What is your preference and why?
Reverse sear is all the rage. I switched to it a few years ago but after a few months I switched back to searing first because I think that reverse searing burns off the smoke flavor.
Meathead writes in What You Need to Know About Wood, Smoke, And Combustion, "Smoke includes as many as 100 compounds in the form of microscopic solids including char, creosote, ash, and phenols, as well as combustion gases that include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, syringol, and liquids such as water vapor and syringol, an oil."
What happens to them when they’re exposed to searing heat? One at a time–
Char . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It’s what’s left behind if wood is burned without adequate oxygen. Wood char is charcoal. Searing the meat will burn off the char.
Creosote. . . . . . . . . . . It burns, as anyone who’s had a chimney fire will tell you. So, it burns off during searing.
Ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It’s not combustible. It stays behind after searing.
Phenols . . . . . . . . . . . Phenols will sublimate and boil off at searing temperatures.
Carbon monoxide . . . It’s a gas. If it hangs around the meat, it’ll burn and become carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide. . . . . . It’s a gas. I doubt that it stays with the meat but if it does, it’s without odor or taste.
Nitric oxide . . . . . . . . It’s a gas. It’ll burn and become nitrogen dioxide.
Syringol . . . . . . . . . . . It ignites at about 285°. Searing will burn it.
Syringol oil . . . . . . . . It's a mix of syringol and water. The water evaporates and the syringol burns.
So, smoke flavor sitting on the meat’s surface is hit with searing heat and all but ash boils or burns off.
Interestingly, wood ash and water make caustic lye, potassium hydroxide. It’s not likely that we get much lye in a bite, but I wonder…
Frankly, I don’t sear at all. I use a much lower temperature to brown steaks in a frying pan before smoking (and seasoning). To me, seared meat is burnt black and bitter tasting. I prefer the Malliard reaction flavor.
As I wrote, what is your preference and why?
Reverse sear is all the rage. I switched to it a few years ago but after a few months I switched back to searing first because I think that reverse searing burns off the smoke flavor.
Meathead writes in What You Need to Know About Wood, Smoke, And Combustion, "Smoke includes as many as 100 compounds in the form of microscopic solids including char, creosote, ash, and phenols, as well as combustion gases that include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, syringol, and liquids such as water vapor and syringol, an oil."
What happens to them when they’re exposed to searing heat? One at a time–
Char . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It’s what’s left behind if wood is burned without adequate oxygen. Wood char is charcoal. Searing the meat will burn off the char.
Creosote. . . . . . . . . . . It burns, as anyone who’s had a chimney fire will tell you. So, it burns off during searing.
Ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It’s not combustible. It stays behind after searing.
Phenols . . . . . . . . . . . Phenols will sublimate and boil off at searing temperatures.
Carbon monoxide . . . It’s a gas. If it hangs around the meat, it’ll burn and become carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide. . . . . . It’s a gas. I doubt that it stays with the meat but if it does, it’s without odor or taste.
Nitric oxide . . . . . . . . It’s a gas. It’ll burn and become nitrogen dioxide.
Syringol . . . . . . . . . . . It ignites at about 285°. Searing will burn it.
Syringol oil . . . . . . . . It's a mix of syringol and water. The water evaporates and the syringol burns.
So, smoke flavor sitting on the meat’s surface is hit with searing heat and all but ash boils or burns off.
Interestingly, wood ash and water make caustic lye, potassium hydroxide. It’s not likely that we get much lye in a bite, but I wonder…
Frankly, I don’t sear at all. I use a much lower temperature to brown steaks in a frying pan before smoking (and seasoning). To me, seared meat is burnt black and bitter tasting. I prefer the Malliard reaction flavor.
As I wrote, what is your preference and why?
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