Summer Is Here? (Smoked NY Strip Steaks)

I’m going with summer as a fact.  Until this weekend there were still many doubts in my mind, but with clear skies and temperatures that are pushing 90° I think it is safe to believe that there is little chance that we’ll slip back into that February Ice Age we just emerged from.  We are now in that in-between time, rhubarb is up, all the lettuce in Cathy’s garden is just about ready to eat, but the corn still has a few more weeks, unless you count that stuff out of Florida, which is a poor substitute for the real corn biding its time in Lancaster County.  Florida sweet corn is like when you have a long ride in the car and your brother grabbed your 8 track of Toys in the Attic when you specifically told him Exile on Main Street.  It’ll get you there, although the ride won’t have any depth or finesse.

So…it is time to crank up the smoker.  Mine is an abomination built out of an old 50’s, Cleaver style, BBQ.  I can almost picture Ward grilling Flintstones steaks while June mixes up highballs for the ladies and manly rock and ryes.  The smoking cabinet was trash picked from Abacus about 20 years ago.  The chef told me that it was easier for him to install a new one than to scrape out the inch of flammable duck fat coating the inside.  He may have been correct, because I ended up cleaning it with lye and swears.  

 The remainder of the thing is a jumble of fieldstone, fire brick and mortar that seems specifically designed to keep me out of the mason’s union.

You don’t need a purpose-built smoker in your back yard to smoke meats.  Gas grills do a nice job and provide an even heat.  Smoke meats indirectly in a gas grill.  All you need to do is soak wood chips (apple, cherry, oak or hickory) in a bowl for 30 minutes, then put a cup of them in a tin foil platter above a burner on low.  Add more chips as the others burn up.  If your gas grill has three burners, as most do, only turn on the one on the far right, which leaves 2/3 of the grill available for low temperature smoking.  With a little playing around, you should be able to figure out how to maintain a temperature between 140° to 160°, what you are looking for to do low temp smoking.  This is a great technique to have under your belt to prepare vegetables and fish.  I particularly like shrimp smoked on a grill and, as odd as it might seem, mussels.

Here's a step by step tutorial on making smoked NY strip steaks.  I usually try to stay away from anything connected with New York, since I have this unyielding hatred for the Yankees and their entitled fans, but their steaks are good.  

 

Choose steaks that are well-marbled and at least 3/4 inch thick.  That way, they'll take the smoke without cooking through.

Oil the steaks and season them with salt and fresh black pepper.

The temperature in your smoker should be about 140.  Try to keep it stable during the time the meat is in the smoker.

Lay the steaks on the grill, making sure that they are away from direct heat.  The objective is to flavor the steaks, not cook them.  Close the door and smoke for 20 minutes.

 

  

After 20 minutes, the steaks will have picked up a bit of color, but will not be cooked through.  Turn them and smoke for another 20 minutes on low heat.  If the temperature has risen above 160, your steaks may be done at this point.  That ugly thing hiding in the back is a 12 pound pork shoulder that is getting 18 hours of smoke.  You don't see the sausage and long hot peppers above.  I figure that if I'm doing all this work, I should not waste the smoke.

 

You'll know that the steaks are ready to take out of the smoker when they are just beginning to brown and they are sweating.  Remember, with this process you are looking to make a flavor adjustment, not cook the meat.  They should still feel raw.

 

 

Remove the steaks from the smoker.  If they are not going directly on the grill,  put them in the refrigerator.  I prefer to cool mine off until it is time to cook the steaks.  

Check out the red color on these!  That is the result of the low temperature smoking.  I rather like pan frying the smoked steaks in a little butter.  It may seem counter intuitive, but if you grill the steaks, a little of that smoked character that you have worked so hard to get is masked by the charring.  Serve simply with some mushrooms that have been sautéed in the pan while the steaks are resting.