BBQ'n thick steaks..

[The Colt 45s]

Pit smoke using green oak, put a highly rubbed brisket in at 230 for as much as 18-hours. Every couple of hours drown in your mop sauce and you will have magic in your mouth.

[Wetcoaster]

Ron, braise vs roast as Wet noted.

And for the record, even with the lid off, the thick cast iron on 5 of 6 sides still does a heck of a job evening out the temp of the minor fluctuations particularly when roasting around the 200F mark as Wet noted in his other post.

[avelanch]

Yup, but that's the problem. You have to have a really good oven. A conventional one won't be able to hold the low temperature as the elements keeping having to turn off and on which results in the temperature fluctuating. The ol' probe thermometer will show that.

I actually just cooked a nice 4 rib prime rib on the Q and I assure you it was terrific. I actually got up at five in the morning to take it out so that it would warm up and had it on low and slow by 9:30 in the morning.

[aGENT]

Yeah I second the pizza stone as well. Ours pretty much lives in our oven for just that reason.

Great for pizza too!! ...lol

[Wetcoaster]

which is why you should get a gas oven, much more even cooking temp.

also, a pizza stone or a couple foil lined bricks do wonders to evening out electric oven temps.

[Snake Doctor]

Anyone got the formula, I'm trying to grill some steaks but since they are so thick, I have no idea how to go about them, Google want's me to read essay's that I don't have time for, so if anyone has it pat down plz help me out, about the temp and cooking mins, Thanks!

[ronthecivil]

Ron, braise vs roast as Wet noted.

And for the record, even with the lid off, the thick cast iron on 5 of 6 sides still does a heck of a job evening out the temp of the minor fluctuations particularly when roasting around the 200F mark as Wet noted in his other post.

[avelanch]

Or get a top quality electric range.

[avelanch]

As it turns out I have cast iron pots like that so I could give it a try.

[Wetcoaster]

it's cheaper to go gas, or keep your cheap oven plus bricks...

I didn't even know they had "high end" electric ovens... I always thought that's what gas ovens were for.

[taxi]

1) Buy a better BBQ

2) Use the infrared grill to sear the meat.

3) Do the 4-5 mins a side.

4) Disconnect oven so as to avoid desire to put meat into it. The oven is for cookies, not meat.

[Jai604]

Absolutely NOTHING wrong with finishing your steaks in the oven. If you have a good BBQ of course it's not necessary, but there is nothing wrong with using an oven. NONE.

Just remember a few things when cooking steaks (as it seems everyone else has given you advice on temperatures):

Don't ever cut your steaks to make them thinner, that is absolutely HORRID advice. Steaks should be an inch thick at the minimum.

Make sure your steaks are at room temperature before cooking. This ensures that the inside of the steak will cook and you won't have a seared steak that is still cold on the inside.

Flip ONCE. Never flip your steak more than once. Ever.

Do not use a fork to flip your steaks. You puncture your steak and lose all the juices. Use tongs.

If you want to poke your steak to check for doneness, use your finger. The meaty part at the base of your thumb is what a rare steak feels like. The palm of your hand is medium-rare. Don't cook a steak beyond medium-rare, ever. You'll ruin it.

The general rule is, the higher the fat content, the lower the heat, and the more time. When I say lower, I don't mean a lot lower, but slightly lower. The reasoning is that you want the fat in your steak to be able to break down and infuse into your steak. Steaks with a higher fat content can also be cooked to a higher done-ness if desired. For example, if you cook a sirloin steak, which is very lean, you'd probably want to cook it on high-high heat and eat it rare. A rib-eye steak, however (which has considerably more fat) you could cook on medium-high (like a 7.5/10) and have it medium rare.

Don't mess around with your steak and put sauce and other stuff on it. Good quality coarse sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper, or if you really need more flavour something like Montreal steak spice. That's it.

I also like to use grapeseed oil, as it has a very neutral flavour and high burning point. Exta-virgin olive oil is not a good choice. Save that for dressings.

Always let your steak rest 10 minutes covered.

Oh, also if you're barbecuing on the ol' Q, to get those sexy grill lines, put your steaks on the grill at a 45 degree angle. Halfway through the time of your sear on one side, turn them 90 degrees (not flip) to get that nice cross-hatched pattern.

[ronthecivil]

you mean a dutch oven? it's great for braising a roast. I make a mean yankee pot roast in mine.

[ronthecivil]

it's cheaper to go gas, or keep your cheap oven plus bricks...

I didn't even know they had "high end" electric ovens... I always thought that's what gas ovens were for.

[ronthecivil]

With an ultra thick cut of meat, the only way to cook it is in the oven or the BBQ on indirect heat. The oven will provide more consistent heat. Every time you open the BBQ, you let out all the heat, and the heat will vary wildly depending on where the meat is placed, even with a top end BBQ. A good oven, on the other hand, is designed to provide consistent heat. Top end restaurants will all use ovens to cook thicker cuts of meat.

And no the infrared searing will not produce the same effect that butter will.

[hudson bay rules]

Putting it in the oven is a great way to overcook it. Beware.

[nux4lyfe]

I'm so glad I made this thread, I've learned so much!, Thank You guys..I almost ruined some very expensive steaks!

[hudson bay rules]

I'm so glad I made this thread, I've learned so much!, Thank You guys..I almost ruined some very expensive steaks!

[aGENT]

I also like to use grapeseed oil, as it has a very neutral flavour and high burning point. Exta-virgin olive oil is not a good choice. Save that for dressings.

[taxi]

If your using indirect heat you can still use a probe thermometer (just wire it through the non lit side, and don't even dream of doing this when searing) to keep and eye on the roast. And ya it doesn't heat exactly evenly which is why you open the lid ONCE to turn the meat 180 about 2/3rd of the time (more like temperature, like at 110/120) through cooking. If you set the probe right (so the oven reader is centred above the meat) you get a pretty good idea of the temperature and can fine tune the controls.

Don't get me wrong I like the idea of trying out my cast iron pot as a holder for it if only to act as a temperature regulator but the bonus of the BBQ is you can put wood chips in a can and really put a nice smokey flavour on the meat.