Charred & Scruffed-inspired ribeye

So with the imminent arrival of summer, we should be returning to lots and *lots* of smoked and grilled meat. And this summer, unlike last summer, we're not moving cross-country, so there will be nothing distracting the Dude family from plenty of bbq'd meat. Conveniently, the object of my man-crush (Adam Perry Lang) has published a new book. Charred & Scruffed. After his Serious Barbecue, I've been a huge fan.

Well, Charred & Scruffed is a bit more faddish. There are several silly techniques in this book. Rather than creating various heat zones on the grill, he advocates cooking your meat high off the grill (by creating towers of bricks on top of your grill), or cooking close to the coals. Okay, well... that's silly. I create crazy hot and less hot zones in the bbq (based on number of screaming hot coals). But, as always, his flavors are *on*. This steak is inspired by his "High-Low Boneless Ribeye".

We start with the rub:

2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Mix the rub and sprinkle all over your boneless ribeye steaks (we've done this several times now, it's better if your ribeyes are dry-aged).



Let the rub soak in, while you get a crazy hot charcoal fire on your grill. Make a drink. A margarita, perhaps.



Also, make your basting butter:

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp unsalted butter
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp grated garlic
½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tbsp grated onion
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ tbsp ketchup
½ tbsp yellow mustard

Combine all of these ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over low heat (there's something naughty about melting butter in olive oil). Mix frequently, remove from heat when everything is melted and well mixed.



When you get crazy hot coals, arrange the coals in your bbq such that you have a crazy hot space (high density of charcoal) and a much less dense space (for cooler grilling).

This recipe is backwards from many. Rather than using high heat to caramelize your steak, then cooling it down to finish it, you're going to slowly heat your steak over the cool coals, flipping frequently. This is just to get your steak hot.



After twelve-ish minutes, when your steaks are nowhere *near* cooked, remove them from the heat.



Baste them all over with the basting butter. Slather them with basting butter, and let them hang out for a few minutes. Given that the basting butter is a mix of fat of delicious juices, make sure you're mixing frequently as you're basting (this is no emulsion, it's a juicy fat-bomb).

Now, toss them back over extremely high heat. (Keep in mind, this method will not produce beautiful, perfect grill marks - but as our saviour Adam Perry Lang says - do you want those anyway? We aim for delicious.)



Alright, now flip every one to two minutes.



When they feel done, they're done. Medium-rare feels like that fleshy spot between your thumb and your hand when you make a fist. Drizzle a cutting board with olive oil, lime juice, chopped parsley and cayenne.



Toss your cooked steak onto the cutting board to rest.



After five minutes (if you can stand waiting) - serve.

This is Mrs. Dude's new favorite steak. I expect to make this many times this summer. Happy grilling.

EDIT: Many thanks to reader Joerg for catching a few typos. Please contact me with typos you identify.

By Bbq Dude