cooking

[ednksu]

Nice or not, olive oil has too low a smoke point to sear anything

Not quite accurate. 
http://www.weber.com/weber-nation/blog/how-to-sear

Also the 3 types of olive oil I've mentioned all have greatly different smoke points.

That's a shitty source. The entire goal of searing is to cook the outer edge as quickly without cooking the inside.  If you "sear" at 300 you are going to be cooking the interior significantly. Yes processed olive oil has a higher smoke point than EVOO, but it's still not high enough for a good sear.

I think you should circle back and do some more reading before assuming what others are talking about.  No one is talking about searing at 300. 

[DQ12]

the article you cited to was talking about searing at 300

[CNS]

In all seriousness, EV olive oil should be used for dressings, pizza dough, flavoring things that are baked fairly low and that's about it.  If you're cooking with a good amount of heat, just use Virgin Olive Oil.  Oil that is smoking is never a good thing.  That said, my wife sears with it all the time.

If you want a steak with a beaut mahogany crust on it and cooked to perfection, fill up a chimney starter with charcoal(I use natural for steaks) and wait until it is white hot.(it's like a broiler on steroids. 700-900 degrees)  knock as much of the ash off as you can, and then sit that baby right over top of your steak.  1.5-2 minutes, take off, flip steak, knock ash off again, put back on steak.  1.5-2 minutes.  Check the internal temp of steak. if you want to go higher, dump the coals into your grill, and cook normal until you reach your doneness.  Since I'm usually cooking 2 steaks, I'll sear one steak, and as I take it off the first steak, set it aside, I add more charcoal to the chimney starter, and then sear the second steak. I'll dump the coals in the grill and then finish both steaks at the same time, putting the first steak closer to the coals.  2-5 minutes and they should both be medium.  may only take a minute for medium rare.  (assuming 1.5 inch thick steak, any thinner and it'll likely be done after the second sear).  I also pre-salt my steak 15-30 mins before cooking and sit on the counter.  With that high of heat, pepper(and most other spices) will turn to black charred dust.  Unless you are going for au poivre, pepper or season after cooking or at least after the sear

A new technique I've recently tried and have had really good success with is cooking with a partially frozen steak(maybe 30 min to an hour in the freezer or if you have frozen steaks let them thaw about 75% of the way).  It takes longer, but I was thrilled with the result.  You can get a great sear on the steak with minimal internal cooking.  Then cook indirectly until done (5-10 mins) ( a good way to add a tinfoil pouch of wood chips to add some smokey flavor to the steak if you're into that).  When done, I had only a couple millimeters of well done sear on the outside and the rest was perfectly medium-medium rare. (similar to a sous vide result).  It also allowed a little more time for more fat and connective tissue to render so the meat has a buttery mouth feel to it.

ATK, pre Chris Kimball leaving, did a steak where they lit a charcoal chimney starter, let the coal get to the point that you would normally dump into your grill, then took a couple skewers(metal), skewered steak, and put it right on top of the chimney(using the skeweres to hold it in place on top of the chimney.  Kimball said it was his fav steak yet.

[ednksu]

So the reading part is a bit more complex then you're letting on.  I'll yield it's not great because it's talking about grilling and we've been on oven/indoor cooking.  Note the piece says this: "the best temperature for steaks is 450°F to 500°F." Yes the range noted in the grill starts at 300 but that is air temp, they say specifically that the grill grates need to be in that 500 range, where you're actually getting contact with your meat.  The point they are making about their air temp is where those proteins start to alter as we've discussed here. Note that you don't want sear something like fish you can't be near 500, you'd be over a medium heat like 300 which what I think the weber piece is getting at with their vagueness. 

[pissclams]

who is cooking steak that fits under a chimney starter?  maybe something for the kids or something, dunno.

[Tobias]

dino steak nugz

[CNS]

who is cooking steak that fits under a chimney starter?  maybe something for the kids or something, dunno.

Filet.  Also, it's on top, not under. 

[pissclams]

lol @ cooking a steak on top of a chimney starter, hey alton brown- pick up on line 1 please!   

who eats filet, your grandmother on her 89th birthday?

[halfEmpty]

In all seriousness, EV olive oil should be used for dressings, pizza dough, flavoring things that are baked fairly low and that's about it.  If you're cooking with a good amount of heat, just use Virgin Olive Oil.  Oil that is smoking is never a good thing.  That said, my wife sears with it all the time.

If you want a steak with a beaut mahogany crust on it and cooked to perfection, fill up a chimney starter with charcoal(I use natural for steaks) and wait until it is white hot.(it's like a broiler on steroids. 700-900 degrees)  knock as much of the ash off as you can, and then sit that baby right over top of your steak.  1.5-2 minutes, take off, flip steak, knock ash off again, put back on steak.  1.5-2 minutes.  Check the internal temp of steak. if you want to go higher, dump the coals into your grill, and cook normal until you reach your doneness.  Since I'm usually cooking 2 steaks, I'll sear one steak, and as I take it off the first steak, set it aside, I add more charcoal to the chimney starter, and then sear the second steak. I'll dump the coals in the grill and then finish both steaks at the same time, putting the first steak closer to the coals.  2-5 minutes and they should both be medium.  may only take a minute for medium rare.  (assuming 1.5 inch thick steak, any thinner and it'll likely be done after the second sear).  I also pre-salt my steak 15-30 mins before cooking and sit on the counter.  With that high of heat, pepper(and most other spices) will turn to black charred dust.  Unless you are going for au poivre, pepper or season after cooking or at least after the sear

A new technique I've recently tried and have had really good success with is cooking with a partially frozen steak(maybe 30 min to an hour in the freezer or if you have frozen steaks let them thaw about 75% of the way).  It takes longer, but I was thrilled with the result.  You can get a great sear on the steak with minimal internal cooking.  Then cook indirectly until done (5-10 mins) ( a good way to add a tinfoil pouch of wood chips to add some smokey flavor to the steak if you're into that).  When done, I had only a couple millimeters of well done sear on the outside and the rest was perfectly medium-medium rare. (similar to a sous vide result).  It also allowed a little more time for more fat and connective tissue to render so the meat has a buttery mouth feel to it.

Yeah getting cooking a grill radically changes the game. 
I'd love to work on control with lump charcoal as it seems to get so much hotter than briquettes but the control is harder from what I gather.

Yeah, I use lump for the grill/broiler method because it burns hotter and cleaner, but it is harder to manage.  If I'm converting the grill to a smoker I use briquettes for the heat with some hardwoods intermixed for the smoke.

[halfEmpty]

who is cooking steak that fits under a chimney starter?  maybe something for the kids or something, dunno.

I have a 10" chimney starter.  Most steaks will just barely fit under it.  I'm not cooking the Big Texan in my backyard.

[ednksu]

lol @ cooking a steak on top of a chimney starter, hey alton brown- pick up on line 1 please!   

who eats filet, your grandmother on her 89th birthday?

oh man haven't you had a filet that just melts in your mouth?  some nice butter sauce if needed....  
I'm not sure I could do a marrow butter, but some of that looks *interesting*.

[pissclams]

who is cooking steak that fits under a chimney starter?  maybe something for the kids or something, dunno.

I have a 10" chimney starter.  Most steaks will just barely fit under it.  I'm not cooking the Big Texan in my backyard.

well apparently the steak goes on top of the chimney not under it

[star seed 7]

Filets's are trash

[pissclams]

lol @ cooking a steak on top of a chimney starter, hey alton brown- pick up on line 1 please!   

who eats filet, your grandmother on her 89th birthday?

oh man haven't you had a filet that just melts in your mouth?  some nice butter sauce if needed....  
I'm not sure I could do a marrow butter, but some of that looks *interesting*.

yeah the filet at houston's is really good but i'm a ribeye man by nature.  it's just in my nature.  ribeye is a delicious cut of meat. that's my motto.  i also like the sirloin for some reason.

[ednksu]

lol @ cooking a steak on top of a chimney starter, hey alton brown- pick up on line 1 please!   

who eats filet, your grandmother on her 89th birthday?

oh man haven't you had a filet that just melts in your mouth?  some nice butter sauce if needed....  
I'm not sure I could do a marrow butter, but some of that looks *interesting*.

yeah the filet at houston's is really good but i'm a ribeye man by nature.  it's just in my nature.  ribeye is a delicious cut of meat. that's my motto.  i also like the sirloin for some reason.

I'll usually go strip > filet > sirloin > ribeye
I just can't get over the fat in a good cut of a ribeye.  I know if you cook them well the fat melts a bit and gives you that awesome flavor, but it's just too much for me.  Sirloins are nice since you can get an okay to really good pretty much anywhere.

[pissclams]

ever go to a restaurant and feel embarrassed after ordering the biggest steak on the menu? 

[star seed 7]

I have never done that 'clams, should I be embarrassed?

[pissclams]

no i wouldn't worry about it.  sometimes when you roll up your sleeves and get into a very large steak session it can be a little embarrassing but then you just look at your table mates and shrug your shoulders and say something about being a growing boy or make a tapeworm remark.   it works every time and sometimes people will giggle.

[halfEmpty]

who is cooking steak that fits under a chimney starter?  maybe something for the kids or something, dunno.

I have a 10" chimney starter.  Most steaks will just barely fit under it.  I'm not cooking the Big Texan in my backyard.

well apparently the steak goes on top of the chimney not under it

If I was going to cook on top of the chimney... well I wouldn't unless I didn't have a grill.  I cook under the chimney for a quasi high temperature broiler. 

As for steaks.  Ribeye is where it is at.  Just can't beat it.  Occasionally I'll cook a strip or a sirloin but almost never a filet.

[CNS]

I have been digging KC Strip lately, but it needs to be pretty thick.  Anymore, Ribeye is a little too fatty for me.  I mean, it's still ridic good...

Also, love me some tri tip and sirloin.

I also never cook or order filet.  Just brought it up since it was the steak used in the scenario I relayed.

[Gooch]

Filets's are trash

[Cire]

Not a fillet fan.  Rib eye or thick sirloin

Rare.  I don't set meat out that I'm searing, otherwise over cooked to my taste.


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[CHONGS]

I usually burn about a tbs of expensive extra virgin olive oil for about two minutes and then slap down a piece of chuck for ten minutes .  Yum yum.  Need that olive oil super smoking tho.  Maybe even burn some butter too- just for thd luxurious aroma.

[pissclams]

I usually burn about a tbs of expensive extra virgin olive oil for about two minutes and then slap down a piece of chuck for ten minutes .  Yum yum.  Need that olive oil super smoking tho.  Maybe even burn some butter too- just for thd luxurious aroma.

omg gross city move here, never eat steak at mr and mrs chingon's house my God sounds gross

[CHONGS]

I usually burn about a tbs of expensive extra virgin olive oil for about two minutes and then slap down a piece of chuck for ten minutes .  Yum yum.  Need that olive oil super smoking tho.  Maybe even burn some butter too- just for thd luxurious aroma.

omg gross city move here, never eat steak at mr and mrs chingon's house my God sounds gross

That smoke dont joke.