Hey fellow meatheads! I couldn’t find a good general discussion in the forums about searing, so I figured I’d start one. Let’s discuss and share our searing techniques, and see what we can learn from each other! It’s such a critical part of the process, especially when doing Sous vide, and I know we’re all here to get better, so let’s get started!
Here are some of my methods — and questions — about what I do and could possibly do better.
If I’m going to SV a steak, it’s because it’s a thick one, like the 2†ribeyes that I’m about to put in the bath. I can’t say unequivocally that it makes a difference, but what I do is double-sear it. I’ll sear it a lightly before going into the bag, then again after to finish it. My theory is that the juices that the meat will ultimately "marinate" in while in the SV will have more flavor if they have the benefit of the sear. Of course when the meat comes out, it’s all soft and squishy, so back onto the sear it goes for a finish.
First, pan heating techniques. I just read an article on Bon Appetit that said to "let your pan start to warm on the burner over medium-to-high heat, and once it's warm (but before it's hot), add enough oil to well coat the bottom of the pan". This seems totally contradictory to what I do, which is actually what prompted this post. I get my pan as screaming hot as I can — which is about 800F — and sear on that. One of the questions to me has always been about the oil. I use avocado oil, which imparts no flavor and has a very high smoke point of 500F, which is obviously still well below where my pan is. I splash just a little oil in the pan immediately before putting the steak on (and of course it smokes like mad), and really the only reasons for it are to help it not stick, and to get a more even sear, especially into the crevices of the meat that don’t make direct contact with the pan.
I use cast iron, and I’ve just been experimenting with a pan vs a flat griddle. The problem I’ve always had with the pan is that it looses temperature too quickly, and takes too long to get back up to temp when flipping the meat. My wife suggested using two pans and alternating so they have time to re-heat up (genius) but I don’t have two pans big enough, and decided to try the griddle. Turns out the center of the griddle (between the two burners) gets the hottest, at a little over 800F. I also noticed that it loses less temp while the meat is on (it dropped to the low 700s, while the cast iron pan dropped to about 650), so I’m thinking this is a good option to use now.
I used to not put black pepper on the steaks before searing because I know that it becomes bitter when burned, but someone on this form years ago schooled me that this is actually what you want; that this bitter taste is part of what makes such a good steak. I have to say I agree and have done it ever since. In the case of this Sous vide, I did not put pepper on for the first sear, but will pepper it when it comes out of the bath, before going back on the pan.
So, there’s the questions I want to compare to others…
1. How hot do you get your pan?
2. What kind of oil (if any) do you use?
3. What technique do you use to ensure an always hot-enough pan (not losing too much heat between sides)?
4. Do you double sear, in the front and in the rear?
Thanks everyone, and I hope we can all learn a thing or two!
Here are some of my methods — and questions — about what I do and could possibly do better.
If I’m going to SV a steak, it’s because it’s a thick one, like the 2†ribeyes that I’m about to put in the bath. I can’t say unequivocally that it makes a difference, but what I do is double-sear it. I’ll sear it a lightly before going into the bag, then again after to finish it. My theory is that the juices that the meat will ultimately "marinate" in while in the SV will have more flavor if they have the benefit of the sear. Of course when the meat comes out, it’s all soft and squishy, so back onto the sear it goes for a finish.
First, pan heating techniques. I just read an article on Bon Appetit that said to "let your pan start to warm on the burner over medium-to-high heat, and once it's warm (but before it's hot), add enough oil to well coat the bottom of the pan". This seems totally contradictory to what I do, which is actually what prompted this post. I get my pan as screaming hot as I can — which is about 800F — and sear on that. One of the questions to me has always been about the oil. I use avocado oil, which imparts no flavor and has a very high smoke point of 500F, which is obviously still well below where my pan is. I splash just a little oil in the pan immediately before putting the steak on (and of course it smokes like mad), and really the only reasons for it are to help it not stick, and to get a more even sear, especially into the crevices of the meat that don’t make direct contact with the pan.
I use cast iron, and I’ve just been experimenting with a pan vs a flat griddle. The problem I’ve always had with the pan is that it looses temperature too quickly, and takes too long to get back up to temp when flipping the meat. My wife suggested using two pans and alternating so they have time to re-heat up (genius) but I don’t have two pans big enough, and decided to try the griddle. Turns out the center of the griddle (between the two burners) gets the hottest, at a little over 800F. I also noticed that it loses less temp while the meat is on (it dropped to the low 700s, while the cast iron pan dropped to about 650), so I’m thinking this is a good option to use now.
I used to not put black pepper on the steaks before searing because I know that it becomes bitter when burned, but someone on this form years ago schooled me that this is actually what you want; that this bitter taste is part of what makes such a good steak. I have to say I agree and have done it ever since. In the case of this Sous vide, I did not put pepper on for the first sear, but will pepper it when it comes out of the bath, before going back on the pan.
So, there’s the questions I want to compare to others…
1. How hot do you get your pan?
2. What kind of oil (if any) do you use?
3. What technique do you use to ensure an always hot-enough pan (not losing too much heat between sides)?
4. Do you double sear, in the front and in the rear?
Thanks everyone, and I hope we can all learn a thing or two!
Comment