Steak cooking methods

[CR172]

I used to go out in the afternoon and build a fire in the back yard between two cinder blocks. Used oak firewood and we would just sit around and talk and poke at the fire from time to time. After it burned down to coals I would toss a couple taters in the ashes and then after a while throw a grill across the blocks and cook the steaks. Mostly tenderloin from my own steer. Can't say I ever had a better steak and the taters are better that way too. Used to do potatoes in the wood stove the same way. takes about an hour and man are they good. Ed

I've been wanting to do the same with our fire pit. Put a big round grill over it and have a big ol' cookout.

 

[Ford850]

I'm an idiot for opening and reading this thread at 4:00 in the afternoon. My stomach is grumbling LOUD.
My preference: Over coals, direct heat, a dry chunk of cherry wood on the coals, salt and pepper rubbed ribeye, about 3 minutes per side, medium rare.

 

[CR172]

I'm an idiot for opening and reading this thread at 4:00 in the afternoon. My stomach is grumbling LOUD.
My preference: Over coals, direct heat, a dry chunk of cherry wood on the coals, salt and pepper rubbed ribeye, about 3 minutes per side, medium rare.

Yum..... Salt & pepper is all I use on steaks. I want to taste the meat and not some steak sauce or anything else. Don't get me wrong, we love garlic, but sometimes you just have to leave it be. Same with burgers, salt & pepper. There is a method called 'dry brining'. Basically you liberally sprinkle kosher salt ( the ONLY salt to use IMO ) over a patted dry steak, roast, etc and put it in the fridge uncovered overnight. The salt will draw the juices out and dissolve the salt. The meat will then pull the melted salt liquid back into the meat..... Then all you need is pepper.

Here is a fantastic outdoor cooking website for all that is interested. I've been a follower of Meathead's for over a decade now. BBQ Ribs Recipes, Barbecue Recipes, Grilling Techniques, Baby Back Ribs, Barbeque Spareribs, Outdoor Cooking, Rating Grills and Smokers

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Used to do potatoes in the wood stove the same way. takes about an hour and man are they good. Ed

I really love the taste of the food I cook in my wood stove, I put in what ever kind of wood I want the coals from, get heat for the house as it burns down, then supper from the coals! lol

oooooohh, and we make our own butter, that we cook with too! We buy very little butter here...

SR

 

[LD1]

I'm an idiot for opening and reading this thread at 4:00 in the afternoon. My stomach is grumbling LOUD.
My preference: Over coals, direct heat, a dry chunk of cherry wood on the coals, salt and pepper rubbed ribeye, about 3 minutes per side, medium rare.

Very similar to how I do it. I bet the resulting taste is similar. I do indirect and substitute garlic salt for plain salt

 

[Ed of all trades]

I really love the taste of the food I cook in my wood stove, I put in what ever kind of wood I want the coals from, get heat for the house as it burns down, then supper from the coals! lol

oooooohh, and we make our own butter, that we cook with too! We buy very little butter here...

SR

I used to make what I called hobo's, take some meat, potatoes, onion, carrots, salt and pepper ect and add "a mouth full of water" and wrap it in two layers of foil and through it in the coals for a while. Mighty good eating and no dishes to wash. Have done steaks that way only I added hot pepper pickle juice instead of water. Ed

 

[MossRoad]

My wife tells me I have become quite the "expert" at cooking a medium rare steak on our propane bbq pit. It is our Sunday dinner tradition-NY Strip Steak on the grill. I am looking to change it up a bit, seeing if I can make it even better. May go the cast iron skillet on the stove route. How do you guys do it? Would love to hear some new ideas.

When we first got married, we'd by NY strips in bulk, I'd cook them on the grill, and man, they were good. After a few years of that, we switched to different cuts of meat, and they were good too. For some reason, we hadn't done strips for 5-10 years. So we bought a bulk pack. I can't cook them for squat. They are tough as leather. Either its a bad batch of steaks, or I have lost my memory as to how to cook them.

So,.... please tell me what you're doing 'cause I've got about 8 more that I can't bear to mess up again.

 

[check]

What a lovely thread! And some great new ideas to try out, too.

I'm a big fan of what I guess is called grilling, meaning on the barbecue. Mine is a propane barbecue, and we cook on it all the time.

I like my steaks rare, and we just put a spaie on calledSspicy Mesquite, which unfortunately they stoped selling in the grocery store.

One thing which is really a treat, is if you can bake a potato to the point where the skin is almost but not quite burnt, it has an amazing flavor.

Man oh man, could I use a nice ribeye steak right now, but unfortunately all we have tonight is fish. A nice salmon with a nice marinade to be sure, and it tastes really good, but it's still not a steak!

 

[/pine]

When we first got married, we'd by NY strips in bulk, I'd cook them on the grill, and man, they were good. After a few years of that, we switched to different cuts of meat, and they were good too. For some reason, we hadn't done strips for 5-10 years. So we bought a bulk pack. I can't cook them for squat. They are tough as leather. Either its a bad batch of steaks, or I have lost my memory as to how to cook them.

So,.... please tell me what you're doing 'cause I've got about 8 more that I can't bear to mess up again.

Don't know what changed but strip steaks used to be great...have not had a tender one in ages...only buy them now when they are reduced...

[in general to the subject...]

Cooking meat (beef especially) needs to rest (continue cooking, then re-absorb moisture)...steaks are no different...red meat (beef venison etc...) should always be removed from the heat source when it is 6* to 10* below the desired internal temp...the larger /thicker the cut the longer the rest period needed...

 

[/pine]

...One thing which is really a treat, is if you can bake a potato to the point where the skin is almost but not quite burnt, it has an amazing flavor...

I love the taste of potatoes roasted on coals...in foil if the skin is to be eaten but they will cook just fine without any covering...bare coal roasted potatoes have a very palatable flavor...( no butter or s&p required)...

A popular way of cooking "skirt steak" is directly on live (natural) charcoal...lay the filets on the coals and cover with other live coals...cook for 3 to 5 minutes...scrape off the coals/ashes and wrap in foil for another 3 to 5 minutes...it's awesome...!!

 

[NoTrespassing]

We've been buying a lot of T-bone steaks for 5.99/lb. and they're very good. I call ahead and I have them cut 1" thick. 4-5 minutes per side on high heat is all it takes for medium rare.

T-bone with a baked potato, sour cream, real butter, salt, and pepper, and a salad is my favorite meal. Several glasses of red wine with that meal beats going out to any restaurant that I've ever been to.

Kevin

 

[MossRoad]

Don't know what changed but strip steaks used to be great...have not had a tender one in ages...only buy them now when they are reduced...

[in general to the subject...]

Cooking meat (beef especially) needs to rest (continue cooking, then re-absorb moisture)...steaks are no different...red meat (beef venison etc...) should always be removed from the heat source when it is 6* to 10* below the desired internal temp...the larger /thicker the cut the longer the rest period needed...

Yeah, we were bummed, as they were great cuts of meat a long time ago. I cook them low and slow off the heat until up to temp, then put them on the hot side for just a minute or so to get the grill marks and crust. That's the way I do all the steaks. Every other cut of meat I do turns out just about perfect that way. But this batch of strips, while moist and pink, is just chewy as all get out. I'm hoping its just that one tough animal.

 

[AGRIMAN]

Get a good cut of meat and dry age it for 21 days. Trim off the waste and cut to your preferred thickness. If you have never tried a dried aged steak, you need to.

 

[/pine]

Get a good cut of meat and dry age it for 21 days. Trim off the waste and cut to your preferred thickness. If you have never tried a dried aged steak, you need to.

IMO..."Aging" meat is the key to tenderness and flavor...

[general topic of aging]
FWIW...Meat to be aged must never have been frozen as it kills the enzymes that *tenderize* the meat...it will turn dark but it will never get any more tender...age it and then freeze it...

* it may be a bit unappetizing to hear but "aging" is really just a slow process of decomposing...
Some cultures still hang fowl or game birds by the neck until the head falls off before they eat em...ugh..!

 

[TomSeller]

I have not had good luck in the past with Sirloins, so consequently I haven't grilled one in quite a while. Any tips on grilling a Sirloin?

I like a good sirloin, but I also like lean beef. Never overcook that cut, always on the rare side of medium and thicker is better. Just my $0.01

 

[TomSeller]

20" dia cast iron frying pan.

That is one big cast iron pan. I have a lot of vintage cast iron, but not anything that big.

 

[MossRoad]

We had some sirloins the other night from a side of beef that a friend of our raised.... man was that good! :licking:

 

[/pine]

We used to be able to get bone in sirloin steaks (up to 2" thick)...there were actually three different muscle groups on the same cut...including a section of tenderloin...they were great...never see them cut that way anymore...

Most of the sirloin I've bought lately has been the top of the whole tip balled and tied for the rotisserie...average about 4#...

 

[General Lee]

I used to go out in the afternoon and build a fire in the back yard between two cinder blocks. Used oak firewood and we would just sit around and talk and poke at the fire from time to time. After it burned down to coals I would toss a couple taters in the ashes and then after a while throw a grill across the blocks and cook the steaks. Mostly tenderloin from my own steer. Can't say I ever had a better steak and the taters are better that way too. Used to do potatoes in the wood stove the same way. takes about an hour and man are they good. Ed

Are you wrapping the taters in toil foil, when thrown on the coals?

 

[AGRIMAN]

IMO..."Aging" meat is the key to tenderness and flavor...

I agree. If you age it good, you can grill it, pan fry it or wrap it around the exuast manifold on your tractor.