Grilling, Gas or Charcoal?

I have something I want to come clean about. I haven’t thrown a steak on the grill since I learned about the cast iron skillet. I’ve been turning the gas as high as it’ll go on the stove and putting just about a tablespoon of avacado oil in the pan then I cook a 1 to 1.5 inch ribeye about 5 minutes per side. To prepare them before cooking, I let them sit for a while on the counter after coating them with a little salt and garlic powder and a whole bunch of black pepper. Everything works best when I just leave them alone in the skillet until the time is up on each side.

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Originally Posted by ChipDog

I have something I want to come clean about. I haven’t thrown a steak on the grill since I learned about the cast iron skillet. I’ve been turning the gas as high as it’ll go on the stove and putting just about a tablespoon of avacado oil in the pan then I cook a 1 to 1.5 inch ribeye about 5 minutes per side. To prepare them before cooking, I let them sit for a while on the counter after coating them with a little salt and garlic powder and a whole bunch of black pepper. Everything works best when I just leave them alone in the skillet until the time is up on each side.

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Same, except I Sous vide at 130 and then cook 1 minute per side on a screaming hot cast iron skillet. Perfect every time. Can’t mess it up.

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Originally Posted by Guisslapp

Same, except I Sous vide at 130 and then cook 1 minute per side on a screaming hot cast iron skillet. Perfect every time. Can’t mess it up.

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I've heard people talking about this method but have never used it myself. What kind of setup do you have?

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Originally Posted by SicemDawgz

I've heard people talking about this method but have never used it myself. What kind of setup do you have?

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Pretty basic - just an immersion circulator in a big pot and put the meat in a ziplock bag. I don’t even vacuum seal, just use water displacement.

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Originally Posted by ChipDog

I have something I want to come clean about. I haven’t thrown a steak on the grill since I learned about the cast iron skillet. I’ve been turning the gas as high as it’ll go on the stove and putting just about a tablespoon of avacado oil in the pan then I cook a 1 to 1.5 inch ribeye about 5 minutes per side. To prepare them before cooking, I let them sit for a while on the counter after coating them with a little salt and garlic powder and a whole bunch of black pepper. Everything works best when I just leave them alone in the skillet until the time is up on each side.

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What level of cooked is that? Medium?

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Originally Posted by Guisslapp

Same, except I Sous vide at 130 and then cook 1 minute per side on a screaming hot cast iron skillet. Perfect every time. Can’t mess it up.

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I love this method, I had it many times this way.

Unfortunately, I don't own a Sous Vide machine. I do the reverse-sear method. Slow and low in the oven then sear it on the stove butter basting it. I most time sear it using a Searzall blow torch outside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akO6D_tc0lo

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Originally Posted by Guisslapp

Same, except I Sous vide at 130 and then cook 1 minute per side on a screaming hot cast iron skillet. Perfect every time. Can’t mess it up.

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I love the “can’t mess it up” quality. I tried to get my favorite waiter at a local steakhouse to snap some pictures of their process, but he said he’d get fired - he did give me a good description though.

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Originally Posted by skilldawg

What level of cooked is that? Medium?

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If it’s a bone-in and 1 to 1.5 inches it’ll be closer to medium-rare. Without a bone it’s been what I consider medium.

My son likes it a little more done, so I crank the oven to 400 and do his in a small cast iron skilllet by itself and finish it off in the oven - the versatility of the cast iron is fantastic

Anybody use a vortex with a Weber Kettle? Looks like a great way to sear steaks as well as get crispy wings.

And Sous vide salmon is incredible. Skin off and brine in the bag with salt water and splash of dry vermouth for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Dump the brine and put salmon back in the bag with dill, olive oil and black pepper. Sous vide 30 minutes at 129 (crisp skin on the side, optional).

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Originally Posted by ChipDog

If it’s a bone-in and 1 to 1.5 inches it’ll be closer to medium-rare. Without a bone it’s been what I. Insider medium.

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twss

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Originally Posted by Guisslapp

And Sous vide salmon is incredible. Skin off and brine in the bag with salt water and splash of dry vermouth for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Dump the brine and put salmon back in the bag with dill, olive oil and black pepper. Sous vide 30 minutes at 129 (crisp skin on the side, optional).

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I want to try this as Mrs CD loves salmon. If I recall there are two shades of vermouth - which do you recommend, and in what form is the dill?

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Originally Posted by Champ967

twss

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Inches and bones - unavoidable.

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Originally Posted by ChipDog

I want to try this as Mrs CD loves salmon. If I recall there are two shades of vermouth - which do you recommend, and in what form is the dill?


Inches and bones - unavoidable.

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Dry vermouth - the type you would put in a Martini. Not sweet vermouth - the type you would use in a Manhattan. I use Dolin Dry, but any dry vermouth would be fine.

I get good results with dry dill, but fresh dill would probably be even better.

The purpose of the brine is to pull out the albumin proteins that create the white foam on the surface of salmon when you bake it. Adding a small amount of dry vermouth to the brine adds some white wine and botanical aromatics to the salmon.

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Originally Posted by johnnylightnin

Anybody use a vortex with a Weber Kettle? Looks like a great way to sear steaks as well as get crispy wings.

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No, but I do take a piece of split hickory or oak and lay it across on the charcoal grate and then place/concentrate all of the charcoal behind it. The “log” holds the burning coals back like a dam while also giving off a lot of smoke. You then have most of the grill to cook on with indirect heat, and if you want to sear, you can do that right over the coals.

This is how I do wings, ribs, Boston Butt, even a whole turkey - basicallyeverything. I have the 27” kettle with a hinged cooking grate to allow for adding charcoal.

I have also seared on a chimney starter before.