Plan for success with your next dinner party by dry-brining and slow-roasting your large steaks ahead of time. Then, it’s a simple matter to sear and serve.
Time: 5/5
A literal 4-day prep.
Effort: 5/5
Specialised equipment and lots of patience.
Meat and Greet
Now that it’s winter, it’s finally cool enough to enjoy the outside weather where I live. And one of the best ways to do that is with an outdoor cookout with a bunch of friends. I’m super envious of people who have big living spaces and just have a grill they can use anytime – we’re not so fortunate, and our party of 10 had to both know the right people and pull some strings to rent a charcoal grill for the afternoon.
I have had this huge 1kg tomahawk steak sitting in my freezer for quite some time now. It was part of a bundle of frozen meat that was on the clearance sale of a grocery store down the street that was closing down. I thought I would reverse-sear it and serve it as the centrepiece of a dinner party that never happened.
So, this barbecue was the perfect opportunity to showcase the steak and make room in my freezer. Because the piece of meat is so huge, I let it defrost in the fridge over two nights, and dry brined it with salt for a whole 24 hours. That’s plenty of time for the salt to work its way through the entire thickness of the steak, where it can do nice chemistry things to keep it tender and juicy.
I also decided to wrap it in foil and slow-roast it to a nice medium before the actual cookout. I reckon that with so many hungry guests and limited time on the rented grill, it would be quicker and easier if the inside was already at the desired doneness and all I had to do was get a good sear and bring the meat back up to temperature.
The same went for some barbecue ribs, which I pre-baked for final glazing and finishing over the coals. Seafood, like freshly shucked abalone, cooks quick enough that no prep is necessary. The bottom shell acts as a little roasting tray and holds on to all the delicious juices that you can slurp down like you’re doing shots. I also tried out a fresh lemongrass marinade on some pork chops before adapting it to chicken thighs for meal prep.
I also grilled some veggies, like zucchini cut into long spears (so much easier to manoeuvre with tongs than cubes), and king oyster mushrooms. Enoki mushrooms are also good, but because they’re floppy I wrapped them into a small foil packet along with some minced garlic and butter. The vegetables all got seasoned with a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder and a bit of sugar that I kept in a glass shaker that used to be for cumin.
One ingredient that’s worth taking the time to cook with charcoal are some large sweet potatoes. I scrubbed them well, wrapped them in foil, and lined them around the coals. Turn them every half hour or so, and in two or three hours they’ll be tender while their juices will have run onto the surface and caramelised into a layer of crispy sweet sugar. They hold heat very well though, so make sure to let them cool down for 10 or 15 minutes. But once they do you can enjoy them sweet, pillowy soft, steaming hot, and with a hint of coal-fired smokiness.
Food is better shared, and I have no doubt that this barbecue wouldn’t be half as good if it weren’t for our friends coming home from all over the world. I hope that reading this post inspires you to have a cookout with your own people!
Posts since the last recipe that was actually served with rice: 2
Dramatis Personae
Served 5.
- 1000g tomahawk steak
- 15g salt, or to taste
- 15g ground black pepper, or to taste
Executive summary
- Defrost the tomahawk steak thoroughly, over two nights, in the fridge.
- Salt and pepper the steak on all sides. Wrap in foil and allow to sit in the fridge for another night.
- Roast the wrapped tomahawk for 1 hour at 120C/250F.
- Grill on all sides, over white hot coals, until well crusted.
- Allow the steak to rest, then carve and serve.
Play by Play
The tomahawk took 2 days to defrost in the fridge, after which I wrapped it up in the foil to brine for a day.
Into a very slow oven for an hour right in the same foil packaging. I made use of the already warmed up oven to also slow-roast some sides of salmon right afterwards. I kept the tomahawk in the foil, in the fridge, until it was time to grill.
The most reliable and low-effort way to start a charcoal fire is to light some chunks of charcoal on fire with a kitchen torch, then fan the flames with one of these electric hand-held flames.
Since the steak is already cooked more or less, all I’m trying to do is give it a nice crust. I’m using the hottest part of the fire and working all sides – including the fat cap.
It’s ready pretty soon. All it needs is a bit of time to rest before carving up and passing around the fire for delighted guests to pick off the cutting board. Bon appetit!
Make-ahead Reverse Seared Charcoal Grilled Tomahawk Steak
Ingredients
- 1000 g tomahawk steak
- 15 g salt or to taste
- 15 g ground black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Defrost the tomahawk steak thoroughly, over two nights, in the fridge.
- Salt and pepper the steak on all sides. Wrap in foil and allow to sit in the fridge for another night.
- Roast the wrapped tomahawk for 1 hour at 120C/250F.
- Grill on all sides, over white hot coals, until well crusted.
- Allow the steak to rest, then carve and serve.
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