Griddle for Steaks

[sdynak]

I have a Bullseye griddle also-have tried to give it away here for free/local pickup multiple times. No takers.

Put it on FaceBook and the vultures will take it away faster than you can say sold. I know the folks here would respect it though.

 

[C. Keeper]

Griddle sounds like a great idea, wish you all were closer.
If you decide to ship, keep me in mind.

 

[kstone113]

I have a Bullseye griddle also-have tried to give it away here for free/local pickup multiple times. No takers.

I originally had the griddle for the Bull which I messed up seasoning because RecTeq said do at 400 but you really need it at 500 to burn off the oil to season. I sold my one for the Bull easy(within a IL RecTeq facebook group). I got the Bullseye griddle and have used it quite a bit. I even had to re-season because I was dumb and thinking I could treat it like grill grates and burn off stuff but I just burned off EVERYTHING lol So yeah, I found the easier way to clean to just let cool off and use a good scrapper and paper towels and then re-oil.

I haven't ever done sous vide but have done reverse sears plenty of times using the bull to smoke and Bullseye to sear. You can just use grates but zero doubt it will flame up. It is doable however using the griddle would be easier and no chance of flame-ups. I run the Bullseye at 500 when doing something like this. With ribeyes, I won't think you would need any oils but just some butter. The one time I did a reverse sear with the griddle, it came out well. I do prefer to do a sear on riot mode around 600 plus with the grill grates flat side up however, if I was doing 8 steaks, I think the griddle is a better route to go and they should all fit.

 

[Greg Jones]

I originally had the griddle for the Bull which I messed up seasoning because RecTeq said do at 400 but you really need it at 500 to burn off the oil to season. I sold my one for the Bull easy(within a IL RecTeq facebook group). I got the Bullseye griddle and have used it quite a bit. I even had to re-season because I was dumb and thinking I could treat it like grill grates and burn off stuff but I just burned off EVERYTHING lol So yeah, I found the easier way to clean to just let cool off and use a good scrapper and paper towels and then re-oil.

I haven't ever done sous vide but have done reverse sears plenty of times using the bull to smoke and Bullseye to sear. You can just use grates but zero doubt it will flame up. It is doable however using the griddle would be easier and no chance of flame-ups. I run the Bullseye at 500 when doing something like this. With ribeyes, I won't think you would need any oils but just some butter. The one time I did a reverse sear with the griddle, it came out well. I do prefer to do a sear on riot mode around 600 plus with the grill grates flat side up however, if I was doing 8 steaks, I think the griddle is a better route to go and they should all fit.

My complaint with the griddle is that it is too high maintenance. Not easy to season initially, not easy to clean, not easy to store, and frankly it is too heavy to handle for many folks that own these grills. Add to that the fact that you need to keep the lid closed if you wanted to cook at lower temps or keep the lid open and let the grill run at full throttle because the PID controller doesn’t have an option to set a fixed supply of pellets. I never cooked on a 1st generation Bullseye, but I believe it was probably superior to the 2nd generation in that respect.

I never wanted the griddle to fry steaks-I wanted it to replace my Blackstone, and for that it failed completely. I still have the Blackstone and I cook my steaks on GrillGrates and wouldn’t use anything else.

 

[Pops]

@Pops, thanks but I have the griddle for the bullseye. It's just so cumbersome that I've never used it. But I am going to give it a try.

I hope it goes well! Let us know.
I did get a cymbal bag to store mine in, it works great.

 

[Elias]

I use my Blackstone for this often but have learned that while using butter do not overdo the heat. I will leave it there .

Given the Bullseye can achieve similar temps I would likely just use a little oil or tone it down if using butter. I have had many successful sears with butter so do not let that deter you from doing so.

Since I don't have a Bullseye not sure about the deflector. I would think if you removed it it might cause too much of a hot spot in the center. If you don't remove it likely you will need to crank it a bit more but achieve better heat distribution. I would try keeping it first to prevent the hot spots if it were my first attempt and with ribeyes you do not want to overdo them.

Good luck.. I'm sure they will turn out perfect with your experience.

I have a 36" Blackstone and use it more than any other device.

 

[Porker]

Just a quick tip for searing. Don't crowd the cooking surface – use only half of the available area so when you flip the steaks the unused surface will be as hot as the first side was.

Guessing that you would need to do it in two batches but it only takes a couple of minutes per side so the first batch only rests a little longer. You might need to let the griddle sit between batches too to get fully back to surface temp.

Best of luck – I'm sure they will be amazing!

 

[sdynak]

I have a 36" Blackstone and use it more than any other device.

Has been a game changer for sure. My only regret is not getting one sooner.

 

[5galCan]

Yes, that is the one I have and it is seasoned. I haven't used it since I've bought it but I did go through the recommended process when I purchased the bullseye and the griddle to season it properly.

It has a substantial lip on the edge so I don't think any grease can get out of it. But it's as heavy as can be. I love my accessories and gadgets, but this is just not something I've ever needed to use.

With eight Ribeyes I think I'll be able to use paper towels to get rid of the grease.

I am definitely going to do a trial run on one of my aged steaks this weekend.

Thanks for the help and links!

I have a separate post on how I seasoned my griddle, which included removing the existing finish.

The key to cooking on this, I believe, has to do with getting it hot enough. I would like to see RecTeq add a 600 degree setting for the griddle, but without that, I go to RIOT mode to get it hot enough to cook with the lid open. Sometimes you can drop that to the 500 degree setting for a bit, but if you have the lid open the temperature will certainly drop.

I also raised the griddle up higher in the 380 so I don't have to try and dip down into the BBQ to manipulate food on the surface. I find that two layers of firebrick cut into smaller chunks seem to work pretty well. You could also cut the firebrick using a circular saw with masonry blade to your desired thickness. Ideally, the goal would be to bring the bottom of the griddle plate up level with the top of the 380 with the lid open. Mine is slightly higher than that with two layers of firebrick, but seems to work well.

I've only cooked burgers on this, but would finish steaks using ghee instead of butter after smoking the steaks at a lower temperature first to where their internal temp was at 115-120 (reverse sear method).

And yes, I soak up the leftover grease with paper towels, clean the grill using a squirt bottle of water and a spatula and then re-season it with a small bit of grape seed oil before the surface cools too much.

Like anything new, you need to engage the old trial and error method to figure how to best cook with your grill.

 

[BethV]

I have a separate post on how I seasoned my griddle, which included removing the existing finish.

The key to cooking on this, I believe, has to do with getting it hot enough. I would like to see RecTeq add a 600 degree setting for the griddle, but without that, I go to RIOT mode to get it hot enough to cook with the lid open. Sometimes you can drop that to the 500 degree setting for a bit, but if you have the lid open the temperature will certainly drop.

I also raised the griddle up higher in the 380 so I don't have to try and dip down into the BBQ to manipulate food on the surface. I find that two layers of firebrick cut into smaller chunks seem to work pretty well. You could also cut the firebrick using a circular saw with masonry blade to your desired thickness. Ideally, the goal would be to bring the bottom of the griddle plate up level with the top of the 380 with the lid open. Mine is slightly higher than that with two layers of firebrick, but seems to work well.

I've only cooked burgers on this, but would finish steaks using ghee instead of butter after smoking the steaks at a lower temperature first to where their internal temp was at 115-120 (reverse sear method).View attachment 14920View attachment 14921View attachment 14922

And yes, I soak up the leftover grease with paper towels, clean the grill using a squirt bottle of water and a spatula and then re-season it with a small bit of grape seed oil before the surface cools too much.

Like anything new, you need to engage the old trial and error method to figure how to best cook with your grill.

@5galCan It's so interesting that you just posted this. I woke up thinking this could be the issue, I did a test run on one of my steaks last night.

I could not keep the griddle to 500F. And when I opened the lid, it dropped to the low 400's. And I live in sunny California. I used an infrared thermometer to check the griddle temperature. You are spot on with raising the griddle.

I called Recteq this morning because I had this thought in the middle of the night that the fire was having issues with the lack of oxygen. I wanted some confirmation from them that by cutting off the air supply with the griddle and forcing the bullseye to work this hard wouldn't destroy my Bullseye. He assured me it won't, but it does present an issue trying to do what I want it to do.

Bottom line, not enough air for the fire to get as hot as I need. They suggested that I find a way to raise the griddle like @5galCan did so that the fire could get the air it needs to get hot. They suggested I use tin foil wedges. The griddle needs to come up just a little. Not a lot.

They also suggested using my 590 and use the flat side of the grill grates. I never use the 590 at high temps. That's why I have the bullseye. But to ensure I don't get any smoke on the steaks, the griddle method on the bullseye is best. For these aged steaks, I don't want smoke. I know I would not get much if any, but I want none.

I don't know much about fire bricks. Do they get hot? I'd like to cook all 8 steaks at one time if possible. I'm wondering if the areas above the brick would be cooler? I thought I'd head to Home Depot and see what they have that might be made of stainless steel so it gets hot but won't melt. Then again, fire bricks might be the right choice.

One other issue I discovered in the cooking process is that these steaks are 1 1/2 inches thick. It was kind of a hassle to sear the sides of the steak. Lots of turning.

 

[1MoreFord]

Yes, firebricks get hot! They may take more heat than most metals. Think ceramic like Kamados. They are used in fireplaces, wood heaters, and the industrial versions line boilers. If you are worried about them blocking heat to the griddle turn them on edge instead of laying them flat.

I was also going to recommend GrillGrates upside down or their flat griddle panels.
https://www.grillgrate.com/accessories/griddles/

 

[Roaniecowpony]

@5galCan It's so interesting that you just posted this. I woke up thinking this could be the issue, I did a test run on one of my steaks last night.

I could not keep the griddle to 500F. And when I opened the lid, it dropped to the low 400's. And I live in sunny California. I used an infrared thermometer to check the griddle temperature. You are spot on with raising the griddle.

I called Recteq this morning because I had this thought in the middle of the night that the fire was having issues with the lack of oxygen. I wanted some confirmation from them that by cutting off the air supply with the griddle and forcing the bullseye to work this hard wouldn't destroy my Bullseye. He assured me it won't, but it does present an issue trying to do what I want it to do.

Bottom line, not enough air for the fire to get as hot as I need. They suggested that I find a way to raise the griddle like @5galCan did so that the fire could get the air it needs to get hot. They suggested I use tin foil wedges. The griddle needs to come up just a little. Not a lot.

They also suggested using my 590 and use the flat side of the grill grates. I never use the 590 at high temps. That's why I have the bullseye. But to ensure I don't get any smoke on the steaks, the griddle method on the bullseye is best. For these aged steaks, I don't want smoke. I know I would not get much if any, but I want none.

I don't know much about fire bricks. Do they get hot? I'd like to cook all 8 steaks at one time if possible. I'm wondering if the areas above the brick would be cooler? I thought I'd head to Home Depot and see what they have that might be made of stainless steel so it gets hot but won't melt. Then again, fire bricks might be the right choice.

One other issue I discovered in the cooking process is that these steaks are 1 1/2 inches thick. It was kind of a hassle to sear the sides of the steak. Lots of turning.

Beth,
Fire bricks are very low heat conductors (remember that famous picture of someone holding a glowing yellow Space Shuttle tile? that tile had a fraction of the thermal conductivity of a fire brick). To put it in perspective with your steel griddle, The steel will conduct heat 30-50 times faster than the fire brick. The aluminum used for "Grill Grates" is over 200 times faster heat conductor than a fire brick (although the anodize coating slows it a little). This is why Grill Grates sear so much more at the same temperature as steel or worse yet, stainless steel, which is only about half of the thermal conductivity of mild steel.

When you think about all the bbq people that want cast iron grates instead of stainless steel, it's because cast iron has twice the thermal conductivity of stainless, or about the same as mild steel (maybe 5-10% better). Your frying pans benefit from these characteristics and your results from the various metals in the pan reflect the thermal conductivity performance. Aluminum has probably the highest thermal conductivity of the metals used in pans, but coatings can really alter that, such as ceramic coatings. Ceramics are very low conductors and a ceramic coated frying pan will not transfer heat as fast as a bare aluminum pan.

 

[Toolman2]

A little late to the party but my post wouldn’t have helped much for the original post. I would love to try my hand at sous vide and will but I’m having too much fun with my RT-1250 now.

if you haven’t seen Chef Greg from RecTeq break down a standing rib roast, it is a life changer. Hands down the best steaks I have ever had from any home grill in my life I will never cook a rib roast any other way! Now that’s not to say I wouldn’t buy and cook a ribeye steak but not if I had a roast in my hands. (I also used all the trimmings mixed with cross rib for hamburger and no regrets there either ) I use Grillgrates for all searing and absolutely love the finished look with the wide grill marks.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...FDBDD7134486339D62E5FDBDD7134486339&FORM=VIRE

On another note I would love to buy the Arteflame @5galCan talked about in a prior post, but ouch I think I’m going to spend the hour on my griddle and give his idea a try! That looks amazing and may help me love my griddle more but I am liking it. The maintenance is a bit much and if I can make that a bit easier I might be able to use it without $2k outlay for the Arteflame. Blackstone is still an option and I think it might be the perfect companion to my RecTeq but that is a much easier price to manage.

 

[sdynak]

if you haven’t seen Chef Greg from RecTeq break down a standing rib roast, it is a life changer.

Is there a video to this or something?

 

[C. Keeper]

Now, this looks great grate for the Bullseye insert

 

[BethV]

Thanks for all your comments and advice. I decided to sous vide the steaks and sear them up in two large cast iron pans. I just felt like I would have more control then using the griddle on the bullseye. It went fast.

I used a cooler to sous vide the steaks which worked great. And seared them using the aged tallow that I rendered after trimming the pellicle from the rib roast.

Here are some photos from my Valentine's Day Dinner.

 

[Waterboy]

Wow @BethV you have some lucky friends. That’s is a beautiful spread! The steaks look awesome.

 

[C. Keeper]

Incredible!
Nice work.

 

[Toolman2]

Is there a video to this or something?

I included the link in the post. If you search “whole ribeye 101” you will also find it. It is a RecTeq after hours video.

I forgot he cuts some ribeyes from the roast but if you skip to about 9:30 he breaks down the roast from there.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Thanks for all your comments and advice. I decided to sous vide the steaks and sear them up in two large cast iron pans. I just felt like I would have more control then using the griddle on the bullseye. It went fast.

I used a cooler to sous vide the steaks which worked great. And seared them using the aged tallow that I rendered after trimming the pellicle from the rib roast.

Here are some photos from my Valentine's Day Dinner.

Beth,
That meal looks incredibly delicious. It looks like an all out effort. If this is for friends, your clients must get some great food and presentations.

It looks like you dry aged the standing rib roast. If so, can you describe the process?