The Pan vs. the grill

[tweek]

In my opinion (nothing humble about it) the rib eye is the crowning achievement of creation. There is simply nothing else on this planet that can compare to a properly seasoned (meaning salt, pepper and fresh crushed garlic) and probably cooked (meaning medium rare) rib eye.

However, the devil is in the details. How to cook the blasted thing?
Until about 2 weeks ago it was all about caveman style for me. Get the meat ready and let it sit for at least 2 hours (don't cook cold meat - just go eat some bologna if you're going to do that), start a lump charcoal fire and let it burn down until you have a nice layer of hot ash, pour a nice glass of whatever adult beverage you like and go enjoy some 'me' time.

Throw the steaks on, start the time for 3 minutes. enjoy adult beverage and meditate on the state of your reality.
At 3 minutes, rotate meat 90 degrees, reset timer for 3 minutes. enjoy more adult beverage and contemplate the meaning of life
This time flip the meat while rotating 90 degrees, again reset the time for 3 minutes. enjoy more beverage consider future training you'd like to take
Last 90 degree rotation and 3 more minutes. Finish beverage and consider what sides you'd like to invite to join your fine piece of meat.
Finally remove meat to a platter, place platter on microwave where the dogs won't be able to enjoy it while your back is turned. let the steak rest at least 5 minutes. This give you time to prepare sides....
who am I kidding? Get out a plate and a knife. Sides are for Democrats.

Once the meat has rested you can either just go caveman on it or if you're being nice and sharing with the family slice it up.

Until 2 weeks ago this is how I always did it. Mrs Tweek would manage other things like grilled asparagus or grilled veggies (usually zuks and squish), perhaps some baked sweet potato (forget regular potatoes - sweet potatoes kick ass).

Sorry - ADD - I enjoy cooking and get off track easily.

Anyway, I'm on the bench so I'm sitting around the house without much to do (and being paid for it!) so I decide I want a steak for lunch. I run to the store, grab a nice rib eye and head home. I'm out of charcoal! I'm feeling lazy while standing in the kitchen trying to get the urge up to go back for some charcoal. While standing there I'm staring at the iron skillet....ok, lets do this.

I season as usual and let the meat finish warming up (ok - I didn't give it a full 2 hours). Once I'm ready I put the iron skillet on the stove and set it to warm up (6 on the dial). While warming up I wipe it down with a bit of vegetable oil so the skillet is nice and black but no standing oil. Once the skillet is rocket hot I wipe the steak down. Garlic burns and tastes nasty once it is burned. I throw the 'clean' steak on the skillet and set the timer as usual (3 minutes). Normal routine - just keep rotating it 90 degrees every 3 minutes until you've visited all 4 points of the compass.

One small change to the routine - the skillet won't get the edges the way the grill does. Use tongs to hold the steak on each edge for about a minute. Once everything is nice a GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious) put the steak on its plate to rest.

Now we have a pan with yummy drippings from the steak. All that beautiful fat has melted out and is just sitting there. It would be wrong to waste it. First, careful remove any burnt stuff. Next toss in a tablespoon of butter and let it melt and mix with the stuff in the pan. Once the butter and other fat have made friends pour in some whine (don't care use white, or use red, or orange for all I care) and stir it around. Let it start to simmer and lower the heat to let it reduce a little. Pour that over your steak.

Hide the evidence of your lunch because I didn't had some explaining to do when my wife got home.

Steaks cooked in the pan seem to come out a lot more tender than grilled. I also like having the additional control over the temperature the stove offers versus charcoal.

My point in this: if you have not tried cooking a steak in a frying pan you should give it a try. It loses out on the caveman pleasure of sitting by a fire enjoying the smell of cooking meat while appreciating gods gift to us, but you still get some mighty fine eating in return and you can still enjoy gods bounty.

Actually - next time I'll build a fire outside while the steak cooks in the pan in the kitchen. It's not like I'm a slave to the timer - the difference between 180 seconds and 190 seconds is minimal.

[JeffC]

Nothing wrong with cooking in the pan ON the grill. Leave the grill somewhat hotter when you put the steak in the pan.

-jeff

[Steve Paulson]

Great post! I'll remember about letting the meat warm up to room temp. Sounds like wisdom.

Most of my steaks are done in cast iron. But my medium rare is considerably pinker than most restaurants' medium rare. I've taken to just ordering it rare when not in my own kitchen. Don't want it raw....just almost raw. Ribeye is undoubtedly delicious, but I've taken to fillet as my primary cut. It's easier to wrap bacon around it. :grin:

[JoeB40]

I have a 'ribbed' cast iron pan that I use indoors to 'grill' meat. It provides a nice even temp to cook over and for steaks, chops, and chicken it will also provide grilled sear marks as well. Recently added to my cooking quiver of tools is a cast iron grill press. It helps keep the heat in and keeps the meat even along the grill. Works great for bacon.

[336Whiskey]

I'm out of charcoal!

That sir, is grounds for surrendering of your man card!!!:lol:

[tweek]

That sir, is grounds for surrendering of your man card!!!:lol:

true - but I've discovered Irish Whiskey so I'm going to claim we're even.

I like the idea of the skillet on the grill. However, I think I'll go back to my childhood and make peach cobbler in a Dutch oven (just set the sucker in the coals.

As for filet - it's ok, but b/c there is so little fat it doesn't really deliver the full range of flavors that beef is cable of doing. That is why you need to wrap it in bacon. Plus - who says you can't wrap your ribeye in bacon for a whole tsunami of awesomeness?

Actually - save the bacon for green bean bundles. Take fresh green beans and cook them about half way (steam) so they are still crisp. make bundles of 5-10 beans and wrap them in a slice of bacon. place them in a single layer in a cake pan (13x9 is good for 1 person, adjust accordingly). In a sauce pan melt a stick of butter and add a half cup of brown sugar, heat until mixed. Pour the mixture over the bundles, throw the pan in a 350F oven until the bacon is cooked. To improve the bacon's texture turn the bundles over after about 10 to 15 minutes so both sides get GBD. Should go w/o saying - this is not on the low carb diet program. I'm holding this off until I reach a suitable milestone.

Here is the thing to me about cooking - it's all about time. Watching shows like Hell's Kitchen or whatever it drives me nuts that the chef's don't have timers. How the F do you know what is going on with a clock?

[Steve Paulson]

My cardiologist just called. He said you're the devil.

(But I like the cut of your jib. :wink:)

[Pokeguyjai]

A nice thick pan is a must. Retaining heat in the pan is the name of the game. Of course a gas stove as well. You want a neutral oil (peanut is my favorite, soy bean, or whatever else works) as well, and some butter. Salted or unsalted doesn't matter, just compensate.

Let steak sit outside of the fridge so that the center is not cold. Salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat pan up with a little bit of oil and then toss the steak on. Let it cook half way and then flip. Toss in the butter at the same time and baste occasionally until done. Let it rest for a minute or two and then eat.

I've gotten pretty good results this way. When it comes to beef though, IMO it's all about the freshness. You guys down south have better beef hands down. You could overcook a steak that still has a heartbeat and it will taste better than a perfectly cooked not as fresh steak.



Here is the thing to me about cooking - it's all about time. Watching shows like Hell's Kitchen or whatever it drives me nuts that the chef's don't have timers. How the F do you know what is going on with a clock?

Most of those chefs have surefire recipes and they know how the process is like the back of their hand.

A thermometer is more useful than a timer. A timer is really only useful if you are forgetful. Like if you put something in the oven and forget to check it every so often/need to baste.

[bae]

I do steaks this way now and then, and it comes out insanely good:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe/index.html

[Vigilant]

Pan searing is awesome, not quite what the grill imparts, but very tasty nonetheless! One thing to remember when you deglaze the pan with the wine, it is best to be clear away from the heat source, as the alcohol vapor can ignite causing quite the kitchen excitement! But then again, most of us thrive on excitement...

[Pokeguyjai]

I've been buying some really thick steaks lately. I have had trouble cooking the inside to hot pink. ( Medium )

I think i am going to let steak set out a couple / few hours next time and give this a shot. Thanks

Try a lower flame (60-75%) and cranking it to high at near the end to get that nice browning.


Pan searing is awesome, not quite what the grill imparts, but very tasty nonetheless! One thing to remember when you deglaze the pan with the wine, it is best to be clear away from the heat source, as the alcohol vapor can ignite causing quite the kitchen excitement! But then again, most of us thrive on excitement...

The main thing is to pour it properly. Keeping the thumb over the spout until you have it vertically over the pan. Let the thumb off when you want to pour and then reapply the thumb when you are done pouring. The spout should not move at all until you are done pouring. When all appendages are in a safe distance, you can set stuff on fire!

[tkarter]

A cast iron skillet don't care what makes it hot it cooks it good.

tk

[DMag427]

Agreed on all the above. My favorite is charcoal piled high under cast iron pan heated to white ash in pan. Day before coat both sides of steak(approx 1 Tbsp total) with Paul Prudhommes Meat Magic. Let steaks rest in fridge. Melt a stick of unsalted butter in microwave. Skim off white fats and use half the clarified butter in super heated pan. Slide steak in pan, cook 3 mins. Remove steak, add remaining butter and slide in steak for another 3 mins on the other side. Makes perfectly crusted rare steak. My mouth is watering...

[Heywood]

The link bae posted is the only way to go. He posted it a while back and I tried it. I have to say, I do it this way almost as much as charcoal grilling.
i reserve the charcoal for the dry aged stuff, I have an old fridge in my shop just for that.

[Mr. Anthony]

If I'm cooking in a pan, I do the same thing bae posted, or I pan-sear and finish in the oven. I like it every bit as much as grilling.

[gdalton]

Always sear either pan or hot flame but never charcoal I use Oak or Hickory. Oh and Irish whiskey is the only way to go.

[CaptBeach]

Get one of these...you wont be sorry...same same...blistering hot, rotate 90-90, flip, rotate 90-90 always rotating to a spot not yet used as its hotter than the place you just left...rest EAT...once its seasoned the cast iron is nearly nonstick anyway...oh and run your vent on HIGH...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0kKJ_9cR-dA/SKSP1sj31rI/AAAAAAAAARA/33_Jd9agc6A/s400/30.BLG.Beef.Ribeye.LodgeGrill.Mushrooms+030.jpg

[CaptBeach]

OH YEAH...while that steak is resting (get a big one to share with the XO...let her throw in the olive oiled, salt and peppered asparagus and a couple of thick slices of onion onto the hot beefied up surface and toss'em around while the steak is taking a break...splash'em with balsamic vinegar right before you serve'em...



Get one of these...you wont be sorry...same same...blistering hot, rotate 90-90, flip, rotate 90-90 always rotating to a spot not yet used as its hotter than the place you just left...rest EAT...once its seasoned the cast iron is nearly nonstick anyway...oh and run your vent on HIGH...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0kKJ_9cR-dA/SKSP1sj31rI/AAAAAAAAARA/33_Jd9agc6A/s400/30.BLG.Beef.Ribeye.LodgeGrill.Mushrooms+030.jpg

[tweek]

The 'boiling' method takes the whole leaving your steak out for a while before cooking to its logical extreme. The entire idea is to get the meat as close to its finished temperature as possible before exposing it to extreme heat. Extreme heat damages the cells and makes the meat tougher - which is why a well done steak has all the yummy texture of shoe leather. Might as well just get some beef jerky.

I've used this method in the past buy my wife didn't like the results. Hard to comprehend but she found the meat too tender. Sad to say, she likes her steak more done (ruined) than I do.

But I do recommend giving this method a shot too.

To people who don't cook: You're always going to be at the mercy of those who do.

[John Chambers]

Alton Brown is brilliant, he is the "go to" when I need a new recipie. He is also a shooter, by his own admission his favorite rifle is a SCAR-H!


I do steaks this way now and then, and it comes out insanely good:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe/index.html

[CaptBeach]

Alton Brown is brilliant, he is the "go to" when I need a new recipie. He is also a shooter, by his own admission his favorite rifle is a SCAR-H!

Ditto...the wife got to meet him a while back...he was a guest speaker and she was the keynote...she ended up having lunch with him at her table...said he was a hell of a guy in person too...that same week she also had lunch and an in-depth conversation with naturalist Jeff Corwin...she speaks rather highly of both of them...she had a great week...I was jealous...

[bae]

Also - there is a happy middle ground between skillet and grill:

The Evo - I love this thing. Basically a giant outdoor griddle/Mongolian BBQ. You can make pizzas/flatbread on it, pancakes/bacon/eggs for an army, stir-fry, mountains of steaks/seafood, pretty much whatever:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tF-FSm3oNww/TDkI5SsLegI/AAAAAAAABKg/J5eFp3Y5MBQ/s640/img_0330.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4Hy9vXdkEhw/TDkI8O4_eWI/AAAAAAAABKo/oClkLumD-co/s640/img_0332.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IblMfqAQplY/TDkI6gWTnBI/AAAAAAAABKk/sONLw_ByLcA/s640/img_0331.jpg

[Winchester67]

And Alton likes vintage English motorbikes and has pulled out a Benchmade knife on his show more than once. He is one of the good guys. I am another big fan of the cast iron raised rib skillet...get it rocket hot, sear the meat and finish in the oven. Lots more temp control and tastes great. However, I have never seen a grill like Bae just posted. I think this thread just cost me a stack of cash...Bae, some details please.

[Mjolnir]

Question for all of you cast iron gurus. How do you guys clean your cast iron pans? I have seen people put water in them and heat it on the stove, some people just wipe them out with a paper towel. Any suggestions?


Boards don't punch back.

[Heywood]

Question for all of you cast iron gurus. How do you guys clean your cast iron pans? I have seen people put water in them and heat it on the stove, some people just wipe them out with a paper towel. Any suggestions?


Boards don't punch back.
if thou have a properly seasoned pan all you need to do is continue heating after empty, pore in a small amount of oil and wipe it with a paper towel. A good pan like a griswald or Wagner is non stick so it takes nothing to keep them clean.
some people scrub them with a little salt, and some people use soap and water. IMHO You do not need to.

[JeffC]

if thou have a properly seasoned pan all you need to do is continue heating after empty, pore in a small amount of oil and wipe it with a paper towel. A good pan like a griswald or Wagner is non stick so it takes nothing to keep them clean.
some people scrub them with a little salt, and some people use soap and water. IMHO You do not need to.

IF you clean your cast iron with soap and water you will need to re-season it. Just take a little oil and wipe it around the inside of the pan and then wipe it out leaving just a little residue.

-jeff

[John Chambers]

I used the Alton Brown method last night with an extra thick sirloin and it was magnificent! It is a great way to cook a steak!

[gps man]

NEVER soap in your cast iron pan!!!!

It will ruin it, take the non stick right out of it.

Soak in plain hot water and wipe it dry at the very most...most of the time I just wipe it out with a paper towel.

Cast iron is mostly all I use. Fry my eggs every morning in a cast iron pan that was my grandfathers

[Mjolnir]

I was warned about the soap when I bought it. My isn't very nonstick. How do you guys season them?


Boards don't punch back.

[John Chambers]

I used the method my Grandmother showed me. Throw some oil in the pan, wipe it around with your hand, bake it at 350 for about an hour, repeat as necessary. I used grapeseed oil because it has a higher flashpoint.

[ZMB HNTR]

Get one of these...you wont be sorry...same same...blistering hot, rotate 90-90, flip, rotate 90-90 always rotating to a spot not yet used as its hotter than the place you just left...rest EAT...once its seasoned the cast iron is nearly nonstick anyway...oh and run your vent on HIGH...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0kKJ_9cR-dA/SKSP1sj31rI/AAAAAAAAARA/33_Jd9agc6A/s400/30.BLG.Beef.Ribeye.LodgeGrill.Mushrooms+030.jpg


Lodge is indeed quality, but my wife and I have been really experimenting with her new set of Le Creuset lately ... well, I mostly enjoy the bounties! Quality cast iron leaves precious little lacking that you can't do with it. In addition to letting your meat get to room temperate it MUST rest after you cook it for at least 20 mins. I will need to try the cast iron on the grill trick though, probably use my charcoal grill for that; incidentally I have some rib-eyes in the fridge for a family get-together this weekend.

[bae]

However, I have never seen a grill like Bae just posted. I think this thread just cost me a stack of cash...Bae, some details please.

It's an Evo - it has two large coils of propane burners under that heavy, removeable flat plate. Perfect for any forms of la plancha cooking. It has a tremendous heat capacity, and if you get the large one, you can cook lots of things at once on it. Or have multiple cooks at once working it.

http://evo-web.com/

[gps man]

The best way to season or keep seasoned a cast iron pan is just to use it!

Pork Fat baby! Cook your bacon and sausage in it... And it will just keep getting slicker and slicker.

[bae]

Question for all of you cast iron gurus. How do you guys clean your cast iron pans? I have seen people put water in them and heat it on the stove, some people just wipe them out with a paper towel. Any suggestions?


I wipe them clean first with a towel, if they look scary after that, I use some really hot water and another wipe, if they look scary after that, I use coarse salt as an abrasive and scrub, then wipe down with a wee bit of oil.

For the large cast iron skillets, if they are looking scary and I feel lazy, I just use 3M commercial griddle-care tools, which is what I use on that big Evo grill too:

http://i21.geccdn.net/site/images/n-picgroup/LGA_MCO_200CC.jpg

[tweek]

After I'm all done cooking I'll toss in a few spoon fulls of course salt and pour in some water. Add some heat and then use a towel to finish scrubbing it all out. It doesn't require much water. The hot wet salt is pretty corrosive to food stuff and its also pretty abrasive. Once the surface is clean a splash of vegetable oil and a quick wipe down.

Do not under any circumstance put soap on your cast iron or put your cast iron in the dish washer. I'd go as far as saying don't even put it in the sink. It stays on the stove or in the oven. Once you've cleaned it with soap you basically have to start all over and it won't ever be quite right again. Might as well take an industrial sander to it and remove that top layer and try it again.

[bdcbbq]

I use a bamboo wok brush and hot running water, then heat until dry and wipe with a little shortening.

[Heywood]

Mild Soap ruining a cast iron pan is a myth, if it is seasoned properly and of good quality, occasional mild soap will not hurt it. The problem comes from improperly seasoned or modern cookware of low quality.
Having said that, it is not the method I would use.

[Winchester67]

Thanks Bae...that is a slick set up! Looks like just the ticket for large party grilling....

[Jamison]

I like to use a stainless steel pan when cooking steaks when I don't use the grill.

I take the meat, coat it in a lot of olive oil and season. Set the oven for 400 F, heat up the pan to searing temp, or where if you put some oil on the pan it starts to smoke. Place the steak in the pan, sear for 30 sec to a minute on each side, stick in the oven for another five to seven minutes for rare.

Take out of the oven. Put steak on a plate, and return the pan back to the stove, and apply more heat. Pull down some red wine or some good alcohol of your choice, (I like Irish Whiskey) add about an eighth to a quarter of a cup and deglaze the pan. Cook the alcohol off and add a little bit of stock, beef, chicken or veg, it really doesn't matter. Cook all of that down to sauce consistency. When you have the correct consistency you add almost a stick of cold unsalted butter to the sauce, one tbs at a time stirring constantly. You don't want to let the sauce boil or the butter will separate and ruin the sauce. If the consistency is too thick or if the sauce looks a little too greasy, add another splash of stock to even the sauce out. Add salt and pepper if needed (depends on the amount of seasoning on the initial piece of meat)

Pour sauce over perfectly cooked rare steak and enjoy with sides of your choice. :lol:

[bdcbbq]

Try the reverse sear method.

Three steps. (1)Salt thick cut good steaks, one hour. (2) Put in an Oven at 275F until 90-95 degrees. (3) Immediately sear, for no more than two minutes each side on medium hot pan.

www.seriouseats.com (http://www.seriouseats.com) is an excellent site for great cooking tips of all kinds.

[Mjolnir]

Thanks for the tips. What brands would you recommend for cast iron?


Boards don't punch back.

[Heywood]

Thanks for the tips. What brands would you recommend for cast iron?


Boards don't punch back.

Try to find an older Griswold or Wagner.
Lodge casting is really the only modern "domestic" cast iron pan manufacturer in the us and is ok but not as good as the older manufactured stuff. It is heavier than the others but this serves only to make people think it is better. They come pre seasoned but have a much more rough finish than the vintage pans as older companies used to machine their pans after casting for a much smoother finish, they no longer do this.

[50BMG]

Try the reverse sear method.

Three steps. (1)Salt thick cut good steaks, one hour. (2) Put in an Oven at 275F until 90-95 degrees. (3) Immediately sear, for no more than two minutes each side on medium hot pan.

www.seriouseats.com (http://www.seriouseats.com) is an excellent site for great cooking tips of all kinds.

This is the method I've been using ever since I moved into temp housing and can't have a grill. The results have been excellent!




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[EenieMeenie]

Make a board dressing of butter, chopped garlic, and chopped parsley, melt and pour on the cutting board, put cooked steak on the board, flip it to coat the steak, deglaze the cooking pan with red or white wine, reduce and add to board dressing , once again flipping steak in it. Slice making sure each slice is coated--eat.

[kabar]

Bae, that Evo grill just calls out for a big 'ole paella pan.