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How the experts grill the perfect steak
guest post, by the Bearded butchers
You´ll find their advice and comments posted here in italics in the blue quotes below.
Like this one below… when it comes to the best cut of steak though, we have to say rib-eye all the way !
Grilling a great steak is more than just about picking out a fantastic cut of beef.
but First, Who are the bearded butchers ?
You might know them if you live in the U.S. but for the rest of us – here´s an introduction. They´re a family of butchers ( with beards ), at Whitefeather meats, Ohio, USA. And they reached out to me to share their expert knowledge how to grill meat.
To go with their meats, they´ve created 6 spice blends and 2 sauces, that you can use on anything from barbecued meats and veggies, to salads, salsas… in fact you can use them on anything to enhance the flavour ( I´m thinking, popcorn, potatoes, mixed into creamy salads even 😉 ).
But why did I say yes, and why do I like them ?
I´m starting my own BBQ journey ( Paul is already a bit of an expert when it comes to barbecuing and cooking steak ), and I´m really into herbs and spice blending so this appeals hugely. Also, I like natural products more than anything, and having just given you the Elderflower cordial recipe with citric acid, I noticed that the Bearded Butchers products are all natural ( I like how they show their ingredients picture )- and also use citric acid as a preservative and flavour enhancer too.
Unlike a lot of other shop bought blends, theirs use completely clean ingredients (which means free of MSG, or anti-caking chemicals. )
Also, Like us at fromcooktochef, they want you to experience the best restaurant quality food also at home. Perfect. Lots in common. They sell online all across the US, and internationally ! Check them out also on Amazon.
At Whitefeather Meats, we make sure that everyone gets five-star grilling results consistently without having to make a reservation at a restaurant.
Our secret is the Bearded Butchers Blend Seasonings. Our line of seasonings uses only all-natural, non-GMO, gluten-free ingredients with no preservatives or additives. You’ll find that your steak tastes better and has more flavor if you use our seasonings. To help step up your game even more, we’re also sharing the best way to grill a perfect steak.
What is the Best Way to Season a Steak ?
You don´t really need a lot to season a good steak. This is what we generally do…
Just before griddling, we just apply a little olive oil to both sides and sprinkle lots of kosher salt ( our favourite now has kosher status, yay ! ) and a little cracked black pepper. Griddle or fry or barbecue for about 3 minutes each side. For a little more depth, you could add some onion and garlic ( both dried and granulated or powdered).
If you want something a bit different, you can rub in some fresh herbs like oregano, some garlic powder, paprika ( sweet or smokey), or chili powder if you want some heat. You could try a provencal mix or woody herbs for a light summery taste; or going back to Morocco flavours as we do… try some toasted cumin… crushed with some garlic powder and dried harissa. You could also go wet with this blend with a little harissa paste, the crushed toasted seeds, and minced garlic and maldon sea salt of course.
So this method has a name…
The dry rub method
Meaning just rub your seasoning into the meat and leave it like a marinade, or cook straight away. You could rub ingredients in one at a time, or mix them up in a pestle and mortar, or with your stick blender or a little processor chopping bowl. Or, use a pre-made seasoning like the Bearded Butchers ones. Makes life a lot easier ! Here´s how the bearded butcher boys use it.
The perfect steak – ready rubbed with seasoning. (I see they also like the Big Green Egg bbq to grill them ! )
Our favorite way to season a steak is the dry rub method.
Seasonings can be as simple as kosher salt and pepper. But our line of seasonings is the ideal complement to grilled steaks and gives the best flavor.
Simply pat the entire surface of your steak with seasoning and let them come to room temperature before grilling.
Understanding Steak dry rub ingredients
You need a LOT of salt for seasoning a steak – just think chef-like and sprinkle your seasoning from high above – that´s why chefs like to use nice big kosher salt flakes, so they can really see how much they are adding.
Here´s a simple recipe for making your own – so you can understand what a basic rub needs. I got the quantities from Serious Eats to try out to see how different it is to what we do because we actually don´t really measure it out ourselves.
Many American recipes call for garlic or onion powder, but we´re not used to using that, so I´ve detailed the equivalent raw, wet ingredient below, so you can see how much is actually in it. As you can see, the powders are much more concentrated than the raw ingredient.
I´ve also put it all in teaspoons to make it easier for you to see the comparison of quantities for each ingredient.
The basics
• 6 teaspoons Sea Salt flakes ( i.e. 2 tablespoons)
• 3 teaspoons Cracked black pepper ( i.e. half the salt quantity)
• 2 teaspoons Garlic powder ( equivalent to 4 cloves fresh garlic )
• 3 teaspoons Onion powder ( i.e. 1 tablespoon) (equivalent to 3 tablespoons fresh chopped onion )
Just put it all in a jar and shake.
Maybe now you can see why it´s so much easier to just have a few handy jars made by the experts on the shelf…
check out the bearded butchers special mix.
Why would you use a rub anyway ?
They´re designed to enhance, not take over, and for each rub they will tell you what kind of meats and foods it balances with best. We´ve checked them all out for you and our 3 favourites are original, black and hot… then there´s also the spicy cajun, the smokey spicy chipotle, the Hollywood which is essentially the original with sugar and molasses. Having these little jars handy makes it easy to make a different dish every day !
Enough mouth watering thoughts… let´s show you how they cook the steak !
Reverse-Sear Ribeye Steaks
How to cook the Perfect Steak
Grilling is the best way to get a perfect reverse sear on a steak. This technique is simple and gives you juicy, tender, perfectly cooked steak every time. The trick is to start with relatively low heat.
If you´re outside the U.S., let´s explain. The Bearded Butchers are American so when they say ´GRILL´ they mean on a barbecue grill. When we see grill in the UK and Europe we usually mean inside, under the cooker grill – which they´d call a broiler in the US. See all the definitions here.
Recipe
Using the Bearded Butchers Blend Seasonings and the reverse sear method will give you consistently delicious steak that has a perfect char, crispy crust and a tender center that is evenly cooked on both sides.
This technique is easy to master and once you are comfortable with it, try using combinations of our seasonings to bring out unique and interesting flavors (a popular one is Original and Hot).
Each of our seasonings is suited to helping you whip up the best steak you’ll ever taste.
Ingredients
• One-inch thick or larger ribeye steaks, room temperature
• Bearded Butchers Blend Seasoning Original
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed or diced
Process
• Apply seasoning liberally to all sides of the steaks and pat to make stick
• Start grill on low temperature
• Grill steaks until they reach 125 degrees
• Remove steaks from grill and increase temperature to very high
• Sear steaks on both sides for two minutes. Check internal temperature for desired level of doneness
• Sauté garlic in butter until aromatic
• Rest steaks for at least 15 minutes
• Serve with garlic butter
3 step Technique – Reverse Sear for a Medium-Rare Grilled Steak
1. Place the steaks on the grill to sear.
2. Don’t close the lid or walk away, as this step doesn’t take a long time.
3. Flip the steaks after a few minutes.
You should have perfect, charred sear lines and your steaks should be sizzling on the seared side.
Don’t forget to monitor your meat temperature. Use an Instant Read Thermometer at this point because it gives us quick, accurate internal readings.
TIPS
Important preparation
Don´t forget to really pat your steak dry first with a kitchen towel before adding the rub. And be generous with the seasoning, your meat will take as much as it can, then leave it for about half an hour to settle in before grilling.
Grilling Your Steaks
We recommend that you use a barbecue meat thermometer probe inserted into the thickest part of the meat and well away from the bone to monitor the internal temperature of your grilled steaks. These handy tools take the guesswork and worry out of grilling steaks.
Place your steaks on the grill and close the lid. Flip the steaks when the internal temperature hits about 110 degrees F. Remove them when the temperature is about 125 degrees F and increase the heat on your grill to very high.
Knowing When Your Steaks are Done
Everyone has a preference for how they want their steak cooked. One of the advantages of using the instant read thermometer is that it removes the guesswork when it comes to doneness. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises that for food safety, beef internal temperatures should be as follows:
• Rare: 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit
• Medium-rare: 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit
• Medium: 135-145 degrees Fahrenheit
• Well done: 145-155 degrees Fahrenheit
Resting Your Steaks
This is interesting, we would have only left the steak to rest for about 5mins but these guys know their craft so we´re going to try longer… like they say here.
One important but often overlooked step is to let the steak rest after grilling. Let a thick steak like a ribeye rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Resting allows the meat to cool down and retains moisture. Cooking a steak with the reverse sear method is the easy way to grill a medium rare steak. You can make your steak taste decadent by putting a pad of garlic infused butter on the surface to melt as the meat rests.
TOOLS
You don´t need much for this.
Best Meat Thermometer
Best BBQ tongs
Chef meat board… choose red !
THE 5 ESSENTIAL TOOLS
- A meat board to work off ( we use a red one for meat !)
- An outdoor barbecue / grill, or, a griddle or frying pan indoors.
- Good tongs for turning.
- A meat temperature probe to check inside your meat to know when it is done.
- And of course, good seasonings… read on.
Aoibheann & Paul
We love great food & cooking… & simplifying life.
We want to help you find the right tools to cook better.
But we’re all suffering from information and salesmen overload online ! So… we want to simplify and clarify it, so you can make faster and better choices.
We’re professional, honest, authentic. We owned the No. 1 restaurant in Marrakech for over 8 years – we understand cooking, hospitality, and customer satisfaction.
Our daily mantra is to eat well, cook better, live more.
We want the same for you !
Find your favourite
Which blend would you choose to cook with first.
Using the Bearded Butchers Blend Seasonings and the reverse sear method will give you consistently delicious steak that has a perfect char, crispy crust and a tender center that is evenly cooked on both sides. This technique is easy to master and once you are comfortable with it, try using combinations of our seasonings to bring out unique and interesting flavors (a popular one is Original and Hot). Each of our seasonings is suited to helping you whip up the best steak you’ll ever taste.
Original blend
The one that started it all ! Sea salt and seasonings including garlic, celery, paprika, onion. It´s both hardy and mild. Use it one anything and everything from meats to seafood, on sandwiches, stir fry, eggs, chicken,
and legumes ( beans ).
The best steak seasoning Blends set
As the Bearded Butchers say, these go on anything and everything, but you will find your favourites. I´m enjoying reading what users love about these… some say Hollywood for example is best on ribs.
I feel cajun on chicken or fish. The hot blend is more versatile than you might think ! Great for meats and fish and sauces and popcorn. Anyone that used to visit our old hotel and restaurant maison or gastro mk will know that we love popcorn with a kick . So use it on anything that needs a kick ( burgers, french fries, escalopes, soups, stews, pasta, eggs, dips etc. etc. ) The black is a pretty robust blend using coffee and molasses yum ( not sugar free then !) but is fabulous on darker meats like steaks, burgers, roasts, game, etc..
We´d love to see which ones are your favourites, and how you use them. Let us know how you get on in the comments.
Makes a great gift set too for indoor or outdoor cooking !
Bearded Butchers
A special shout out to the bearded butchers for their input here. Give them some support by clicking through to Amazon or directly to the Bearded Butcher store.
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