Grilling Up the Best Steaks - Ribeye Caps

I've been around the block about 20 times when it comes to great beef - corn-fed, aged, Kobe - Ruth's Chris, Chops, Majestic, Hereford House - All Legends in the Steak game. I've had them, savored them, induced myself into a food coma with them. None of them - Porterhouses, ribeyes, filet mignon, prime rib included beat the pure flavor of a ribeye cap.

If you don't know what a ribeye cap is, you can check out an article here that explains it better than I can: https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/meet-the-ribeye-cap-the-tastiest-cut-on-the-cow.html

In short though, it is the strip of beef at the top of the rib that is cut away when the butcher slices up some ribeyes or prime rib. This thinner tender piece bequeathed to us by the meat and flavor Gods is then "pinwheeled" into cuts that are about 5 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches thick. Add some sea salt and let it soak all day and you are in for a tastebud treat that is almost as good as sex (if it is better than sex, you're doing the sex thing wrong).

The Occasion and Prep

One of my best friends, Andrew, had a birthday the day before I needed to return home to St. Petersburg. Therefore, we planned a manly day that included shooting, food, drinks and pool. After working up an appetite target shooting for a few hours, we headed back to the house to start dinner.

Andrew picked up the Ribeye Caps the previous day and then sprinkled a good layer of sea salt over the pinwheels including the sides. During the day, the salt absorbed into the meat to release more of the trapped flavor goodness. We also picked up about 2 lbs of portobella and shitake mushrooms and about a dozen scallops.

The scallops and mushrooms were cooked in a skillet and a wok respectively, but the steaks were cooked on a charcoal grill with extremely high heat. In order to get the high temperature, use a charcoal chimney to start your coals and wait until all of them are white (including the top layer of the chimney). Next spread them out on the grills in a small square stacking them on top of each other. It is great if the flames from the charcoals are licking the bottom the grill grates. Ultimately, you want your charcoal to have the grey coating before adding on the steaks.

For the scallops and mushrooms, only a stick of butter is needed. Depending on the quantity of mushrooms 1/2 to 2/3 is needed to get them done nicely. This also leaves the 1/3 of a stick for the scallops in the skillet.

Cooking the Mushrooms

In the wok or a large skillet, add the mushrooms with butter. It's okay if the pan is a little overfull because the mushrooms are going to shrink as the water in them evaporates. Add garlic and salt as you prefer and keep them stirred regularly on low to medium heat. Depending on the quantity (we had a couple pounds), it may take about 30 to 40 minutes to get them completely sauteed.

Take a taste of the mushrooms to make sure they are cooked all the way through. If they are ready, you can keep them on very low heat on the stove until everything else is ready, but if you timed it correctly all your food should come out at the same time. Here's a look at our finished 'shrooms.

A little blurry, sorry. However, the color should be clear enough as a guide.

We team cooked so while the mushrooms were cooking, we had someone throw the steaks on the grill and started the scallops as each of these takes much less time.

Cooking the Steak and Scallops

Once you have your grill super hot, the steaks are actually pretty easy. I Strongly suggest rare/medium rare on the ribeye caps. Anything more and your losing flavor. "But J.R., I like my steak well done and no blood." - My answer to this is a hamburger. Steak isn't meant to be well done or burnt. If that is your taste, stick with burgers or better yet, beef jerkey. Also, it isn't "blood" that you're seeing when meat is red, it is the natural coloring of the meat when it meets oxygen and heat. All of the blood was drained from the beef long ago when it was butchered.

To get the rare/medium rare finish on your steaks and still get a dark, seared crust on the outside I suggest about 3.5 minutes on each side. In most cases, 3 minutes is enough if your charcoal is super hot like I suggested earlier. Don't over cook them or you'll kill the flavor. Trust your time and temp. It's like landing a plane when flying through clouds. You have to trust your instruments to guide you home.

The scallops are even easier, but just as quick. In your skillet, you need to melt the butter and then add in the scallops. Cook for a few minutes and then flip them over the first time. Next, you will want to try and lift the side of one scallop after a few minutes. If the scallop resists slightly, then it is done. If it is stuck to the pan then you waited too long. When you flip it, you should see a golden brown char on the top of it. You want that same color on the bottom side so give it a couple minutes and repeat the process. Once they are browned on both sides (should be 5 to 8 minutes maximum) then take the pan off the heat.

The steaks should sit for about 10 minutes before eating, but once that is done - Serve it all up!

Time to Eat!

You'll notice that for our birthday feast, there is nothing green anywhere on the plate. If you want to fool yourself into thinking you're eating healthy, then add a salad or your favorite green vegetable, but we went with the full "man plate" - no lies, just great taste. For some great salad suggestions, go here: https://steemit.com/food/@cooknbake/5-delicious-and-simple-salad-ideas-and-recipes-for-your-next-meal

Yummy stuff! Enjoy.

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