Fireside Ribeye on the Grate
A big steak, a hot cast iron grate, and garlic-herb butter that melts into it.
- calories
- 870
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 79
- protein
- 48 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Tomahawk ribeye | 1 steak, about 2 lb | salted and seasoned at home, kept cold in the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic and herb sear blend | 4 tbsp | plus 2 tsp for the butter |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Butter | 1/2 cup | unsalted, softened |
| Dried parsley | 1 tbsp | fresh if you have it |
| Salt for the butter | 1/2 tsp | |
| Crusty bread | 1/2 loaf | sliced |
Method
- At home: pat the steak dry, rub it with the salt and 4 tbsp of the sear blend, and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight. Wrap it and pack it cold.
- At home: mash the softened butter with 2 tsp sear blend, the parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt. Roll it in parchment, chill it hard, and keep it deep in the cooler.
- In camp, burn the fire down to coals and set the cast iron grate over them. Give it ten minutes to come up to heat.
- Pull the steak out about 30 minutes before cooking. Wipe off surface moisture and coat it with the oil.
- Sear both sides directly over the coals, 4 to 5 minutes a side, until the crust is dark.
- Slide it to the cooler edge of the grate and cook until 125F in the center for medium rare, turning every few minutes. On a two-pound cut this takes another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Rest it on a board 10 minutes. Toast the bread on the grate while it rests.
- Slice against the grain, lay coins of the butter over the hot slices, and serve with the bread to catch what runs off.
This is car-camping food, not pack food. A two-pound bone-in cut needs a cooler, a real fire, and a thermometer, and none of that fits in a backpack. What makes it work in camp is that all the fussy parts happen at home: the overnight salt cure and the compound butter are both done days ahead and travel wrapped.
The dry brine matters more than the fire does. Uncovered overnight, the surface dries out and the salt works inward, so the steak browns fast instead of steaming. Coals over flame for the same reason. The butter goes on after slicing, off the heat, where the herbs stay green instead of scorching.
Packing
Steak seasoned and wrapped, butter log wrapped separately, both in the cooler bottom under ice. Bread and oil ride in the food bin. Bring a thermometer and a cutting board; this is not a cut to guess at.
Variations
- No sear blend on hand: granulated garlic, dried thyme, and coarse pepper get close.
- Cook it in a cast iron skillet on the grate instead, spooning the butter over at the end rather than after slicing.
- Two thick ribeyes cook faster and are easier to manage than one tomahawk.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/fireside-tomahawk-ribeye