Perfect Campfire Steak
A thick, heavily marbled bone-in ribeye grilled over a deep bed of embers with nothing but coarse salt. Quarter turns, a thermometer, and a proper rest — that is the whole recipe.
Equipment
- 1 wood fire with a deep bed of embers
- 1 grill grate
- 1 instant-read meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 aged bone-in ribeye steak about 45 oz (1.3 kg), at least 2 inches thick, heavily marbled
- coarse salt fleur de sel or Maldon — not table salt
- dry hardwood several logs, for the fire
Instructions
Two hours before dinner
- Start a wood fire with several logs of dry hardwood at least two hours before you plan to eat. Keep feeding it so you build a deep, active bed of embers.
One hour before
- Take the steak out of the refrigerator and set it on a plate, away from flies and the dog, about an hour before dinner. Letting it come to room temperature relaxes the fat and is what makes the cooking even. If it is very hot out, shorten this — use your head.
Cooking
- Place a grate about 4 inches (10 cm) above the embers and let it preheat for at least 10 minutes. A cold grate is what makes meat stick.
- Season the steak generously on both sides with coarse salt and lay it on the grate.
- Cook for 1 minute, then rotate a quarter turn, adjusting the grate height or the steak position so the meat is only kissed by the flames, never engulfed by them.
- Repeat the quarter turn 2 or 3 more times, until the surface is deeply caramelized. You may lift a corner to check that nothing is burning — but do not flip it repeatedly. We are not in a teppanyaki restaurant.
- Turn the steak over once and repeat the same rotation process on the second side. If the crust is beautiful but starting to blacken, move the steak to the indirect heat zone to finish.
- If you are using a thermometer — and with a steak this thick you should — pull it at an internal temperature of 120°F (rare to medium-rare). Never go past 125°F.
Rest
- Remove the steak and let it rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. It keeps cooking during this time, which is exactly why you pulled it at 120°F.
Notes
The cut. Bone-in ribeye or T-bone, heavily marbled, at least 2 inches thick. Not filet mignon — it is cute, and far too lean for this heat.
The fire. Embers, not flames. Two hours of steady burning gives the deep red bed you are looking for. Radiant heat from coals builds the crust; flames just burn it.
Temperature. 120°F off the fire for rare to medium-rare. Past 125°F you might as well be eating your hiking boots.
Indirect zone. Always keep a cooler part of the grate. It is where a steak goes when the crust is ready before the inside is.
Leftovers. Excellent cold, sliced thin. Do not reheat in a pan — you will simply cook it a second time.