I have expanded my horizons.* I still love a simple, salt and pepper steak, but I've come to appreciate the extra depth of flavor that a herb butter provides.
*Some would say that I have strayed from the one true path. They haven't tasted this steak.
West Point Market, one of my local gourmet grocery stores, is hosting a steak cook off as part of the Taste of Akron event. This is what I submitted as my entry.
*We'll see if they like it enough to put me in the cook off.
**Actually, it's close to the recipe I submitted - I used T-Bones in that version, and wrote up the recipe you see below. But... I forgot to take pictures for the blog. The pictures are from my second attempt, and the thick-cut ribeyes at the store looked too good to pass up.
I used every trick I know to get layers of flavor into a steak. You salt early, rub it with garlic, cook it over a real charcoal fire, baste it with herb butter while it's cooking, give it a final brush with the herb butter once it's resting, and sprinkle it with some flaky sea salt at the last minute. The result is decadent, rich, luxurious...I'm running out of adjectives.
*Would I eat this every week? Of course not. My arteries are hardening just thinking about it. But it is great when you want to pull out all the stops for a celebration. Or a cooking contest.
[Update: 7/2/2009] They selected my recipe as one of the finalists! I get to cook in the competition on July 23rd. Wish me luck. I'm going to need it.
[Update: 7/23/2009] I won! I can't believe it.
📖 Recipe Card
Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Mediterranean Herb Butter
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
My award-winning steak - thick bone-in ribeyes, dry brined, seared over charcoal and basted with garlic herb butter using an herb brush.
Ingredients
Steaks
- 2 bone-in ribeye steaks, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inches thick (about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds each)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Mediterranean Herb Butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For Basting and Serving
- 1 bunch fresh thyme and a couple of rosemary sprigs, tied at the stems (for an herb basting brush)
- Fleur de sel, Maldon, or other large, flaky salt
Instructions
- Pre-salt the steaks: One hour before cooking, rub the cut garlic clove over the bone and the meat of the steaks. Sprinkle each side with about ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt, pat it in, and let rest at room temperature. (If you can't salt at least 30 minutes ahead, wait and salt just before grilling.)
- Prepare the grill: Set up your grill for indirect medium-high heat. On a charcoal kettle, light a chimney ¾ full of charcoal, and when it's covered with ash, spread it over one side of the grate. Brush the grate clean.
- Make the herb butter and brush: Put the herb butter ingredients in a small bowl, and microwave until the butter melts and the garlic starts to sizzle, then stir. Tie the thyme and rosemary sprigs together at the stems to make a basting brush.
- Sear the steaks: Pat the steaks dry, and sprinkle with the pepper. Grill over the coals, uncovered: 2 to 3 minutes, rotate 90 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes, flip, 2 to 3 minutes, rotate 90 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes, until well browned on both sides.
- Finish over indirect heat: Move the steaks to the side without coals, and brush both sides with the herb butter. Check the temperature in the thickest part, away from the bone - you want 120°F to 125°F for medium-rare. If they're not done, cover the grill, and cook, checking, basting and flipping every 2 minutes, usually 2 to 6 minutes more.
- Rest and serve: Brush the serving platter with a little herb butter, set the steaks on it, and brush them once more. Let rest for 10 minutes, sprinkle lightly with the flaky salt, and serve whole or sliced ½ inch thick off the bone.
Notes
Equipment: A charcoal grill (I use a Weber kettle) and a Weber chimney starter. If you don't make an herb brush, use a regular basting brush.
Doneness: Rare is 115°F to 120°F (2 minutes of indirect cooking); medium is 125°F to 130°F (5 to 10 minutes of indirect cooking). Well done is 150°F and up - just don't tell me about it.
1 ¼ inch steaks work best - you get the herb butter in every bite, and they're usually done after the searing step.
Why salt early: The salt pulls juices out of the steak at first, but after about 30 minutes the salt and juices are reabsorbed, seasoning the meat deeper. If you can't wait at least 30 minutes, salt just before grilling.
Other cuts: Any thick, tender, bone-in steak works - T-bones and porterhouses are good.
Herbs: Tarragon, chives, oregano or parsley all work in the herb butter. Go easy on the rosemary - it can overwhelm everything.
Gas grill: Preheat with all burners on high for 15 minutes, then leave one burner on high and turn the others off. Sear over the lit burner and finish next to it, with the lid down; expect the searing to take at least 3 minutes per rotation.
Easy steak: Skip the herb butter and basting, and salt just before cooking. Great steaks don't need anything else.
Prime beef is amazing in this recipe if you want to splurge.
Serve with a green salad with Dijon vinaigrette, grilled garlic bread, and a good Côtes du Rhône.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Dry brine: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Click here for my Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri recipe.
Click here for my When Should you Salt Meat? article.
Inspired by:
Cook's Illustrated Magazine - I learned the science behind pre-salting from them, and the basic technique of searing over direct heat, then finishing over indirect heat.
*Most of what I know about cooking science I learned from them. Or Alton Brown. I have a hard time remembering which sometimes.
"Serious Barbecue" by Adam Perry Lang - I use his idea of basting with the herb butter, using a herb brush, during the cooking to help build flavor.
*Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner using the RSS or Email options on the right, link to this post from your blog, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, or buy something from Amazon.com
through the links on this site. Thank you!
Patrick says
After watching the Good Eats episode "Porterhouse Rules" (S14E01) I have wanted to try his "dry-age" method.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBz14EMoVVY&feature=related[/url]
Perhaps this is a job for DCD!
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Patrick:
I've tried dry aging beef at home before, (using both Cooks Illustrated and Alton Brown's instructions) and it didn't turn out that great.
Now, if you salt the meat and storing it in the refrigerator overnight (basically, giving it a dry brine) has worked great. That's my preferred technique nowadays.
MikeV says
@Jena
I've seen the West Point Market cookbook, but I haven't picked it up yet. Let me know if you like it.
Jena says
Oh, you're from Akron! I miss Akron--it's where I went to grad school. Say, have you checked out the West Point Market cookbook the U Akron Press published? I haven't tried the recipes (I've been moving) but I hope to soon!
Good luck getting accepted to the steak cook-off! Prime rib steaks have been on sale at our favorite meat shop, so we may be trying this soon. 🙂
MikeV says
For me, three reasons:
1. My propane starter is broken - the knob is stuck, and I never bothered to get it fixed, because...
2. I prefer the chimney starter. it holds more coals; the baskets are good for indirect cooking, but for direct cooking I usually want more charcoal than they can hold. More important, the chimney seemed faster to me. It takes me 20-25 minutes to get my coals lit with the chimney; it seemed to be more like 30 minutes with the propane ignition.
3. I'm used to the chimney - I've been using it for years, and it works for me.
If you like the propane ignition, great! Keep using it. "What works for you" is more important than what I say to do on a blog...
Anonymous says
I live in Green and have the same grill as you. I love it and I am trying to convince everyone I know to convert to charcoal rather than propane! My question to you is this: we have the really cool propane starter in our grills, why do we need the chimney?
Mike (m_benear@hotmail.com)