Jun 2ndClinching, steak without a grill (directly on the coals), the most paleo of all grilling methods (though I’m no expert)

A couple years ago, a friend of mine got a book about grilling.  In it (link at the bottom), it suggested putting meat directly on the coals as a very (very) old school way of grilling steak.  We tried it, and the steaks came out great.  I don’t do it often, but my gas grill has a leak that I have yet to address, and I had some all natural charcoal left over from smoking, so I decided to clinch some steaks.  I assume the term clinching comes from the fact that the coals stick (clinch) to the steak, even when turned.  This is a great method for when your grill is broken, but its also great for camping, or even cooking in your fireplace.

I was at whole foods, so I got some dry aged beef.  My wife is pregnant, so I started hers in the oven to ensure it was at least medium (doctor’s orders), while I threw my on raw, hoping for medium rare (or rarer).

When you clinch, you always get a good charred crust on the outside, even if the steak is still rare on the inside.  This time, I ended up with medium rare in the center, more like medium on the ends, but it was good none the less.  I also threw the lettuce directly on the coals for about 15 seconds per side, in order to get a little char on them as well.

I enjoyed a nice bottle of wine, and a custom rolled cigar from Cigar World in McLean.  The weather was great, and the meal was delicious.

Edit:

Found a video, and the original book here.  Don’t bother with all that hair dryer business.  Keep it simple like I did.