I haven't read much about smoking steaks on the NG. I
really like the flavor of a nice Rib Eye or New York (bone
in only) after a smoke at high heat. I smoke'em for an hour
or two depending on thickness and the flavor comes out
fantastic. I like the hickory smoke for this over anything
else, the flavor seemed to go together nicely, imho. Any
one else smoking steaks?

Joseph

--

"Endeavor to Persevere" Outlaw Josey Wales.

Joseph wrote:
I haven't read much about smoking steaks on the NG. I really like
the flavor of a nice Rib Eye or New York (bone in only) after a smoke at
high heat. I smoke'em for an hour or two depending on thickness and the
flavor comes out fantastic. I like the hickory smoke for this over
anything else, the flavor seemed to go together nicely, imho. Any one
else smoking steaks?

Joseph

I've been known to cold smoke steaks for an hour or so
before tossin' 'em on the grill on high temp but I've never
tried them on the WSM at traditional smoking temps. We
prefer them seared to medium-rare max. Cold smoking first
though does produce a great taste.

--
Steve

Nunya Bidnits wrote:
Steve Calvin wrote:
Joseph wrote:
I haven't read much about smoking steaks on the NG. I really
like the flavor of a nice Rib Eye or New York (bone in only) after a
smoke at high heat. I smoke'em for an hour or two depending on
thickness and the flavor comes out fantastic. I like the hickory
smoke for this over anything else, the flavor seemed to go together
nicely, imho. Any one else smoking steaks?

Joseph
I've been known to cold smoke steaks for an hour or so
before tossin' 'em on the grill on high temp but I've never
tried them on the WSM at traditional smoking temps. We
prefer them seared to medium-rare max. Cold smoking first
though does produce a great taste.

Similar here. I like steaks rare but with a good tasty char. I make a
combination charcoal/wood fire, coat the steaks with a combination of my
gooey rub, worcestershire, butter, and mustard, and grill 'em hot. I start
with the steaks cold so they can get a agood char and wood fired flavor
before they get too done inside. I like the pre-smoking idea except that it
still might warm the meat up too much for me to get the both the rare and
the flavorful char that I love. Maybe some low temp smoking, then chill them
again, then onto the wood fire. Hmmmm.

MartyB in KC


A cold smoke is about 90df in the chamber. It does "dry" the
external surface of the steak but no way cooks it. The dryer
external surface actually makes for a very nice texture
difference when cooked. Try it and report back with how you
like it, I think you will.

--
Steve

Steve Calvin wrote:
Joseph wrote:
I haven't read much about smoking steaks on the NG. I really
like the flavor of a nice Rib Eye or New York (bone in only) after a
smoke at high heat. I smoke'em for an hour or two depending on
thickness and the flavor comes out fantastic. I like the hickory
smoke for this over anything else, the flavor seemed to go together
nicely, imho. Any one else smoking steaks?

Joseph

I've been known to cold smoke steaks for an hour or so
before tossin' 'em on the grill on high temp but I've never
tried them on the WSM at traditional smoking temps. We
prefer them seared to medium-rare max. Cold smoking first
though does produce a great taste.

Similar here. I like steaks rare but with a good tasty char. I make a
combination charcoal/wood fire, coat the steaks with a combination of my
gooey rub, worcestershire, butter, and mustard, and grill 'em hot. I start
with the steaks cold so they can get a agood char and wood fired flavor
before they get too done inside. I like the pre-smoking idea except that it
still might warm the meat up too much for me to get the both the rare and
the flavorful char that I love. Maybe some low temp smoking, then chill them
again, then onto the wood fire. Hmmmm.

MartyB in KC

"Steve Calvin" wrote in message
...
Nunya Bidnits wrote:
Steve Calvin wrote:
Joseph wrote:
I haven't read much about smoking steaks on the NG.
I really
like the flavor of a nice Rib Eye or New York (bone in
only) after a
smoke at high heat. I smoke'em for an hour or two
depending on
thickness and the flavor comes out fantastic. I like
the hickory
smoke for this over anything else, the flavor seemed to
go together
nicely, imho. Any one else smoking steaks?

Joseph
I've been known to cold smoke steaks for an hour or so
before tossin' 'em on the grill on high temp but I've
never
tried them on the WSM at traditional smoking temps. We
prefer them seared to medium-rare max. Cold smoking
first
though does produce a great taste.

Similar here. I like steaks rare but with a good tasty
char. I make a
combination charcoal/wood fire, coat the steaks with a
combination of my
gooey rub, worcestershire, butter, and mustard, and grill
'em hot. I start
with the steaks cold so they can get a agood char and
wood fired flavor
before they get too done inside. I like the pre-smoking
idea except that it
still might warm the meat up too much for me to get the
both the rare and
the flavorful char that I love. Maybe some low temp
smoking, then chill them
again, then onto the wood fire. Hmmmm.

MartyB in KC


A cold smoke is about 90df in the chamber. It does "dry"
the external surface of the steak but no way cooks it. The
dryer external surface actually makes for a very nice
texture difference when cooked. Try it and report back
with how you like it, I think you will.

--
Steve


I have never cold smoked anything. 90*F? Heavy on the
smoke? On the old smoker if I leave the pan out it is a
good smoke with radiant heat searing the steaks. It comes
out with a nice smoke flavor and a nice pink center but it
is a little more done than I would normally get on the
grill. I like a rare steak myself but variety is the spice
as they say.

Joseph

Joseph wrote:

I have never cold smoked anything. 90*F? Heavy on the smoke? On
the old smoker if I leave the pan out it is a good smoke with radiant
heat searing the steaks. It comes out with a nice smoke flavor and a
nice pink center but it is a little more done than I would normally get
on the grill. I like a rare steak myself but variety is the spice as
they say.

Joseph

I have a Little Chief smoker - http://tinyurl.com/5gvvgt
It's an electric and very low temp.

No, not a heavy smoke at all. You really don't want that as
you'll probably get a coating that is mainly creosote.

A light "wispy" smoke, if any is what you're after. Wood of
course is your choice.

--
Steve

"Steve Calvin" wrote in message
...
Joseph wrote:

I have never cold smoked anything. 90*F? Heavy on the smoke? On
the old smoker if I leave the pan out it is a good smoke with radiant
heat searing the steaks. It comes out with a nice smoke flavor and a
nice pink center but it is a little more done than I would normally get
on the grill. I like a rare steak myself but variety is the spice as
they say.

Joseph

I have a Little Chief smoker - http://tinyurl.com/5gvvgt
It's an electric and very low temp.

No, not a heavy smoke at all. You really don't want that as you'll
probably get a coating that is mainly creosote.

A light "wispy" smoke, if any is what you're after. Wood of course is your
choice.

--
Steve


That sounds good. I've cold smoked brined fowl, mainly turkey, on the Little
Chief. I haven't tried steak, or any red meat. How do you season it before
it goes in? I've smoked salmon the same way, trying to duplicate "cold
smoked salmon" unsuccessfully. It basically ended up being cooked, although
it's pretty good. You know, you can still get parts for the Little Chief.

Kent

Kent wrote:

That sounds good. I've cold smoked brined fowl, mainly turkey, on the Little
Chief. I haven't tried steak, or any red meat. How do you season it before
it goes in? I've smoked salmon the same way, trying to duplicate "cold
smoked salmon" unsuccessfully. It basically ended up being cooked, although
it's pretty good. You know, you can still get parts for the Little Chief.

Kent


Thanks Kent, it is pretty good. I don't always do it but
it's a nice change of pace. You could season 'em with
whatever floats your boat. I just use good old fashioned sea
salt and fresh ground black pepper when they go on the grill.

Now, you want to try something really strange? If you're
ever in the position of having a camp fire, get a large bed
of coals goin'. S&P steaks, make a pocket in the coals, toss
steaks "naked" into the coals and cover with coals. Leave it
in for about a minute. Take 'em out, scrape the ash off and
munge. I know, I know, sounds gross but as our scoutmaster
said 40 years ago: "Do you know of ANYTHING" that could live
through that?" Damn tasty once you get past the mental
aspect of it.

--
Steve

Nunya Bidnits wrote:
Steve Calvin wrote:
Now, you want to try something really strange? If you're
ever in the position of having a camp fire, get a large bed
of coals goin'. S&P steaks, make a pocket in the coals, toss
steaks "naked" into the coals and cover with coals. Leave it
in for about a minute. Take 'em out, scrape the ash off and
munge. I know, I know, sounds gross but as our scoutmaster
said 40 years ago: "Do you know of ANYTHING" that could live
through that?" Damn tasty once you get past the mental
aspect of it.

Yanno I camp a lot and have actually been tempted that way... but don't you
end up with a coating of ash burned in to the surface of the meat? I
couldn't get past the texture of something like that even if it is as
sterile as the sun.

MartyB in KC

Yeah, you do but ya just scrape it off with the blade of a
sharp knife. You've never had such an intense sear, I'll
guarantee. The contrast in texture along with the flavors
are wonderful.

Even with a little ash (if any) it's still 100% better than
any hotdog or purchased ground mystery meat.

Anyone who eats premade hotdogs, hamburger, sausages, etc
from the stupidmarket is eating WAY more gross stuff than
this, they just don't realize it.

--
Steve

Here is an approach that wins raves, but is a little heretical (which
of course makes it better). I hear what the purists are saying about
marinading good steaks being a travesty, and in most cases I agree.
But here is a method for cooking Sirloins that once eaten makes it
nearly impossible to go back. It does require a smoker that can also
grill.

Go to your butcher and request on or 2 full center cut Sirloins. Here
is the critical part: 2.25" to 2.5" thick. Yes, that is huge.

Take the steaks home, and trim all the fat, even separating the
sections with silverskin membranes and trim that. Yes I know, you
will then have 1 or 2 large steaks and several "parts" sort of like
tneders.

Take butchers twine, and "assemble" the various parts into
approximately 4" diameter round steaks. For the large ones you
lightly binding them to keep shape. For the "tenders" steaks you will
use a combination of the larger and smaller pieces to assemble the
other 4" bound steaks.

Take a 1 gallon ziplock style freezer back.

Ok so here is the Marinade part.

Place 3 - 4 4" steaks in a bag. Then put in the following
combination:

1 12 oz beer. (nothing as dark as guiness, which has too much
presence, and not any of the water beers - in Texas a Shiner bock is
perfect, or a Negro Modelo, but something in the direction of a Beck
or Harp or even a Bud [which is a little too light], The beer gives
moisture and a hint of grain taste.

1/4 to 1/3 cup of Worchestshire.

8-10 oz of brewed coffee, preferably something better than Folgers.

What? coffee? Once cooked you are not going to taste "COFFEE" but
will detect an undertone of richness in the meat.

Seal taking as much air out as possible. Set in the fridge, turn
after 8-12 hours. I typically marinade these 16 to 24 hours. So just
half and half per side. The marinade wont absorb as much on the side
where the meat rests on the bottom. I actually try to set the bags
upright to maximize the surface absorption.

So here is where things depart on the cooking.

Take the steaks out, pat dry to damp, but not bone dry and season to
your liking. A little (not much) salt and black pepper are fine. Some
of my friend prefer Montreal Steak Seasoning and I will even do that,
but that sometimes sends the purists into seizures.

Many steak chefs will advocate bringing the steaks to room temp. Not
in this approach. This is a 2 stage process. Flash sear over high
heat, then a short smoking period.

I use a ECB Gourmet unit, so I can easily set the lump in the bottom,
then sear the steaks to seal them for 2-3 min per side. Do not burn
them, which is easy to do if the fire is hot.

Then I set up the smoker with hot water in the water pan (you want the
buffer to direct heat, set the steaks on the top grill. Put soaked
hickory or pecan chunks on the coals, then put the cover on. Smoke for
between 20 and 30 min, depending on temp. Measure the temp in the
middle of a steak. 138 to 140 makes a nice medium rare steak. The
coldness of direct from the fridge allows a little more smoking time.
Don't put too many chunks on because heavy fast smoke will be acrid.
You want enough to taste but not overwhelm.

These will not come out barked like brisket, just grilled and roasted
with a smoke finish. They are succulent and rich. Incredible.

I have had $50 steaks at expensive steak houses that would cry if they
were in the presence of steaks cooked with the above method.

On Sat, 5 Apr 2008 09:50:49 -0700, "Joseph"
wrote:

I haven't read much about smoking steaks on the NG. I
really like the flavor of a nice Rib Eye or New York (bone
in only) after a smoke at high heat. I smoke'em for an hour
or two depending on thickness and the flavor comes out
fantastic. I like the hickory smoke for this over anything
else, the flavor seemed to go together nicely, imho. Any
one else smoking steaks?

Joseph

Steve Calvin wrote:
Now, you want to try something really strange? If you're
ever in the position of having a camp fire, get a large bed
of coals goin'. S&P steaks, make a pocket in the coals, toss
steaks "naked" into the coals and cover with coals. Leave it
in for about a minute. Take 'em out, scrape the ash off and
munge. I know, I know, sounds gross but as our scoutmaster
said 40 years ago: "Do you know of ANYTHING" that could live
through that?" Damn tasty once you get past the mental
aspect of it.

Yanno I camp a lot and have actually been tempted that way... but don't you
end up with a coating of ash burned in to the surface of the meat? I
couldn't get past the texture of something like that even if it is as
sterile as the sun.

MartyB in KC

On Apr 6, 8:39*am, Steve Calvin wrote:


Anyone who eats premade hotdogs, hamburger, sausages, etc
from the stupidmarket is eating WAY more gross stuff than
this, they just don't realize it.



Thanks for reminding us buddy.




eg

Tutall wrote:
On Apr 6, 8:39 am, Steve Calvin wrote:

Anyone who eats premade hotdogs, hamburger, sausages, etc
from the stupidmarket is eating WAY more gross stuff than
this, they just don't realize it.



Thanks for reminding us buddy.




eg


lol, consider it a public service announcement supporting
having your own grinder and buying beef and pigs by the
half. ;-)

I haven't bought any pre-ground mystery meat in years.

--
Steve

"Steve Calvin" wrote in message
...
Kent wrote:

That sounds good. I've cold smoked brined fowl, mainly turkey, on the
Little Chief. I haven't tried steak, or any red meat. How do you season
it before it goes in? I've smoked salmon the same way, trying to
duplicate "cold smoked salmon" unsuccessfully. It basically ended up
being cooked, although it's pretty good. You know, you can still get
parts for the Little Chief.

Kent


Thanks Kent, it is pretty good. I don't always do it but it's a nice
change of pace. You could season 'em with whatever floats your boat. I
just use good old fashioned sea salt and fresh ground black pepper when
they go on the grill.

Now, you want to try something really strange? If you're ever in the
position of having a camp fire, get a large bed of coals goin'. S&P
steaks, make a pocket in the coals, toss steaks "naked" into the coals and
cover with coals. Leave it in for about a minute. Take 'em out, scrape the
ash off and munge. I know, I know, sounds gross but as our scoutmaster
said 40 years ago: "Do you know of ANYTHING" that could live through
that?" Damn tasty once you get past the mental aspect of it.

--
Steve


I'm guessing when you do this you always have the interior of the steak
heated at least to the ambient temp, rather than frig. temp, as you do with
the Little Chief. What happens to the fat side? Does it flame up? I
routinely now coat the searing sides of steaks with a very thin film of oil.
It gives it a slightly quicker char, and seals in the moisture, though
probably not as much as your "naked into the coals". It does give a whopping
flare up for a few seconds though. Cooks Illustrated recently had an article
about bringing the steak up to about 90F before searing, to give a more
uniform rare from edge to edge.

Kent

Kent wrote:

I'm guessing when you do this you always have the interior of the steak
heated at least to the ambient temp, rather than frig. temp, as you do with
the Little Chief. What happens to the fat side? Does it flame up? I
routinely now coat the searing sides of steaks with a very thin film of oil.
It gives it a slightly quicker char, and seals in the moisture, though
probably not as much as your "naked into the coals". It does give a whopping
flare up for a few seconds though. Cooks Illustrated recently had an article
about bringing the steak up to about 90F before searing, to give a more
uniform rare from edge to edge.

Kent

Well, I've done it both ways. i.e. cold and warm to temp
before tossing 'em in. I think the warmed to ambient temp
method works best. Toughest part of it is the timing. It
takes some practice to determine the length for med-rare,
rare, med, etc.

It tries to flare, but you have to be ready to cover 'em
quickly, thereby putting out the flames. Object isn't flame
but to surround with the hot coals w/o flames.

It's certainly not for everyone but worth a shot if you
enjoy a little change up every now and then. I wouldn't plan
on the first attempt coming out exactly to your liking. It's
kind of a trial and error process, but when you hit it
right, man it's tasty.

--
Steve