Reverse Sear Question

[jlazar]

When using reverse sear, do you start with your steaks right out of the fridge or at room temp?

[rmeugene]

From what I have read here you do not need to let them come to room temp. I take them out and season them and put them on.

[jlazar]

Thanks. I know that for smoking but wasn't sure it applied to reverse sear.

[DWCowles]

Straight from the fridge. You can also take them straight from the freezer to the grill if you dry brine before freezing them.

[jlazar]

Ok, thanks. That is what I did. Dry brined the night before.

[RonB]

Cold meat absorbs more smoke than warm meat. So you may or may not like them started cold depending on how much smokey flavor you like. I start mine cold as most here seem to do, but some just want a touch of smoke. So try 'em cold and adjust if necessary.

[Reds Fan 5]

You can put them on straight from the fridge. You can put them on room temperature. I'm not sure it makes a huge difference. I usually go straight from fridge. I worry if I set them out to get to room temperature I'll get distracted and leave them out too long.

[Huskee]

A slower rise to temp will help with tenderness, that includes a room temp steak or roast (beef, never pork or chicken) ... but like Meathead says it could take 10hrs on the counter to get a roast to room temp, and that's a safety risk. Steak? Probably not much risk in giving it an hour or two on the counter first. I put a probe in asteak once and gave it four hrs, it went from 36 (fridge temp) to 53, 54ish in 4 hrs in a 68 degree kitchen. Takes a long time. Be leery of books or TV personalities that say "take it out if the fridge for an hour to come to room temp".

[HorseDoctor]

Huskee I can understand not bringing chicken to room temp, but why is beef okay and not pork??? Both beef & pork are processed pretty cleanly compared to dipping in hot "salmonella soup" like poultry. Confused!

[Huskee]

HorseDoctor I don't trust pork like that. Beef is relatively harmless, you can eat it rare or very rare, less harmful bugs in it.

[HorseDoctor]

Huskee Historically the "bad bugs" in pork is trichina worms, not a bacteria. Virtually unheard of in commercial pork these days. And they don't start to reproduce in meat when warm anyway. I don't worry about pork unless it's wild boar and even there trichina is uncommon. Bear on the other hand, watch out! Medium rare pork is awesome! Nothing to be afraid of!