OMG! Who needs to go out to eat!

[audreyh1]

 

[SDHiker]

Cobra, glad to hear you got one. After just 3 months, I don't think we could do without it! Happy eating!

 

[MRG]

Cobra, glad to hear you got one. After just 3 months, I don't think we could do without it! Happy eating!

+ 1

Greatest return I ever got on a gadget.

 

[MichaelB]

This thread inspired me to get a Thermapen. Got the green one on sale for $75. I've been so frustrated over the years with cheap, cr@ppy meat thermometers. This thing is awesome. We reverse-seared a huge ribeye last night, which was amazing medium rare. I pulled it from the oven at exactly 120 degrees. Then seared for one minute on each side in a dry cast-iron skillet, which was as hot as I could get it.

Thanks to all who posted about the Thermapen.

I got mine, too. Must be a thing about Thermapen and rib-eye steaks, that's what I'm putting on the grill tonight for dinner.
.
.

 

[TrvlBug]

Just ordered the brown one for $79. Love my rib eye and it'll be here in time for grilling season .

 

[Cassius King]

After buying an XL Egg and a Thermapen, we'll never order steaks at a restaurant again.

 

[2017ish]

After buying an XL Egg and a Thermapen, we'll never order steaks at a restaurant again.
...

Yep. Weber Kettle with Thermapen means the same for us (although, it was already the case before the Thermapen--that just made it an even easier rule to follow).

 

[Texas Proud]

I got NY strip spiced up and ready to grill in about 30 minutes

Don't need no stinkin pen....

 

[ERD50]

After buying an XL Egg and a Thermapen, we'll never order steaks at a restaurant again.

I got NY strip spiced up and ready to grill in about 30 minutes

Don't need no stinkin pen....

I'm with Texas Proud, when it comes to steak, what advantage is a thermapen or green egg?

I have neither, and I also almost never order steak at a restaurant (I order something I can't get at home.. cue Tom Waits ).

I know the Green Egg group is somewhat cult-like, and maybe it is best for some things. But a steak is just seared. Very Hot is good, pretty much regardless how you get there. I just throw some hardwood on our gas grill for some smoke, and I also got fantastic results, though w/o smokiness, with the zip-lock-bag-water-bath-blow-torch method.

On the grill, I use the touch method (which does take a little experience/calibration - press the raw meat to get a sense of it). A thermapen could help, but isn't a necessity. What does the BGE bring to the steak party?

-ERD50

 

[marko]

When I was working, I found cooking dinner a nice 'therapy' ("cooking with wine" helped too) to offset a stressful day.

When I RE'd I one of my goals was to become a better cook. Over the past 10 years --if I must say so myself--I've become quite good and can usually make a great meal just from a picture or description of the ingredients.

I prefer skillet/saute cooking with grilling right behind it. Don't care for baking.

As another poster mentioned, I find myself going to restaurants saying: "I could do this same meal so much better..."

Nowadays, we mostly eat out for sushi (tried it at home...leave it to the professionals) and an upscale restaurant once or twice a week but more for social/entertainment than to get a quality meal.

 

[MichaelB]

I'm with Texas Proud, when it comes to steak, what advantage is a thermapen or green egg?

My thermapen made its debut last night on the grill with a couple of steaks. I know how to cook them and didn't need any help, but it was still useful, they came out perfectly cooked. Next up will be a whole tenderloin for Easter Sunday, the thermapen will then earn it's keep for sure.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm with Texas Proud, when it comes to steak, what advantage is a thermapen or green egg?

On the grill, I use the touch method (which does take a little experience/calibration - press the raw meat to get a sense of it). A thermapen could help, but isn't a necessity.
-ERD50

I haven't mastered the touch method, so a very fast precision thermometer to get the steak cooked exactly how I like it, regardless of shape or size, is appreciated.

 

[audreyh1]

My thermapen made its debut last night on the grill with a couple of steaks. I know how to cook them and didn't need any help, but it was still useful, they came out perfectly cooked. Next up will be a whole tenderloin for Easter Sunday, the thermapen will then earn it's keep for sure.

Are you going to grill the whole tenderloin?

 

[Texas Proud]

I haven't mastered the touch method, so a very fast precision thermometer to get the steak cooked exactly how I like it, regardless of shape or size, is appreciated.

But the shape and size is the biggest problem... take my NY strips... there is a bigger piece that narrows to a 'tail'.... not any major difference mind you, but enough...

So, I am eating my steak last night and start on the 'skinny' end... very little pink... still great taste, but not as soft... tell my son that I cooked it too long... look at his and his looks great... well, when I get to the larger section, mine is great... about 3/4th of my steak is just how I want it and 1/4 is a bit more done than I would want... how can a pen help out on that


BTW, isn't the BGE charcoal I would think that taking the time to get a good amount going would take way too long for the 20 minutes or so of cooking.... I can see it for smoking as my BIL has one.... but steaks

 

[MRG]

..snip...

take my NY strips... there is a bigger piece that narrows to a 'tail'.... not any major difference mind you, but enough...

So, I am eating my steak last night and start on the 'skinny' end... very little pink... still great taste, but not as soft... tell my son that I cooked it too long... look at his and his looks great... well, when I get to the larger section, mine is great... about 3/4th of my steak is just how I want it and 1/4 is a bit more done than I would want... how can a pen help out on that

A pen can tell it's temperature, allows you to prevent overcooking. No more no less. I've saved a lot of money by not relying on time or touch, I do agree you can go by touch, I'm not overly confident in my ability.

You can cut a strip in two pieces. I don't care for that. Of course you know there's no cows in New York City so I'm not sure what you're really eating. When I go for a KC strip I enjoy the changes from med. rare to rare. Might try fillets as they're consistent in size.

The biggest benefits of the pen IMHO are immediate read to ensure I've not overcooked anything. I also love the thing for poultry, pork or foods I seldom cook... I've always had a tendency to overcook those, the pen helped me discover how much.

 

[ERD50]

After buying an XL Egg and a Thermapen, we'll never order steaks at a restaurant again.

I'm with Texas Proud, when it comes to steak, what advantage is a thermapen or green egg?

I should have been clearer with my earlier question, and matched Cassius King's wording - I should have asked:

'what advantage is a thermapen and a green egg?'

I can see that the pen might be helpful for anyone, the touch method does take some learning. But I don't see why both are needed - not sure what the BGE brings to the party for a steak?

-ERD50

 

[audreyh1]

But the shape and size is the biggest problem... take my NY strips... there is a bigger piece that narrows to a 'tail'.... not any major difference mind you, but enough...

So, I am eating my steak last night and start on the 'skinny' end... very little pink... still great taste, but not as soft... tell my son that I cooked it too long... look at his and his looks great... well, when I get to the larger section, mine is great... about 3/4th of my steak is just how I want it and 1/4 is a bit more done than I would want... how can a pen help out on that

From my Thermapen I'll know that it's medium rare in center but medium in the narrow section. I could even decide to move or rotate it if I think one area is cooking more quickly than another.

 

[MichaelB]

Are you going to grill the whole tenderloin?

That's the plan

But the shape and size is the biggest problem... take my NY strips... there is a bigger piece that narrows to a 'tail'.... not any major difference mind you, but enough...

Inconsistency in thickness is an issue no thermometer will fix. Sous-vide probably will minimize the unevenness in cooking. For pricey steaks I try to make sure they are properly cut when buying them. Some dishes, like a large piece of salmon or whole tenderloin, will cook unevenly, but that's not necessarily bad, as not all guests at the table want the main dish cooked to the same degree.

 

[steelyman]

I think someone held a gun to my head and said, "Either your brains or your pen is on that grill."

That was an offer I couldn't refuse.

 

[NW-Bound]

...So, I am eating my steak last night and start on the 'skinny' end... very little pink... still great taste, but not as soft... tell my son that I cooked it too long... look at his and his looks great... well, when I get to the larger section, mine is great... about 3/4th of my steak is just how I want it and 1/4 is a bit more done than I would want... how can a pen help out on that

The piece has to be properly trimmed as an earlier poster said. Other than that, what I like about the Thermapen is that its pointed tip and its speed allow me to take quick measurements all around the piece.

I even use it when grilling shish kabobs. The pointed tip makes it easy to sample the temperature, and I do not even have to hold the piece with a tong while I poke it.

 

[Cobra9777]

But the shape and size is the biggest problem... take my NY strips... there is a bigger piece that narrows to a 'tail'.... not any major difference mind you, but enough...

So, I am eating my steak last night and start on the 'skinny' end... very little pink... still great taste, but not as soft... tell my son that I cooked it too long... look at his and his looks great... well, when I get to the larger section, mine is great... about 3/4th of my steak is just how I want it and 1/4 is a bit more done than I would want... how can a pen help out on that

We like skirt steak occasionally and had a beauty tonight. It's usually about 5" wide, 12" long, and ranges from 3/4" thick at one end down to 1/4" at the other. I cut it into 4 pieces (by thickness) and stagger the cooking, i.e. the thickest piece is the first on and last off... thinnest piece is last on and first off. Tonight, I also used the new Thermapen to make sure I pulled each piece off at exactly 125 degrees. After a 10 minute rest, all 4 pieces were beautiful medium rare (about 130-132 degrees), including the thin end. Tonight, I used the cast-iron skillet inside, but same can be done on the grill. I do the same with Atlantic salmon fillets, which have a similar shape/thickness profile. I've also done this with a large NY strip that DW and I were going to split... cut it in half before cooking and stagger the time on the grill.

 

[MRG]

But the shape and size is the biggest problem... take my NY strips... there is a bigger piece that narrows to a 'tail'.... not any major difference mind you, but enough...

So, I am eating my steak last night and start on the 'skinny' end... very little pink... still great taste, but not as soft... tell my son that I cooked it too long... look at his and his looks great... well, when I get to the larger section, mine is great... about 3/4th of my steak is just how I want it and 1/4 is a bit more done than I would want... how can a pen help out on that

The other thing you can do with strips think it was hinted at prior and similar to what Cobra suggested. Sometimes I'll set the grill up for indirect heating. Sear a little than move the tail out on the cooler part of the grill.

A pen can help you adjust how much is on the indirect side.

 

[audreyh1]

I find the pen really useful on large cuts of meat as well as multiple pieces such as a whole tri-tip or sections of butterflied leg of lamb or individual lamb chops. On the multiple pieces - I start turning and removing each as they get done. On the larger pieces, I am usually using some indirect heat to finish, and I can turn if I see a section getting done faster. And I can know which ends will be medium well yet that the center will be rare.

 

[photoguy]

The thermapen sounds like a great tool and I'll probably pick one up.

We've started cooking more meat recently (and even steak which we never did before) and i'm always wondering if it's cooked enough. The touch test is way beyond me.

 

[Meadbh]

Yesterday I seasoned a 600g pork butt (which is actually a shoulder) with rosemary, paprika and a few other things and put it in my $9.99 slow cooker on a bed of sliced mushrooms. I added two tablespoons of white wine and set it on Low for 6 hours. Then I steamed some baby potatoes and broccoli. Result: melt in your mouth delicious. I will get three dinners out of this, and all for under $10.