Here’s the recipe.
- Get some big ass cowboy rib eye steaks. Bone-in because you’re not a wimp and you’re willing to pay $17 per pound for some carbon. Seriously, shell out. These two bad boys costed $64 at Whole Foods. Hurt so good!
- Sprinkle LIBERALLY with salt. Yes, like Bernie Sanders liberally.
- Use a rub if you have one. I got a thoughtful present of various Williams Sonoma rubs and appreciate the simplicity of it. It’s a higher level of abstraction than looking up a recipe, discovering I’m missing the damn nutmeg, and wondering if that’s why the taste is off. It’s not wimpy to use a rub.
- Let them sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes before grilling. I’m not sure why, but every damn grilling blog on the planet says you should, so I will too. And I did it and although I’m not sure what effect it had, my steaks turned out GREAT
- Because they’re so thick, you have to do the “reverse sear.” That just elitist grilling speak for “save the direct flame for the end.” Your steak might look weird for the first 30 mins, but it’s ok. They’ll be fine.
- So, warm the grill to about 350 degrees. Keep the temp between 325 and 350 the entire time. Since I have three burners, I put the outer two burners on low and kept the middle burner off. Works a treat.
- Both of these steaks are 2.5–3in thick, and I set a timer for 17 minutes per side. I only flipped once.
- For the sear, I turned up the flame on one side of the grill and put both steaks over it for 2 mins. Then flipped and set the 2 min timer again.
- By the way, for all of these cooking times, you’re cooking with the lid closed. You know that, ya?
- Also, if you have kids like me or are highly distracted for other reasons, the timer is a good idea. You don’t want to overcook your $64 steaks.
And I’ll tell you what. This was the best steak I’ve ever made. It was kind of by accident too. I have Instacart to thank. Let me explain.
I wanted to grill a good rib eye on my last weekend of paternity leave / winter break / 2016. Having two kids now and all, going grocery shopping is a bridge too far, so we were delighted when Instacart showed up in Walnut Creek. I put 2 pieces down in my order and was more than shocked when I saw the $64 tag on the meat wrapper. Wow. I never would have done it if I’d done the shopping in person. But I’m so glad my Instacart person knew me so well. This person isn’t afraid to throw down for the best steak on earth, he or she must have thought. Let’s go big.
Thank you, mystery shopper!