Used the 3-day dry rub cheat method... Success!

[ptrthgr8]

Using my take on the method provided by David, I am pleased to announce that we had some of the best steaks ever. It was a great way to celebrate St. Patty's Day 2012.

We started with two good sized ribeyes picked up from the butcher counter in a local market. I used an applewood dry rub that the wifey picked up and added a little kosher salt. We ended up using a 4 day cheat instead of the 3 days mentioned in the other post. Here's a pic of the steak before I put them on the grill:

I prefer to use charcoal and I like to add smoke to the process, so after getting the fire good and ready, I added few handfulls of soaked chips - a blend of applewood, mesquite, hickory, and cherry. Here's a pic of the chips in action:

After cooking for 10 minutes on each side (the fire cooled a bit, of course, after adding the wood chips, so it added some time to the process), things were looking good:

The wifey added a simple side salad, the steaks were plated, and we were ready to eat:

And after dinner, I took out a Cohiba Siglo VI and poured a dram of the Balvenie 21 year aged Portwood. It was an outstanding pairing, especially after such a great dinner:

The steaks were a type we've had many times before from the same shop and they were ridiculously tender and flavorful - much more so than usual. However, I'm not sure if adding another day to the aging process helped since this is the first time we've ever tried this method. Also, since we used different seasonings than in the past, I'm not sure how much they did or didn't add to the process - we didn't exactly use a controlled process for this experiment. We're going to try it again next weekend and use the same seasonings and smoking process we'd normally use just so the only change we're making is the aging process itself. I'm definitely willing to continue experimenting in the name of science!

But overall I would have to say these were some of the best steaks we've ever had. The great cigar and scotch pairing afterwards was the icing on the cake.

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

[frenchkiwi]

good work and thanks for sharing!

i've been eyeing up that method since it was first posted - just to find out whether Texans are onto something or just full of hot air - but need to get my As into Gs and find a butcher with some decent cuts.

it will definitely be on the agenda at our next cigar club weekend away.

[brazoseagle]

" Slowly Increasing Dramatic Movie Clap!!!!"

[jmasterj]

Looks like a great night!

[jpn]

Looks great. When I dry age steaks I do it for seven days on a rack in the fridge. Makes a big difference.

[winelover]

Bit late of me to chime in Greg, but that was great. Good pics too. Looked delicious and perfect "icing" to cap things at the end.