Beef

Grilling Like a Pro with Tajima Wagyu Ribeye and Fresh Veggies

What are you grilling this summer? One of my favorite foods to grill in the summer months are the fresh veggies from my garden. They range from zucchini, squash, onion, peppers, corn on the cob, and even tomatoes for a sauce or a fire-roasted soup. I use my grills and smokers year-round, but I think there is something special about grilling a steak on a warm summer night. And the fresh veggies from my garden are the perfect complement.

If I’m grilling a steak on a summer night, my guests love to come outside to see how the meat’s doing; when it’s cold out, they stay in the house. Grilling steaks during warm weather turns into an event as everyone gathers around the grill. Here is a great steak to showcase at your next party or if you just want to treat yourself. It is the Tajima American Wagyu ribeye from the Holy Grail Steak Company. Check out the recipe below!

Tajima Wagyu Ribeye

The Tajima American Wagyu ribeye steak weighs sixteen ounces and is intensely marbled. This ribeye is perfect for grilling or searing in a cast iron pan. The Tajima American Wagyu ribeye combines the richness of Wagyu and the tenderness of Angus beef.

Tajima American Wagyu steaks are the top of the chain for American-raised Wagyu. It is the perfect cut for those who want an experience that falls between an A4 and A5 Japanese Wagyu. The cattle are humanely raised and harvested with no added hormones or antibiotics.

Here is how it all came together. Wagyu ribeye steaks are often cooked in a cast iron pan with aromatics and basted with butter. To incorporate fresh aromatics and butter, I created a compound butter to top my steak. Compound butter is also referred to as hotel butter. Hotel butter gets its name from when the head waiter (or maitre’d in French) would make a compound butter tableside to finish dishes at high-end restaurants.

I started by making my own compound butter with unsalted butter, lemon zest, finely diced shallot, fresh thyme, sage, and parsley from my garden, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. If you want to know how to make a compound butter, check out Steven’s book Barbecues Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades-Bastes, Butters, & Glazes, Too.

I decided to reverse-sear the steak since it was almost two inches thick. I seasoned the Tajima American Wagyu ribeye with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Next, I set up my Big Green Egg XL (BGE) for smoking with cast iron grates. Once it reached 250 degrees, I added a few wood chunks to create wood smoke. I placed the steak in the BGE. Once the Tajima Wagyu ribeye reached an internal temperature of 110 degrees, I placed it on a wire rack over a sheet pan.

I removed the diffuser plate to increase the temperature of the BGE to heat up the cast iron grates for grilling the steaks. I like using cast iron grates since they create a great sear. Then, I grilled the steak for 1 minute and then gave it a quarter turn and cooked for another minutes. Likewise, I flipped the steak and repeated the process on the opposite side.

Once the steak reached an internal temperature of 135 degrees (medium-rare), I removed the steak and placed it on a wire rack over a sheet pan to rest. I placed two slices of the compound butter on top of the hot steak so it would melt over the steak.

The Results

The Tajima Wagyu ribeye had a smoky aroma due to the smoking step of the reverse-searing. The cast iron grates and the high heat of the charcoal fire created a nice sear on the outside of the steak. The ribeye was juicy and tender due to the marbling in the steak. There was a terrific beef flavor. The herbs in the compound butter provided freshness to each bite of steak. The fresh herbs balanced the richness of the ribeye. I enjoyed the contrast of textures created by the crusty exterior and the succulent inside.

I served the ribeye with grilled asparagus and rice pilaf. The Tajima Wagyu ribeye from Holy Grail Steak will be the star of your next summer grill session.

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