Ribeye Steak - SCA Style

[TripleB]

I took the judges class last week in Costa Mesa, CA for the Steak Cookoff Association (SCA) and got to talking with the rep who was giving the class, Brett Gallaway, who happened to be one of the SCA founders. He is also a past Champion in the competition. So he gaves us a method for cooking steaks and here it is... enjoy.

1) Trim the ribeye. This is a Prime Ribeye steak (0.9 lb). Probably 3-4 cut from the Chuck end. Brett said that the 1-4 cut from the Chuck end was the best steak from the ribeye roast.... FWIW. In the picture you can see part of the chuck (lower part of the steak) and part of the cap (spinalis dorsi).

2) Place the ribeye in a 1 gallon plastic bag and add 1 cup of kosher salt. Seal bag and make sure steak is well covered with salt. Leave steak in bag for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from bag.

3) Wash/rinse off salt from steak completely. Steak will seem very flimsy, soft, ready to fall apart. Season steak with your favorite seasoning. Brett gave me a seasoning to try, though he forgot the name of the seasoning and it was in an unlabeled container. He said that the team that won the championship last year used this seasoning.

4) Grill to desired doneness.

5) SCA competition is looking for a Medium center. They cut straight across the main ribeye muscle and check for doneness. Pink, warm center is what the cooks are trying for.

The steak hit the mark for Medium and was one of the best steaks I have ever had. I put on a bit too much of the seasoning, but had really no idea what I was seasoning with so I was winging it. Next time a bit less seasoning and I have to find out what the seasoning is. But man, it WAS DELICIOUS!!!

[DWCowles]

Beautiful!

[Joetee]

Looks wonderful. I would have thought that 15 minutes wouldn't have been long enough. But it looks like it worked.
i used to salt heavy and wash. Now I just salt a little more than I would on my plate with coshire salt and leave it.
Thanks for sharing.

[TripleB]

That's the way I've been doing it for years, season with kosher salt and leave it. Thought I'd give the heavy salt dredge and wash a try. Like I said, it was very good. Oh course we need to give a ton of credit to the beef. I've had good prime and mediocre prime. This was a good prime.

[RonB]

That looks real good.

[cmiller0711]

Look great!

[gijsveltman]

Looks awesome

[cmiller0711]

TripleB You said you just took the judges class...
I have been wanting to take one myself but have not seen any around my area to join. I have been cooking in a lot of SCA events and the last one I did was the great steak cook off at Southland park in West Memphis AR. There were 103 teams there and I took 15th. I have yet to place top 10. Are there any tips you could give me on me at selection and trimming? I know to look for a bright red well marbled steak, and I have been looking for one with a large spinalis cap with a thick piece of fat between it and the center. I attached a picture of the steak I typically pick out at the events. I would be most appreciative of any tips you could provide from a judges point of view.
Our BBQ team loves doing the SCA events and we look forward to placing in an event!

[TripleB]

See post below. I exceeded the character count.

[cmiller0711]

Oh here I a picture of the last steak I turned in!

[TripleB]

Unfortunately my insight is EXTREMELY limited on SCA. I'm also a KCBS judge and after taking the KCBS and SCA judging classes one thing stands out. The classes are geared on teaching you the rules and procedures at the expense of good food. In both classes, the BBQ was poor and the steaks were overcooked (well done). I've judged over 30 KCBS events, but not one SCA event. There are no SCA events scheduled in CA for 2018, but I understand that is to change.

With that being said, I have not judged a good steak or know what judges are looking for. I assume that you know that when the steaks are presented to the judges, the cap muscle is turned towards the box opening and the steak is cut in half across the large eye muscle (to judge doneness). Judges, to what I understand, do not taste the eye, just cut off the a piece of the cap muscle. Your picture below shows the cap muscle up towards the back of the box. And that is a beautiful steak!! Great job.

As mentioned above, the SCA rep stated that the best ribeye steaks (in his opinion) were the steaks 1-4 from the chuck end (large end I believe) and not the small end. So a smaller cap muscle and a bit of the chuck (see my picture above). Sorry... not much help on the judging insight.

And this goes with all competition. Make sure your turn in is warm, not cold. I'd use insulation bags or pouches (like for pizza) as you run your turn in up to the judging tent. I've had numerous times where a piece of chicken, rib, pulled pork or brisket has a great flavor, but is cold. Is warm or cold a criteria in judging? No, but scores always get graded down.

My question is how do most teams cook their steaks and on what type of equipment. Do they cover or grill open? Do they time or constantly take temp checks? What is the normal thickness of the steaks?

[cmiller0711]

TripleB
PK Grills dominate the steak competitions over here! I have both models but I use the original for my comp steaks. Most people here cook with the grill closed. I used to time my steaks but I have started probing them to monitor temp and most of our steaks are 1 1/4".
Talking about the cap... I asked a judge and they told me they will turn it and not to worry about how I place it in the box. I guess I will however start placing the cap towards the bottom! That steak scored a 236.4! It was my best turn in yet!
One more question... How do they judge texture?

[allsid]

Hey cmiller0711 it's been fun to read about your experiences. I just learned there is an event about 8 hours from me this summer in Seattle, and I am considering making a trip. It would be my first event. Out of curiosity, what temp are you cooking to and when you were timing your cooks, how long were you using. Hopefully, these are not closely guarded secrets and if so, please accept my apology.

[TripleB]

Per my class, in regards to texture they are looking for if the steak is grainy or mushy. But I would also think that toughness would be a consideration as well, as in cutting off a piece of meat and their is gristle or heavy connective tissue. As I mentioned that in my judging class all the steaks were over cooked. So though the cap was fairly tender, the pieces I cut off were a bit harder to chew and one piece had some gristle.

You are right, the reps will turn your steak. But I wouldn't want the reps to touch my steak other than to cut it.

I have both PK models as well. That PK360 is a beaut. Do you use the grill grates or the original stainless steel cooking grids? Is your fire two level or single?