First steaks for me, plus more

[wilburpan]

I finally got around to trying to cook steak on my KK 23â€. But first, I tried making a side dish of roasted garlic rosemary potatoes. I set the grill at 425ºF, put the heat deflector in place, and placed a glass 13x9 dish of Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into about 1†cubes, tossed with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic on the main rack. This went for about 45 minutes.
 

 
These were cooked through, but I probably should have kept them on a bit longer to get a little more browning. They probably could have used more olive oil as well. I pulled them because the boys were getting hungry, so I decided to get the steaks going.
 
I took off the main rack and the heat deflector, put the lower grate in place, and opened up the vents. I was at 600ºF within minutes. I forgot to take before pictures of the steaks, but they looked great, with lots of marbling. We had two bone-in ribeyes and a strip steak. I got them at a local butcher who is so old school that they cut steaks for you to the thickness that you want with a bandsaw. I made my usual grilling spice mix of one part kosher salt, one part fresh ground black pepper, one part cayenne, and one part oregano.
 
Since I don’t have much experience with kamado grills, I’m not used to cooking so close to a fire so hot. I realized that my usual routine of cooking on one side and then the other would result in a steak that would be charred on the outside. So I kept an eye on the thermometer, and whenever it got to 550ºF I opened the grill, flipped the steak, and closed the grill. The temperature would drop to about 450ºF or so, and when the temperature got back up to 550ºF, I would open the grill and flip the steaks again. Here’s the outcome.
 

 
Plated, with the potatoes and some sautéed spinach.
 

 
And the interior. Not bad, for my first try at steaks with this grill. They were delicious.
 

[CeramicChef]

Wilbur, for your maiden steak voyage, I'd say you knocked this one out of the park! Heck, I'd sit down at your table and eat anything you cook! Very nicely done, my Friend, very nice indeed! Kudos!

[5698k]

Uuhh, and it can get better how???<br />

<br />

<br />

Robert

[GoFrogs91]

Perfection

[DennisLinkletter]

Now you understand why I say it can get a bit intimidating to reach down into the beast at high temps..

The basket splitter is really nice to create a place for your hand and arm out of the heat..

 

Good looking cook and meat.. Love when it has that texture..

[tony b]

Great job, Wilbur! Looks like a seasoned pro did it!

 

Big, big fan of garlic rosemary potatoes. Never done them on the KK, though.  Fine balance between crispy brown exteriors and nice soft moist interiors, but when it's done right, they are awesome!! The biggest thing that I've learned that affects the outcome is the size of the potato pieces. I have a tendency to cut them a bit small (bite sized) and they dry out easier than if I make them bigger. And, you're right Wilbur, lots of olive oil helps too!