Spring Slow-Roasted Steaks

I don’t want to jinx anything, but our spring has been phenomenal so far. A steady string of 70+°F days has woken up our flowers and allowed me to get in lots of grilling time. Considering that the same time last year it was 18°F, with 4-foot drifts, and our driveway slowing shrinking to a car-sized tunnel, I am one happy grillmeister!

To celebrate the arrival of ‘sitting outside’ weather, I decided to do up a couple of monster ribeyes. My dear wife also wanted some onions and mushrooms, so I tried a technique I use a lot with chicken and slow-roasted the steaks over the pan of veggies.

I set the Big Green Egg up for an indirect cook at 350°F, using a trivet to help diffuse the heat, and just a little bit of pecan for smoke.

I trimmed the asparagus and started it marinating in one glug of olive oil, 2 glugs of balsamic vinegar, a squirt of dark mustard, and a dash of kosher salt. I filled a foil pan with mushrooms, onions, a shot of olive oil, and a couple of frozen cubes of beef stock. The pan went on the trivet, the grate went over the pan, and the steaks (seasoned with just a few grinds of black pepper and sea salt) went on top of that.

I closed the whole thing up and let all the goodies roast for 20 minutes. I flipped the steak, gave the mushrooms and onions a shake, and put them back on for another 20 minutes more. By now the largest ribeye was at 130°F internal and  the mushroom and onions were  nicely soft and caramelized.

I laid the steaks on top of the veggies and moved the entire pan to a warm oven to rest.

I removed the trivet, and with the lid open grilled the asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until the spears started to get tender and pick up a bit of char.

While it was warm enough to dine outside, it’s still only late March and we lost the sun just before the steaks were done, so we moved the party indoors.

The Verdict: ★★★★½
This may very well be my new favorite way to do big steaks. While the steaks didn’t have any sear to them, they were butter knife tender. The longer cooking time let the steaks pick up more of the wood smoke than they usually do. I wouldn’t want any more smoke on the meat, but it provided a nice, hot, note on the back of the your tongue. I would probably switch to a little lighter wood next time, or a little less of it.

The mushrooms and onions were outstanding – very intense with a  rich, (slightly) beefy taste.

My only big mistake on this cook was putting the steaks back on top the mushrooms and onions – the residual heat pushed the meat past medium-rare to just shy of medium-well. Still, I am surprised and how tender and juicy the steaks were even when a little over-cooked.

The Nutrition
Ribeye is 2.1 points per ounce, so we made those monster steaks cover 4 meals. A serving of the asparagus and the mushroom and onions are probably a point a piece just from the oil and those lovely beef drippings. Watch the size of your glugs to keep them healthy.

ONE YEAR AGO –  What Eggs are Supposed to Look Like

TWO YEARS AGO – Simple Carnitas

 

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