Searing Steaks - How hot is too hot? I made an oopsie

[jhoskins]

So, I was looking for an outdoor burner that could put out some serious heat. Picked this bad boy up: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I finally got around to using it, searing a ribeye after SV. So I fire it up, set my cast iron on and go retrieve my steak. When I come back, I hit the cast iron with the IR thermometer and it read 930F (!!!) wowza.

So I drop the steak and furiously flip to go for a sear without a burn. I was... partially successful. When I pulled the steak, my cast iron was discolored in the center, oops. So my questions:

1. What did I do wrong that my ribeye burned rather than seared? I intentionally didn't use butter because I figured it would immediately scorch, but I think I needed a fat to get that good Mallard reaction rather than just vaporizing the outside
2. How hot is too hot for a sear? And for your cast iron? In y'alls seasoned cooking years, what temperature do you find optimal for a nice crispy sear?

[jfmorris]

Obviously folks sear steaks at 1000F+ temps using radiant heat using the coals in a SNS or a gas powered cookers in high end steak restaurants. However, I have a feeling the results from radiant heat will be different than putting the meat in contact with a 1000F sheet of metal, which is more likely to burn things.

Also, while cast iron can take over 900F, I think it will be likely to strip off all your seasoning. Maybe that is part of what happened? I.e. the seasoning pulled off onto your steak?

Will be watching this to see what the true cast iron experts say.

[jhoskins]

I 100% stripped the seasoning from the center of my cast iron and it made me very sad lol

[Michael_in_TX]

I sear my steaks in cast iron around 500-550 or so. As jfmorris pointed out, conduction is very different than convection.

Meathead (I think it is in one of his Kingsford videos from several years ago) described it essentially this way: Let your oven to preheat to 400 degrees. Open the door and put your hand inside. It is quite hot. This is convection, where heat energy is conveyed by air, without directly touching the meat. Now touch the inner side of the oven. When you get back from the emergency room, you'll understand that conduction -- direct contact between metal and meat -- transfers heat much more quickly and intensely.

[bmillin]

I would not run my cast iron that hot for fear of burning off the seasoning or warping the pan. 600 or less seems to work.

[Rod]

I usually sear on my gasser with grill grates with the flat sides up. The surface usually measures about 500F with my IR gun. That seems to be plenty for me to get a good sear. I also put a light coating of avocado oil on the meat right before the sear.

[scottranda]

For conductive heat (steak directly on cast iron), the seasonings can burn. So, yeah, maybe 500-600 works.

For radiant heat (steak hovering above a charcoal chimney), go as hot as she'll go... Rip roarin' hot!! The seasonings don't burn. I've tried to burn them! Can't! If you have a slow n sear, you can achieve a radiant heat with the cold-grate technique.

[holehogg]

Steak looks great Sir.

[Michael_in_TX]

I actually remember now getting my cast iron stupid hot once. I have an electric range, which on high can get ridiculously hot. I was trying to char some peppers. I got to to 800, if not 900 F. I remember the bottom of the pan turning essentially dark grey and not black. I must have burnt off any seasoning getting it that hot.

The peppers, if I remember right, did not so much char as incinerate.

[jhoskins]

That is exactly what happened

[Oak Smoke]

I’m not an expert on searing steaks, but I’m sure that 900 F was too hot for you CI. The booklet on my kitchen range says it will go to 900 degrees when in self cleaning mode. Several years ago before I had found good information on cleaning cast iron I put a Wagner breakfast skillet in my oven and let it self clean. Just like the idiot on YouTube said. When it was all over the next day I had a very clean, very warped skillet.

[jfmorris]

I'll speak from using a flat top (griddle) a lot over the past couple of years, and speak to the fact that most griddle cooking happens in the 350-400 temperature range, and I can get a nice sear at those temps. I hate that you spent money on a burner that can damage your cast iron finish, but just think you need to turn the temps down next time. Once you re-season the skillet, try and keep the temps no more than 500 or so, and I bet you get the great sear you were expecting.

Having done a lot of steaks on hot cast iron inside, setting off the smoke alarm many times, I can see wanting to take it outside for sure. But the outdoor burners that get 60,000 to 105,000 BTU's are a LOT different than the burners on your stove, that are down in the 6,000-12,000 BTU range.

I have several outdoor burners for my beer brewing hobby, and the occasional shrimp or low country boil. They are great for boiling and frying, but almost overkill for any reasonable use of a cast iron skillet, unless you turn it way way down.