It’s 5pm and I’m on my way home from a meeting. I know there is a very hungry teen age boy waiting for me and I need to decide right now if I’m going to pick him up and we’ll eat out – or if I’ll fix dinner. Last week I was faced with nearly the identical situation and he persuaded me to take him to a new restaurant near our place that serves, in his words: “Gourmet Hamburgers Dad, c’mon – it’s research!”  I admit the burger menu was impressive and they grind the quality meat on premise. You can select about 3 dozen different combination of ingredients, sides, etc. And the burgers are big. Tasty too. But when the bill comes for two burgers, two milkshakes and one side of fries it’s just a tad short of $30. Holy Mackerel!

Two rib eye steaks lightly seasoned with sea salt, ready to spritz with canola oil and sear on the Big Easy Smoker Roaster Grill at 550F degrees.

Remembering this I pull into the Ballard Market and make my way past the other harried and hurried shoppers who, no doubt, are experiencing the same mental dilemma, and cozy up to the meat counter. While most folks begin their shopping trip at the first ’station’ of food nearby where they enter the store – I almost always start with the protein. What’s fresh? What do the cuts look like? Is it pork – beef – chicken – fish, or some combination? What’s the per pound variation and difference and can I talk the butcher into trimming away what I won’t use without adding to the cost!  And factored into all of this is what time I have  available to me to prepare.  You know what they say: “If’n you want pulled pork sandwiches for dinner – you shoulda started cooking this morning!”  There will be no pulled slow-smoked and roasted pork this evening!

Rib eye steaks and broccoli on the grates of the Big Easy SRG where it registers 550F degrees.

And there they were. Two perfectly sized and prices PRIME rib eye steaks. Maybe just a tad thinner than I’d usually like – but I quickly figured that meant they’d cook a bit faster.  And calculating in my head I realized the two of them – totally just under 22oz. would be cheaper than the two burgers we ate the week before.  Snapped em up and swung by the vegetable area where I plucked a handful of tender young broccoli flowers and one good-sized sweet potato.  Done. Total bill was less than $15.00. Not cheap but for goodness sakes it’s the same price as a home delivered pizza and I don’t have to tell you this is gonna be better than a home delivered pizza!

With one graceful movement, choreographed by too many dinners that had to be prepared in under 30 minutes, I place the grocery bag on the counter, remove my coat, stride to the door to the outdoor cooking area and in moments the Big Easy Smoker Roaster Grill is on and warming up.  I remove the steaks from the packages and wipe them with a paper towel to reduce the moisture on the surface, then lightly salt with freshly ground sea salt – just a bit – on each side; salting brings out the natural proteins and sugars to the surface where they will be turned into the tasty brown crust we call ’sear marks’ when the steak meets the hot grates.  I scrub the sweet potato and microwave it for 3 minutes, rinsing the broccoli before splaying them out on a paper towel to dry off.

Check the SRG and my grate thermometer is reading 550F degrees after about 15 minutes.  The partially cooked sweet potato goes in about mid-way up the cooking basket by use of the Easy Out Shelf, the grate is returned using the angled metal handle – steaks are spritzed with canola oil and placed on the hot grates and the broccoli is also spritzed with canola oil and piled onto the grates. Lid closed – back inside to see to it that my son clears and sets the table.

In about 6 minutes I’m back outside, lift the hood of the SRG and turn the steaks with tongs, mess with the broccoli a bit to ensure it’s all getting grilled – close the hood and back inside to pour a glass o’grape juice.

One turn in about 6 minutes - nice sear marks and the broccoli is also getting a nice smoky flavor from grilling.

In minutes I’m back outside – quick finger test of the steaks, lift them and place on platter to rest – use tongs to cook the broccoli just a bit more then onto the platter, use the hook to first lift the grate and set it on the side, then reach into the cooker to grab the sweet potato with tongs.  Replace the grates and close the hood.

Rib eye steaks grilled RARE & drizzled with garlic butter. Sides of grilled broccoli and roasted sweet potato - prepared on one grill. Big Easy SRG.

Dress the plates for dinner – with a finish touch of just a tbsp of butter and sliced garlic in the microwave to melt and drizzle it on the steak.  Call my son to come to the kitchen for the plates, step outside and turn off the grill.  Back in and it’s been just a bit more than 30 minutes – the steak is juicy, tender, tasty. The grilled broccoli is smoky sweet and still a bit crunchy and the sweet potato scoops out on the plate and topped with a twist of freshly ground black pepper.

Oh – and the grape juice is good too!  Oregon Pinot Noir.  But just for me.

Thanks and…

Happy Grilling!