How To Smoke Tomahawk Steak
Smoking is the best way to cook tomahawk steak, and it is easy. Follow these simple instructions to smoke tomahawk steak.
What Is A Pellet Smoker
This smoked steak recipe uses a pellet smoker. Pellet grills or smokers have taken the barbecue world by storm because they make smoking easy and convenient. The major reason is because of their excellent temperature control. Traditional smokers tend to have wild temperature swings because the strength of the fire fluctuates as the wood burns. Wood pellet grills insulate and circulate heat more efficiently, and the temperature can be maintained throughout the entire smoking process.
One popular brand of pellet smokers is Traeger. For Traeger smoked steak, click on this link if you would like to find the best Traeger grill for your needs.
How Long Do You Smoke Sirloin Steaks
Smoke the sirloin 45 to 1 hour per pound smoke the sirloin closer to 45 minutes if you want medium-rare to medium, and closer to 1 hour if you want medium to well done. Medium-rare sirloin will be a bit more tender than well done, but not much, so your cook time mostly depends on how smoky you want your meat.
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Preparing Your Sirloin Steak
This is the easiest part of the entire recipe. Take the sirloin steak out of the package and dab it dry with a paper towel. At this point, you want to add your steak seasoning. I used Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning but you can use your favorite store-bought seasoning or your own at-home combination. You can never go wrong with a basic salt and pepper mixture if youre light on the seasonings in your cupboard.
How To Smoke Meat: Bbq Fundamentals
Now the good part.
Were going to go into detail about how to smoke the ultimate piece of barbecue. A delicacy so smoky that your neighbors will be clamoring at the door for a piece and so tender that died-in-the-wool barbecue fans – from Santa Maria to San Antonio will be asking for how you did it.
Hyperbole? Maybe. But arm yourself with the know-how in this guide and prepare your next barbecue the right way, you might just find yourself with a brisket that good.
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Heres What Youll Need
- Ribeye Steaks Choose 1 1 1/2 thick steak for best results. Thinner steaks cook faster and you have less control with a thinner steak.
- Seasoning of your choice I use salt, pepper, garlic powder and A-1
- Smoker
- Thermometer Once you start smoking, youll want to be sure to have the best thermometer possible so that your meat cooks to the perfect level. I recommend the Thermopen.
What You Need To Make Smoked New York Strip Steak
There are just a few things you need to really knock this cook out of the park.
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Chef Danny Lledo On Choosing The Steak
For the best-smoked steaks, choose cuts on the thicker end . At a typical butcher counter, these options include ribeye, tenderloin, or New York strip steaks. If the steak is too thin, such as skirt steak, itll reach doneness without retaining the flavor of the smoke. Ribeye is a good choice because its well-marbled and is usually butchered thick.
Another popular choice is a porterhouse steak. Due to the porterhouses large bone, cooking time will be long. A trick to smoking a porterhouse is placing the meat vertically with the strip side on the grates . This technique will ensure the leaner filet portion of the porterhouse does not overcook compared to the strip. You can also try cheaper cuts like London Broil . This lean cut is tasty marinated, smoked, and sliced thin.
When selecting your steaks, its critical to know the weight and size of the cut. This information will allow you to properly measure the cooking time, avoiding the chances of your steaks becoming overcooked or dry. Remember, the flavor isnt the only benefit of smoking.
Yes you can smoke meats for flavor, said Lledo. But it is also very useful for tenderness, especially when you are working with meats that are especially dense or more difficult to cook, smoking breaks down the fibers slowly over low heat. It might not be necessary for a ribeye or other steaks, but it enhances the flavor with the wood smoke and gradual cooking.
Selecting A Meat For Bbq
You can have the most expensive smoker money can buy and all the time in the world, but if you don’t start with a good cut of meat your dreams of barbecue badassery may never take off.
There are a few general pointers you may want to take when selecting the right meat for barbecuing.
Make sure its from a high-quality source.
Discount pork from the back of the freezer at Mega-Box Grocery might be cheap, but its likely old and pumped full of fillers and a gross saline solution . This solution oozes out as you cook, which is both unpleasant and can ruin the final cooked temperature.
Instead, head to your local butcher where the meat is less likely to contain fillers, is usually fresher, and comes from higher-quality sources.
If the thought of avoiding budget meats scares you, dont worry.
You dont have to dish out on grass-fed, or expensive cuts of steak
Fattier, Tougher Cuts Work Great for Smoking.
No need to dish out for tender, choice cuts when smoking. Fattier, tougher cuts often work best, thanks to the science behind smoking and how it renders tough cuts of meat so tender after hours of low-and-slow cooking.
Remember, thats why barbecue was invented: to find a use for those cheap and tough cuts of meat that nobody wanted -inedible when cooked over direct heat – and turn them into something soft, juicy and downright delicious.
Popular Meats for Smoking
Now that we know what were looking for, lets look at some solid standby options.
Brisket
Pork Butt
Ribs
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Ingredient Info And Substitution Suggestions
STEAK This recipe calls for ribeye. When choosing a ribeye, look for a well-marbled cut of meat at 1 1/2 inches thick. A ribbon of fat throughout the steak will intensify the flavor profile. Depending on the size and thickness of the steak you choose, time can vary slightly. For medium-rare, the internal temp should be 130-135F, for medium, it should be 135-145F.
SEASONING We are seasonings with chili powder, paprika, sea salt, cracked peppercorn, salted butter, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic cloves. You can simply season with salt and pepper if you prefer, sometimes a good cut of meat doesnt need extra seasonings, it boils down to preference here.
How To Smoke A Steak
Smoking a steak isnt much more difficult than grilling a steak. You just need a little extra time, a smoker, and a cast iron skillet for the final sear, and youre good to go.
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Smoked Salmon Steaks Recipe
Nothing brings out natural flavour of salmon like the slow heat of the smoker.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Italian vinagrette salad dressing
Bradley Flavor Bisquettes Alder or Pacific Blend
Directions
What Is Reverse Sear Cooking
Let me explain. When you google perfectly cooked steak, what you will typically see is the more traditional restaurant method, which is where the meat is seared hot and then finished in the oven to finish cooking. But what I want to share is something that adds incredible flavor and allows you to finish with that beautiful crusted texture. The reverse sear. And better yet, the SMOKED reverse sear.
And here you thought you couldnt achieve a perfectly cooked steak on a smoker?!
The idea is, instead of sear first then finish in the oven, you smoke it first at a low temperature to get the smoky flavor, and then finish it by searing for the beautiful and flavorful crust. But first, lets talk about
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How Long Does It Take To Cook A Steak At 250 Degrees
It depends on how well done or rare you want it.
- We found that with the thickness of ours 30 minutes was perfect for medium.
- 45 minutes was just right for medium well. You can see the inside of both cuts above in photos.
- Medium rare would be less than 30 min but we havent done that. Use instant read thermometer at the end.
You could set it at a lower temp for slow smoking for longer if you wanted.
Do I Need To Flip My Meat When Smoking On The Grill
Sorry for being so brash, but that is a rookie mistake.
When smoking, you dont have to worry about one side getting hotter than the other, because the meat cooks indirectly.
That means that you should keep your lid closed until the meat is ready.
The only reason you should touch your set-up is to make room for new wood chips or charcoal.
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Can I Smoke Pre
Yes, you can.
The reason you might want to do this is so you dont have to worry about food temperatures, as well as the fact that you will have a much shorter cooking time.
If you do decide to smoke pre-cooked meat, make sure that it wasnt smoked before it reaches your grill.
Otherwise, you could be adding too much flavor which will make it taste worse.
Internal Temp For Ribeyes
Before you start smoking your steak, you need to know what level of doneness you are going for!
Around here, we like a rare or medium rare ribeye.
For the best ribeye, try to avoid overcooking. External color is not a reliable measure of the internal temp of the meat. It is best to determine this using a meat thermometer.
I recommend and endorse Thermoworks thermometers as I feel they are the most reliable.
When smoking, because the color can go more red than brown, always use an internal thermometer to know you have arrived at the correct doneness.
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How Long Will It Take
Smoke times vary widely. The chart provided above is a rough estimate on what you can expect for various cuts of meat, as well as ideal doneness temperatures. But it’s hard to provide a one-size-fits-all solution here. Factors that effect cook time include: size of cut, cooking temperature, how much salt there is, moisture, and even the weather.
With that said, its possible to give a loose estimate: for a brisket or pork butt, estimate about 1.5 hours per pound at 225°F. That means an 8-pound brisket will take roughly 12 hours. Crank that up to 275°F and you could achieve a similar result in about half the time.
The caveat is that certain things can make it take longer. A very moist piece of meat takes longer because water content causes the meat to sweat, essentially. And a cold, windy night can drive heat away and cooking times up.
So a rule of thumb is just that. To make sure your meat is cooked properly and safely, you really need to monitor it with a reliable meat thermometer.
How Long To Smoke Steaks
It takes approximately 1 hour to smoke steaks. Cook time varies greatly when smoking steaks depending on the cut and thickness of the steak you are cooking, the consistency of the temperature of your smoker, and how done you prefer to cook your steak. Adjust cook time as needed to get your steak cooked the way you like it.
I recommend using a meat thermometer and keep an eye on temperature as you go. Remove the steak when it hits your preferred doneness, and you wont have to worry about your steak becoming overcooked.
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Do I Leave The Meat Uncovered The Whole Time In A Smoker
If you want to get a juicier cut of meat, you can wrap it in foil for part of your smoking time.
Some smoking aficionados leave the meat fully exposed to heat and dont touch it until its done. However, that doesnt mean that wrapping it in foil ruins your meal.
Generally speaking, there is a ratio that you can follow for juicier meat.
It goes like this: you first leave your meat exposed for half the cooking time. Then, you wrap it in foil and cook it like that for a third of the overall time. Lastly, you unwrap it and leave it open for the remainder of the cooking time.
For example, if you want to smoke your meats for two hours, follow this pattern.
You leave your meat exposed for one hour , then you wrap it in foil for 40 minutes , and then unwrap it for the remainder, which in this case will be 20 minutes.
Following this ratio will ensure that your meat stays juicy and tender throughout the smoking process.
Can I Still Marinate My Meats Before Placing On The Smoker
Of course you can!
In fact, you should definitely do that.
Because smoking takes so long, you want to make sure that you get as much flavor as possible.
complement smoking beautifully as they add layers upon layers of complex flavors.
As stressed earlier, adding marinades, sauces and rubs takes some experimenting. For chicken and poultry, you will want to soak it in a marinade or brine for a full day or so before smoking.
This will ensure that you get the meat thoroughly infused before you toss it in the smoker.
For beef and pork, a dry or wet rub will do nicely.
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Smoked Elk Steak Recipe
How to Smoke Elk SteakSmoked Elk Steak Recipe Ingredients
- 2 Elk steaks
- 12 oz. Portobello mushrooms
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/8th of an onion
- 4 Tablespoons red wine
- Salt and pepper
Smoked Elk Steak Directions
