Steaks and griddles

[smokyYank]

Hi All,

I love my steak and since reading Meathead's bible, I understand the Maillard effect. So I've been turning (rotating) my steaks on a hot grill (about 550F) every minute for the maximum amount of browning. It's a Weber gasser with 3 burners and has the "flavorizer" bars, so when juice or fat drips on them, they give off some smoke/flavor.

Has anyone used a griddle for cooking steak? While there would be tons more surface area (more Maillard), but would there be any less flavor due to no drippings going down onto the flavorizer bars? Comments? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

PS - I only eat my steak with salt, so NO rubs, marinades, etc. but a hint of smoke is welcomed

[jfmorris]

I've done thinner steaks like flank or skirt on my griddle, some < 1" thick sirloins, as well as pork chops. It works out much like doing it in a cast iron skillet on the stove. I dug around and found a time I was doing marinated flank for fajitas, and sliced the meat AFTER grilling... Something marinated is going to tend to get less surface browning as it is fairly wet going on the griddle. Putting a steak or chop that is dry onto a dry griddle and waiting for it to release will likely result in better malliard browning...

And obviously, these flank steaks were not as flat as I might have liked... hope this helps though.

The times I've done steak and chops this way, it was mostly to avoid firing up a second cooker to do the protein. I think they were all good results, and to be honest - even if you overshoot the target temp, I find that meat tends to seem "juicier" off of the griddle...



Talk about juicy.... look at this medium to medium-rare flank steak pouring its juices all over my cutting board after being sliced to fajita thicknesses...



I will admit that MOST of the time when using the griddle, my protein is cut up into chunks or slices for either a hibachi style stir fry or fajitas. I don't recommend using the griddle for steaks that are super thick. The thicker parts of that flank steak were probably medium-rare, but that was good in this case, as half my kids want medium-rare and the other half want medium-well.

[smokyYank]

Thanks, jfmorris. Now you have me drooling! I'll give you my address, can you Fedex a few slices?

[CaptainMike]

Many of us have GrillGrates on our gassers and they work very well for searing, either flat side or grill side up. For smoke you can dribble a few pellets in the grate channels and wait a moment for them to start smoking.

[jfmorris]

I'll second Grillgrates flat side up on a gasser for searing. The holes let things drain, and you can even do great smash burgers on them - the meat does not press through the holes like you would think. I used these all the time before getting a dedicated griddle.

[IowaGirl]

Annnd I third this idea. I use the GrillGrates with the flat (grill) side up and really like how my steaks and burgers turn out. I like cooking thicker steaks right from the freezer on the GrillGrates, as much because it's fun to do as the steaks turn out well.

[RichieB]

+1 on flat side of the G.G.'s for searing.

[Mosca]

Good question. I’ve wondered this as well.

I do my burgers on a half moon griddle, on a Weber kettle. The fat vaporizes, goes down on the coals, and I still get the good grilling flavor. But I wasn’t sure about steaks.

[jfmorris]

I'll add this. Doing a steak on an actual griddle (versus grillgrate flat side with holes that allow juices to drip on the coals) is no different than cooking a steak in a cast iron skillet on your stove. The meat ends up sizzling in its own juices, but if you have space, you can flip the steak onto a new "dry" area of the griddle as you cook it, and scrape off the area it was in, to use for the next flip.

[smokyYank]

Thanks, all. Just wondering - since I never cooked a steak on a cast iron on the stove, is that (or griddle on grill) going to be worth it, or is it pretty much the same?

[jfmorris]

Yes - I have a Lodge 12" cast iron skillet I picked up 20+ years ago, and until the past few years, it was only used as my winter steak cooking device, for when it was too cold/wet/messy to take the steaks outside to the grill. It does a great job of searing steaks, or cooking them from start to finish.

These days I use the old Lodge for much more than just blackened steak.

[jfmorris]

I would also say, if you have a stove where you can use CI, which many glass smooth tops seem to discourage, its really good to have a 12" CI skillet. You can use it outdoors on the grill or indoors on the stove, or even in the oven. I've made some really good pizza in a 12" cast iron skillet...

[Alan Brice]

I make apple Dutch babies in my deep 12CI
Every chance I get! I’ll have to try it on the smoker! Needs 415 degrees for first 15 min.

[DavidNorcross]

I will often reverse sear with my smoker and use the griddle for the sear. Works well.

[texastweeter]

I use a griddle fairly often for steaks and chops. Get it to 500° add a little avocado oil and flip every 30 seconds or so. Same way I do it in a skillet.

[IowaGirl]

I think the frequent flipping helps a lot to keep the center cooler while building a nice dark crust on the surface. Every 30 seconds is about what I do too.

[texastweeter]

Chops on the griddle tonight.

[58limited]

Some of the best steaks I've ever made were in a cast iron skillet. I assume a griddle would be similar.

[smokyYank]

Thanks, all.

I have a black cast iron Dutch Oven from my mom, probably 60 years old (or older). I seasoned it and keep it lightly lubricated. But it hasn't been subjected to the searing high heat of a grill.

Will something like that hold up? Would a new one be blackened or just iron/steel colored and require massive seasoning (like a steel paella pan I purchased a few years back)?

Any suggestions on what product to get?

[jfmorris]

smokyYank the Dutch oven will work great on the grill or stove or in the oven. Due to the high side walls, it’s not ideal for flipping steaks in though. You might test it out, and I would, but I think a 12 inch cast iron skillet would serve you better for searing and such if you decide you like the results. You ought to be able to get a 12 inch skillet for reasonable cost if you go with Lodge, made in the USA. There are some really nice ones that are much more expensive too, but I would try the cheaper Lodge one until you see how much you use it. The more you season and use the cast iron, the more non-stick it becomes.

I have two Dutch ovens - a Lodge 5 quart black cast iron one that I use on the grill and in the kitchen, and a Misen 7 quart porcelain coated one, that I just use in the kitchen. The nice thing with Dutch ovens is you can brown your meat in them, add veggies and stock, and move it from stove top to oven for a one pot meal. They are also great for baking no knead bread in. And you won’t mess it up in the grill either. I use the Dutch ovens for baking and one pot meals, chili, soup, etc, and use my skillet for searing, bacon, eggs, etc.

Your Dutch oven should hold up fine, and most new cast iron does come pre-seasoned (black), but it is possible to order it unseasoned, and do all the initial seasoning yourself.

EDIT:

If you just want a moderate sized griddle only for use on the grill, something like this can also work, if you don't want a dedicated griddle top for your grill:

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/produc...ddle?sku=LPGI3

Weber also sells a dedicated griddle insert for most of their gas grills, which drops in place of one of the cooking grates. I feel like it is less flexible, but it would be custom fit to your grill.

I still think every kitchen needs a 12" cast iron skillet though!

[texastweeter]

And a 10" and a 14" and some fajita skillets, and a well, you can never have too much black iron.

[jfmorris]

texastweeter but of course! MCIS (More Cast Iron Syndrome)...

So far I've been able to hold to just 3 pieces, but did fall for a carbon steel wok a while back... A couple of years ago, before this site, I doubt I knew what carbon steel was...

[glitchy]

I cook steaks about once a week and with terrible MCS I have countless ways to cook them. My favorite is still charcoal, but smoking on the MAK and then searing in a skillet is a very close second. Straight up gasser is about last (though I still cook and joyfully eat steaks that way…because it’s steak). As far as cast iron versus a griddle I think they’re about the same. The difference being that cast iron holds heat better unless you have a big enough griddle to move the steaks to a new area each flip. I bought a Steelmade griddle for my gasser since I don’t have a dedicated flattop, but haven’t been able to season and use it yet mostly due to weather the past couple months. That might be something for you to consider depending on if you think you’d use a griddle more than a cast iron pan.

[glitchy]

Another think to note, we’ve found that when using cast iron or a flattop that we don’t like course seasonings on the steaks. So, I have to remember not to use the good ole McCormicks Montreal steak seasoning if I’m searing in a skillet. I just usually use finely ground garlic powder and pepper instead (after dry brining).

[texastweeter]

Try adding some fine ground coffee, fine ground red pepper, and cocoa powder to the mix.

[glitchy]

texastweeter I’m allergic to chocolate, so usually try to avoid cocoa. I’ve tried a few rubs with coffee and it’s ok, but doesn’t wow me. Honestly, with a good steak I find SPG or SPOG usually turns out better than using a complex rub. Let the beef shine.