Oiling beef before grilling????

[Harry]

Wife INSISTS that I follow the few grilling recipes she picks out WITH NO DEVIATIONS, and all too often, she picks an American Test Kitchen recipe that calls for oiling beef before grilling. For tomorrow night, she wants me to oil and then cook a tri-tip.

HUH??? I don;' want to, but 50 years of marriage is at risk. Maybe it is my grilling technique (learned at age 12 while helping my Dad, who grew up on an Iowa beef farm), but I hate the oiling and cannot avoid sooting up any oiled beef chunk and struggling to control flare-ups that interfere with my drinking while cooking. I used to smuggle paper towels outside in my pockets to wipe the chunk at hand mostly dry before putting on a clandestine dry rub. She got wise. Putting a dry rub on that oil, which she SOMETIMES permits, seems to me to just speed up the sooting process.

Can any of you explain to me why oiling a nice, well-marbled chunk of beef is necessary AT ALL? Also why would an otherwise reputable outfit like ATK insist on adding the oiling step to a recipe on how to grill beef???? For goodness' sake, humans been grilling beef since they killed that first cow and dropped it on the campfire. Why add an oil step NOW?

While awaiting responses, I shall sip on my Old GrandDad bonded, At least I know how to handle THAT without a recipe.

[Donw]

This might explain one of the reasons https://amazingribs.com/more-techniq...g-your-grates/

[Harry]

THX. The temp comments made sense and reminded me of why I was taught to let the briquettes develop a layer of ash. I do also scrape and oil the grill before and after every use. Finally, she agreed that I can use less oil when wiping the meat. Wins all around.

[Redwng]

I will sometimes use olive oil as a binder on beef. Seems to work well with no ill effects, been doing the with beef for a number of years. On steaks and tri-tips I usually do a reverse sear with great results.

[barelfly]

If I remember reading correctly, oil inhibits salt from getting into meat, if you are dry brining. The only time I use oil on a protein is for fish, which I also wipe down the grates as well but it’s only so that I don’t get sticky grates/fish.

But for all beef, I just use whatever rub and make sure the surface is wet so the rub/salt sticks and let it dry brine then on to the grill.

I like ATK - but does it state why to oil? They usually do a nice job explaining the why behind what they do. But, again, I don’t see the need for beef, chicken, pork…just fish in my experience - and I may even be doing that wrong but it works.

Hope the meal turns out well, regardless of how you cook!

[Harry]

Turned out fine. Showed her the Meathead article linked above; we wiped most of the loose oil (and garlic mince) off before grilling. Grate had been cleaned and wiped already. She didn't have the ATK article, just the recipe, but she just added a note that the oiling is primarily for wet rubbing with minced garlic and wrapping tightly in shrink wrap then putting in the fridge THEN wiping off the garlic before grilling.

[GolfGeezer]

Well, just add fuel to the fire, SnS Grills video recipe for reverse searing a rib eye steak calls for coating with olive oil before the sear step.

https://snsgrills.com/pages/steak

[jfmorris]

I would dry brine the beef ahead of time, and humor your wife with some olive oil and whatever spices she prefers. That said, all the videos I’ve watched use the oil as a spice binder, or to prevent sticking to hot grates. I used to subscribe to ATK. I would ask your wife how they grilled it, and explain the fact that on YOUR grill, the oil causes it to flare up and burn the steak…

I’ve been married 34 years, and I don’t ever recall my wife telling me how to grill meat. She might tell me what she would love to eat, or send me a recipe, but she lets me control the execution outside on the grill….

[RichieB]

Same here Jim. My wife enjoys when I grill for her. I tell her to season the food as she likes. Hey it's her food to consume. Always positive results.

[hoovarmin]

I hate to break it to you, but your wife knows more about grilling than your dad did, at least when it comes to this topic.

[N227GB]

I will brush ghee on the steak before cooking, as rendered tallow made it too "beefy".

[captainlee]

I don't always oil up steaks, no reason. I always oil up chicken and fish

[fzxdoc]

In the interest of marital harmony, a set of Grill Grates (smooth side up) under your oiled steak will prevent the flareups which are causing the soot problem. They're on sale this weekend for Mother's Day. With no flareups, you can sear, sip, and smile.

Oil helps to prevent sticking, which is much more of a problem with chicken and fish than with beef and pork in my experience. With beef and pork, a sharp-edged spatula is often all that is needed if there's a sticking problem.

For some low and slow cooks, I'll oil the grate not the meat (rub-heavy pastrami comes to mind), but never for a sear/high temp cook. Those I do on Grill Grates and yes, I often oil the meat before adding any rub to it. What works for me, though, might not work for your setup.

Show that article that Donw linked you to in the second post to your wife and maybe discuss?

As for ATK, they don't always get it right, at least for some of my attempts to follow their recipes, especially with their older videos and recipes. But then who does?

Kathryn

[Purc]

All I can add is, Happy Wife, Happy Life.

[barelfly]

What kind of grill are you using? And method to cook? Is it a two-zone cook?

and the article GolfGeezer posts - I do remember using that method back in the day. Or similar - I think I would two-zone cook, off heat to start and when it got to searing temp, I’d pull it, dry the surface and brush on a little oil then sear. I would expect a bit of flame when searing over the hot side.

so thought I’d ask how you are cooking - maybe a slight adjustment will keep the flare ups down, wife happy and you sipping on the Old Granddad throughout the cook

[carolts]

I will often brush some olive oil on a steak. I just like the flavor.

[FireMan]

Wait a minute here Harry. You are a Charter Member to the most prestigious grillin/BBQin organization in the world. You not only have been around long enough, you have some of the most illustrious, reknown friends on the grillin planet. ATK & those T&V stars usually come to us or eventually come to our way of doin things. Just do it bro, do it, whatever is needed,

[Troutman]

Oil really only helps with sticking and being a binding agent for seasoning. I don't see where it does much of any good otherwise. Remember, meat is 75% water so there's no penetration or adherence of the oil with the meat to begin with. It's therefore a surface treatment that's going to burn off anyway. Do an experiment with one steak oiled and the other with just a wet biner. I'll bet you find little or no difference in the result if cooked the same way.