How to cook a Cabin Guy steak

November 16, 2020 1 Comment

The Meat: Prime Time

It all starts with the meat. You gotta have a good butcher - we recommend shopping at a local-small proprietor who will be grateful to customize your steak experience. One of our favorites is Hackenmueller's Meat Market. If you don’t have a favorite butcher, it is time to find one. Once you explain what you are looking for, they will give you a knowing look and deliver something special. Who is your favorite butcher?

Every year our butcher carves up 7 - two-inch thick porterhouse steaks weighing about 2 lbs. each - and yes that's one steak for each Cabin Guy.

Preparing the steaks is simple but key to tenderness and flavor. Take the steaks out of the fridge and unwrap the meat 1 hour before you want to put it on the fire. Season the steak with pepper and garlic powder on both sides and let it rest.

Sides. Keep it simple. You need 3 things for this. Corn. Potato and Fire.

Shuck the corn, brush it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
Start with a good potato - we like a Russet potato. Rub each potato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with a little salt and pepper. Now wrap each potato in tin foil - this is critical... you need to fireproof your potato for the cooking step.

The Fire: Preparing for Greatness

Now go play a game of Cabin Guy Bocce Ball and get the fire started. A wood fire will produce the best flavor, without question. If it has been a while since you have had a steak cooked over a wood fire, it is time to return to your ancestral inheritance - trust us on this one. You want to use hardwoods like oak, hickory, ash or walnut which have been fully dried (seasoned). Remember you are not cooking over open flame, but over the glowing embers of the wood once it has burned a while. Be generous with the wood so you end up with enough embers to spread around in an even layer that will provide uniform heat to the grilling surface. Plan on 30-45 minutes before the embers are ready.

Pro tip: once the fire is started put the foil-wrapped potatoes in or near the fire as they take a little time to cook through.

Cooking: It’s On

It's time to cook. We're assuming you have a proper fire pit tripod - if not get one or build one. We built our own and will post how to in another blog. It's gotta be big and sturdy, you're about to put 14 lbs. of Porterhouse and 7 ears of corn on that thing. You should also have a good long pair of tongs and an oven mitt.

Potatoes first. You can turn them every once in a while. They'll take about 30 -45 minutes to cook depending on how close you have them to the coals. Poke 'em to see if they're done if you're not sure.
Steaks and corn next. Pretty simple, make those monsters fit on the grille along with the corn. It’s your job to adjust the grille height so the meat and corn get just the right amount of heat – this is critical and requires your attention, along with a cold beverage. First step is to sear the steaks close to the coals for 2-3 minutes on each side. Next, elevate the grill grate a few inches higher while remaining on the heat. Turn the meat and corn for even cooking and adjust the grill height as needed to reach your desired temperature. Ours come off the grill at medium rare and the corn with a slight char.
When steaks are cooked to perfection take it all off and bring everything inside.