Now for the really important stuff...

[itschris]

Nad... check this site out. I've gotten a lot of cool stuff from here. http://www.clagrills.com/allgrillparts/acc-rotisseries.htm


The best smoker box I ever had I made from a square metal outlet box.. the kind you'd use that have four total outlet plugs.. I still use it on my gasser sometimes. It works perfect. You buy the square plate cover. Once side screws in, the other corner sorda slides in. You just slide it out of the way, fill it up, then rotate it back. You can then use the conduit hole punch outs to let the heat in as much as you want. I just sorda push them out but leave them connected. I then just slide the cover off a bit and let the smoke out. You can really control it all very well. And since their so cheap... maybe $4 totals... so you can have 2 or 3 of them all set to go. so when one is just about done , you can toss the other one on the grate to get it going.

I'll be honest, my big smoker is cool and all... and it's fun... but I'd probably get a Weber Smokey Mountain bullet smoker if I had to do it all over again. At the time, I just wanted to get as far away from the fancy gas grills as I could. I use that for making pulled pork. I can get 3 or 4 in there so I can make a lot at one time. If I'm going to invest 17 hours, i don't want to make just one. I sponsor church lunches sometimes to help raise money. It just takes a lot of work to get that big thing all set.

 

[darien87]

I think Prime Rib has to be medium rare. Once you get beyond that, the flavor really starts to change and dissapate. My thought is, if you're going to cook this sort of thing... or especially steaks... beyond say medium-rare to medium-rare-+, you don't need to spend the money for the higher quality grades of meat because once you get to medium or a bit more, I doubt you'd notice the difference. So I'm cooking for people who like their meat mostly medium, I'll just buy standard Rib Roast. The same thing just not Prime. It saves a ton of money.

I always get my steaks meduim, but if it's a little under-done to medium rare that's fine too.

My wife's mother always has her steaks done medium well. I tell her she might as well order a piece of charcoal. Don't even get me started on my aunt that no matter how expensive the steak always asks for a bottle of ketchup.

 

[its phillip]

I have a friend who always asks for A1 sauce...doesn't matter if it's a a $30 steak or a $120 steak, she asks for it every time

My grandmother has an irrational fear of uncooked/undercooked foods, so she always gets hers well done. She also likes overcooked bread and biscuits and the like :/

 

[itschris]

When I was with my ex-fiance about 10 years ago, we went to Ruth Chris Steakhouse. I'm pretty much a big fan of that place never having had a disappointing meal there for not to crazy an amount of money. But anyway... she ordered a filet and when he brought it, she very shyly asked for ketchup in a very apologetic tone. I have to say they surprised the hell out me... he responded... Heinz, Huntz, or House?

I still remember that because it made quite the impression.

 

[itschris]

I always get my steaks meduim, but if it's a little under-done to medium rare that's fine too.

My wife's mother always has her steaks done medium well. I tell her she might as well order a piece of charcoal. Don't even get me started on my aunt that no matter how expensive the steak always asks for a bottle of ketchup.

I think true medium is about max where I'll go. After that, you just don't reap any benefit from the highest grades. I've eaten many of overcooked steaks in my time... largely by my own hand not paying attention. It's not even the texture difference that does it, but just the beef flavor that just vanishes so quickly.

I think it's because too much of the fat rendered in addition to just an overall change in the protein under heat. To me a filet mignon is not a steak I would pay a lot of money for because it just doesn't have that much beefy flavor because it's so lean. Most places can't get a proper medium-rare throughout the steak... only the very inner center part which leaves even less of the taste.

For me, a monstor bone-in Ribeye is king. I'll pay the good money at a nice place for one or order from a higher end supplier. But the majority of all my meat comes from SAMs and I'm super happy with their quality.

 

[Warpdrv]

Good stuff Chris....

I just grilled up some awesome Rib-Eyes this weekend, they turned out great... Marinated with Chicago Steak and Worcestershire & garlic - wow they turned out fantastic on my dual kettle weber grill I built... I'll have to post up a pic, although its been a while and needs to be refinished...

 

[mtrycrafts]

...My grandmother has an irrational fear of uncooked/undercooked foods, so she always gets hers well done. She also likes overcooked bread and biscuits and the like :/

Not sure if it is irrational as a number of folks have gotten ill or even died because of undercooked meats, perhaps that applies to burgers more so.

 

[itschris]

Not sure if it is irrational as a number of folks have gotten ill or even died because of undercooked meats, perhaps that applies to burgers more so.

I like my bugers medium. The illness is associate almost entirely with ground meat because of the process... the handling that introduces the contaminents.

 

[its phillip]

Yeah, with a steak you really don't have that issue...of course, ground beef and pork is another story.

 

[jostenmeat]

I always ask for rare, because 99/100 of the restaurants out there overcook on purpose for safety. The only places where rare is truly rare is at the best of steakhouses, but I'm rarely there because of the money. Yeah, I don't eat steaks at restaurants much.

Remember, if it's too rare, they will gladly cook it some more for you. Once overcooked, there is nothing you can do about it. I might have asked for a bit more cooking once in my life, not sure.

It is known among foodies that you never order more than medium-rare, if tasting the quality of the meat means anything to you.

I have a friend who swears by the Big Green Egg, but they are so expensive.

 

[Warpdrv]

Better quality meat means less chances of illness... even cheap Cr@ppy steak you can get sick from if its on the rare side... I just choose to avoid cheap meat...

If your making burgers - use ground round.... I never use ground beef, and you can get them to stay together better by using an egg in the mixture as a binding agent if you need to... I don't normally, but ive seen it done... depends on how good you are at prepping...

 

[jostenmeat]

Looks delicious. Unfortunately I am a very lazy individual and I never cook (nor do I know how). I wish the food would just prepare itself

itschris will have way more tips for you than I will, and prime rib is supposedly more difficult to do right, but meat is pretty easy as he said.

Grab your steak, and learn about the various grades, prime being the best (and actually can be pretty hard to find, you gotta know where).

* U.S. Prime - Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. Currently, about 2.9% of carcasses grade as Prime.[8]
* U.S. Choice - High quality, widely available in foodservice industry and retail markets. Choice carcasses are 53.7% of the fed cattle total. The difference between Choice and Prime is largely due to the fat content in the beef. Prime typically has a higher fat content (more and well distributed intramuscular "marbling") than Choice.
* U.S. Select (formerly Good) - lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality, but is less juicy and tender due to leanness.
* U.S. Standard - Lower quality, yet economical, lacking marbling.
* U.S. Commercial - Low quality, lacking tenderness, produced from older animals.
* U.S. Utility
* U.S. Cutter
* U.S. Canner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef#USDA_beef_grades

This is how I cook a steak, typically, though it's been a while.

Let the steak out at room temperature for a while if coming from the fridge.

I heat up a skillet/pan, no oil, until it's VERY hot (you can sprinkle a little water, and if starts dancing or instantly evaporates, you're good to go). Throw the steak on there, to sear the side so that the juices will be sealed inside. After enough attempts cooking, you'll get a feel for when it's done. Then flip to the other side to sear it as well.

You move a steak as little as possible, to keep the juices in.

You can turn down the heat once searing is done.

There is a test using the muscle between your thumb and forefinger as a reference, I think, to know how well done it is, but I just push down on the steak and know from experience. However, the most accurate, and in fact easiest for you, would be to use a thermometer. From a quick google:

* Very Rare Steak – 120°
* Rare Steak – 125°
* Medium-Rare Steak – 130° – 135°
* Medium Steak – 140° – 145°
* Medium-Well Steak – 150° – 155°
* Well-Done Steak – 160°

edit: my brother is a huge believer in slow cooking meats, which is a totally different way of cooking than what I described, whether in a casserole or crock pot or whatever. Over/under cooking by 1 minute at high heat can be very significant, whereas with slow cooking it is much more forgiving. Overcooking by half an hour when it's in the oven for 12 hours is not as much as it seems.

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=869&q=casserole&btnG=Google+Search#q=crock+pot&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=a9b&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=CvrKTczYBsXSiALb-oiZBQ&ved=0CJ8BEK0E&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=64cfe6251a34cfaa&biw=1680&bih=869

 

[j_garcia]

If your making burgers - use ground round.... I never use ground beef, and you can get them to stay together better by using an egg in the mixture as a binding agent if you need to... I don't normally, but ive seen it done... depends on how good you are at prepping...

There is no mixture. One classic mistake is to mix ingredients into the meat. Seasonings on top only FTW. An egg helps, but then you are making meatloaf...

Round is definitely the best for burgers though. I tried Sirloin and other leaner stuff and they are good, but for burgers, you need a decent amount of fat to give you that flavor and juiciness.

 

[Warpdrv]

I agree with you 100% on all points... As stated, I don't use egg personally...

Mixture - hmmmm

Now that all depends, that could also include stuffed burgers.... If you haven't had a cheddar/jalapeno stuffed burger - you are missing out... I have had some amazing burgers from top of the heap chefs - that are to die for...


Blue cheese is another huge favorite of mine... amazing the things that food will do to a persons SOUL !!!

 

[jostenmeat]

This is how I cook a steak, typically, though it's been a while.

its phillip, I forgot to mention a couple of more subtle things. While I don't always do so, in fact probably rarely do so, it is accepted that for best taste you should salt and pepper the steak before cooking.

Also, take the steak off just below desired temperature, and let it rest on the side with a foil loosely sitting on top of it. This resting time will let the juices redistribute (as they pull in towards the center during cooking), or otherwise more juice will escape when cutting in earlier. The foil helps keep the steak from cooling off too much. For a typical steak, a few minutes should be good enough, but for something like what itschris did here, it would probably be more like half an hour.

If I bake a whole chicken, I'll let that rest too for a little bit, again with foil.

 

[itschris]

Hey Jost... as a steak guy you may want to try THE REVERSE SEAR method which i've become a huge fan of over the last year or two. It takes a bit longer, but when you have really good steaks and they are about 1.5" thick, it really makes a difference, especially if you like medium-rare, though medium also benefits.

You're totally correct about bringing meat to room temp. There are two enzymes that naturally tenderize meat, once turns off at 105 degrees, the other at 120. If I'm really serious about cooking some top quality steaks, I'll take them out two hours ahead of time. I'll salt and pepper them and let them sit.

I used to be part of the "gotta sear to lock it all in group" but I've seen enough now that tells me it's pretty much a myth. I think even Mythbusters debunked it. But searing is still critical because it carmelizes the outside of the meat which adds a rich beefy flaver (think about how the best gravy and sauces are made).

Let's assume your target pull off the grill temp is 120-122 for medium-rare, assuming a 15 minute rest which will raise the temp another 10 degrees. For the reverse sear method, I just cook the steaks indirect with lower heat to about 115 then pull them. From there, they can sit for almost an hour if need be, but 20-30 minutes is fine. The juices will redistribute and they'll stay near that temp. Meanwhile get your fire as hot as you can. NOW SEAR THEM!

It'll only take a couple of minutes on each side and you'll get an amazing sear. The difference is that searing a steak already at temprature requires a lot less time to carmelize and you maintain your desire doneness throughout the steak instead of just more towards the center which happens when searing first because it takes longer to sear a lower temp steak but the heat penetrates deeper so as it cooks it doesn't cook quite as even.

It's nit picky anal perfection attempting kind of stuff but it works. It's worth the extra time and attention when you want to make that special meal.

75% of the time though, I toss my steaks on a raging fire for 8 minutes total and I'm done. I just know my individual grill really well and know exactly by feel and look at this point.

itschris will have way more tips for you than I will, and prime rib is supposedly more difficult to do right, but meat is pretty easy as he said.

Grab your steak, and learn about the various grades, prime being the best (and actually can be pretty hard to find, you gotta know where).



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef#USDA_beef_grades

This is how I cook a steak, typically, though it's been a while.

Let the steak out at room temperature for a while if coming from the fridge.

I heat up a skillet/pan, no oil, until it's VERY hot (you can sprinkle a little water, and if starts dancing or instantly evaporates, you're good to go). Throw the steak on there, to sear the side so that the juices will be sealed inside. After enough attempts cooking, you'll get a feel for when it's done. Then flip to the other side to sear it as well.

You move a steak as little as possible, to keep the juices in.

You can turn down the heat once searing is done.

There is a test using the muscle between your thumb and forefinger as a reference, I think, to know how well done it is, but I just push down on the steak and know from experience. However, the most accurate, and in fact easiest for you, would be to use a thermometer. From a quick google:

* Very Rare Steak – 120°
* Rare Steak – 125°
* Medium-Rare Steak – 130° – 135°
* Medium Steak – 140° – 145°
* Medium-Well Steak – 150° – 155°
* Well-Done Steak – 160°

edit: my brother is a huge believer in slow cooking meats, which is a totally different way of cooking than what I described, whether in a casserole or crock pot or whatever. Over/under cooking by 1 minute at high heat can be very significant, whereas with slow cooking it is much more forgiving. Overcooking by half an hour when it's in the oven for 12 hours is not as much as it seems.

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=869&q=casserole&btnG=Google+Search#q=crock+pot&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=a9b&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=CvrKTczYBsXSiALb-oiZBQ&ved=0CJ8BEK0E&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=64cfe6251a34cfaa&biw=1680&bih=869