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Need Help with Reverse Searing on an EGG

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    Need Help with Reverse Searing on an EGG

    Looking for tips and suggestions for doing my first reverse sear steak on my Saffire (a ceramic Kemado grill identical in size and almost identical to the specs of a BGE). I have the small Thermo Pop thermometer and an iGrill dual probe thermometer from iDevices. My main question is can you set a Kemado grill up to do a reverse sear method and how would you do it exactly?

    #2
    We recommend using an ancillary charcoal grill for direct heat when doing 2-zone recipes on a round kamado. However, you can reverse sear with a little extra effort. Start with the temp at 225 to slow cook the steak to an internal temp of about 110. Remove meat, open the lower air intake damper all the way and leave the lid up. The coal must get blazing red hot. If you have a way of lowering the grate closer to the the coal, do it. One useful device that is a match made in heaven for kamados is the BBQ Dragon, a well-made, battery operated, clip on, variable speed fan that can convert a charcoal bed from quiet gray to rip roaring red hot in a matter of minutes. Very good for switching gears from low and slow to searing hot.

    Comment


      #3
      ChuckW I cook on a Big Green Egg, and as Mosca taught me the best way is to think distance and not side by side. If you can elevate your grill above the felt line you will remove it from intense heat and possible flare ups. Watch the internal temp until it is within 10 degrees of your target finished temp. I use my low and slow thermometer for this monitoring and my ther open for the sear. As Max Good said remove the meat and ramp up the temp to 500 plus and sear at the normal grill level. If you can't raise your grill to,the felt line, you can use your heat diffuser to shield you meat. Then remove it with the meat when you are ready to ramp up the temp.

      Comment


      • Mosca
        Mosca commented
        Editing a comment
        Thanks for the shout, but credit for the distance equation goes to Breadhead. I learnt it from him.

      #4
      ChuckW - I would get my kamado to about 300°F with the heat deflector in place. Then put the steaks on the grill and bring them up to about 10°-15°F of my target temp. Thus for a med rare steak you'd get the meat heated to about 120°F or so and pull and tent under aluminum foil. Pull your grate and heat deflector and open the vents wide. You might want to even leave the lid open. Replace your grate. This will get your fire roaring hot in about 10 minutes. Sear as normal to 130°-135°F for med rare. I've used this technique to great effect when I had my BGEs.

      Some kamados have split heat deflectors which means you can actually create a two zone cooking area. The cool zone will be over the heat deflector, especially if you light the lump to the far right hand side and you place your heat deflector on the left hand side. Put your steaks on the left hand side over the deflector while your kamado begins to come up to temp. When the steaks hit your target temp for the reverse part, pull & tent, open the vents wide and sear as normal.

      Reverse sears on the Saffire will be easy. Been there, done that. You need nothing to augment your Saffire. Your kamado is more than enough to easily pull off a reverse sear. I've been using kamados for 20+ years and have used many different brands of kamados to produce great steak cooks.

      Here's to great Steak cooks and even better memories with family and friends!

      Comment


        #5
        Butt Chef Max, mmmm, maybe change the order of your names...those are great techniques. I did not see your replies until I re-loaded the page but they are perfectly timed as I just loaded the Saffire and will be firing up in an hour! One difference in your suggestions is to use 225 with the grill only (did I interpret that correctly Max?) or use 300 with the deflector. The total effect sounds like it would be very similar as your results are obviously excellent. My strip loin is almost 2" thick so these techniques just make so much sense to maintain moisture. Guys, can't thank you enough!

        Comment


          #6
          ChuckW One final thought, the higher the temp for the low and slow part the more you will need to shield or raise your meat.

          Comment


            #7
            Thanks LA. I like your approach to think distance versus side to side. I was thinking of 225 with the deflector in the legs up position and the grill at the normal felt line level. Will that be too low and smoky? I also like Max's Bbq Dragon suggestion, especially since I do a fair amount of cold weather cooking.

            Comment


              #8
              I do low temperature roasting of the reverse sear without a heat deflector. My reasoning for that is that at 250° or under in a ceramic cooker, with the lid down, there is no flames in the lump, there is just hot smoldering coal.

              Doing a reverse sear on my large BGE I stabilize the cooking temp at 250° without the heat deflector. Then I add the steaks with a meat thermometer in one of them and close the dome. When the meat thermometer says the steaks are at 115/120° I open the dome and remove the steaks. At this point there is no browning, caramelization, on the meat on either side.

              Then I use my BBQ Dragon and get the lump to Warp 10 heat and use my Grill Dome direct/indirect grate to get my steaks within 2" of the red hot coal and sear them.

              Not having to install and remove the heat deflector when reverse searing steaks on a ceramic cooker really makes it a much easier process.

              Grill Dome direct/indirect grate mounted legs up for searing close to the lump.
              Grill Dome direct/indirect grate legs down to keep your meat up away from the fire. The picture has the the Grill Dome grate sitting on top of the regular grate... You don't need the regular grate for this cook. Just stand the Grill Dome grate on the top of the fire ring.

              Fill your fire box so the lump is 1 or 2 inches below the top.
              Attached Files
              Last edited by Breadhead; February 20, 2016, 10:50 PM.

              Comment


                #9
                I did my first reverse searings very simply. I did the steaks at 225 until internal hit 110, pulled them, popped the temp to 600, and put the steaks back on. Not much drama to it at all. No platesetter, no changing grates.

                Comment


                • LA Pork Butt
                  LA Pork Butt commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Mosca no problems with flare ups at 225?

                • Mosca
                  Mosca commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Not with the lid closed. That is a really low fire for steaks. Most of the cooking was done by the cast iron grate.

                • CapeMay
                  CapeMay commented
                  Editing a comment
                  I agree.

                #10
                ChuckW ... A response to your post #7

                You do NOT need to use your heat deflector doing a reverse sear on a ceramic grill.

                When you have your cooker stabilized at 225° to 250° with the dome down... There is NO flames. There is just red smoldering lump.

                If your steaks are above the felt line and the lid is closed and you have a meat thermometer in one of the steaks and leave the lid down until your thermometer tells you the meat is at 110/115° when you open the lid there will be no browning/caramelizing on your meat, none!

                At that point remove the steaks. Open all vents wide open and use your BBQ Dragon, or a high velocity hair dryer, to get your lump to Warp 10 heat. Then get a grate that you can get your meat to within 2" of the red hot lump to sear it. I use the Grill Dome direct/indirect grate to cook my steaks on my BGE. See pictures above. That grate is $38 on Amazon.

                I've cooked 100's of steaks using that method over the last three years. You REALLY don't need your plate setter/heat deflector. Putting that thing on and removing it when it's hot is a MAJOR pain in the ass.

                Try it once and you will never use your heat deflector again to reverse sear steaks.😎
                Last edited by Breadhead; February 21, 2016, 12:46 AM.

                Comment


                • ChuckW
                  ChuckW commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Not sure if I thanked you for this excellent, detailed post that followed up the reverse sear method for steak discussion but it is very much appreciated. I tried to talk the powers to be that they really needed steak again this week but

                #11
                it looks like I won't get to try it again for a bit. In the meantime I will order the grill and BBQ Dragon to really do this correctly. Would you and anyone reading this comment on steak thickness generally and at what thickness the reverse sear sear does not work?

                Comment


                  #12
                  ChuckW ....

                  You need your steaks to be 1 1/2" thick to use the reverse sear method. I personally prefer 2" steaks. Bake them at 225 until they reach 115°. Then use your BBQ Dragon, invert your grate to the sear position and sear away. If you want to serve your steaks at 135°, medium rare, pull them at 132° because there will be about 3° of carryover cooking.

                  Most grocery stores stock 1" steaks. If your steaks are less than 11/2" it's best if you cook it hotter from the start. You will want to flip your steaks often when cooking hot and fast though. Read Meathead's article about cooking a skinny steak. You can even do skinny steaks on top of your charcoal starter. That method really does work.

                  With your new grate & the BBQ Dragon you are well prepared to cook really great reverse seared steaks on your BGE.

                  Good luck & take pictures of the process so you can train the next BGE rookie.😎

                  Comment


                  #13
                  I second Mosca.

                  Alternatively I buy 2" (+) ribeye and cook around 350F with a platesetter until close to the target temp.
                  Then remove the steak and platesetter, open the lid and dampers and within just a couple minutes it's easily > 600 F. Once I even had the dome thermometer wrap all the way around > 800 F (probably much higher actually).
                  Very simple, no hassle or inconvenience in my view.

                  Comment


                    #14
                    Thanks Cape May and Mosca. Everyone has contributed to my ability to make a fantastic steak.

                    Comment

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