Recipes

Smoke-Roasted Long-Bone Ribeyes

A bone-in ribeye is among the most flavorful steakhouse cuts, and absolutely nothing can beat the way a gorgeous long-bone ribeye looks when served. The dry-aged prime ribeyes we used from Allen Brothers were given lots of love on the grill – scored on the outside to enhance the Maillard effect, seared over a hot charcoal fire, roasted indirectly with smoke from oak wine barrel staves, and “shellacked” with a flavorful glaze. This is hands down my favorite preparation in this newsletter.

Smoke-Roasted Long-Bone Ribeyes
By Russ Faulk, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
Serves 4 to 6 people can share the 2 steaks
Ingredients
Directions

For the steak dust

  • 1 teaspoon chopped, dried garlic (preferred over garlic granules because it holds more flavor)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped, dried shallots (substitute dried, sliced onions if necessary)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the baste

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (I use BLiS 9 Maple Sherry Vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated using a microplane
  • 2 to 3 whole stems fresh thyme

For the steaks

  • 2 long-bone (tomahawk) ribeye steaks, about 4 pounds total weight
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 batch steak dust
  • 1 batch baste

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator.

Prepare the grill for direct grilling at searing temperatures and create an indirect zone that will register about 500°F air temperature. A charcoal fire is preferred. If you are using a Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grill, or a charcoal grill, you should usewood chunks or limbs that have been soaked in water. For this recipe, I used oak wine barrel staves. If you are using a gas grill, prepare some smoking envelopes.

Prepare the steak dust by combining all the ingredients in a spinning-blade-style coffee grinder that is dedicated to serving its life’s purpose as a spice grinder. You could also use a mortar and pestle.

Lightly score the tops and bottoms of the steaks in a cross-hatch pattern. This will create more surface area for browning, and the subsequent Maillard effect which builds incredible flavor. To score, lay a knife on its side and draw it across the surface of the steak. Make very shallow slices ¼ inch apart in two directions.

Brush the steaks on all sides with olive oil. Season liberally on all sides with the steak dust. A paste should form from the mixture as it rests before going onto the grill.

Prepare the basting mixture by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Whisk together while bringing to a simmer. Let cool to room temperature.

Sear the steaks over the hottest part of the fire until nicely browned on the tops, bottoms and sides, about 5 minutes total.

Move the steaks to the indirect grilling zone or onto a raised rack, brush some of the baste onto the tops, add the chunks, chips or limbs to the hot zone to generate smoke and close the grill. Turn the steaks over and rotate them every 5 minutes, brushing the tops with baste each time and closing the grill in between. Start checking the doneness of the steaks after about 15 to 20 minutes. For medium rare doneness, remove the steaks from the grill when their internal temperature reaches 125°F. They will continue to rise in temperature to 130°F to 135°F. The total cooking time in the indirect zone should be between 20 and 30 minutes. The steaks should rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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