Help me up my steak game

[Sid P]

SnS has several great videos about cooking steak. This one is short and to the point and helped me a lot.

https://youtu.be/rlGGIRLWKoU

[CaptainMike]

This is how I do them and it's a no-fail for me: 1 1/2" or thicker, DB, SV 2 hrs at 130, pat/air dry 5-10 minutes, lightly rub with avo oil then sear for color on the GG's in the gasser. I'll go with a CI pan with avo oil if I want to introduce herbs/garlic and/or want a sauce. If I want a smokier profile I'll dunk them in an ice bath, then into a smoker until the IT gets back to that 110 - 115 range and sear. This sounds complicated, but it isn't. As for those thin steaks, I don't cook them but would go with the cold grate method if I did.

[Red Man]

Grill Grates are awesome for a gasser but I don’t think they have any place on a charcoal grill. Your method will work better without the grill grates. Another option is to leave the SnS empty and put a chimney of lit charcoal outside the SnS. This should be plenty of heat to direct grill thin steaks and if they get the color you want before they are finished, you can move them over the SnS to finish indirect.

[Rob whatever]

I am a big fan of dry brining my steaks for 48 hours. I think it’s the sweet spot.

rob

[BBQPhil]

I've tried everything to get a perfect steak and have finally come with a method that beats the best steakhouses. I start with a good steak, usually from SRF, Creekstone, or a local butcher. Occasionally, but less frequently prime sirloin from Costco (usually 1 out of 20 packages meet my criteria). I use an M16 grill (M Grills) with the regular grates, filling one half with briquets so they're less than 2" from the grates. I season with Oakridge BBQ Signature Edition Carne Crosta Steakhouse Rub. Do a reverse sear using the hot side of the grill, then finish to temp indirectly on the left side. I think of all these things, the Rub has made the biggest impact. It makes it easier to get a great blackened crust. I've also used grill grates, but find they a re overrated for this purpose.

[CandySueQ]

Fine photo! I'm also a fan of that rub.

[pkadare]

Just as an FYI, searing and then finishing at a lower temp is typically referred to a front sear. A reverse sear is the opposite of that.

[Dr. Pepper]

Just came to say what pkadare said: You described a front sear. Which is just fine.

[rickgregory]

I think the issues are basically three-fold and pretty easy to deal with:

1) Get thicker steaks. More room for a little error. Thinner steaks have less mass to absorb the heat, thicker will give you a biut more margin for error. I like 1.5" steaks. But you can do this with thinner steaks in which case the next two points are even more important.

2) Temp your steaks often until you get a feel for things. Darkness of the outside tells you nothing about the inside and testing by feel is only useful with a lot of experience and consistent steaks. Grab a Thermopop ($20 or so) and temp the steaks.

3) Pull the steaks earlier than your doneness. Want them medium? That's 140 or so. Pull them at about 130. Basically, pull them about 10 degrees under the doneness you want. There will be some carryover cooking and if they're very slightly under done, eh. Plus, you can always cook things more, but you cannot uncook them.

[PBCDad]

Thanks Rick. I have a thermapen, and I feel a bit self-conscious about this topic because I feel like I can cook most of the traditional BBQ and grill foods very well. I've been burning the outside of the steaks though, so I decided to be humble and ask for advice about my failings I do appreciate your advice, and I'll be looking for thicker steaks and pulling sooner.

[Rob whatever]

Here’s what I do:

1. Dry brine on a wire rack for 48 hours before cook.
2. Smoke steaks on the M36 at 225-250 until steaks reach desired internal temp. For me that means low 130’s.
3. Let steaks rest for at least 1 hour up to 2 hours.
4. Light a half chimney of hardwood charcoal. Once it is raging, place in the sear box below the grill. Crank the sear box side until right below the top grate.
5. Place the stainless steel grill plate over the grill.
6. Dry the steaks off. Add some high flash point oil of your choice to the grill plate. Add the steaks. Flip often until you get the desired sear/crust.
7. Let rest for five minutes, then serve or slice as need be.

rob

[CandySueQ]

Use a timer, 2 minutes, then flip to the other side and reset the timer. After that goes off, take steak off the heat and temp it. If it's close, do the process again and reduce time to 1 minute.

[tbob4]

I do this on my Santa Maria - 3 minutes- flip - repeat etc.

[bunky2021]

Did my first reverse sear this past Monday. Sirloin steaks (DW prefers lean cuts) on a Weber Genesis gas grill.

She was happy with the results, but I'm thinking next time I'll pop in the smoker box and add a little smokey goodness.

[Dr. Pepper]

David, I posted a front sear two days ago (March 7, approx7 pm):

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...18#post1186318


I use my convection oven like a 'dry sous vide.' Very low. That gives you lots of time (you have to plan ahead a little), and no carryover heat.

You mentioned not wanting to spend more on equipment. I wouldn't be able to be consistent without a continuous read out internal temp. I have the Thermoworks Signals, and can temp up to 4 separate pieces of meat simultaneously. There are other good manufacturers as well. On my recent cook, one of the steaks reached 134⁰ IT in 30 minutes, the next one in 45 minutes, the last one was quite thick, and required 60 minutes. 4 extra minutes would take these steaks from med rare to medium. I can't be opening the oven and sticking a Thermopen into each one every few minutes.

This was all after first searing the cold steaks until they looked good, then putting them into the 180 oven. BTW, if you look at my photos from that post, when the front-seared steaks went into the oven, their internal temps varied, but none were over 85⁰ , in spite of the flames, heat, and color you see. For the low temp portion, a 200, or 220 oven will work just fine as well. They'll just cook faster, and have a little more carryover heat than a 180 oven. I use a warming oven at 135 to hold the steaks that finished first.

You're an engineer. You've got this! But, you may need just a couple more purchases. Hah!

Daniel

[STEbbq]

I used to do a front sear when I first started doing steaks. I’d sear them on a CI on the stovetop and then cook slowly in the oven. The steaks were edible but not fabulous. I like your approach so maybe I give that a shot next time.