I wanta' cook the best steak in town!

nowIamone · #1 01-23-2005, 04:13 PM

Looking for suggestions for a red hot char grill (or other type). Living in remote area of Alaska, and have had a poor response from manufacturers of equipment to my inquiries (why do they have web sites, anyway?) Equipment I'm using is old and has multiple flare up problems, which is real concern because I'm in an old log building with no fire service.

I need a really hot grill that will sear a rare steak and operate on propane. Would like to have an idea of types of equipment preformance so I can get on the plane, go to Seattle (or anywhere else) and talk to the end users, see what they have to say about the equipment. Lack of responses from suppliers and manufacturers make me feel as if I must really do leg work on this, can't even get them to pitch their product.

Signing off as...........have money, can't find a place to right check...........

markswill · #2 01-26-2005, 10:07 AM

Have you thought about a wood fired grill or would that be too much of a fire hazard. If operated properly, these sear like nothing else and the flavor is unsurpassable. My .02...

fcialumni · #3 01-27-2005, 03:57 AM

hey man, the best steak i have ever had was seared on a cast iron skillet over a gas burner. Get it RIPPING HOT! And then finish in a 400 degree oven.

hipjoint · #4 02-11-2005, 01:33 AM

two easy to get propane items would be a turkey fryer setup, or if you have
access to a chinatown in seattle, get a "wok fire ring". tons of hot flames
either way with minimal outlay.

alexr · #5 02-12-2005, 11:43 PM

Propane is always tough. I use a 24" Castle, works fine!

stephsherman323 · #6 02-21-2005, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcialumni

hey man, the best steak i have ever had was seared on a cast iron skillet over a gas burner. Get it RIPPING HOT! And then finish in a 400 degree oven.

I wouldn't cook mine any other way - better than my grill, I think... If you eat them rare, you can skip the oven. The better the crust, the better the steak. If I'm making an acidic sauce, I go with LeCreuset.

Rivitman · #7 03-03-2005, 04:18 PM

Here's one way....I guess:
Cooking with Failure

Chef Horn · #8 03-18-2005, 01:06 PM

Quote:

I wanta' cook the best steak in town!

Then start with the best steak and dont worry so much about the grill. Buy USDA Prime, 28 day dry aged primals and butcher you steaks to order. As for the grill - Wood is the only way to go for me - Ya, it's a bit of a learning curve for your line cook but you'll have ultimate control over your cooking surface with the addition of light smoke finish.

Botanique · #9 03-23-2005, 05:16 PM

Talk to Bill at Dick's Restaurant suply in Seattle -- awesome individual, he'll set you up. I used to live there, and he helped me out a number of times.

schoolchef · #10 03-24-2005, 06:40 AM

I not sure if you looked at the Restaurant Store in Seattle, if not, try their online catalog-they might even have on of their recommended companies build one for you. Tried to search for something, but my schools filter won't recognize the URL. Maybe you can give it a try.

Schoolchef

http://www.seattlerestaurantstore.com

Peachcreek · #11 03-24-2005, 11:34 PM

It sounds like if you wanted to you could probably fix your charbroiler easy enough. They aren't complex machines and a good cleaning, valve check and re-calibration and I bet you the thing works fine. If it broiler is flaring because the propane pressure is varying, then the problem is probably a plugged up jet or valve that the gas has to build up more than usual pressure to pass the blockage. or it is in the propane line. If it is flaring up because of fat on the food, that is a cooking problem, not a mechanical problem. But that being said....
I have been grilling on a propane charbroiler lately and they work just fine. Make sure that the grill is made for propane or is a "dual fuel", meaning it can be adjusted to use propane or natural gas. Also when you get it, either educate yourself or find someone who can properly calibrate the air/gas mix for optimal performance. The problem with propane is that when it gets REALLY cold (-45F) or more, it doesn't want to turn from liquid to a gas so you end up with low pressure, but that has to do with whether your propane tank and lines are insulated well enough. I lived where that would happen, along with the "frozen pipes du jour", occasional frozen sewer lines and customers that could never warm up. Ah! the romantic notion of working in an old historic log cabin....
I agree that buying the best beef you can find is the way to go, also. Just do everybody and yourself a favor and don't throw it in the freezer, or buy meat that has been previously frozen. Buy fresh. Once it has been frozen and thawed it is never as good.

nowIamone · #12 03-26-2005, 01:25 PM

Having lived in the area when this "new" kitchen was added, I remember the char grill was bought used 22 years ago. During the summer I get large tables of hungry fisherman that want a steak. Getting out 6 to 8 at a time is a real push on this grill, I can't start the next order, it's one at a time or we have a grill flare up. I can't seem to keep it clean enough ( I don't mean the grates them selves, it's the "small hoods" over the burners and that surrounding area that is the problem. It doesn't seem to get as hot as I would like, tough to really sear a rare steak. I think my problem is that it doesn't get hot enough to vaporize what drips down, so instead it accumulates over the evening.