Okay, I did not finish the missus proper in the oven, but rather only her fillet!

Rita

quote:

Originally posted by Rita Y:
OK Steve, the rule here is if you mention it, you have to post it! My rule, actually. Don't blame Chris.

I agree; a Chimichurri Sauce is great with steaks and I love the variation in Chimichurri sauce recipes. Hint, hint!

Rita, here's my variation on Chimichurri:
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1 jalapenos, minced
1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 limes, juiced
Pepper to taste

I throw it all in the food processor and away I go! I serve with a med-rare flank-steak sliced against the grain in 1/4 inch slices. I put the Chimichurri sauce in ramekins vs. over the steak for dipping. Just personal taste.

OK, I showed you mine, now show me yours

Hey guys - I had to try this so I bought a nice ribeye for myself (wife was not home - long week so I thought I would treat myself), baked potato soup at the local HEB store, and a few cold beers. I think I may have put the steak on when the fire was a bit too hot, as it came out pretty darn charred. The steak was good, but the crust was a bit "burned" - did 3 min. per side. The inside was nice and pink, but the outside a bit too charred. I put the steak on when the flames were coming up around and over the steak - is that maybe a bit early? When I took the steak off the grate, the fire looked just about perfect - no tall flames.

Any ideas? I really want to get this right!

Mike in Spring

I wonder if the filet is more suited to this technique than the ribeye because the filet is quite lean by comparison.

Regards,
Chris

Michael, I think you may have put your steak on too soon. You mention you put your steak on "when the flames were coming up around and over the steak - is that maybe a bit early?" Yes, I think this is a bit early. I wait until the flames have died down and you only have glowing coals. I did a rib eye using this method and had no issues. Just adjust for thickness and you're golden.

I do agree with Chris that a filet is more suited to this technique, however, I don't think that its the cut of meat; rather the thickness of the steak you're cooking and adjusting accordingly.


EDIT: OK Michael, now that I'm sober (but hungover) a couple of questions. Did you put any olive oil on the outside of your steak? I'm not sure but I think this helps caramelize the outside of your steak vs. charing (Kevin K could probably confirm or reject this statement). How full was your chimney? I used about 2/3 full of lump however once the coals got going the lump settled down to about 1/2. I think this is the perfect distance from your steak. How thick was your steak? Lastly, you mentioned there were flames coming up around the steak, were there flames when you put your steak on? When I did mine I don't believe there were any flames which leads me to believe you may have put yours on a bit too soon and the flames chard your steak.

Also, I'm with Chris, try it with a filet, you cannot go wrong with a filet and this method.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LarryR,

Larry, you posted some delectable photos on your Flank Steak Chimichurri thread.

Your chimichurri looks fairly well emulsified, is that right? Mine is a little more work because of the chopping, like a finely minced salsa; a little finer than a relish and I'm thinking more like the traditional Argentinean style. I've been wanting to tweak it for a little more complexity and yours sounds like what I'm looking for. I also like the finer texture for a change. Thanks for sharing!

Sure, I'll show you mine:

1 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves, minced (I sometimes sub cilantro and/or oregano for some of the parsley)
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use a little less and cut back on the vinegar a bit)

Mix the first 7 ingredients in a bowl, then whisk in the oil.

Rita

quote:

Larry, you posted some delectable photos on your Flank Steak Chimichurri thread.

Rita, I posed a reply on the Flank Steak Chimichurri thread so others who are interested in chimichurri can benefit from it.

quote:

Originally posted by LarryR:
Michael, I think you may have put your steak on too soon. You mention you put your steak on "when the flames were coming up around and over the steak - is that maybe a bit early?" Yes, I think this is a bit early. I wait until the flames have died down and you only have glowing coals. I did a rib eye using this method and had no issues. Just adjust for thickness and you're golden.

I do agree with Chris that a filet is more suited to this technique, however, I don't think that its the cut of meat; rather the thickness of the steak you're cooking and adjusting accordingly.


EDIT: OK Michael, now that I'm sober (but hungover) a couple of questions. Did you put any olive oil on the outside of your steak? I'm not sure but I think this helps caramelize the outside of your steak vs. charing (Kevin K could probably confirm or reject this statement). How full was your chimney? I used about 2/3 full of lump however once the coals got going the lump settled down to about 1/2. I think this is the perfect distance from your steak. How thick was your steak? Lastly, you mentioned there were flames coming up around the steak, were there flames when you put your steak on? When I did mine I don't believe there were any flames which leads me to believe you may have put yours on a bit too soon and the flames chard your steak.

Also, I'm with Chris, try it with a filet, you cannot go wrong with a filet and this method.

Larry,

I did use olive oil, salt and pepper on the steak. I used kingsford and a 1/2 full chimney. Steak was about 2" thick - the inside was very nice, but the outside was burnt. Definitely flames when I was grilling - I think you are right - will wait until the coals are glowing instead of on fire!

Thanks all!

Mike in Spring

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
I wonder if the filet is more suited to this technique than the ribeye because the filet is quite lean by comparison.

Regards,
Chris

I've done this with all the "good" cuts, filet, ribeye, strip, t-bones, porterhouses and sirloin.

I think Larry's hit some of the secrets. No more than 2-3 minutes per side on a 2/3rd full chimney.

If you've got a really thick steak, you'll have to dump the chimney and finish the steak indirect.

I tried this a couple weeks ago with a ribeye, and it was a little over charred, it flared up quite a bit, but it still taseted pretty good. Looks like I put the steak on too soon. Next time, I'll let the flames die down a bit before adding the meat.
Steve

I'll do a filet and rib eye using this method this weekend and take some pictures of the process and final products. May even get a piece of tuna as well.

I know I often get impatient when I'm waiting on my coals (usually because the SO is bitching, "when are we going to eat?") and often dump too soon. However, in this case I believe patience is a virtue and requires you to take your coals down to an ashed state.

Looking forward to another fun and great tasting cook.

quote:

Originally posted by LarryR:
Here you go, it's very tasty (from a previous post of mine):

I'm huge fan of Worcestershire sauce, so much in-fact that I doubled the Worcestershire syrup portion of this recipe. Your taste may vary.

Here's the recipe with a couple of slight changes on my part:
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon chives chopped (not in original recipe)
1/2 tablespoon thyme chopped (not in original recipe)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Combine Worcestershire sauce and sugar in small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at a bare simmer for about 10 minutes, or until mixture is syrupy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Place butter, chives and thyme in bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade. Add 2 tablespoons of cooled Worcestershire syrup and process until well-blended.

Place large piece of plastic wrap on counter top. Using rubber spatula, scrape butter mixture into center of plastic wrap. Wrap plastic up and over butter to enclose it. Roll butter into cylinder, twisting ends together to seal. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up before cutting into slices. (The butter may also be wrapped in freezer wrap, labeled and frozen for up to 3 months.)

If you try it let me know what you think.

Original Recipe Credit - The Union Tribune/SignOnSanDiego.com - http://wine.signonsandiego.com/pages/story.php?StoryID=130

This is stuff is so good I could eat it by itself. Made some ribeyes, potatoes, and asparagus and it was great on all three. Thanks for the recipe. This is something that I will always keep on hand. Great Stuff!

Gerry, glad you liked it. I keep a roll in the freezer to "slice on demand." I was curious, did you double the Worcestersihre syrup or go with what was listed in the recipe?

I'm Bachloring it tonight so I'll probably end-up only doing a rib eye over a chimney and will definitely be serving this butter on it.

Glad you liked it!

PICTURES

Tummy full of good food and good drink, does it get any better than this . . . I don't think so.

I did a rib eye over the chimney to confirm that a rib eye is suited for this method. Absolutely it is.

First off I was very disappointed in the steak I picked up. I got there late in the day and there was very little in terms of selection available. It was about .80 of a pound with a very little marbling for a choice grade steak (see picture). The steak was probably about 1 1/2 inches thick about 1/2 to 1 inch thiner than my preferred cut.

About 30 minutes prior to cooking I brushed the steak with olive oil, coated with McCormick (sp?) Montreal steak seasoning and left on the counter to come to room temp.

Filled chimney 2/3 with lump and let her burn for 30 minutes until there were little to no flames. Placed grate over chimney (I had to use my OTG grate because I couldn't find the smaller grate I purchased) at about 25 minutes so she was nice and hot (grate was glowing red). I put the rib eye on for 3 minutes each side, moved to plate, put my Worchestershire butter on her and covered with foil for five minutes.

Steak was absolutely awesome, a perfect med. rare. During my cook I had very few flare-ups. I did however notice that my steak appeared to be charred yet did not taste charred. After closer inspection I noticed it was the spices that were charred not the steak. In the future I won't use the Montreal steak seasoning for this method.

While my steak was resting I grilled up several jumbo sea scallops.

Served it with twice baked potatoes and a bottle of Cabernet. Excellent meal, I'm ready for my nap.

That sounds awesome, Larry. I'm going to try this ASP.

And so, what veggies did you include in your menu? Don't forget the Food Pyramid!

Great pictures, by the way! Having steak for breakfast is sounding like a good idea at the moment.

Rita

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rita Y,

quote:

Having steak for breakfast is sounding like a good idea at the moment.

I would agree, I'm wishing I hadn't been such a pig at the dinner table last night and finished off he entire steak. Ah yes, the food pyramid. I had Cabernet as my vegtable/fruit last night

RE: Outside of the steak being a bit burnt, I would skip the olive oil. I just pat/press my rub (salt, pepper, cumin, coriander are just a few possibilities) into the steak about 30 to 45 minutes ahead of time, then let it sit on the kitchen counter covered with foil.

The salt in the rub starts to dissolve and go back into the steak (see Cooks Illustrated) which adds great flavor. The olive oil will serve no purpose but burn.

Ahh.. this is the thread I've been waiting on! Always been wondering how to get a really good sear without investing $1000 on an infrared-burner equipped gasser.

I use the Raichlen chimney starter, which is a little larger than the Weber (and square). Think I'll try a couple of NY Strips this week.

Regarding temp. at the grate. This will vary from cook to cook because each bag of lump is different. Probably range from 500-800 degrees.