On Sunday we had our good friends Sean and Amy over to watch the Falcons play the 49ers and to eat dinner afterwards. The outcome of the game didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, but the steaks definitely did! Sean and I ran to Harry's in Alpharetta to pick up 4 thick cut ribeye steaks with nice marbling. The marbling in this cut adds a lot of flavor and is the reason why the ribeye is my steak of choice. This particular meal also included sauteed mushrooms & onions, homemade steak sauce, idaho potatoes on the grill, sauteed okra with garlic and shallots, and garlic bread.
Step 1: Season the steaks. I used my standard seasoning which includes equal parts of salt, pepper, sugar, and garlic powder. I also picked up some fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley which served multiple purposes. For the seasoning, I just diced up a little of each. Drizzle some olive oil on each side and then sprinking seasoning and the fresh herbs on top. Allow these to rest until they reach room temperature before cooking.
Step 2: Prepare the potatoes. This method of cooking potatoes is rather unique, and it always tastes great when cooked on the grill. First, I skinned 4 large idaho potatoes and sliced them in half. Also cut the ends off so they sit up on each end. Using a sharp knife, core the potatoes. Be careful to cut enough out creating a cup but not puncturing the sides.
Cut 16 pieces of asparagus so the tops hang outside of the cups. At this point I also prepare the stuffing that fills the potato cups. In a bowl mix together cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and bacon bits. Blend together well into a thick creamy consistency. Stuff each cup with the mixture and add the asparagus.
To complete the potato prep you will wrap each individual cup with a strip of bacon and place a toothpick through to hold it in place. This is unrelated to the potato prep, but I also want to point out my herb brush in the pictures that will be used for basting my steaks as they cook. Take the leftover sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and parsley and bunch them together around a wooden spoon. Tie the bushel together with some cooking twine and set aside for later use.
Step 3: Prepare the steaksauce. Pictured below is a recipe I wrote down from a Bobby Flay, but I added a few tweeks here and there. Reduce about 1-1.5 cups of balsamic vinegar for about 5 minutes over high heat. Add in Rosemary and garlic, continue to reduce until it becomes the consistency of syrup. Strain this mixture into a food processor. Add roasted red peppers in adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons of horseradish, worcestershire, molasses, honey, and brown sugar. I found that once blended the inital mix was rather bitter so I added a bit more molasses, brown sugar, and honey. I also found that the sauce sweetened up quite a bit once it sat for a while.
Step 4: Sautee the mushrooms and prep the okra. At this point I had baby bellas and portobellos in a small sautee pan over low heat with red wine, beef broth, and some worcestershire sauce. This was also simmering with Diced shallots and garlic mixed in. I also prepped the okra by slicing off the ends and combining with the leftover shallots and garlic. Okra turns slimy when over cooked, so I waited to cook these until near the very end.
Step 5: Begin cooking the potatoes. I used both of my webers for this cook. On the one pictured just below I arranged all my charcoal in one side of the weber piled up almost to the grate. Once the carcoal was nice and gray I added my potatoes on the other end and put the lid over the. I closed the vents and the end temp was reading right around 500 degrees. I cook these indirectly for about 30 minutes. You can tell when they're done when the potatoes are a golden brown and the bacon is cooked.
Step 6: Prep & cook the steak. The first order of business here is to create a baste for the steaks. In a small sauce pan I add 1 cup of olive oil, 1 stick of butter, finely chopped garlic, shallots, fresh herbs used and mentioned above, tablespoon of worcestershire, and light sprinkles of salt, pepper, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Heat this over medium heat until the butter is melted.
The next step in cooking the steak is to get the 2nd weber piping hot. I layer a lot of charcoal covering half of the grill and up to 1 inch below the cooking grate surface. Allow this to gray and get very hot and mature before spreading. I will also leave a small spot on one end that does not have coals or a direct heat source. This is important and there is a reason to it!
Now you are ready to cook the steaks. The purpose of the baste is too create layers of flavor (credit Adam Perry Lang) and add a nice char or crust on the outside of the steak. Cook the steak on one side over very hot direct heat. Flip the steak every 1-2 minutes constantly basting each side with the herb brush before and after flipping. This will create significant flare ups so be careful. I woul put the lid on between flips to extinguish the flame but then remember to open it with the lid acting as a shield as the flame will come back once exposed to air. I cook the steaks this way until there is a very nice crust and char on both sides (about 5-8 minutes).
Once I have the crust the way I want it I will move the steaks to the other end where the coals are less direct and cooler. This allows the meat to cook through while preventing flare ups and burnt steak.
Pull the steak once it's cooked to your liking and allow to rest for a couple minutes. You can continue to add layers of flavor by using board dressing at this point. Adam Lang's technique is to slice off the burnt tips of your herb brush and place this on a tray or cutting board where your steak is resting.
Step 7: Once the steak is near complete or resting I will sautee the okra and cook the garlic bread.
Step 8: Plate your food and enjoy! I will lightly drizzle the steak sauce over the steak and sauteed mushrooms. The only thing that could have made this dinner better was a Falcons victory. Maybe next year!
