eats, extras

“Reverse, Reverse”….. Reverse Seared Steaks!

Our First Extra

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Joey, John, and Nick at Sunshine State Eggfest before they won People’s Choice

John Churey…. or Bar B “Chu” as we like to call him, is one of Joe and Melissa’s great friends from Joe’s time at Florida State University. Also an Insurance Wholesaler by trade, Chu is an “Egghead” (Big Green Egg Enthusiast) through and through! After all, he has enough of em to make an omelet…four to be Eggsact!! Not to mention he is head chef of “Risk It…. FOR THE BRISKET” BBQ Team that won the 2018 Sunshine State Eggfest Peoples Choice award, but that’s a post for another time.  In between weddings and insurance Chu loves hanging out at Wassis Meats in Melbourne, FL cooking, and talking all things Big Green Egg every Saturday with the Wassis Posse (Riverway Mike, Capt. Phil, Johnny Bacon, and the Crew). Come on by if you’re ever around the Space Coast!

We’re Eggcited to have Chu as the first “Extra Treats” guest blogger! Follow along his cooks on Instagram @bar_b_chu !

Let’s Start This Thing In Reverse

Love steak, but intimidated by all those Instagram pictures you’ve been seeing? Or looking to switch up your normal hot and fast grilling methods on steaks and chops? Introducing the Reverse Sear! Much like the name implies, the reverse sear is simply a traditional sear….in reverse. Traditional searing starts with searing initially, to create a beautiful crust before baking at a lower temperature until the desired internal temperature is achieved. The Reverse Sear is simply, the reverse! Start by baking steaks or chops at a low temperature (200-250 degrees) until their internal temperature is 5-10 degrees shy of your desired finished internal temperature. Once the steaks are close to desired finished temperature, take a hot skillet or grate and sear for that crunchy, flavorful crust  you would expect to find at the country’s finest steakhouses! Steakhouse quality, without the steakhouse price!

If that didn’t sound like enough of a culinary roller coaster for your taste buds, we stepped this up another notch and added bacon…grease to the equation. Render down some thick cut bacon ahead of time, set the grease aside, and enjoy a little bacon appetizer along the way!


Directions for Reverse Sear:

  1. Rub your steak with a generous amount of seasoning. For Beef I recommend Wassis Classic Steak, or Four41 Fat Henry’s.
  2. Fire up your Big Green Egg, letting the coals burn until smoke stops. Usually 15-20 minutes. Then set Egg for Indirect cooking (with ConvEGGtor, aka plate setter) and adjust vents accordingly to achieve 200-250 degree dome temperature. Return grate to Big Green Egg.
  3. Once the Egg is up to temp, place steaks on grate and let bake until internal temperature reads approximately 5-10 degrees shy of desired finished temperature. A Thermoworks Termapen is a great addition to any pitmasters tool box!
  4. Once steaks are 5-10 degrees shy of finished temp, set aside and cover loosely.
  5. Remove Grate and ConvEGGtor with a good pair of heat resistant gloves, (Blue Fires are my personal favorite), place grate and a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet back on egg, open bottom vent all the way and let the egg heat up for 5-10 minutes until skillet is very hot, leaving the dome open.  
  6. Place butter or bacon grease in skillet and let it heat up.  
  7. Carefully place Steaks in the hot grease or butter for 30-45 seconds per side, keeping a close eye not to burn.
  8. Remove Steaks from Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, and Enjoy Immediately! No Need to rest the meat when using the reverse sear method.
  9. Meat Sweats Commence!

Works on Pork Chops, too!

Feel free to try Reverse Searing on your favorite Pork Chops as well, you’ll love the results! You can achieve similar results with a gas grill/Sous Vide / stove top or any combination of culinary gadgets you have at your disposal, although I am partial to the results produced by the Natural Lump Charcoal, and the heat & moisture retaining properties of the Big Green Egg!

Follow along @Bar_B_Chu on Instagram!

eats

Simple Spatchcock Chicken w/ Salt & Vinegar Potatoes

Earlier this week we planned a simple, yet delicious, meal consisting of a full chicken which we can stretch into lunches the next day (surprise, surprise). For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a “spatchcock chicken” is, it is a whole chicken which has had the backbone removed so it can lay flat while cooking or roasting. When preparing the chicken we like to use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors  and simply cut up both sides of the backbone until it is removed. By doing this you allow the chicken to cook quicker on the grill, opposed to a beer can or rotisserie style.


Ingredients:


Directions

  1. Remove the backbone from the chicken, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry leaving the skin on.
  2. Season chicken with Meat Church’s “The Gospel” All Purpose Rub until thoroughly coated and dust with Wassi’s Maple Reserve rub for a touch of sweetness.
  3. Set the Big Green Egg to 400 degrees direct and place the chicken breast side down for 15 minutes or until the skin becomes crispy.
  4. After the 15 minutes, flip the chicken to the back side with the legs/thighs fanned out and let roast for 30-40 minutes until the breasts reach 155 degrees.
  5. While the chicken is on the egg, wash the red potatoes and place into a pot of water and set the stove to high and boil for 25-30 minutes until they are soft.
  6. Strain the potatoes and water and let them cool briefly.  Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, use a heavy glass/mug to press them into small circles.
  7. Heat butter in a pan on medium-high heat until  melted and then place the pressed potatoes in the pan and rotate them until crispy on both sides.  Salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Once the potatoes are crispy add the white vinegar and turn off the heat letting the vinegar soak into the potatoes.
  9. Remove the chicken after reaching 155 degrees and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
  10. Serve with a side of Trader Joe’s Sriracha & Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce and ENJOY!

This is a great recipe for hosting and/or meal prepping! You should get around 4-5 servings, dependent on how many scraps you end up feeding your dog. If you try it, let us know what you think!