Pay attention here because cooking a Cowboy Ribeye steak, or any piece of very thick meat is different from all the rest. If you cook this the way you would a regular ribeye or NY Strip steak, you will end up with a large portion of the Cowboy Ribeye over cooked and only a small portion of the steak properly cooked.
Given: No steak should ever be cooked more than Medium Rare. Personally, if somebody wants me to do that for them, they need to get permission in writing in advance of the cook.
Goal: A well charred medium rare Cowboy Ribeye
Process:
As the Cowboy Ribeye is resting comfortably on your cooling rack, fully seasoned up (see Dry Brining Post here), in your kitchen at room temperature, you will go to your grill or smoker, or even oven. What you want to do is SLOWLY bring the steak up to 115 degrees internal temperature.
225 degrees to 250 degrees is the window you are aiming for. Once your cooking device is dialed in there, put your steak in.
Pearl of Wisdom: Wagyu Beef Tallow (purchase HERE). Get it ready. Here is the cast iron basting pot and brush I use: Cuisinart Basting Pot and Brush.
I put the tallow in the basting pot and warm it up, often putting it in my smoker along with the steaks, until it becomes a golden liquid.
Sidebar: Thermometer. I use the Meater, a wireless thermometer that connects to your phone or iPad. You can use any thermometer as long as you use one. It is essential that you pull the steak off when it hits 115 degrees.
Along with getting your Wagyu Beef Tallow ready, get your grill ready. You can use the same device or another one. I go from my smoker to my Weber 22” kettle. Using the chimney, I fill it ¾ the way up. The Slow and Sear takes that much. You want TWO zone cooking – you need a “cool” area on the grill or cooking device (you can just take it out from the broiler or out of the iron skillet. One half of my grill has charcoal, the other half does not. You want a smoking hot fire, 500 degrees plus.
It is going to take somewhere between 60 – 90 minutes for the cowboy ribeye to hit that temperature. Once it does take it out and let it rest for 10 minutes. While it is resting, baste it with the wagyu beef tallow, BOTH sides. You are doing this to allow the steak to absorb all the energy from the cook and let it dissipate. The temperature will climb a few degrees. You want to let all that stored energy go. If you go to the next step too quickly, you will overshoot your desired doneness because of that excess stored energy and the “new” energy you are about to hit it with... a rookie mistake I have made more than one time.
Here goes – it's been 10 minutes, your cowboy ribeye is glistening with the Wagyu Beef Tallow. You have your food safe gloves on hand (pun intended). Put it on over the charcoal. You should get pretty quickly a response of fat and steak hitting fire. That sizzling and fire is ok, but keep an eye on it. After 20 – 30 seconds, lift the steak by the bone and look at it. The charring process should have started. You can put it back down, usually for 1-1.5 minutes before I take it and put it on the “cold” half of the bbq. Turn it over to the side that was not on the fire, coat it with a little more tallow, and then move it over the charcoal.
Pearl Of Wisdom: you can always put the cover of the Weber on, and that will stop the fire but keep the steak cooking.
Once you have cooked the other side of the steak for 1-1.5 minutes, move it back to the cool side. Your next step is to cook the sides of the steak. Place it “standing” up, fat side down on the fire and make sure it does not fall down. It should be 90 degrees perpendicular to the grill grates. It is essential you render the fat and that could take another 1 to 1.5 minutes. You have your gloves on so you can always check to see how it's going. It is better to check more often than less. You can always add heat to the steak, but you can never remove it once it's in.
Recap: You cooked each side for about 1.1.5 minutes, you cooked the sides for an equal amount of time. You are applying your tallow. You will probably need to cook each side for another 1 to 1. 5 minutes. This is all dependent on how hot your grill is. You should use the Thermapen here, you can't use the meater probe for searing - too hot!
You are aiming for an internal temperature of 128 degrees. There is going to be "carry over cooking" from the stored energy. Always keep this in mind, no matter what you are cooking. If your char is perfect for you, and your internal temperature is 128 degrees, take it off and let it rest. This is the hardest part of the entire process. A minimum of 10 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH that steak for at least 10 minutes. If you want you can LOOSELY wrap it in aluminum foil. Wrap it too tight and that stored energy will go back into the steak and cook it all that much more.
If your char is perfect and your steak is not yet at 128 degrees place it on the cool side of the grill AWAY from direct heat. Close the lid and the temperature will get there. You can even put a little more tallow on it. Keep an eye on the internal temperature and take it off when it reaches 128 degrees.
The REST: pun intended. Once your steak has hit 128 degrees it is going to cook up, release all that stored energy several degrees to between 130 and 135 degrees – perfect medium rare. Do NOT touch it. If you want to cover it, do so loosely, giving the excess heat and energy a way to escape, and therefore not continuing to cook the meat. It also lets the steak “rest and relax” – when the steak is hot it is contracted, and the juices are locked in the muscle fibers. Letting it rest and cool down will release these juices back into the steak.
Slicing:
Slice the steak off the bone.
Separate the outer muscle layer, the spinalis, and cut that into cubes.
The inner portion of the steak should be cut into slices, however thick or thin you want. Personally, I like ¼ inch slices.
Take the juice off the cutting board or wherever it was resting, and pour them on top of the sliced steak.
Lastly, don’t forget to pick up the bone and do not throw out any of the goodness you just worked so hard to create. I do that even in the finest of restaurants, and for sure at my house too.
Wishes for a great day to all,
Hugs too,
David/
