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Sear or Reverse Sear

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    Sear or Reverse Sear

    which do you prefer and why?

    #2
    Reverse sear you get a more even through cook

    Comment


      #3
      I'm still trying to work on my reverse sear.

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        #4
        Unless it's something like skirt steak, I always reverse sear now.

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          #5
          I love owning a thermapen and being able to do a reverse sear on a steak! I haven't cooked a steak poorly since the thermapen landed in my hand. (Several have been less than perfect, but none were poor, lol.)

          Reverse sear does take longer, and sometimes I'm just not up for that. So for thinner steaks, 1 inch or less, sometimes 1.25 or less, I will sear when I'm just not ahead of time enough to do it - the family is hungry; get back inside!!

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            #6
            If you're talking about steak, I reverse sear if it is over 1" thick. Under 1" thick, it's going hot all the way. Under 1" thick, reverse sear will likely get you an overdone steak, since by the time you get a nice crust, the center is overcooked. Meathead explains cooking temps in this article here, much better than I am able to.

            What is the right cooking temperature for barbecue? It depends. Not all food should be cooked low and slow or hot and fast. Sometimes, a combination of both is best, as seen in the reverse sear and in sous-vide-que. Read more about 2-zone cooking and when to grill with the lid up or down for perfectly cooked BBQ.
            Last edited by Thunder77; May 3, 2017, 06:01 AM.

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              #7
              I asked this same question some time back. At first glance it seems easier to sear and then cook indirect. That way there is no worrying about when to sear. Just sear and monitor temp until it's time to pull off the grill. However, if you go back to the Smoking Lesson 101, you will see that cold meat takes up more smoke than warm meat, and after searing, the surface of that meat will be hot. So you will not get as much smoke flavor as with reverse sear. That may or may not be a good thing for you.

              Another factor is that by searing first, you have the exterior portion of the meat at a high temp, and that high temp will continue to cook the interior of the meat faster than you should want resulting in a wider band of of well done meat on both sides. During the low part of reverse searing, the surface temp of the the meat will probably be 200* or more lower than during the sear part of the cook, so the heat transfer is much slower resulting in a thinner band of well done meat.

              Bottom line is that the reverse sear produces a better steak. I've had friends tell me that they would not buy a steak in a restaurant if they could cook one like I do. I'm not braggin' - I'm just following Meathead's instructions.

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              • JCBBQ
                JCBBQ commented
                Editing a comment
                Yeah, I never order steak out any more.

              #8
              I always sear second. I am in need of a better thermometer though, I hope to have solved that with the Maverick
              purchases i just made. time is not a great way to measure the doneness of a steak,

              Comment


                #9
                What meat and how thick? Shooter38

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                  #10
                  I've been doing more front sear lately. I used to reverse sear burgers too but I've gone full circle and no longer prefer my burgers & steaks to have a strong charcoal/smoke flavor. I find front searing greatly reduces the time they're in the smoke and gets me my sear w/ a more subtle smokiness.

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                  • JCBBQ
                    JCBBQ commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Yeah, I only use wood smoke when i'm doing bbq. Steaks and burgers I just use charcoal.

                  • Huskee
                    Huskee commented
                    Editing a comment
                    JCBBQ Same here.

                  • Thunder77
                    Thunder77 commented
                    Editing a comment
                    That's one thing I like about Kingsford Competition. To me it seems to have less smoky flavor, as well as being hotter. I front sear burgers a lot.

                  #11
                  I was thinking primarily steaks but I guess the question would apply to burgers too.

                  Comment


                    #12
                    I prefer RS hands down for steaks because my go-to method is SV followed by a screaming hot sear. Works for burgers, too.

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                      #13
                      Since I have found the reverse sear, I have even adopted this for chicken and burgers. Good Thermapen (or other reliable thermometer) and a "hot as the mother-loving sun" searing station. Whether it be cast iron (flat), a "grill bottom" pan, or my grill, reverse sear is the only way for me now. I have also started recently playing with sous vide, and that is the exact same method... get it to target temp first, then sear.

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                        #14
                        I reverse sear almost always, steaks, burgers, chicken pieces, with different sizes and thicknesses etc, I find it is a more consistent way to produce good grub. I also agree with PaulstheRibList the Thermopen makes it easy!

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