Smoked Steak -- Tending the Fire, Low and Slow

December 2023. Winter in Memphis, 65 years old, and the cold has settled into the house on Deadrick Avenue the way cold settles into old bones — persistently, without malice, just the physics of aging and December. Rosetta has the thermostat set at 74, our eternal compromise, and I cook warming things: stews and soups and slow-braised meats that fill the house with steam and flavor.

Marcus and Angela in Whitehaven, building their family, their house full of the sounds I remember from our own early years — a baby's laugh, a spouse's voice, the daily music of people learning to live together. Naomi growing with the speed of childhood, each visit revealing a new word, a new capability, a new expression that catches my breath because it echoes someone I lost.

I made smoked chicken this week — a simple cook that belies its depth. Rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika, smoked at 275 over hickory for three hours. The skin was mahogany, the meat juicy, and the first bite carried the kind of flavor that makes you close your eyes, which is the highest compliment food can earn: the involuntary closing of the eyes, the body's admission that what it's tasting is too good to see.

Another week in the book. Another seven days of tending fires — the one in the smoker, the one in the marriage, the one in the family, the one in the church. Each fire needs something different: wood, attention, food, faith. But the tending is the same for all of them: show up, add what's needed, wait patiently, trust the process. Low and slow. Always. Low and slow.

That smoked chicken this week got me thinking about the smoker sitting out back on Deadrick Avenue — how it’s always been my most honest teacher about patience. The week ahead calls for something with a little more weight to it, something that honors the cold and the quiet and the years: a smoked steak, reverse-seared and rested, the kind of cook that rewards every bit of attention you give it. Low and slow, like everything worth doing.

Smoked Steak

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 2 ribeye or New York strip steaks, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick (about 12 oz each)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (for searing)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Season the steaks. Pat steaks completely dry with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder in a small bowl. Season steaks generously on all sides and edges. For best results, season uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours before cooking.
2. Prepare the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 225—250°F using hickory or oak wood. Maintain a steady, thin blue smoke throughout the cook.
3. Smoke the steaks. Place steaks directly on the smoker grates and cook until the internal temperature reaches 115—120°F for medium-rare, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on thickness. Remove steaks and tent loosely with foil while you prepare for the sear.
4. Preheat for searing. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking hot, or prepare a charcoal grill for direct high-heat searing. You want intense, dry heat for a proper crust.
5. Sear the steaks. Add oil to the skillet. Place steaks in the pan and sear 45—60 seconds per side, pressing gently to ensure full contact. In the final 30 seconds, add butter, smashed garlic, and thyme and baste the steaks continuously as the butter foams.
6. Rest and serve. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing. The internal temperature will carry over to approximately 130°F for a perfect medium-rare. Slice against the grain and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 620 | Protein: 52g | Fat: 44g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 890mg