Let’s try a charcoal steak rub. Now I’m not talking about taking a charcoal briquette and rubbing it on your steak. We decided to pick one of the many seasoning rubs on the market that has activated charcoal as an ingredient. It brings a dramatic appearance to your beef dish with some very nice savory flavors. I have only recently come across the cooking process and love the results of using the seasoning.
Apparently, “activated charcoal” has been around for awhile. It is thought to help detoxify the body by attaching to toxins and chemicals and passing them through the body. Activated charcoal is commonly produced from coconut shells.
Charcoal seasoning’s main flavor profiles are smoky and savory. The smokiness comes from the activated charcoal and the savory flavors come from other common ingredients like salt, chile, garlic, and onion. Check your ingredient list on the seasoning rub version you purchase. The various makers will have different blends so the flavor profiles will be different.
Cooking Details
Today I wanted to keep it simple so it was just a steak and potato day. I parboiled some small gold potatoes. Brought them to fork tender under boiling water. Cooled them off in a ice bath. Sliced them in 1/4″ circles. (who am I kidding; those rounds were anywhere from 1/8″ to 3/4″ inch.) Seasoned them with a garlic and herb mix. In the smoker for an hour and crisped them up over direct heat.
Since my steak was well-marbled, I had no problem with placing it directly into the smoker for some flavor and finishing it off over some direct heat to get my crust. If I was using a tough piece of meat I would personally use my sous vide and cook it anywhere from 2 to 6 hour depending on the steak. Check here for some info on cooking sous vide.
Today I set the temperature of my smoker to 350°. For me a tri-tip should be a relatively quick cook and should not be cooked more than medium rare. I wanted pink in the middle. So part of the cooking time my steak was in the smoker. The remaining time the steak was over direct heat to achieve a nice crust. My steak was in the smoker till the internal temp was 120. Then placed over direct heat. Pulled the steak off the heat at 132°. I wrapped it and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Definitely let your steaks rest so that you don’t lose all the flavored meat juices in your steak. Please leave your comments below and let me know what your thoughts are on using an activated charcoal rub.
I hope you all get adventurous and try this method of cooking steaks and roasts. You might find a new way to cook your steaks. And as always, thanks for Spending Time In My Kitchen!
