub, but then added additional salt and a ton of cracked black pepper.

Then I dropped this steak into a hot water bath the night before at 129 degrees and set the timer for twenty-four hours. Come morning I added about two cups of water to the pot. It had lost another two by the twenty-four hour mark.

The grill was prepared to high heat. I melted some butter in a pan, added olive oil, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. The steak got the hot treatment for about three flips, one and a half minutes a side.

The cutting board got an olive oil pour, salt, and chopped parsley. I dropped the steak on that, flipped it, and sprinkled the remaining parsley over it.

The result: a tender, tasty, meaty steak. Easy for a weeknight meal. One can pan sear it rather than start a fire, to save on time and trouble.

Countdown to 40: stirred, not shaken

In a series of posts, I plan to reflect on aging, the distinctive possibilities of midlife crisis, and the existential angst that either rises or dissipates with the approach of a significant landmark.

We start with expectations. There are distinct memories that everyone has, a reservoir upon which we draw as we move down the uni-linear path towards the final resting point. These memories, for me, have been about expectations that I had, at one point, and expectations that I have now. It occurred to me tonight that the expectations I had in my twenties, approaching thirty, are so distant that they feel a lifetime away.

It is worth mentioning that I am speaking in small terms. If I had, in my late twenties, asked what a perfect evening might look like, I doubt I would have had the same expectation as I do today. I honestly cannot even posit--or recall--what it might have been at that point. But I don't think I respected food or drink enough to understand what I do today, or to appreciate it.

that's stirred, not shaken, Mr. Bond

So let us begin with the Martini. After tonight, I will never again in my life shake another Martini. A Martini should be served stirred, not shaken. Tonight I took 3 oz. of Greylock Gin, 1 oz. of Noilly Prat dry vermouth, two dashes of hopped grapefruit bitters, and stirred it with one big ice cube. I could have stirred it with several smaller ones for a colder drink. We were short on ice, suffice it to say. But the result was a wonderful martini--a complex and beautiful drink where the flavors might play off of one another in a delicate manner. So, stir the martini.

mesquite laced charcoal

The martini launched an evening of cooking. I grilled a 2 1/2 inch ribeye, properly salted (4 seasons mix of salt-black pepper-garlic salt-cayenne) and basted with a southern concoction--oil and butter, thyme pepper red pepper apple cider vinegar mustard and ketchup. Flipped constantly on a 500 degree mesquite wood grill for nearly 17 minutes. (Quick note: the steak could be rarer, I know. But I'm cooking for the family, including my six year old daughter.)

I cooked with a gin and tonic at my side. The tonic was my honey cinchona syrup blend, which is refreshingly bitter and a wonderful aperitif. We had Grayson Cellars Lot number 10 with dinner, which included potatoes and beets. We followed it with home made ice cream--piña colada--and baklava fresh from the DeKalb Farmers' Market.

the proper color for a gin and tonic

A perfect evening. I am currently finishing it off with redemption rye in a snifter, sitting on my back deck. And reflecting on how at thirty, this would not necessarily have registered as a potential beautiful evening, and certainly not the perfect Saturday evening. Things change.

Scruffed not Charred

I am a fan of Adam Perry Lang's Charred and Scruffed, especially as it pertains to the secrets of cooking over open flame. His recipes never fail to disappoint, and even those that seem counterintuitive (clinching, for example, which means cooking directly on the coals; or microplaning charcoal into sea salt) beckon with force.

But I do have a few issues with Adam. One is that his technique threatens to overpower good beef with two flavors too many. Let's face it. Presalting a ribeye with a mix of garlic powder, garlic salt, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne, and then hitting it with a baste of butter, oil, twenty different herbs, lemon juice or vinegar might be a bit much, especially when you hit the cutting board with a dressing and then top it with a finishing salt. It's a lot of work, and the result may or may not be any better than a fine steak grilled and treated in the french style--that is to say, seasoned and then served with a pat of butter.

I also have a few observations about cooking that are worth listing here. All of this presumes that you are cooking a 2 1/2 inch thick ribeye, cowboy cut.

1. Go ahead and score the meat. Scoring the meat increases surface area for the seasoning and for the crust when it forms.

2. Heat the meat. I put it on as the fire is warming and let it warm up with the grill. This starts the cooking process and, more importantly, smokes the meat a little.

3. If you are a salt nut, then season the steak both before and after the heating process. I personally think it is unwise to do so. Season generously in advance, build up your meat paste, and then warm it and then let it sit.

4. Make sure that the coals are white. The grill hits 700 well before its time, so to speak.

5. 6 minutes of direct grilling at high heat (1 minute a side) seems to do well for creating a crust. Then close the grill and close the dampers, keep the temp around 350-415 degrees. Flip once.

6. 17 minutes total cooking time produces medium rare. SO, 5 1/2 minutes per side.

Instead of the Perry basting sauce. I made some sage and salt butter and used that during the grilling process. It sizzled wonderfully and I avoided the flareups that produce the acrid flavors in the crust. Also--much easier.

Timing and heat are vital, but if points 4 and 5 are considered together, you have a pretty good idea of how to time these steaks. I didn't put a whole lot of charcoal in the pit, and so when they burned white, it didn't throw up as much fire and heat as it otherwise would have. Nonetheless, the heat is somewhat irrelevant because once you close up the vents the heat will sit down at 400 pretty easily.

The steak could be rarer without being raw. Maybe cut it to 4 minutes per side.

steaks and a simple rub

Alright, my camera does not take closeups well

It's been a while.

We pulled two ribeyes for grilling. Some aspects of the grilling went quite well, others not so much. I will indicate here in bold what steps I did not do that I ought to have done, but otherwise will try to treat this as the definitive big green egg backdoor steak grilling guide.

One point: I'm finding that rubs ought not to be too complicated. One maybe two herbs. My new french thyme ought to go well with this.

1. start the fire. It will likely take more than half an hour, and the coals should be evenly lit and white all over. I am now consistently getting the egg to temperatures of above 800 degrees (I'm pegging the needle past 750, so I don't really know how hot it is), and the result is excellent. Make sure the grill gets white hot before you add the steaks.
2. try to get steaks that are at least 1 1/2 inches thick. This round was 1 inch at best. Actually, everyone around me seems to prefer the 1 inch. I prefer my steaks thicker, as I like the difference in texture from crust to slightly cool center. In any case, the directions here are for 1 inch steaks.
3. prepare a rub with ample olive oil, cracked pepper, chopped rosemary (or equivalent chopped herb), and kosher salt. Now give the steaks a shiatsu. Top with garlic salt, but only a thin layer.
4. slash the edges of the steak. They will curl if you neglect to do this.
5. Prepare the timer and get to the grill.
6. hit them hard, over direct heat, for 1:45 each side. 
7. On the second flip, turn the steaks (crosshatching the grill marks), and close up the vents. The egg will belch smoke out of any hole it can find.
8. After 3 more minutes, carefully open vents, burp grill, then open. Flip the steaks over, then close up the vents again.
9. After 3 more minutes, the steaks are ready. Let them sit for five minutes (at least) before serving.

sizzazzle

This is probably quite close to the last set of directions I posted. I have tried different manners of "closing the vents." This time I put the green lid on the top (completely closing it) and left the bottom open. The second time around I closed both. I can't say I'm completely happy with the results, but only because the grill markings were uneven (probably the result of not using enough charcoal to create an even fire) and one of the steaks curled a bit. I do believe that a thicker steak, properly slashed and with a good coal bed underneath it would end up with a happier result.

perfecting the tri tip

I used the following formula to produce a good tri-tip roast last night.

Make ahead one batch of kickass garlic-parsley oil. Coat the tri tip with 1/2 of the mixture, liberally salt and pepper the meat, and then grill.

the grill:

550 degrees. 3 minutes per side sear. (6 minutes)
350-400 degrees. 20 minutes. direct heat.

The result: tasty, and everything from Medium at the small end to rare at the big end.

Problems:

First, my grill had too many small charcoal bits in it, and as such the fire did not burn evenly. I have to remember not to fill up the firepit. There's no other way around this--a small number of coals provides good heat. Too many produces compact charcoal that suffocates the fire. The end result is a grill that takes forever to heat up and does not burn evenly.

What this meant was that the sear was not even. Parts were nicely seared, but others were only moderately browned. The fire must be evenly distributed so that the browning is even. The texture of the meat should be there, consistently, or else there will be problems.

Second, this recipe requires a squeeze of lemon at the end, AND I ALWAYS FORGET THIS. The steak gets enormous flavor from the garlic-parsley oil, but it needs a little acid to offset the fat and provide contrast.

Third, the timing could be altered a little. I have avoided using the platesetter because the fire dies down enough so as to turn this into an oven. Moreover, it is quite easy to get the temperature down to 350 degrees. It could stand a few more minutes. Not too many more, however. 25 at most.

Ribeye, perfect timing

These ribeyes were about 1 inch thick, although freezing and thawing shrunk them a bit. Once again, the fear is I overcooked, at 9 minutes.

Grill: 600
1 minute 30 second sear, each side.
after second turn, baste with kickass garlic-parsley oil.
close dampers most of way.
Grill at 400
3 minutes then flip
baste that side with kickass garlic-parsley oil.
Grill at 350
3 more minutes
remove from grill. tent for 10 minutes.

Ribeyes turned out perfect. Medium rare, warm in the middle. 9 minutes is looking good, with maybe a couple more minutes in the event that they are thicker.

Kickass Steak Recipe

Michael Lomonaco offers the following recipe for steaks:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, chopped
3 to 4 sprigs each fresh thyme and rosemary
4 20 oz, bone-in, NY strip steaks, 1 3/4-2 inches thick.
Kosher salt
1/2 lemon

1) combine oil and garlic in small saucepan and warm over low heat for 2 minutes. Cool thoroughly, then add the parsley, thyme and rosemary. Divide the seasoned oil equally between 2 small bowls.

2) brush the steaks with half of the seasoned oil. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes before grilling.

3) make fire

4) season steaks lightly with pepper and liberally with salt (1/2 teaspoon per steak)

5) sear. don't burn.

6) after turning, brush (don't slather) steaks with marinade in second bowl using a clean brush.

7) remove steaks to platter and tent with foil. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the steaks.

Tri Tip with fresh herbs

My first tri-tip of the grilling season was a mix of thrill and disappointment. While the overall product was quite good, many touches were missing.

Herb rub:

fresh rosemary (handful)
fresh thyme (handful)
cracked fresh pepper
olive oil

First off--too much rosemary and thyme, not enough pepper. Ratio was greatly skewed, and next time I will back off the rosemary and thyme. I prepped the steak by sprinkling it with a thin layer of GARLIC SALT. I followed it with sea salt. This works quite well.

the grill:

550 degrees. 2 minutes per side sear. (4 minutes)

it was on-and-off storming, and this affected my fire. I heated the brick oven up to 550, but put the grill on the pit a little too late. The grill itself wasn't hot enough for the meat, and the sear left something to be desired. On the one hand, the meat squeezed right up and the result was juicy. The crust, however, was weak. The thyme and rosemary remained soft and squishy. I think a hotter oven (600+) with a pre-heated grill will do better. Increasing sear time is more problematic, as the outer layer of skin can dry up, which is NOT the crust we want.

350-400 degrees. direct heat. circa 20 minutes.

I was paranoid about burning the meat, and removed it once to check temperature (at about 14 minutes total time). The internal temperature was about 100, if my weak thermometer is to be believed. I put it back on for another ten minutes, and pulled it even though the thermometer indicated a low temp. The result was medium rare, and more on the rare side of it, so no fears about burning the meat.

I would have preferred to throw on the plate setter and cook the meat on indirect at 400. The weather kept me from doing this.

Steaks, with a (sage) rub

This rub does not excite, but it is workable:

dried thyme (whole)
dried rosemary (whole)
dried sage (powdered)
cracked pepper
coarse sea salt

I'm beginning to think that rubs add texture more than anything else, although the sage came through (bright and sweet) to counteract the thyme and pepper.

BIG GREEN EGG NOTES:

I'm having a gasket issue which I will fix up next weekend, and I think it led to the following problem. I let the grill get very hot. It ran for ten-fifteen minutes at 650 degrees. It allowed me to clean the grill (which really worked), and also put a nice sear on it. But when the grill surface is that hot, and the internal temperature of the egg is sitting at 650, 1.5 minutes on the sear blackens the meat. That wasn't the real rub, however. It was the cooking afterwards (5.5 minutes or so) at a slightly higher heat than normal, thanks to my gasket issues, that cooked the meat too much.

The meat also was allowed to sit for nearly ten minutes, which helped the juices to settle, and I'm sure it cooked during that time as well. I should cut the cooking time down to 4.5 to 5 minutes if the temperature stays up around 500 degrees.

Steaks

First steaks of the year. Turned out brilliantly.

2 ribeyes; 1 new york strip, both about 1 inch thick.

Rub (more of a paste):

fresh chopped thyme
fresh chopped rosemary
fresh ground pepper (black, white, green peppercorns)
kosher salt
olive oil

Grilling:

heat grill, rub with olive oil.

650 degrees, sear 1 1/2 minutes per side
close dampers most of the way, cook 3 minutes per side; 350 to 400 degrees
total on clock was 10 minutes.

The result was what I might term medium, or on the medium side of medium rare. Still pink and juicy and warm throughout. The steaks did not curl, but uneven heat meant I had to move the steaks during searing. This slightly marred the grill marks. And I would like a slightly better crust, but I don't want to curl the steak or dry it out by over-searing.

Big green egg notes:
too much charcoal can dampen the fire, especially when it packs on down in small pieces. It took a long time to get the fire heated up.

UPDATE: Tried again one week later. One minute less on grill. Better, actually. Fire hotter, thanks to cleaning of grill.