Lazy Man's Supper: Flash Blasted Rib Eye (Pics)

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tx smoker

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Apr 14, 2013
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Lago Vista, Texas
Had a crazy busy day here last Friday and not much time to prep and cook a decent meal. Threw this together in a hurry but it came out well. Got a big rib eye out of the freezer, defrosted it, and seasoned up with my new dirt rub that I put together the day before. I've really enjoyed the Nat the Cat's dirt rub that I was gifted but it just lacked the depth of flavor I really like so I put my own recipe together and it's came out very good. More on that and the recipe later.

1 pound 7 ounce CPB rib eye I cut from a 103 sub primal rib section. I already seasoned one side before remembering to take a pic. For reference, that's a full sized Styrofoam dinner plate.
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All seasoned up
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Onto the Weber directly over screaming hot coals
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After the flip. I'm loving the crust on this thing.
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Done and resting
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Plated up with a loaded baked tater and a nice little salad I threw together while the tater was cooking
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IMHO, and only my opinion, I feel there's a delicate balance when seasoning steaks. The seasonings need to enhance the flavor without overpowering it. The integrity of the steak's flavor must be maintained otherwise it's pointless to have good quality meat I'm cooking. This rub was created with our good friend John ( SmokinVOLfan SmokinVOLfan ) in mind. I sent him 7 different homemade rubs in our Christmas exchange, some of which he has seemingly enjoyed. The dilemma has been that he has a family member with issues where salt is concerned so this rub was created with no salt at all. As with the Mexican spice mix I posted recently, there are quite a few ingredients in here but they come together to create depth, complexity, and a great compliment to the flavor of the meat. One thing I had not banked on was the crust I got with this stuff. It was fantastic!! Here is the recipe for what I'm calling my Texas Dirt Rub. Not a very creative name but my brain (what little of it that's left) was in overdrive when I put this together.

3 T Chili powder
3 T Activated charcoal
3 T Smoked paprika
2 T Garlic powder
1 T Onion powder
2 t Oregano
1 t Rosemary (crushed finely or run gently in a spice grinder)
1 t Cayenne
2 t Black pepper
1 ½ T Coriander
1 t White pepper
1 ½ T Cumin
2 t Ground coffee

Word of warning: using the activated charcoal is a messy proposition!! That stuff is so light and airy that it just goes everywhere. It's pretty cool stuff to work with other than that and staining your hands black. Not fancy in any way but this was another 15 minute meal that I was very happy with. Steak was great, we LOVE loaded taters especially with homemade bacon bits, and the salad was really tasty. Not much in the way of offerings but it filled the void after a very busy day. Oh well, gonna call this one done. Y'all stay safe and we'll see everybody next time.

Robert
 
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Outstanding, Robert. Simply outstanding...

What charcoal are you using and how important is it to the rub?
 
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Looks great. Other than Color, do you find the A. Charcoal contributes anything to flavor? Example, if you cooked on the Gas Grill, would the meat taste anything like it came off the Kettle?..JJ
 
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Looks great. Other than Color, do you find the A. Charcoal contributes anything to flavor? Example, if you cooked on the Gas Grill, would the meat taste anything like it came off the Kettle?..JJ
Robert can chime in but generally yes that was the concept behind the creation of these rubs. Most of the big commercial operations have some sort of activated charcoal rubs they are selling. The two benefits they tout are adding / enhancing that charcoal flavor and secondary the dark bark you get.

Great looking steaks Robert!! As others said you can throw a quick meal together for me anytime!
 
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Wow that steak is perfection Robert! I plan to try out a batch of this stuff as soon as I get some charcoal in from amazon. The salt free goes a long way in my house. All of the rubs that you sent me have been nothing short of top notch. My favorites are the beef, taco, and pork seasonings. Very flavorful and over the top. Keep cranking out all this great looking food!
 
Another excellent cook Robert, steak cooked to perfection for my liking and beautifully plated, Like! I've never in my life tried rub on a steak, most often just S&P, rare occasions a little onion and/or garlic powder. You've got a very creative culinary mind for sure! RAY
 
what do ya mean Robert, no time for a decent meal?, that looks way beyond decent to me!

IMHO, a decent meal takes time. This was very good for being done in 15 minutes but something along the lines of even homemade rolls would have added a lot to the meal or some chimichurri for the steak. I do appreciate the kind words.

I love the way you just "throw something together" LOL!
Like!

Thanks so much but literally, that's what I did. I guess that's one of the benefits of having a wife who loves veggies (I do too) and having 5 freezers of meat to choose from.

Outstanding, Robert. Simply outstanding...

What charcoal are you using and how important is it to the rub?

Thank you!! I got a 1 pound bag of Anthony's Activated Charcoal from Amazon. I actually use a LOT of the Anthony's products and have always been pleased with them. Here is what I got:


The biggest thing I like is the amazing crust but it does add flavor. I'll get more into that with my reply to Chef Jimmy.

Robert
 
Simple Hell, that's great and took more than a few minutes

Thanks so much David, but honestly, it was a quick meal. Get the charcoal going with the propane ignition system on the Weber, throw the taters in the microwave, cut salad while taters are cooking, and throw the steaks on the grill for 3 or 4 minutes. Dinner done and ready to eat.

Looks great. Other than Color, do you find the A. Charcoal contributes anything to flavor? Example, if you cooked on the Gas Grill, would the meat taste anything like it came off the Kettle?.

I've not cooked anything on the propane grill with this rub I don't think. From a taste on the fingertip, I'd say yes, it will add some smokiness to the meat, regardless of what grill it's cooked on. The small ammount of ground coffee will also add a smokiness to the flavor. I use it in Italian red sauce for that exact reason.

The salt free goes a long way in my house. All of the rubs that you sent me have been nothing short of top notch. My favorites are the beef, taco, and pork seasonings. Very flavorful and over the top.

Glad you're enjoying the rubs my friend. Hopefully this one will work for you and the fam. If you feel you need more of a salt flavor without the salt, you can get it by adding more coriander, cumin, and/or paprika.

Robert
 
Another excellent cook Robert, steak cooked to perfection for my liking and beautifully plated, Like! I've never in my life tried rub on a steak, most often just S&P, rare occasions a little onion and/or garlic powder

Thanks so much my friend!! It's only been the past couple years that I started using rubs on steaks and have been very careful in my experiments to maintain the integrity of the meat. A good rub used in moderation can really add a lot to the flavor.

Excellent meal again!

Now that's funny!! Thank you :emoji_laughing:

Robert
 
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Looks like a proper meal to me. Heck I might even have to put my shirt on to eat it. Heckofa nice steak Robert. A guy can always ask for more, but not much left there for want. Excellent sir.
 
The rub sounds wonderful Robert! For those of us who still can (or cheat) use salt, how much would you add to the recipe or would it be safer to just sprinkle the steak with salt first and let is sit for 45 min before adding the rub?

Matt
 
One of my projects, from a few years ago, was to make a Umami rich Burger/Meat Seasoning that would replicate Char-Grilled Flavor from a pan or griddle cooked Burger, Steak or Chop, in the Off Season. I developed a blend I was happy with and considered selling the seasoning but had no start up capitol. I figured I'd just make a couple pounds and share with friends and family. Unfortunately, one of the ingredients, a Char-Grilled Beef flavoring, is only available in 200 pound packages intended for Commecial end users. Considering the Strong Grill Flavoring was only about 1% of the total blend. 200 pounds was enough for Several Lifetimes!
It was then I considered Activated Charcoal for a similar flavor hit. But we moved NJ, other projects and never went back to experimenting. Your post reminded me of that project...JJ
 
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