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Salt-and-Pepper Ribeye *

Source of Recipe


From "The Grilling Book" by Adam Rapaport



List of Ingredients



• 1 (2-pound) bone-in rib-eye steak (1½ inches to 2 inches thick)
  
• 2 tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 tsp coarsely cracked black peppercorns
  
• Vegetable oil, for brushing
  
• Coarse sea salt
  






Instructions



1. Put steak on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt per side. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Pat dry with paper towels. Season again with ½ teaspoon salt per side; press in ½ teaspoon cracked peppercorns per side so pieces adhere.
   
   
2. Built a two-zone medium-hot / medium-low fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high just before cooking, leaving one burner on low. Brush grill grate with oil. Sear steak over higher heat, flipping once, until nicely charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (If a flare-up occurs, use tongs to gently slide the steak to a cooler part of the grill.)
   
   
3. Move steak to lower heat and continue grilling, flipping once, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Using tongs, lift steak and sear both edges (the bone side and the fat cap side) for 1 to 2 minutes per side to render out some of the fat. Grill steak to desired temperature, 14 to 18 minutes total or until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F for rare (steak will carry over to 125°F, or medium-rare, as it rests.) Transfer steak to work surface; let rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain; season with coarse salt.
   
   Makes 2 servings.
   
   
   * Cat's Note:
   
   I don't often wax poetic about steak. In fact, even though I am a writer, I don't often wax poetic about the majority of recipes I try, even when they are good...so this one is indeed special. If you know me, you also know that steak is not high on my food priorities list. However, this steak was literally what changed those priorities for me, as we are having this for a second time in the same week! We threw this on the grill for our Fourth of July dinner, and we followed it to the letter. If it needs any changes at all, I would cut back just a little on the salt next time; that said, I'm rather salt-sensitive, so it is probably a "me" thing. Anyway, this ribeye was tender, flavorful, and needed no sauce to adorn it; in fact, sauce of any kind would have detracted from the sublime experience that is this steak. Sauce on a steak of this caliber is blasphemy. And it was as tender as butter. It was perfect for the Fourth of July, and I think it would also make a great meal for any other excuse to fire up the grill: Father's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day... or, heck, just to cover all the bases, showcase this steak at every outdoor grilling event of the season. (Yes. I liked it that much. lol)