Build a Makeshift Salamander For Your Steaks
Alton Brown

If you were to walk into your local appliance dealer or restaurant supply store and purchased a salamander broiler, you'd be out at least a thousand smackeroos. Instead of paying the big bucks, follow these easy steps from the Mr. Wizard of food, Alton Brown, and make one outside on the grill for the perfect porterhouse preparation in just 5 minutes.

The process of creating your own backyard salamander (the kind without four legs) is a simple one. Here's a list of what you'll need before getting started:

• Grill Mat (optional)
• Cinder Block
• Charcoal Grill Grate
• Charcoal Chimney Starter
• Metal Mixing Bowl
• 1lb Lump Charcoal
• Vegetable Oil/Canola Oil & Newspaper
• Long Tongs
• Insulated Gloves

The idea is to keep the charcoal chimney off the ground and allowing air underneath. Your steak will cook in the few inches between the under side of the chimney and the grill grate. It sounds wacky, but is one of the smartest things we've seen in quite awhile. The metal bowl is used to create an outdoor oven of sorts to finish off the cooking, all of which takes place in just 5 minutes.

Check out the video below for the full tutorial (which starts 50 seconds in), because this is one of those things that's just easier shown than said, take it away Alton!

Give it a try and send us pictures of your adventure, or let us know how it works out below. We gave the method a test run and came out with super tasty results, so we hope all the same for your own endeavors!

• Related: How To Broil a Steak in the Oven

(Image: Good Eats via Food Network from You Tube)

Comments (6)

Way to over think cooking.......that is the silliest thing I have ever seen him do.

Oh, Alton. <3 <# <3 <#

"...at the 2500 degree range..." leans on broiler "OUCH!"
Ok, I can't say much because I would have done the same thing. Definitely going to try this.

Is it overthinking and silly? It's seems like a pretty easy way to get the coals right near the meat to get the high heat.

This works amazingly well and was super easy. I tried it a few days after the show first ran. I skipped the grill mat and cinder block and just used my gas grill. It has three separate grates so I put the chimney on one side then pulled one grate off and sat it on top of the chimney. Not silly at all, the outside of the steak got nice and crusty. You can get similar results in a cast iron skillet, but this way my house doesn't smell like smoke for the next week.

It's seems like a pretty easy way to get the coals right near the meat to get the high heat.

chimney pipe