Steak Braaiing Do's and Don'ts

Londo

Londo

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Calling braai experts of which there are, I'm sure, many on this forum. :D

Having got into camping about 5 years ago, I have become a lot better at cooking meat on a braai but I have question:

I brush a bit of cooking oil on my steak before throw it one -the theory behind this is to stop it sticking to the grid. My braai coals (rooikrans) are hot with the flames having recently died down.

But I have an issue with the steak wanting to catch fire! Or the oil or fat dripping off and causing the coals to flame up. I remember watching braais from a distance and the manne would pour some beer on the flaming coals and meat to douse the flames. I have thrown water on, or I remove the steak and wait for the flames to die down but it doesn't seem the right way to go.

Advice please.

And any other braaiing tips, especially for steal appreciated.
 
I
Bring steak to room temp
pre-salt the meat 2hrs before I cook it, no pepper, have not had a dull, tasteless steak in the last year.

I forget what the salt does but got the idea from Good Eats TV series
 
If the oil is dripping down and creating extra flame you are putting to much on. Decent steak shouldn't drip fat onto the fire either...
 
My favourite technique:
Take steak out of marinade. (Room temp as mentioned above)
Steak onto braai.
Seer sides for 30s to 1min tops.
Take off and put back into marinade.
Braai other meat such as wors.
Steak back into braai to finish to desired level, but ideally medium-rare.

Does not have to be marinaded.
You can just have seasoned steak, seer and take for 20-30 minutes.
Put back on.



...and now I'm hungry.
 
When I braai steak, the coals must still be hot. I eat my steak medium rear so it is usually done within a couple of minutes. As for the flaming of the coals, I never throw water or beer or whatever to douse it. That usually causes ashes to rise up onto the meat.
I normally just move the meat around the grill until the flames die out. The trick is to never overfill your braai. Always leave some room to move the meat around should it be needed. Also, dont use to much coals. I always have about roughly a quarter of the braai surface area without coals, to make it easier to put the meat in the perfect temperature range. But I am no expert when it comes to braaing steaks. I do consider myself an expert when it comes to braaiing chicken though... And cooking it halfway in the microwave is cheating!
 
Hemps said:
I
Bring steak to room temp
pre-salt the meat 2hrs before I cook it, no pepper, have not had a dull, tasteless steak in the last year.

I forget what the salt does but got the idea from Good Eats TV series
Click to expand...

Been salting Steak as per this article for the last couple of months. Seems to work well.

Thanks for reminding me about Good Eats. Great cooking series that was. will have to check the interwebz for episodes.
 
Unless you leave the steak outside for like a day it won’t be any more room temperature at the centre than it was in the fridge so you may as well leave it there.

A big trick is not to have a wet steak, which is why you should have it on a grid in the fridge in the first place so that it dries out.

You really don’t need oil on the steak on a braai. But if you really want to clean the grid with an onion beforehand.

Also...


www.seriouseats.com

Beef Guides

Proven techniques, dozens of carefully honed recipes, and your FAQs, answered: Our beef guides offer the info you need to perfect steaks, roasts, and burgers.
www.seriouseats.com www.seriouseats.com

Salt it the night before and put it in the fridge if you can plan in advance.

What’s that old saying. Start low finish hot or something. If your steak is making flames and being set on fire it’s too close to the coals. Lift it further away and let it sit for longer, then just finish it off on the high heat super quickly.

Contrary to what most think you don’t need to braai the thing in two minutes flat.
 
Use Onion to clean the HOT Grid before putting on the meat. If your grid is dirty IE old meat fat still on the grid, your meat will also get stuck.
 
Londo said:
But I have an issue with the steak wanting to catch fire! Or the oil or fat dripping off and causing the coals to flame up.
Click to expand...

^^ Thats the whole point?

Anyway here is my method, developed over the years, braaing in a weber for optimal temp control and to duplicate results.

1. Steak - the thicker the better, dont bother with thin minute steak.
2. Marinade in a bit of olive oil for a few hours after which bring to room temp. Salt with either normal salt of garlic salt prior.
3. Place coals on one side of the Weber, and put the meat on when the coals are hot all hell. Flame away for about 4min (1min per side). The more flames, the better.
4. at this point in time you should have a charred streak, with fat nice and crispy. Depending on the thickness place the steak on the other side of the weber (where there are no coals) for indirect cooking. Close the lid for 5-10min (checking every now and then) to make sure you get the medium rare result on the inside.
5. black pepper after and enjoy
 
Get proper steak like 21 day aged steak. I prefer ribeye steak. It has little fat lines that keep the meat juicy.
always rest the meet covered for 10 minutes after it comes of the braai. It makes a huge difference in the taste.
Only use coarse salt.

20190923_182130.jpg

20190923_182208.jpg
 
InvisibleJim said:
Been salting Steak as per this article for the last couple of months. Seems to work well.

Thanks for reminding me about Good Eats. Great cooking series that was. will have to check the interwebz for episodes.
Click to expand...

Good Eats - the entire series was free to stream last month.

watch.cookingchanneltv.com

Good Eats | Watch Full Episodes & More! - Cooking Channel

Good Eats Official Site. Watch Full Episodes, Get Behind the Scenes, Meet the Cast, and much more. Stream Good Eats FREE with Your TV Subscription!
watch.cookingchanneltv.com watch.cookingchanneltv.com

or

watch.foodnetwork.com

Good Eats | Watch Full Episodes & More! - Food Network

Good Eats Official Site. Watch Full Episodes, Get Behind the Scenes, Meet the Cast, and much more. Stream Good Eats FREE with Your TV Subscription!
watch.foodnetwork.com watch.foodnetwork.com
 
Hemps said:
I
Bring steak to room temp
pre-salt the meat 2hrs before I cook it, no pepper, have not had a dull, tasteless steak in the last year.

I forget what the salt does but got the idea from Good Eats TV series
Click to expand...

salt, salts the steak :p

but generally steaks gets hard and forms a nice crust as well
 
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