We Celebrate With Steak! So That’s What We’re Cooking This Father’s Day

The reverse sear lessens the anxiety of a perfectly cooked steak. (JeanMarie Brownson/TNS)

Holidays, birthdays, graduations. All worthy occasions to indulge. This Father’s Day, we’re cooking tomahawk steak on the grill to show appreciation to the fathers in the family.

Make no mistake. As celebratory as a steak dinner can be, the cook gets anxious about the actual steak cooking! It’s pricey and it’s one of the few meals we make that we ask guests for their doneness preferences. Lots of pressure to get it right.

I’m happy to report that a relatively new method, attributed to award-winning cookbook author J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, called “the reverse sear,” lessens the anxiety of a perfectly cooked steak. You can find plenty of instructions online for this ultra-low and slow followed by high-heat searing method. I enjoy those by grill master and cookbook author Steven Raichlen and videos from all levels of cooks on YouTube.

We are convinced. Especially for entertaining. This technique gives the cook more control and allows you to par-cook thick steaks before the company even arrives. The low temperature cooking can be done in the oven or on a grill with a good thermometer.

All that’s left to do is a high heat sear over a very hot grill, in a cast-iron skillet or under a broiler. This last step takes just a few minutes and adds a delicious char while finishing the steak to rare or medium-rare.

I especially like this method for thick, bone-in ribeyes known as tomahawk steaks with their long, frenched (scraped clean) rib bones. It’s also great for 1 1/2-thick porterhouse steaks and tri-tip roasts. Starting the cooking process in a 250-degree oven could not be easier, but I do prefer to use my grill instead. That way, I can add some wood chips or chunks to add a modicum of smoke along the way.

Same for the high heat sear—I employ the grill. A hot gas grill, or a charcoal grill stoked with natural hardwood charcoal, adds delicious char to the steak. A well-ventilated stove and a cast-iron skillet or griddle will likewise give excellent results, albeit a bit less smoky.

Season the steak with a simple, flavorful rub that can be a personal signature throughout the summer. Serve the steak with a pat of butter seasoned with that same rub. Russet potatoes get a smoky finish on the grill along with some of the same rub.

The fathers in my life love to nibble on a pile of shishito peppers. I high-heat sear the small, randomly hot peppers in a cast-iron pan and then sprinkle them with the Three pepper steak salt. Offer a big green salad, dressed with fruity olive oil and a little red wine vinegar. Happy Father’s Day, indeed!

Seared Three Pepper-Crusted Steak

Makes 3 to 4 servings

• 1 bone-in beef tomahawk ribeye steak, about 2 1/2 pounds
• 2 or 3 tablespoons three pepper steak salt (see recipe)
• Mesquite or apple wood chips or chunks
• Three pepper steak-salt seasoned butter (see recipe)
• Chopped fresh herbs for garnish

Pat steak dry. Press the steak salt into a generous coating all over the steak. Place the steak on a rack set over a baking sheet. Refrigerate covered 1 to 12 hours.

Remove steak from refrigerator and let sit on the counter while you heat the grill (30 to 60 minutes).

Preheat a gas grill to low (250 degrees F on a grill or oven thermometer). Alternately, prepare a charcoal grill and when coals are covered with gray ash, move the coals to two sides of the grill, leaving the center of the grill empty. Put an oven thermometer on the grill and cover grill. Add wood chips to the smoker box on the gas grill or a chunk or two of wood to the glowing coals.

Put steak on the 250-degree-F grill for indirect cooking (not over the heat source). Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the steak away from the bone. Cover the grill and cook until the internal temperature of the steak is 110 degrees F, 45 to 60 minutes (time will depend on temperature of the meat when it goes on the grill, maintaining a steady grill temperature, the outside temperature, and the thickness of the meat).

Remove steak to the rack set over a baking pan. Let rest at room temperature at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Shortly before serving, preheat the gas grill to hot or add more coals to the charcoal grill to get it very hot. Temperature should be 500 degrees F or more. Add more wood chips if desired.

Set the steak directly over the heat source on the hot grill. Cover the grill. Cook the steak, without turning, until seared and very nicely grill marked on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip the steak and cook to sear the other side, 3 to 5 minutes more. The internal temperature of the steak should be 125 degrees F for rare and 130 degrees F for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board. Top with a pat of the butter, if desired.

To carve the steak, use a very sharp knife to cut away the bone. Then cut the steak crosswise into thin strips. Serve sprinkled with herbs.

Note: For the most accurate results, use a meat thermometer that can stay in the steak throughout the cooking. If using an instant-read thermometer, try to avoid leaving the grill uncovered for too long a time.

Three Pepper Steak Salt

Makes about 1/3 cup

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon grains of paradise (or more black pepper)
• 2 tablespoons coarse (kosher) salt
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, such as urfa biber, spelette pepper, Aleppo pepper, or gochugara (or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nigella seeds (or black sesame seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder (or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder)

Put peppercorns and grains of paradise into an electric spice grinder or a mortar. Grind with on/off turns, or using the pestle, until coarsely ground.

Pour into a small bowl. Stir in salt and remaining ingredients. Store in a tightly covered container up to several weeks.

Three Pepper Steak Salt Seasoned Butter

Makes 1/2 cup

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon three pepper steak salt (see recipe)

Put butter into a small bowl. Stir in salt until well mixed. Use at room temperature. Refrigerate covered up to a week.

Smoked Baked Potatoes

Makes 4 servings

• 4 medium-large russet potatoes
• Soaked wood chips
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon three pepper steak salt (see recipe)

Scrub potatoes clean and pierce in several places with the tip of a paring knife. Microwave 2 potatoes at a time on high (100 percent power), turning once, until tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside and repeat to cook the other two potatoes. Let stand at room temperature up to a couple of hours.

Shortly before serving, prepare a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium hot. Add soaked wood chips to the coals or the smoker box on the gas grill.

Slice potatoes lengthwise in half. Brush cut side with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place, cut side down on the grill, directly over the heat. Cover grill and cook until heated through and nicely grill marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove. Serve hot.