Steak disaster number two....

[Michael_in_TX]

Ugh....I really should not suck at this, but here we go again.

So, I used the latter two of my Choice NY strip steaks that I bought two weeks ago. I defrosted them on Thursday morning, and dry brined them overnight last night. I didn't use any pepper this time. I patted the steaks dry and put on just enough avocado oil to get a glisten on both sides.

I fired up an entire chimney of KBB and had it going in the SnS. I did not do the cold grate technique and instead flipped the steaks every 30 seconds. Checking the temp every two minutes with my Thermopop.

Well, some things went better this time and other things went in the complete opposite direction. First, dry brining is the way to go. Good salt flavor penetration throughout the steak. And, as I dispensed with the pepper, the steaks did not have a bitter "burnt pepper" taste like last weekend's did. And, on one of the steaks I was able to get a really decent crust. The other one went too far (it was black, not deep brown).

And I don't know how I went wrong on this, but I was shooting for 130 degrees but the steaks ended up medium well. My Thermopop was acting a little weird. The temps were all over the place depending on where I probed the steak. I also wonder if they had fully defrosted in the middle.

The steaks were edible, but it wasn't the overdoneness that really bothered me, but this strong char/burnt fat taste. Yuck.

Next time I am going to trim all fat off the steaks. I also think I know where I may have gone wrong here. Re-reading Meathead's text on his "afterburner" method, it says you only need half a chimney. I did not clue into that in addition to using less fuel, the steaks will be farther away from the coals. With my SnS, the steaks were nearly right on top of the coals. Perhaps it was too hot, even for steaks just an inch thick.

[Donw]

There is going to be carry on cooking even after you pull the steak. Try pulling the steak sooner and let the carryover bring the meat to your desired temp. I personally try not to have the flames touch the steak which can quickly lead to charred parts.

[Ahumadora]

+1. After resting the steak if it still is not not to where you like it you can always throw back on the grill. Not the end of the world.

[Huskee]

The fun (at the time, frustration) is in trial & error. I too trim all fat on steaks & chops before grilling. You'll get it.

[Ahumadora]

Suck it up. It was a learning experience, not a disaster... you covered a lot of ground from your first cook.

[HawkerXP]

Not to mention. No pictures, never happened! Don’t let all the BS get you down. Go slowly. Change one thing at a time. Find YOUR perfect steak. Most importantly. Have fun! Enjoy the process. Playing with Fire is fun! Really. For me at least.

[randy.56]

It depends on where you check the temp, in the steak. to close to the outside edge will be warmer that the middle. That's where I check temp. Read this guy's idea, of cooking steak he is one of the best.

https://thesouthern.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/praise-the-lard-competitors-ultimate-tips-for-cooking-up-steaks/article_baec7c20-fb8c-56d2-8902-6c370644c4ed.html

[RichieB]

Yes, get the fat trimmed. Yes 1/2 chimney for steak. Indirect to 110 IT. It only takes 30 minutes to get there. Then direct with the flipping to get the sear and monitor IT. I go to 135 at the most. Oh I do this with SnS which is the only way I'll do steak on the kettle.
We've all had cooks go sideways. Don't let it discourage you, rather let it motivate.

Sorry, neglected grill temp. for indirect, 225 to 250.
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[W.A.]

This method is hard to control internal temp. Reverse sear or do a make shift sous vide technique and then sear

[radshop]

For me - one man's opinion - this is why I stopped doing any of the alternative methods (reverse sear, afterburner, etc.) It's hard to hit the right internal temp with the carryover when you finish with such high heat. I've gone back to sear-first, then indirect. (Yeah, go ahead and laugh at me like I'm a prehistoric dad from the 1970s.) Yes, it has a gradient from seared on the outside to pink in the middle. No, I don't think it "seals in the juices." I just find that I hit the right internal temp a lot more.

[grantgallagher]

I almost never reverse sear steaks anymore to be honest. Either front-sear or sous vide. Reverse sear is more work for minimal benefit and much larger chance to screw it up IMO.

[Bobmcgahan]

This.

[Dewesq55]

I, too, had a steak fail tonight. Took a ribeye and sous vided it at 120°F. After 2 hours, I shocked it by putting the entire bag in a bowl of ice water (I may not have left it in long enough, as I have never done this step before.) Then I seared it on a cast iron pan on the stove which was heated to ~600°F for 3 minutes, turning every 30 seconds and basing the up side with hot ghee from the pan. Rested 10 minutes. The steak was medium to well (EEK!) everywhere. I have never overcooked a steak this badly in my life. I took no pix of the inside as I was so disappointed (to be fair, it didn't taste too bad.). But here's a pic from after the sear to prove it actually happened:

[shify]

How thick was that? It looks awfully thin to cook sous vide then 3 min sear. 3 min looks almost enough to cook it from raw

[Old Glory]

Reverse sear always works well for me

[klflowers]

My best steak ever was a ~2" porterhouse using the cold grate method.

[WI Bubba]

When you are grilling a steak, there is a very small window that is considered perfection, and you are trying to hit it with a screaming fast fire. It's not easy to do, and there are so many things that can happen in those few minutes that will wreck the very best of plans. I'm glad I don't know exactly how many poor animals have lost their lives just so I could insult them further with my attempts at cooking them. Practice and patience is all you need. Keep at it, and before long you'll be dazzling us with pictures of steak perfection.

[HouseHomey]

Yup.... winner winner!!

[holehogg]

Nailing a perfect steak over live fire has been my biggest nemesis for years. Always seems to be a hit and miss although the hit percentage has changed since I learnt about using a thermometer.
I find that thicker steaks to be a lot more forgiving. Sometimes I convince myself some people can and some people just keep trying like me.

[FireMan]

Most important thing you can do...........is cook more steaks. If yer over cookin em, back off on everything yer doin a bit, except maybe flipping em & tempin em. Might seem a wee bit overly simple, but back off until ya get it. But do cook more steaks.