[FTC Standard Disclosure] Although I did not participate in the Sunday Supper Certified Angus Beef® Brand program this year, I did receive two trips and a banner from them in 2019.
I had a kickin' toothache last week so when I could finally eat normally again this past weekend, I went straight for a ribeye steak. Precisely, a Ribeye Steak with Roasted Garlic Chive Butter and Skillet Potatoes as a side dish. This is a free cook, meaning I wasn't writing a recipe, I was just whipping up something for dinner.
Alexis and I were at Food City and found this pair of USDA Prime, Certified Angus Beef® Brand ribeye steaks. They were just $1 more a pound that the C.A.B. USDA Choice, so the Prime was a natural choice for me.
The one on the left is trimmed competition style and tied while the one on the right is "as is" from the package.
Trimming and tying the steak does give it a uniform shape and thickness, so it cooks a little better. It isn't necessary, but I like doing it this way, even when not preparing for a Steak Cookoff Association event.
I seasoned the steak on the left with finely ground NMT Umami Steak Seasoning recipe and the one on the right with Santa Maria dry rub recipe.
I made a roasted garlic and chive compound butter to serve with the steak. So first, I roasted several heads of garlic on a small kamado grill at 350°f for an hour.
After letting the garlic, I squeezed the pulp into the glass bowl. This is a messy part, garlic is sticky, and the "paper" likes to cling to everything. Roasted Garlic and Chive Buttermakes 1/2 cup
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted garlic paste 1 teaspoon chives 1/2 teaspoon general purpose seasoning (we used NMT Ba'Cock! Poultry Seasoning)
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until butter is whipped and combined with the other ingredients Use as a compound butter for steaks, chicken, potatoes, or topping bread.
So, I screwed up a bit on the steaks - nothing major, I just made the wrong decision. I used a small kamado grill (BGE Mini-Max) for roasting the garlic, and I had it running for a few hours before doing the steak. The fuel was starting to run low before starting the steaks.
What I SHOULD have done: I should have refilled the KickAsh Basket with fresh lump and waited 20-30 minutes for the new coals to get burning cleanly. Then I would have had plenty of searing heat.
What I DID do: I used the grill as is, hoping that I'd have enough fuel to make it through 8 minutes at 450°f. In actuality, the grill never made it up to 450°f, and my temps faded from 375° to 350°f. That's not the end of the world; it just meant that I had to cook longer at a lower temperature, and I wouldn't have searing power, so my doneness would be in layers instead of edge to edge medium-rare.
Steaks grilling on the Mini-Max on a set of GrillGrates.
Thanks to the GrillGrates, I was still able to get sear marks at the lower temps.
I ended up going about 10-11 minutes instead of my usual 8 minutes.
As soon as the steaks came off of the grill, I put them on a resting rack so the bottom of the steak won't steam and release juices. I put a few "splats" of the roasted garlic and chive butter on top to melt while they rested.
For the potatoes, I par-cooked the potatoes until they were about 80% done. I started to crisp bacon in a cast-iron skillet. Once it rendered some of the fat, I added the potatoes and about 1/4 cup of finely diced sweet onion. I cooked it until the bacon was done and the potatoes tender. I garnished the potatoes with a few chopped chives.
That's a lot of potatoes for one plate, right? Alexis and I split this between us. Trevor was stopping by from college, so we let him have the other steak.
I added more butter before slicing the steak because the first round melts off. It might melt off, but it leaves flavor and lusciousness behind. I just like the second dose. Grilling is all about preferences.
See how the edges of the steak have the tell-tale marks of being medium-well done while the center was more medium-rare, despite pulling the steak at 126°f. It was still tender and tasted fantastic. It's just that I like my steaks barely medium-rare.
I could have not shown the steaks slice and pretended that it came out 100% the way that I wanted. But I like to share my successes AND my "not-so-successes" because you can learn from both. I wasn't surprised by how they turned out, I was just mad at myself for not refueling :)
Scenic City Eggfest - Chattanooga/OoltewahIf you are within driving distance of Chattanooga, you should come out to the Scenic City Eggfest this coming Saturday, October 19th, 2019. I will be sharing a recipe from my newest cookbook - The Offset Smoker Cookbook. Obviously, I will be cooking on Big Green Eggs, and I'll be featuring the Best Angus Beef - Certified Angus Beef® Brand from Food City.
For just $20 per ticket, you will get to:
Sample the tasty grilled treats that dozens of grilling teams cook on the Big Green Eggs. Attend grilling classes from experts like Ray Lampe (aka Dr. BBQ), Ryan Lane (Lane's BBQ), Joel Lickliter (Reload Rub), and some butt head named Chris Grove. Have the opportunity to buy a Big Green Egg demo egg, used only once and fully covered under the famous BGE limited lifetime warranty. Help the local community. The net proceeds from Scenic City EggFest will benefit the local Chattanooga Food Bank. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank strives to eliminate hunger and promote better nutrition in our region.
