Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Weber Smokey Joe with mini-WSM Tamale Pot modification
The Good One Marshall
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Brook King Regal S490 Pro
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:
2 x Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
I went to BJ's today and bought a package of 2 nice prime boneless ribeyes. Then I went home, set up to do a reverse sear I put the seasoned steak on my mini smoker at 235°F with a Fireboard probe stuck in the side to the middle. I pulled it at an IT of 120°F and seated out on my preheated gasser with 2 burners on high for 4 minutes, flipping every 30 seconds. When I cut the steak out was practically will done! Maybe you could call it medium well - there were hints of pink in a few pieces. I am so embarrassed and disappointed. Barbara was the good soldier and dutifully ate a reasonable portion, but I know she didn't really enjoy it. Fortunately I had a nice Caesar salad and garlic mashed potatoes which were fine. ARRRGH!
Pit Barrel Cooker
Weber Master-Touch
Blackstone Omnivore 4 Burner Griddle
Thermoworks: Signals, Billows, Thermopens, Thermopops, Nodes, bunch of silicone stuff, and more!
OnlyFire Rotisserie w/ Basket attachment for the Weber
Vortex for the Weber
Both of Meathead's books!
Way too many BBQ related accessories, tools, and doo-dads!
I can eat a medium-well/well-done steak. Nothing to be ashamed of, sometimes one of those things just cooks up way to fast. Now, I will usually add some steak sauce to well done steaks, or Worcestershire. You know. Helps it a little bit. NO ketchup, though. That just makes it worse.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
That ain't no fail. I can eat rare to well-done any day with a decent sear.
I tried a strip steak a month ago. Put the Char Crust on waaaaaay too early. Never firmed up on the sear. Soggy inedible pile of crap is what I got. Bad.....bad, really bad.
22” Blue Weber Kettle with SnS insert
Kamado Joe Jr with Kick Ash Basket
Char-Broil Smartchef Tru Infrared Gasser
Anovo Hot Tub Time Machine with Custom Hot Tub
I am curious about how thick the OP's steaks were. I find that the thinner a steak is, the less margin for error there is. A thin steak can quickly get overdone during the sear phase of a reverse sear.
I prefer 2 inch plus thick steaks. That thickness often results in a steak that is more than my SO and I can eat. We solve that problem by cutting the steaks in half and planning for some wonderful roast beef salads or sandwiches.
When faced with a one-inch-thick steak, I go straight to the searing phase over direct heat without any cool zone exposure. I find that this lessens chances of an overdone steak.
4 minute sear sounds long. With a slow smoke at 225 to 110 IT, a 1 minute a side sear per side is usually enough. At least for my taste. I prefer a 2 inch steak.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
Agree with some of the above... if you smoked to 120 (at 235), then it had momentum already carrying it over. If you'd pulled it and let it rest, it probably would have finished in the high 120s to maybe low 130s, which is the higher side of medium rare.
But if these were thinner steaks, say 1" or less, and you then moved right from the smoker to the sear station, that momentum didn't just continue, it accelerated as you seared them, and carried you well into the 140s, possibly 150 area. This is INCREDIBLY easy to do if you're not super careful.
This is exactly why the 'reverse sear' method has become quite popular - sear it FIRST, get a good crust, THEN you take it up to temp slowly the rest of the way.
It's not a big deal, we live and learn, but given what you described, it makes sense that the carryover cooking and the immediate sear brought it up way higher than you expected. In the future, maybe consider a reverse sear, OR pull it at 100-105 so you can sear the heck out of it and keep it in the 130 finished range.
Actually he did do a reverse sear, which is smoking it first, followed by the sear last. A front sear is searing it first, then smoking it off heat like you’re describing.
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