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Monday, March 19, 2012

Caveman steak

Today, I celebrate a new mile marker in my life. For 5 years i have been wanting to cook a steak caveman style. No, not naked...there are laws against that i think. Caveman style is what the Tuscans in Italy do, they slap a nice piece of beef right on the hot wood embers a of a hardwood fire

 For my wood of choice, i used a mix of Maple, oak, hickory and some alder. I buy them all ready pre carbonized. This way, i can have a nice 800*F fire with in 5 minutes or so.I have some meswuite lump available but have never used it. Next time i cook a steak, i will use the Mesquite.

 I went to the store late last night and found a nice marbled ribeye for exactly $5. My dad wanted some steak and eggs for breakfast so i decided to cook the steak caveman style.

I took the steak out of the fridge and covered it somewhat heavily with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. I let it marinate and perform its osmotic magic for roughly 45 minutes.












Mean while i started the chimney with about 1/4th full of the chard wood. To heat up the embers faster, i used a old blow dryer. They were red HOT in about 2 minutes.












Once red hot, i threw the steak right on the coals. Let it sear for about 2 minutes per side and it was done. I let it rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it. I usually let it rest on a cooling rack above a plate. That way, any juices that come out wont get the nice char all soggy and soft. That was the most juiciest, tastiest, satisfying steak i have ever had. My father, who is very very picky about his steak, said it is now the only way he will have a steak. Either cook right on the coals or as close as possible. He has had steak from high end steakhouses and claims they are just ok.























I hope you have enjoyed this post. Now go and cook a caveman steak!



3 comments:

  1. Swanky, this I will need to do. There's a Good Eats episode where Alton kinda does this with Tuna steak, pretty neat.

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  2. Ben;

    YES! i totally recomend trying this out. You have to use 100% natural lump charcoal. Briquets wont work. Just get them red hot and then fan them right before the steak is placed. Fanning just removes ash if there is any on the coals. I love Alton Brown. Since i am a engineering student, i try to find the science behind cooking. haha. I have never had tuna though. Is it good?

    Thanks

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  3. Sous Vide the steak at 130 degrees for 2 hours first.. Then toss it on the coals for 30 seconds/side.

    Google "cook your meat in a beer cooler" for the sous vide technique.

    the problem with sous vide is the lack of a crust, putting it directly on the coals will fix that.


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