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NFT: Reverse sear advice

Ned In Atlanta : 5/15/2022 10:26 am
Some friends have convinced me this is the best way to cook a steak. Tonight will be my third attempt, cooking some 1.5 inch ribeyes that have been dry brining with salt overnight.

1. On a 5 burner propane grill how do you make your hot/cold zone. Have been lighting the two left burners and leaving the right three off and doing my indirect initial cook on the far right. May try moving them over to the left a little.

2. How long do you sear for ? The website I read said 1.5 minutes but I feel like I didn’t get the sear I hoped for

Thanks for any and all advice
My two cents  
JB_in_DC : 5/15/2022 10:31 am : link
I don't like the reverse sear method. I don't think the flavor is as good as a steak seared entirely on the pan. I think a lot of people go for this method because it takes thinking out of it, can just rely on the oven, or because of issues with smoke. But if you're used to doing it on the pan, and have good ventilation, I don't think it's an upgrade.

Best tip I've ever gotten was to salt your steak a day or two early, leave it on a wire rack uncovered in the fridge. Works wonders.
How many burners you turn on depends  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 10:32 am : link
on what temp you're doing the initial cook at. It'll probably be 2-3 burners. The grill has to be closed to turn it into an oven, and it should have a temp gauge on it. For the sear, I wouldn't go by time, I'd go by appearance. If it's not as crusty as you like, go longer. If it's not getting crusty within a couple of minutes, you grill isn't hot enough for a good sear, and you'll end up overcooking. If that's the case, you'd have to switch to cast iron or the broiler indoors.
Do you have a thermometer?  
mattlawson : 5/15/2022 10:33 am : link
Frankly for perfect steaks at home I don’t think you can beat sous vide and then sear it at the end.

Basically what you want to do is get it to almost rare and finish it with a crust and herb/garlic/butter to your liking.

Sous vide allows you to hold it at an exact temperature for hours. If you’re going to just do it by baking it to that temperature and then finishing the steak with a Siri yeah you really only need a few minutes per side. Anything more than that you risk overcooking it.

If you know it like it medium rare or even rare I would bring it to 125° Say and and then finish it in a cast iron pan with butter etc.
RE: My two cents  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 10:37 am : link
In comment 15709122 JB_in_DC said:
Quote:


Best tip I've ever gotten was to salt your steak a day or two early, leave it on a wire rack uncovered in the fridge. Works wonders.


Also, take your steak out of the fridge about an hour before cooking to let it approach room temp. I also like to add some salt and pepper to the surface before searing, maybe brush on a little oil. I think it helps. A thick steak can handle a lot of salt.
Sou vide  
robbieballs2003 : 5/15/2022 10:38 am : link
To cook and then sear.
RE: Sou vide  
mavric : 5/15/2022 10:48 am : link
In comment 15709133 robbieballs2003 said:
Quote:
To cook and then sear.


Dittos. Since I started using sous vide, that's the only way to cook a steak. I used to use the reverse sear method but once I got my sous vide pot, it's the only way to go. I did get a tomahawk steak a while back and it was too big to vacuum and too big for my pot so I went back to reverse sear. My advice: get a sous vide pot. You can cook it in the pot for any amount of time from an hour (per inch thick) or so to 6 or 7 hours, it doesn't matter as it all comes out exactly the same each time which is perfect. When close to ready to eat, cut open the pouch and sear it for a minute or so on each side and it will be perfect in every way.
RE: RE: My two cents  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 10:53 am : link
In comment 15709132 Bill in UT said:
Quote:
In comment 15709122 JB_in_DC said:


Quote:




Best tip I've ever gotten was to salt your steak a day or two early, leave it on a wire rack uncovered in the fridge. Works wonders.



Also, take your steak out of the fridge about an hour before cooking to let it approach room temp. I also like to add some salt and pepper to the surface before searing, maybe brush on a little oil. I think it helps. A thick steak can handle a lot of salt.


If you used a lot of salt to brine, you may want to be careful about adding more.
As Matt said,  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 10:58 am : link
unless you're an expert who can judge by touch, always use a thermometer, either a plug-in or an instant-read. Unless I'm cooking something really thin, I always go by temp of the meat, not time.
Thanks for all the advice  
Ned In Atlanta : 5/15/2022 11:14 am : link
I do have a good dual probe Bluetooth thermometer. Interesting to hear the success stories about sous vide. From what I’ve read the downside is you can’t get a great sear since the steaks are submerged in water but sounds like plenty of people beg to differ
RE: Thanks for all the advice  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 11:18 am : link
In comment 15709161 Ned In Atlanta said:
Quote:
I do have a good dual probe Bluetooth thermometer. Interesting to hear the success stories about sous vide. From what I’ve read the downside is you can’t get a great sear since the steaks are submerged in water but sounds like plenty of people beg to differ


I do a lot of sous vide also. The steaks are submerged in water, but they're sealed in a bag and the meat doesn't touch the water. They come out wet from their own juices, but if you dry them off with a paper towel there is no trouble getting a great sear.
RE: Thanks for all the advice  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 11:22 am : link
In comment 15709161 Ned In Atlanta said:
Quote:
I do have a good dual probe Bluetooth thermometer. Interesting to hear the success stories about sous vide. From what I’ve read the downside is you can’t get a great sear since the steaks are submerged in water but sounds like plenty of people beg to differ


The main downside I see with sous vide is that everything cooks to the same temp. If you have someone who likes med-rare and someone else who like med-well, it's problematic. I've got 2 sous vide units, so that at least helps in those cases. Otherwise, you'd have have to cook the med-well more in the oven or a pan.
lol, I'm already getting  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 11:39 am : link
sous vide (Anova) pop-up ads on my BBI page.
My steaks typically get a lot of compliments  
aimrocky : 5/15/2022 12:09 pm : link
I have a Weber Genesis with sear station. I set the sear burner to max and burners left and right to 3/4 max. The far right burner is set to low or off. I drizzle EVOO on the steaks before throwing them on the sear station then sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.

I sear each side for 3 minutes, 1.5 minutes before a 180 degree turn to get the diamond sear. I also cook with the grill top open.

Depending on the thickness of the steaks, I’ll finish them off with an indirect cook for 30-60 seconds on each side. I shut the sear burner off and close the grill for the indirect cook.
That’s the way it goes  
mattlawson : 5/15/2022 12:15 pm : link
For what it’s worth I love mine. I’d love a feature as long as ad big brother is around to leave a review or a positive feedback that you already own a product and therefor get no more ads
RE: That’s the way it goes  
Bill in UT : 5/15/2022 12:53 pm : link
In comment 15709197 mattlawson said:
Quote:
For what it’s worth I love mine. I’d love a feature as long as ad big brother is around to leave a review or a positive feedback that you already own a product and therefor get no more ads


I think Gidie reads all the threads and programs the ads
I use my pellet grill to smoke until up to temp  
Mattman : 5/15/2022 2:22 pm : link
I will then either sear in a cast iron pan on an outdoor burner or open the firebox up for direct sear.
IMO, I think people just over think cooking a steak.  
bigblue1124 : 5/15/2022 3:06 pm : link
It literally is one of the most primal things we do just with more finesse.

I prefer sous vide over reverse sear mainly for accuracy in temp and always do it a temp below what I am looking to achieve. To me a great steak has layers a nice crust and an evenly cooked center. The crust is key I could care less if I have nice triangles on my steak just a consistent layer of sear on the entire steak. And I only sous vide larger cuts never skirt or filet straight on the grill or cast iron for them. And with the larger cuts like Ribeye and such I use my sear burner on high or cast iron.

I have done reverse sear and we use it often at work for large events for space and timing but for home use I avoid it. Most home ovens are not consistent with temperature distribution unless you have a high-end convection oven or combi oven that is more accurate.

Nothing beats a quality steak cooked entirely on the grill med to med high heat. Just let it rest for 5-7 minutes uncovered and don’t poke or prod it and an amazing meal is ready.
best advice from above...use a thermometer  
dancing blue bear : 5/15/2022 3:53 pm : link
Even if you are an expert this is good advice. If you have the probe to moniter during the slow and low cook it is ideal. otherwise check until you hit the number.

I tell people all the time invest in good tools for best results
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