Ingredients

1.2–1.5kg rib-eye steak
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt flakes, to season

Do not be afraid of a rib-eye – it looks tricky but is pretty friendly, once you get to know it. This is an easy, approachable method for that sometimes-daunting grilling challenge and will not only make your fear of stuffing up melt away, but will have people (or even just yourself) crowning you Lord of the Grill. Choose your own adventure with the sauces. Just your favourite? Or all of them?

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Instructions

1.Remove steak from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
2.An hour before cooking, brush the steak all over with a very thin layer of oil and season generously on all sides with salt.
3.When you’re ready to cook, prepare a barbecue for direct-heat cooking.
4.Charcoal is preferred, however gas also works, just ensure you preheat your barbecue to a medium-high heat and follow the same timings in this recipe.
5.To cook over charcoal, light a chimney full of charcoal. Once red hot, add a thin layer of unlit charcoal and pour in the coals – the extra charcoal is to ensure there is enough fuel for the full cooking duration, as well as to elevate the hot coals closer to the grill grate. Replace the grill grate. Ensure the bottom and top dampers are fully open and leave the grill to preheat for 5–10 minutes.
6.Place the steak onto the grill directly over the hot coals.
7.Immediately place the lid on the barbecue; this will ensure you can cook at a very high heat while choking off enough oxygen to prevent flare-ups.
8.It also ensures the smoke will circulate within the grill, to give the steak a delicious smoky flavour.
9.During cooking, if things are getting too hot or it is flaring up at any time, move the steak to the indirect side of the grill for a few minutes for things to settle down.
10.Cook for 5 minutes, remove the lid, and turn the steak using a pair of long tongs, then quickly replace the lid.
11.Cook for a further 5 minutes, then turn again, repeating this process a further 2 times, for a total of 20 minutes or until you have a delicious crust on both sides and the thickest part of the steak is medium-rare, with an approximate internal temperature of 48–50°C.
12.Set the steak aside on a plate, leaving in the meat thermometer, and rest for 10 minutes until the internal temperature is 53–54°C for medium (the temperature will rise as it rests).
13.To serve, use a sharp carving knife to remove the bone.
14.Carve into thick slices and place on a warmed serving plate.
15.Drizzle with oil and season with salt.

This is an edited extract
from Meatsmith by
Andrew McConnell and
Troy Wheeler published
by Hardie Grant
Books. Photography
© Mark Roper 2023.