Place the steak, thyme, garlic, and water into a saucepan and bring to a low simmer for 3-4 hours. Pour through a fine strainer and return the liquid to the saucepan. Bring back to a simmer and reduce to 1 cup. Remove from the pan and let cool to room temperature.
Heat the steak broth along with the agar in a small saucepan over med-high heat, and stir often until it gently simmers. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, and transfer to a small squirt bottle.
Place oil in a tall vessel, such as a quart jar or large tumbler glass. Once the steak broth mixture has cooled to around 110-120°, place small drops of it into the oil. Once finished, pour the oil and steak “pearls” through a fine mesh strainer to separate.
To Assemble:
In the base of an Asian soup spoon, place 1 tsp of garlic oil, 1 tsp of steak pearls and a small pinch of smoked salt.
