Spices depend on how long you are cooking the steak, and if you like your spices burned or not. The other option is to put the rub on early, let it sit with the rub, sear it and then brush off the rub so that it doesn't burn. This also depends though on the heat of the grill, and time cooking (doneness and thickness).

But some people like the taste of burned spices.

The french tradition is not big on spice rubs, so we don't use them very often. More popular are herb butters which are put on top of the finished steak and melt from the heat of the steak. It works very well and is a great way of adding herbs to a steak (I do not recommend using any herbs, particularly dry ones, in a rub as they burn in a heartbeat and give a bitter taste), and the butter helps too.

Another trick you can do too, is to sear the steaks in a frypan with butter or oil, then transfer to the grill. You wont get the double grill mark this way unless you turn the steak while cooking.

Sorry for this bump, but I don't know what the hell I did to make this happen :shifty:

So last week I bought two nice T-Bone Steaks. Not too thick but not super thin either.

Anyways, did a search on the interwebs and found a nice way to do them.

Basically;

Take em out of the freezer (they won't frozen when I bought them so I didn't have to worry about this) to dethaw. About an hour before cooking put salt on it (I did so with a little Montreal Steak Spice)

Heated the grill up on high for 5 minutes, then turned down to medium and threw the Steak on for 3 minutes, turned it 90 degrees for another 2 minutes to get the criss cross marks.

Then flipped the other side and same thing. Total cooking time on medium: 10 minutes. Then I turned on low and waited for the juice to rise up. Then I got a warm plate (had it in the oven on low) and put the steak on it for 2 1/2 minutes.

Eating it was wonderful, nice and juicy, not burnt but cooked just right.

Note: While cooking there were a few flames but I just blew those out.

Now on to tonight.

Same process leading up, however I try a different spice thats a little bit more flaky (ie: more substance to it).

Heat the grill, throw it on for three minutes, come back to turn and I'm greeted by flames rising up and the steak seems to have shriveled. No problem I think; I blow out the flames turn even lower and come back after two minutes to flip. Now I flip the steak over and it looks fine i.e.: The meat isn't burnt, though some of the spice that's on the meat is charred as well as some of the fat is charred which is fine. However as I flip it over flames erupt anew. I blow them out and keep going. Now after the 5 minutes on the last side (3 min + turn 90degrees @ 2 minutes) I flip it over again and turn it right down to low to get it done to medium. No flames this time and the side that was just cooking isn't burnt at all.

Now I let the meat rest after while I go get some wine to drink with dinner and leave it for 2 1/2 minutes figuring the meats going to untense and unshrivel. Nope. The meat stays shrivelled up. Though it's not dry at all (a little at the bottom of the "T") and tastes good, though maybe I went too heavy on the steak spice, everything was fine.

Basically the point of this shameless bump was to find out how I can stop my BBQ from raping my steaks with flames, as well as how I can stop my steaks from shrivelling up like that, though admittedly this is the first time a piece of meat like that has shrivelled up on the grill.

Cheers!

Krauter

I'd almost think it was the cut of meat itself. Unless those spices had some super-hemo/hydro-phylic type properties. I'd try it again with a new steak (not the hold one! ha ha..... ) and the same spices, and see if it happens again.

The extra flames usually come from juices leaking out and catching fire. When that happens to me, I usually flip more often, but for the same total cook time. Those juice flames add flavor if you don't let them burn the meat.

Well thats the thing there were little embers sitting overtop of the burner that looked like the bits of spice. The steak juice itself didnt actually come out of the meat until I turned the heat down really low and let it sit for a bit.

Also, if it was the "cut" of the meat why didn't the other steak do the same :hmmm:

Ah.. thought they were different cuts.

Could be the spice then. But if you like the spice, try turning it more. Also, see if there's the same spice in a more powdery rub type. I know http://www.penzeys.com/ makes a lot of great spices. I have quite a few rubs from them.

CRAP!
:o
I've been doing it all wrong all these many years!
:nope:
That's what I get for listening to 'So called' experts.
:doh:

Now to butcher that Angus we have and really do it right.
:yeah:

:rotfl2: