By Christie Vanover | Published November 22, 2014 | Last Updated December 28, 2022
What not to do
I have quickly turned into an EggHead – a fanatical user of the Big Green Egg. Not only have I fallen in love with this grill, but I love the EggHead community.
I posted a couple of pictures of my new Big Green Egg experiences on social media, and instead of casting judgement, EggHeads from around the world offered sincere advice about how to use the egg.
The first time I fired up my egg, I attempted to grill a steak. It didn’t go so well. I’m used to cooking steak on a gas grill set to high.
I usually grill them 7 minutes per side. Out of habit, I cranked up the heat on the egg, placed the steak on the grate, shut the lid and let it go for 5 minutes.
When I opened the lid and flipped it, the outside was completely charred.
THE RIGHT METHOD
Instead of judging me as a rotten griller, EggHeads on social media embraced my error and coached me through the proper technique.
Turns out my heat was set okay, but with the egg, you only need to grill the steak for 2-3 minutes per side.
I tried again, following their advice, and wow!
I’ve been grilling steaks for 20+ years, and this was the best rib-eye I’ve ever made. It had just a hint of smokehouse flavor, a nice delicate crust and was oh-so-tender inside.
Thanks EggHeads for all of the help. My husband thanks you, too.
Setting up the Big Green Egg
Season your steaks liberally on both sides with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and your favorite steak rub, and let it rest at room temperature while you light your egg.
To light your Big Green Egg, add lump charcoal, filling to the first line. Tuck a natural charcoal starter into the charcoal and light it. Let it burn for about 10 minutes with the lid open.
Place the cooking grid into the egg and close the lid. Adjust the temperature to about 550 degrees F. The bottom vent will be wide open and the top vent will be mostly open.
Hot and Fast
As I mentioned above, you’re going to grill these rib-eye steaks super fast.
Just two minutes on one side. Then, flip and grill two minutes on the other side.
When you open the Big Green Egg, be sure to “burp it.” Open the lid about one inch to release some heat. Then, you can open it all the way.
The Final Step
The key to a getting a perfectly cooked steak is this last step.
Flip the steak one more time, and add a spoonful of herb butter on top of each steak. Place the damper on the top of the egg and shut the bottom vent.
For medium-rare steaks, keep the lid closed for 3 minutes. For well-done steaks, leave the lid closed for about 6 minutes.
Rib-eye Steaks on the Big Green Egg
Ingredients
- 2 rib-eye steaks
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Steak rub
- 6 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Instructions
- Drizzle soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce onto the steaks. Sprinkle with steak rub. Rub into the meat on both sides.
- Let rest at room temperature while you light the egg to 550F degrees. The bottom vent will be wide open, and the top vent will be mostly open.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic and thyme.
- Place the steaks on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flip the steaks. Close the lid and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Flip the steaks again. Spoon the butter mixture onto the steaks.
- Close the lid. Shut the bottom vent and the damper top.
- For medium-rare steaks, keep the lid closed for 3 minutes. For well-done steaks, leave the lid closed for about 6 minutes.
- Remove from the egg, and let the meat rest about 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator
/t says
I would like to try this and I’m new to the egg. At the end when you close the vent and put the ceramic lid on it to let it rest
how do you open it without it shooting out flames?
Anonymous says
Always burp lid before opening to avoid getting burned
Anonymous says
Finally an easy way to make perfect ribeyes
Anonymous says
I agree….all laid out in plain English….
dave says
Used this method and I have to agree with some others here. Closing the vent and top at the end gave my steaks an awful flavor. Borderline inedible. Not sure I’m willing to risk trying it again.
Summer says
Seriously…the best advice for BGE and ribeyes-reduced the covered portion cooking time by about 2 minutes because my steaks were a little smaller—-but thank you!
John says
Summer, you’ve thankfully defined the biggest issue with this grilling advice…nowhere does our grilling “advisor” discuss the thickness of her steak when defining cooking times. A 1” cut vs a 2” will cause a great variation times.
Dennis Harms,sr. says
My son and daughter gave me my first egg for my 70th birthday! Always wanted one! I did some wings and they turned out great! Looking forward to trying steaks!
Anonymous says
Steak Doneness Remove from Grill at this Temperature Final Cooked Temperature
Rare 130 to 135°F 130 to 140°F
Medium Rare 140°F 145°F
Medium 155°F 160°F
Well Done 165°F 170°F
Chris says
The rib eyes turned out perfectly! Thanks for your trial and error on the process, I wil use your method from now on😀
Lance says
Hi,
We are preparing to try your recipe / instructions on some nice thick steak filets. Quick question – when you have the lid open for 10 minutes to allow the fire to burn – do you have the bottom vent open or closed? I am new to the Egg and have had a few problems on getting a semi even fire going.
Thanks
zestuous says
Great question Lance. Open the bottom vent. That will allow the oxygen to cycle through and get your fire going.
Cathy says
Definitely keep the bottom vent and lid open when lighting and getting the charcoal started…..this was something I learned the hard way 😉
Andi says
We just got our BGE, and used this to make our first steaks on it. Thanks for the info on temps and time. They were just right!
zestuous says
Awesome Andi. If you’re looking for other Big Green Egg recipes, check out our other site: http://www.GirlsCanGrill.com
Doron Or says
Do not want to be a party pooper here but have to say I was not impressed with the results.
Been grilling on a Weber Gas Grill for the past 13 years and preferred it results (weather open or closed lid).
Any hibachi in an open setting does a better job too, in my humble opionion.
Here is the issue:
2-3 minute per side with 650-700F does not char the steaks. So far so good.
However, once you shut the top vent (with the cermaic lid) and close the bottom vent it build a lot of smoke inside the egg and the steaks turn out with a smokey after taste which I find off putting. I used “Draggon’s Breath” charcoal with no wood chips nor smoke pellets. I believe that the smoke source is the drippings of the fatty rib eye steaks to the super hot charcoal which vaporize and turns to smoke which is trapped inside the egg (given the lid is closed).
I would argue that if the level of donness is not achieved by 2-3 minutes of the previous grilling, baking the steak for additional 4-5 minutes in an oven would give a better result.
I question: why not grill for a bit longer and for perhaps slightly lower temps and avoid the overly smokey taste altogether?
Just my two cents.
I also realize that this is personal taste.
zestuous says
I really appreciate your feedback Doron. I traditionally eat my steaks medium-rare, so I only leave them in the closed chamber for about 2 minutes. If you like yours really well done, I can see how the smokiness could become a little overwhelming. For a well done steak, your’re right finishing it off in the oven, or cooking at a little lower heat for a longer time might be better for you. You could also cook these with a reverse sear. Grill them first at a lower temperature until they’re almost to your doneness level. Then, open the vents and crank the heat up and sear them over the 650-degree flames for the nice char. Happy grilling!
Pier says
Great tips and wonderful results….except one thing…if you shut the egg then the smoke that will accumulate in the egg will give a bitter taste to the meat. This will certainly happen if you have lots of unused charcoal in the egg, as in the case of an extra large. I believe it is best to “almost” close the bottom vent as well as the top vent, just enough so that the smoke can escape. The temperature will drop as if you were to shut the egg completely and for the 5-6 minutes you need to cook the meat there wont be any difference. This way you avoid that bitter taste and smell on your meat.
Jim says
Anyone who cooks a steak beyond rare deserves whatever they get
Jennifer says
Using your directions we just had the most delicious steaks. We are still learning how to use our egg so your guidelines helped us greatly. Thanks!!!
zestuous says
So happy to hear that Jennifer. Enjoy your egg.
Claudia @ HomeMade with love says
Wow congratulation! This looks like a perfect piece of meat… I am still working on getting steaks right… also love the photo!
zestuous says
Thanks Claudia! Let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help you with your grilling adventures.