This is a great grill recipe with strong Japanese flavors. The charred Eggplant and Skirt Steak combined with the smoothness and sweetness of the Miso makes a perfect dinner course. It is easy to make and fast to serve which makes it perfect when hosting guest. Getting a good Skirt Steak cut is key since Skirt Steak needs to be cooked to medium-rare to have great texture. If you cook it to rare, it is too raw and chewy, if you overcook it - it is tough and dry..  
Start the preparation by finely mincing the garlic. To make the skirt steak marinade, mix together the Garlic, Red miso, Mirin, Rice Wine, Tobanjan, and sugar in a bowl. Make sure it gets thoroughly mixed.

​Trim the Skirt Steaks. Remove some of thicker parts of fat and try to remove as much of the silver-skin as you can. pan. Lay the skirt steak in the marinade and flip it a couple of  times to generously coat all over. Vacuum-seal and marinate the steak for a minimum of 1 hour in the fridge. Turn a couple of times.

​Start by trimming both ends of each eggplant so you have pieces of similar size. Slice the eggplants in half.
Combine the Miso Glaze ingredients and whisk to combine and remove lumps. Taste the glaze. If you want a sweeter glaze, add more sugar.

Set up the grill for two heat-zones. One side should be set to medium (eggplant) and the other to searing hot (Skirt Steak). 
It's important only to use medium heat for the eggplant because otherwise it will char too much before it cooks through.

​While the grill is heating up, brush the cut side of each eggplant with the oil. Do it 2 to 3 times to use up all the oil.
When the grill is heated on both sides, start with placing the eggplant cut side down on the grill and cook for 4 minutes until it turns a light golden brown.
​After 4 minutes, turn the eggplants over, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. While it is cooking, use a brush to spread a generous amount of Miso Glaze on the cut side of each eggplant. When the eggplant is squishy and soft, turn over on final time and caramelize the miso-glaze side for 30 seconds.
Remove eggplants from grill, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Two minutes after you put on the eggplants, add the skirt steaks on the grill (on the hot side). Grill the skirt steak for about 3 minutes per side, to medium-rare. The steak might stick to the grill because of the miso, so ease it off carefully. When the steaks are done, let them rest for a few minutes.
Slice the skirt steak thinly and against the grain. Serve with eggplant.

Searing a steak and giving it the perfect cross-pattern while making sure that the steak is cooked perfectly medium-rare throughout could sometimes be a challenge.  This modernist technique for cooking steak may sound somewhat bizarre, but if you want that perfect pattern AND a perfectly cooked steak -  this is a bulletproof method.

The method, adapted from the "Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking" cookbook, involves freezing the steak, searing it and then finishing the steak off in the oven at a low temperature.

Here is how you do it, step by step. First trim the steaks so all the big chunks of fat and silver skin is removed. Also shape them so they will look nice when served. Put in the freezer for about 1 hour. You want the outside to be slightly frozen but the steak should NOT be frozen all throughout. Freezing the outside of the steak in advance will ensure that you don’t overcook the meat while you achieve that perfect sear. Heat up the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. After an hour, remove the steaks from the freezer and sprinkle with Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost. Let the steaks sweat for a couple of minutes while you heat up the cast-iron pan with some oil. Use an oil with a high smoke-point. Safflower oil or peanut oil are good choices. Make sure the pan is searing hot before you add the steaks.

Sear the steak for 30 second at a 45 degree angle. When you have a nice sear pattern rotate 90 degrees and sear for another 30 seconds. When you rotate the steak move it to another section of the pan, so it will hit a hot part that has not been cooled down by the steak. Flip and repeat. You should have a perfect cross-pattern on the steak.

The next step is to get the interior temperature of the steak to your preference. I like mine medium-rare so I would go for 130-135 degrees. In this case, I went a little higher due to requests from the guests. Put the steaks in the oven and let them slowly get up in temperature. It should take between 30-60 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks. When they reach the right temperature, let the steaks rest for 5-7 minutes.

These steaks should be served as whole steaks, so your guests can marvel at your perfect sear. But when you slice them, you can see how they are beautifully cooked without the "bullseye-look" you can get when pan-searing or grilling a steak (inside raw, then rare, then medium, then done and the outside being a crust).

So, do you like a steak with a balanced smoke flavor, cooked to the perfection - perfect medium-rare??
​Then trying to smoke a steak and finish it off with a reverse sear might be just the solution you are looking for. In the BBQ world, the reverse sear, is growing in popularity and it is easy to see why. It is easy to use, and hard to fail.

You start by smoking the meat low and slow to an internal temperature of about 115 degrees, then you char it over a hot fire to raise it to the desired temperature, applying the crisp smoky caramelization at the end.

Reverse searing has several advantages: better heat control, as you can cook the steak to a precise degree of doneness. The meat cooks more evenly, too. And because you rest the meat between low heat smoking and high heat searing, you can serve it hot off the grill.

The first thing you  want to do is to trim the steak. I used a NY strip for this post. Trim off the bone and all the fatty areas. If there is silver skin left on the steak, remove that too. Then shape it, so it looks like a nice, clean, well-shaped steak. Looks are important too, not only taste. Season with your favorite steak or beef rub. I use the Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost, of course. It gives the steak nice color with a little bit of heat - I like it that way. Let the steak sweat a couple of minutes - this allows the salt and spices from the rub to penetrate the steak and it also pulls some of the water out of the steak. While you wait for the steak to sweat, prepare the smoker and set it for 225 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a fruit wood, like apple or cherry for steaks. It gives the steak a nice color and a balanced smoke profile.

Insert a probe or check with a Thermometer, you want to make sure that the steak don't overcook in the smoker.
​I smoke it until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 115 degrees F. The steak should also have a deep-red smoky look.
​You can now let it rest for 5-6 minutes while you heat up the grill. You will sear the steak for a minute or so on each side, so try to get the grill as hot as you can. You can also do the reverse sear on a cast-iron or sauté pan.

When the grill is hot enough, quickly sear the steak in a 45 degree angle for 30 seconds then turn it 90 degrees and sear for another 30 seconds. By doing this, your steak will have a nice criss-cross pattern on both sides. Flip the steak and repeat the searing, 30 seconds, 90 degrees, another 30 seconds. Don't rush the nest step - the steak now need some time to rest.

One way to rest your steak is to take it off the grill, transfer the steak to a cutting board and then tent it under a big piece of foil. You should let the steak rest for about 5-7 minutes.

The last step is to serve the steak. I prefer to slice it when I have guests. Use a sharp knife and cut against the grains. I recommend to serve a smoked steak with something simple, yet flavorful. In this case, some over-roasted fingerling potations with rosemary and garlic. They are super-easy to make. Wash potatoes and toss with some olive oil, crushed garlic and rosemary. Bake in oven at 400 degrees and salt to taste. Simple, but so very tasty!!!