Looks vs. Cooks - Bust Another Myth?

[fzxdoc]

zzdocxx , read this post by Troutman , and you'll zip right over to the Vortex site and buy one even if you don't have a kettle.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/chicken-turkey-and-duck-recipes/522534-vortex-cherry-bombed-a-large-batch-of-chicken#post522534

[zzdocxx]

Thanks K., that's the first I have heard of the vortex. I found a video about it, looks pretty nice !

[fzxdoc]

zzdocxx , now's the time to haunt Walmart and Ace for kettle deals. I got my 22 inch Weber Premium kettle for $40 on end-of-season closeout--it was the floor model. Then I got a SnS and a Vortex for it (costing more than the bargain kettle). What fun! Good for small cooks (I have a Weber Summit Charcoal for big stuff). Vortex makes great chicken wings and other yardbird pieces, and SnS rocks for grilling and smoking.

Kathryn

[Mosca]

I’ve found that reverse sear isn’t much use on steaks 1” thick or less. And it’s a toss up until you get to more than 1.5”. For what I would call regular dinner steaks, or supermarket steaks, sear that son of a gun and turn it frequently, or sear both sides and then move it off heat to finish.

[Mosca]

The reason it’s way more fun is because it tastes good!

[GolfGeezer]

I suggest a reverse sear as others have described, but after cooking to temp indirect, brush both sides with a light coat of mayo. This will char up very nicely without adding any distinct, new flavor from whatever seasoning you put on. This will also work front sear.

[Dewesq55]

zzdocxx - When I have tried to reverse sear, I feel my meat always gets overdone in the seating stage, no matter what temp I move from indirect to direct. With front sear, I can sear the meat as much as I like and the IT is still generally South of 100°F. Then if I pull from the indirect a few degrees below my target, carryover during the rest gets me right where I want to be. I regulate the temp using my Fireboard and fan controller.

[zzdocxx]

How do you regulate that temp to 225 ?

Has there ever been proven an advantage to forward or reverse searing?

For me, reverse searing, I feel I can control my inside meat temp better on the front end, cooking at low heat. But maybe that is all in my mind.

[jfmorris]

Reverse sear really is not practical for a steak thinner than about 1.5 inches - it will be done and at 1 inch thick, doing the sear at the end will overcook it - like what you had.

The answer for thin steaks is to flip often and cook hot and fast until about 5 below your desired doneness.

[Dewesq55]

I personally prefer front sear to reverse sear. I only do it with steaks 1½" and up. When doing front sear I leave the meat in the fridge until the fire is ready and I can take it directly from the fridge to the grate. This let's me get a really good sear (7-8 mins, flipping every 30 seconds) without any danger of overcooking. I then finish at about 235° until I get 5-7° less than my final target. Then I tent and rest ~15 mins.

[Dewesq55]

zzdocxx - I do, too. Barbara, not so much. So it's always a fine line to walk.

[surfdog]

As others have eluded to (especially barelfly & Dewesq55 )...don’t be afraid to move them.
I generally reverse sear unless they’re thin...and 1” is right in that border zone.

Regardless, for the sear portion of the cook, get the fire "stoopid" hot and as close to the grill/food as possible...and move the steaks around every 20-30 seconds until you get the crust you’re looking for. I recently started using a pigtail to flip steaks...and it’s a game changer IMO. But a spatula or tongs work great...whatever you’re comfortable with using. Just put yourself in the hot zone and flip a lot. ;-)

For charcoal it can be done by simply piling the coals close to the grill...or one could use charcoal baskets, SNS, or any number of tools that accomplish the same thing; getting the heat as close to the grill/food as possible to concentrate that heat. If using gas, set a burner or two to high and let it get that grate ripping hot...and then move the steaks around, flipping often but never onto the spot they were removed from.

Anything "smallish" like steaks are decidedly not "set & forget" like something bigger such as a brisket or butt...and thus require a bit more hands on "babysitting." It’s fairly simple to take what could have been a sublime steak and rapidly hit "WTH just happened?" LOL I laugh because we’ve ALL played that game.

You're on the right track with the instant read...now it’s just a matter of practice to dial it in.

[zzdocxx]

Yes, way !

[RichieB]

You might've want to considering sous vide as a technique. I usually bath 2 hours at my preferred temp of 133. Ice bath 30 minutes, on gasser with Grill Grates flat side up. Prefectly done inside and nice solid sear across the entire steak. If it's 1" or greater I hold it up so the sides get a sear. Keep rotating it till all sides get hit.

[SheilaAnn]

Reverse sear for this gal!