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Room temp or cold?

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    Room temp or cold?

    Just curious as to what all you pitmasters prefer to do when grilling steaks in terms of meat temp prior to grilling. Some experts say never throw cold meat onto the grill. Let it rest X amount of time on the counter and get to room temperature. Some don't say one way or the other.

    I use the reverse sear method and always went straight from the fridge to indirect. That usually takes about an hour to get an IT of 115 before then doing the sear. I recently did a couple of large Porterhouses and decided to let them set on the counter for 20 minutes before going on the grill. I noticed the IT was already at about 50 degrees when I put them on. The only benefit I noticed is that it only took 40 minutes or so to get to 115.

    So it seems for me it's still about an hour total from fridge to sear time with either method. Now I have to factor in that these Porterhouses were about 1'' thick to whereas the ribeyes, rib cap and tenderloin steaks I normally do are usually over 1". I also wonder about the safety aspect in letting meat sit on the counter for a certain period of time. I know in the case of steaks they are going to get blasted with a lot of heat either way.

    So what say you? Straight from the fridge to the grill, or closer to room temp and why?

    Love The Pit!

    #2
    Cold. Don't like raw meat sitting out.

    Comment


      #3
      If reverse searing with smoke, definitely fridge to grill. More wet and more time under smoke. I don't see any advantage of warming to room temp.

      Comment


      • Jfrosty27
        Jfrosty27 commented
        Editing a comment
        +1

      #4
      Fridge to grill everytime.

      Comment


        #5
        I always go cold to smoker. However I do allow some meats for the grill to start warming on the counter for up to an hour. This is indoors on the counter where the ambient temperature is always controlled and not outdoors in the Sun. I base this on the guidance of the USDA’s FSIS "Foods held at temperatures above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should not be consumed." I reduce their advice to 1 hour for additional safety.

        Comment


          #6
          I feel like letting meat warm up to room temperature is one of the those old "husbands' tales" that just won't go away. Kind of like searing to seal in the juices.

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            #7
            I agree with the advice to cook straight from the fridge.

            Also I figure it gives me a tiny bit of fudge factor -- If the center of my steak is at fridge temperature when I start to cook, that gives me a little more leeway to nail that perfect medium-rare center while still getting a nice crust on the outside.

            Comment


            • Steve R.
              Steve R. commented
              Editing a comment
              I agree, especially if the steak is a little on the thin side.

            #8
            I typically do fridge to grill since they have typically been dry brining before the cook so really no reason to let them sit out on the counter.

            Comment


              #9
              What they said.

              Comment


                #10
                Fridge to grill ... every time.

                Comment


                  #11
                  Yes, fridge to grill. I did a YouTube video (channel: Hank’s True BBQ) on it where I show that meat needs to be on the counter in room temp for many many hours before temp goes up more than a few degrees. There’s zero point in doing so.

                  Comment


                    #12
                    +1 on Fridge to grill.

                    Below is J. Kenji Lopez Alt video on this myth and a few others.
                    Sweaty Paul

                    Comment


                    • Rod
                      Rod commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Cool video (except for the corny "humor").

                    • Sweaty Paul
                      Sweaty Paul commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Not my favorite kind of humor, however, he is a really smart guy.

                    • Sweaty Paul
                      Sweaty Paul commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Also, he does all kinds of great experiments with food and has some absolutely phenomenal recipes.

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