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Recipe · Direct · Medium

Galician ribeye on the kamado, direct sear

A one-kilo Galician ribeye, Maldon salt, embers at 350°C and not a thing more. The shortest recipe of the year and the hardest to mess up if you respect the timings.

Chuletón a la parrilla recién salido del kamado, costra ennegrecida y carne rosada
Prep
60 min
Cook
12 min
Servings
4 servings
Temperature
350 °C

Ingredients

  • Galician rubia ribeye (4-5 cm thick)1 kg
  • Maldon flaky salt2 cda
  • freshly ground black pepper1 cdita
  • Padrón peppers300 g
  • extra-virgin olive oil2 cda
  • coarse salt for the peppersc/n
  • probe thermometer (Inkbird, Meater or similar)1 ud

Method

  1. 01

    Temper the steak

    Pull the ribeye out of the fridge 60 minutes before cooking and rest it uncovered on a wire rack at room temperature. This ensures the core is not cold when it hits the kamado and the cook stays even.

  2. 02

    Light the kamado

    Pack the firebowl to the rim, lower vent wide open, top vent three quarters. It takes 15-20 minutes to settle at 350°C. Do not load the meat until the gauge stops climbing.

  3. 03

    Salt 15 min ahead

    Fifteen minutes before cooking, sprinkle Maldon generously on both faces. The salt pulls surface moisture out and it then reabsorbs — the payoff is a drier, crunchier crust.

  4. 04

    Sear 4 min per side

    Place the steak on the hot, clean grate. 4 minutes untouched. Rotate 90° if you want the crosshatch and flip. 4 more on the other side.

  5. 05

    Probe 50-52°C

    Probe the thickest spot, away from the bone. 50°C is very rare, 52°C is rare. For medium-rare push to 55°C, but you give up part of what you paid for.

  6. 06

    Rest on a rack

    Pull and rest 5 minutes on a wire rack (not a board). Carryover will lift the internal temperature another 2-3°C. Meanwhile, drop the peppers on the coals.

  7. 07

    Slice and serve

    Slice across the grain in thick pieces (~1.5 cm). Serve with the freshly salted Padrón peppers and a young Mencía. No table salt — the Maldon has done the job.

About this recipe

For a Galician kamado ribeye, temper the steak 60 minutes out of the fridge, salt it with Maldon 15 minutes ahead and sear 4 minutes a side at 350°C with vents wide open. Pull at 50-52°C internal and rest 5 minutes on a wire rack before slicing.

Why Galician ribeye changes the game

Galician rubia is a breed with fine intramuscular fat and yellow marbling from the pasture carotenes. On a kamado over direct fire that gives you a deep crust in under five minutes per side, with no overcook risk, because that fat renders at a higher temperature than industrial breeds. If your butcher does not carry it, a well-aged simmental (at least 30 days) is your second ticket. What you cannot do is bring a 2 cm cut: ribeye starts at 4 cm thick, ideally 4-5 cm.

The honest 350°C direct sear

Pack the kamado with charcoal, lower vent fully open, top vent three quarters. In 15-20 minutes you climb from zero to 350°C. The steak lands on a brushed-clean grate, 4 minutes one side, turn 90° if you want a cross pattern, 4 more on the other. Probe the thickest spot: 50°C for very rare, 52°C for rare. Pull and rest 5 minutes on a wire rack, never on a wooden board — the wood holds heat and keeps cooking the steak from below.

Padrón peppers without lifting the lid

While the meat rests, throw a handful of Padrón peppers straight on the same grate, still at 280-300°C. Three minutes, one flip, flaky salt off the heat. Pairing: a young Mencía from Ribeira Sacra, cellar-cold (14°C), never at room temperature. Best effort-to-payoff dinner you will cook this summer.

In 30 seconds

Galician ribeye 1 kg, 4-5 cm thick. Temper 60 min, salt with Maldon 15 min ahead, direct sear at 350°C, 4 min per side. Pull at 50-52°C internal, rest 5 min on a wire rack. Padrón peppers on the same coals. Young Mencía, cellar-cold.

Editor's tips

  • The grate must be genuinely hot and clean. If the steak sticks on contact, it was not ready — wait 2 more minutes.
  • Without a probe this recipe is a gamble. A Meater Plus or an Inkbird IBT-2X changes your kamado life.
  • Do not tent the meat with foil during the rest — the rack lets air circulate and keeps the crust crisp.
  • For a subtle smoke note, throw one oak chip on the coals right before loading the steak. More wood masks the meat.

Gear for this recipe

FAQ

  • Galician rubia or simmental for ribeye?

    Galician rubia wins on flavour and yellow marbling, thanks to the Cantabrian pasture. Well-aged simmental (30+ days) is the second-best ticket, easier to source and 25-30% cheaper. Any other industrial breed — pass. If your butcher does not stock rubia, ask for cow at least four years old, aged.

  • Is the probe thermometer really necessary?

    Yes. A 4 cm cut is thick enough that the finger test fails: what feels rare to you can be 48°C or 56°C, a huge gap on the plate. A probe takes guesswork out. An Inkbird IGT-2X costs less than the steak itself.

  • Salt before or after cooking?

    Before, with a rule: either 15 minutes ahead (salt pulls moisture and it reabsorbs) or straight out of the fridge (45 min ahead, same effect). Never: salt 2 minutes before loading the kamado, because moisture exits but does not return and the sear becomes steam.

  • What is the minimum thickness for a kamado ribeye?

    Four centimetres. Below that, a 350°C direct sear leaves the centre overcooked before a real crust forms. The sweet spot is 4-5 cm, which gives you margin for a deep crust while holding the core at 50-52°C. Above 6 cm switch to reverse-sear.

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