Grilled Delmonico Steak with Tex-Mex Rub. 1-inch thick Ribeye steaks with a spicy dry rub - my favorite cut of steak and a quick dinner.
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What Is a Delmonico Steak?
Delmonico steak. That means a ribeye, right? When I picked up these steaks at my local grocery store, I decided to investigate. And, it turns out, it’s not that simple.
Delmonico’s Restaurant was a famous New York City steakhouse back in the 1800’s, and a “Delmonico steak” became synonymous with a quality cut. The problem is, Delmonico’s said their steaks were cut from the sirloin. But, a sirloin is not a ribeye?
It looks like, over time, the definition of Delmonico has shifted. Or, maybe they meant the french “Sur Loin”, which means “from the loin”, and it really was a ribeye ad Delmonico's restaurant.
Nowadays, Delmonico mostly means ribeye - but for this recipe, make sure you are getting a ribeye.
Ingredients
- 3 (1-inch thick) bone in ribeye Delmonico steaks, about 16-ounces each
Tex-Mex Rub
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
How to Grill Delmonico Steaks
Spice rub the steaks
One to four hours before cooking, mix the Tex-Mex Rub ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the steaks, put the steaks on a platter, and rest in the refrigerator until it is time to cook. (If you don’t have time to pre-season the steaks, sprinkle them with the rub right before putting them on the grill.)
Set the grill for direct high heat (450°F or higher)
Set your grill up for direct high heat. Details:
Gas Grill
On my Weber Summit, I turn all the burners to high and let the grill preheat for 15 minutes. Then I brush the grates clean with my grill brush and turn off any burners I won’t need. (For these size steaks I left 3 burners on).
Charcoal Grill
On my Weber kettle, I light a full chimney starter of charcoal, wait for it to be mostly covered with gray ash, and then pour it over half the grill grate, giving me a layer of coals about two coals deep. Then put the grate on the grill and brush it clean.
Grill the steaks in a 3-3-3 pattern
Set the steaks over direct high heat, with the steaks pointing towards 10 o’clock on the grill. (If you are using a gas grill, keep the lid closed as much as possible.) Grill for 3 minutes, or until they have dark browned grill marks on the bottom. Flip the steaks, keeping them pointed towards 10 o’clock, and grill for another 3 minutes, or until they have dark brown grill marks on the bottom. Flip and rotate the steaks so they are pointing towards 2 o’clock, and grill for another 3 minutes. At this point, they should be 125°F measured in the thickest point (which is medium-rare after carry over cooking). If you want them cooked more, flip the steaks again, keep them pointing towards 2 o’clock, and cook for another minute for medium (135°F internal) to 3 minutes for medium-well (145° internal, or as I call it, the point of no return.)
Rest the steaks and serve
Let the steaks rest for ten minutes, serve, and enjoy!
Substitutions
- Other cuts of steak: This method will work with any steak cut - ribeyes, New York strip, tenderloin, sirloin, t-bone, and porterhouse steaks - as long as they are cut about 1-inch thick.
- Simple steak: Just use the salt and pepper instead of the spice rub.
- Hot spice rub: Replace 1 teaspoon of ancho chile powder with 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder. Or, leave the rub as-is, and add in ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Expert Tips
How do I grill steaks that are NOT thick cut?
These Delmonico ribeyes are not my usual thick cut steaks. (I got a deal on a family pack, cut about an inch thick). I don't want to want to overcook them. How do I cook them?
- Give them a rub: I went with a spice rub, to give them a crisp crust quickly, before they overcooked.
- Only over direct heat: I’m grilling them entirely over direct heat - no sear and move is necessary for 1-inch thick steaks.
- Grill one side more than the other: A good browned crust is the key to a good steak, so I want to make sure I have one side that is nice and browned, without cooking the inside past medium-rare to medium. I cook these steaks more on one side than the other; I cook them for about 9 minutes total, with 6 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other. But, let's discuss that more:
Cook the steaks with 2 flips (maybe 3 if they are cooking slowly)
I use a 3–3-rotate–3 pattern to flip my steaks; 3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes, flip and rotate, 3 more minutes. I start all the steaks pointing towards 10 o’clock on the grill, and grill them for three minutes. Then I flip them, still pointing towards 10 o’clock, and grill the other side for three minutes. Then I flip and rotate the steaks to point towards 2 o’clock, giving them beautiful diamond grill marks on one side. Three more minutes and I check the steaks - one inch steaks over high heat are usually take nine minutes on my grill. If they’re done, I get them off the grill, and serve them with the diamond patterned side facing up. If the steaks aren’t done yet, they get one more flip, pointing towards 2 o’clock, and a diamond pattern on the other side.
Cooking time really depends on your grill
Most cooking times are a best guess, based on the recipe writer's kitchen. Grilling is even more of a guess; different grills have different heat, and then we throw in cooking outdoors in any weather. So, you need to learn how your grill cooks.
I go with a 3–3-rotate–3 pattern because I know that works on my gas grill. You may need to adjust based on your grill. Maybe your gas grill has a searing station, and you need 2–2-rotate–2. Maybe your grill is less powerful, and you need 4–4-rotate–4. Start with 3, then flip and see how the grill marks look. if they’re dark brown or just turning black, you’re good. If they’re light brown, you need longer; if the bottom of the steak looks burnt, you need less time. (If you know you have a powerful grill, check them earlier. Sorry.) Once you are familiar with your grill, use your experience to guide the timing of the flips.
If you’re working over charcoal, then these timings are guidelines, not rules. Also, don’t worry about the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock orientation, because charcoal browns evenly. (On a gas grill, the preheated grill grates give us grill marks; on charcoal, the heat from the coals themselves browns the steaks.)
Equipment
- Grill (I use a massive Weber Summit)
- Instant Read Thermometer (I love my Thermapen)
Scaling the recipe
This grilled Delmonico steaks recipe is for three steaks, because that's how many come in the family packs of steaks at my local grocery store. You can grill as many steaks as you want at the same time - or as many as will fit on your grill. For each 1-inch thick steak, mix up 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder, ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. (The spice rub amount in the recipe is for 3 steaks).
Print
Grilled Delmonico Steaks
- Total Time: 1 hour 9 minutes
- Yield: 3 steaks 1x
Description
Grilled Delmonico Ribeye Steaks with Tex-Mex Rub. 1-inch thick Ribeye steaks with a spicy dry rub - my favorite cut of steak and a quick dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 (1-inch thick) bone in ribeye Delmonico steaks, about 16-ounces each
Tex-Mex Rub
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Spice rub the steaks: One to four hours before cooking, mix the Tex-Mex Rub ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the steaks, put the steaks on a platter, and rest in the refrigerator until it is time to cook. (If you don’t have time to pre-season the steaks, sprinkle them with the rub right before putting them on the grill.)
- Set the grill for direct high heat (450°F or higher): Set your grill up for direct high heat.
Gas Grill: On my Weber Summit, I turn all the burners to high and let the grill preheat for 15 minutes. Then I brush the grates clean with my grill brush and turn off any burners I won’t need. (For these size steaks I left 3 burners on).
Charcoal Grill: On my Weber kettle, I light a full chimney starter of charcoal, wait for it to be mostly covered with gray ash, and then pour it over half the grill grate, giving me a layer of coals about two coals deep. Then put the grate on the grill and brush it clean. - Grill the steaks in a 3-3-3 pattern: Set the steaks over direct high heat, with the steaks pointing towards 10 o’clock on the grill. (If you are using a gas grill, keep the lid closed as much as possible.) Grill for 3 minutes, or until they have dark browned grill marks on the bottom. Flip the steaks, keeping them pointed towards 10 o’clock, and grill for another 3 minutes, or until they have dark brown grill marks on the bottom. Flip and rotate the steaks so they are pointing towards 2 o’clock, and grill for another 3 minutes. At this point, they should be 125°F measured in the thickest point (which is medium-rare after carry over cooking). If you want them cooked more, flip the steaks again, keep them pointing towards 2 o’clock, and cook for another minute for medium (135°F internal) to 3 minutes for medium-well (145° internal, or as I call it, the point of no return.)
- Rest the steaks and serve: Let the steaks rest for ten minutes, serve, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Category: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
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Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Mike Vrobel says
Try it, it's amazing!
Craig says
Many (many) years ago when my wife and I were in our soup and salad days, a butcher explained to us that the Delmpnico steak was the first cut on the rib end, next to the top loin and not quite a ribeye. It was priced cheaper than the ribeye. It was our go to special meal meat. We were never disappointed. Even after the meat market closed, we looked for a Delmpnico steak at grocery stores and artesian butchers markets. It was cut thin and was not as marbled as a ribeye. But it was always our favorite.
Steve Skubinna says
My understanding was that the Delmonico steak, whatever the cut (and there are some very interesting sites that discuss the issue if you're a total food history geek) was a double thick cut.
Delmonico's had a fascinating history. There are several contenders for creating Eggs Benedict, they are one. They also named, but apparently did not originate, Baked Alaska. And Lobster Newberg (or Wenberg) is from there as well. For years they were the premier American restaurant.
Alex says
Why do you say to let the steaks "rest in the refrigerator" until cooking. I thought the idea was to leave a steak out to come up "to room temperature" before cooking.
Mike V says
With steaks this thin, it needs all the help it can get to avoid over cooking the inside - I don't want them at room temp to start.