Grilling Out Rib Eye Steaks on a Very Cold Day

My son's girlfriend came for a visit - for the first time, so I thought that I'd put some steaks on the grill. It is, however, really cold here. I finally had to peek at the weather report, and it was 30 degrees when I was headed out the door to gril and wind chill at 24 degrees. With the sun dropping while I was out there, I can attest that it was pretty darn cold. Brrrr!

I figured I'd go with the PK Portable Kitchen outdoor cooker, since it's made of cast aluminum and holds the heat better than other grills. In fact, the PK can be used as a smoker if the coals are offset. I offset the charcoal tonight anyway, so if some steaks got done faster than others, I'd have a space for them to rest without getting cold.


Before I started grilling, I ducked outside and got the coals going with my chimney starter. One of the best grill purchases I've ever made. Just dump the coals in, wad up a piece of newspaper there in the bottom and light it. Instant fire and perfect red hot coals.


Here you can see the coals are super hot. They're Kingsford charcoal. I still like that brand the best. Some folks prefer natural lump charcoal, but I must like chemicals or something. Kingsford is what I associate with grilled foods and flavor. Yum! And, I know I'm not the only one. That's the best selling charcoal in the United States.


I let the grate heat well which is always important but especially so in cold weather, and the steaks quickly seared (or got grate marks). If the grates are cold, then meats will tend to stick, so always heat up those grill grates. You can also use Pam cooking spray to help with any sticking problems, but it's rare to have foods stick to good hot grates.

These are thinner steaks. With it being so cold out, I wanted steaks that would grill quick. The rib eyes were not real thin - about 1/2 inch thick. My favorite cut would be around 3/4 inch up to an inch. That's a good thickness for grilling steak and a nice starter cut. You have to watch thin steaks as they will be overcooked in a heartbeat, and the real thick ones are hard to nail in terms of doneness.

The meal turned out good, and my younger one got back from a swim meet just in time to eat with us. So, he got to enjoy his ribeye steak with hash browns, salad, and rolls without having to heat them back up. That's always good timing.

Rib Eye Steak on the Weber Kettle Grill with Steak Fries and Salad

The kid and I had an evening to ourselves, so I decided to toss some rib eye steaks on the Weber grill. Honestly, it's hard to beat a Weber 22 inch charcoal grill for taste, and Weber grills are very forgiving. You have more head space, good ventilation, and nice control with the top and bottom vents.

Some folks don't use charcoal, becauce it's harder to start, control, and to clean up the grill. But, if you buy a chimney starter, then you'll have red hot coals in less than 10 minutes. Honestly, I can't believe I ever DIDN'T use a chimney starter. As far as control, Weber grills are much easier to use than most, and almost everyone can master charcoal grilling with a Weber. Clean up on a gas grill can be rather messy too, although some models like the Big Red by Char Broil are self cleaning. Personally, I can deal with a little mess to get that great charcoal taste.

I grill our steaks to medium or a tad to medium well with the tips here in my Grilled Steak Guide. They turn out perfect every time. Well, I did burn the steaks once when I got sidetracked hanging clothes on the clothesline. Not a good plan - that. But, if I watch, even a little bit, I never have any problems with the Weber.

As for the steak fries, they can be done on the grill. They work best packed in tin foil with butter. Cheese can be added to for those who like cheese fries. But, I did these in the oven, since I was tired. They are the Food Lion brand French fries. I wasn't sure how they'd taste, but they were just as good as they look. I find a lot of the Food Lion brand products to be solid. We especially like the cubed hash browns grilled.

I cheated on the salad. Just bought a bag. Very easy. And, salad always goes great with steak.

It's often tempting to just heat up a pizza or something when it's just me and my 16-year-old, but a grilled steak dinner like this one doesn't take much longer than a heat and eat meal - and sure does taste better.

If You Grill with Charcoal, You Really Want to Get a Chimney Starter

I looked at and thought about a chimney starter long before I actually broke down and bought one. After I got the chimney starter, I could have kicked myself. It was so easy to use. It only costs a little bit, and the cost of the chimney starter is quickly recovered with the money saved on quick start charcoal or lighter fluid (which does give grilled food an off taste).

The main reason I held off was that I wasn't 100% sure how a chimney starter worked or if it even worked well. Turned out, it was super simple to use a chimney starter, and it has perfect coals ready in less than 10 minutes. I put up photo steps, directions for using a chimney starter and details at Yes You Can Grill. So, if you're not sure, just check out that charcoal chimney starter guide.

You can see below the nice even and red hot charcoal from our Weber chimney starter. This has made it much easier to grill out. No more issues with getting the fire going. Thumbs up to that!