OT reverse sear
- Thread starter NTDawg
- Start date
Almost room temp steak
225 degrees for 30 minutes. Quick sear on both sides after that: medium rare.
225 degrees for 30 minutes. Quick sear on both sides after that: medium rare.
Stopped and picked up four 8oz fillets at the Neon Pig tonight. Kosher salt, black pepper, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a little minced garlic. Seared em in a cast iron skillet with some butter for six minutes on each side. Came out medium rare. Best steak I've ever eaten. Well, at least in the top three.
I cooked a backstrap tip steak last weekend with reverse sear. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, put it in a ziploc bag, and threw it in my cooler with 135 degree water. I left it in there for an hour and only had to add hot water once at the 45 minute mark (not a Yeti obviously). It was 123 when I pulled it out of the cooler. I plated it and reasoned with salt and pepper. Then I tossed it in a smoking hot cast iron skillet (had it outside on my gas burner). I cooked it for about 2 minutes and flipped it every 15 seconds or so. Best backstrap steak I've ever eaten. I have never had one that was so consistent with every bite.
Go for it. Most people don't understand what searing does. It changes the texture of the outside and brings about unique flavors only attainable through searing. It also decreases the moisture level in the meat. That's it. No sealing in the juices BS. With a steak you should do that at the end since you're probably not cooking it long enough after searing to get those flavors throughout the meat. You may even lose those flavors on the grill and your steak will be drier if you sear it then finish cooking vs. slowly bringing it up to temperature then searing. Sear at the beginning (and generously) when braising meat since the long cooking time will distribute the seared meat flavors throughout.
I like the poor man's sous vide method with a ten minute period in a 225° oven followed by a quick sear.
I like the poor man's sous vide method with a ten minute period in a 225° oven followed by a quick sear.
Works best with whole cuts
But certainly can be done with thick individual steaks. With a whole tenderloin for example, you can get it to 115-120 then tent with foil for up to 45 minutes I think (check the food lab on serious eats). You're gonna want to season and leave uncovered in the fridge for a day minimum to let some moisture out of the meat. Slowly bring it up to temp, rest, then sear it to get the mailard reaction on the surface. Make a good wine reduction (I use the gristle chunks, Cabernet, beef broth, a little lemon and whatever aromatics are on hand) and you're good to go.
But certainly can be done with thick individual steaks. With a whole tenderloin for example, you can get it to 115-120 then tent with foil for up to 45 minutes I think (check the food lab on serious eats). You're gonna want to season and leave uncovered in the fridge for a day minimum to let some moisture out of the meat. Slowly bring it up to temp, rest, then sear it to get the mailard reaction on the surface. Make a good wine reduction (I use the gristle chunks, Cabernet, beef broth, a little lemon and whatever aromatics are on hand) and you're good to go.
Sixpack Shoutout.
Saw this video today and went out and bought two huge filets.
Followed these instructions and dammit if they weren't the best steaks I've ever had. Holy smokes.
Saw this video today and went out and bought two huge filets.
Followed these instructions and dammit if they weren't the best steaks I've ever had. Holy smokes.
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Genuinely didnt realize people were still searing at the start to 'lock in the juices'.
I rarely cook steak, but searing at the end is also excellent for chicken and pork.
Interesting concept, I'll will have to try this next time I cook steaks.My old tried and true method is as follows. 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 inch thick ribeyes seasoned and allowed to get to almost room temperature. I get the grill up to 600-650 degrees and cook for 3 minutes per side. I check the internal temp with the intention of pulling at 130-135 degrees and its usually close at 6 minutes. I let them rest for about 5 minutes. I tried smoking a couple of ribeyes once when I was already smoking butts but I didn't put the sear on them at the end. I really didn't care for the smoked steaks, I like a little char on the edges and the fat.
Depends on how you like your steak cooked. My wife and I like ours rare to medium rare so a sear on both sides works fine and then take it off.
Because we like rare to med rare steaks, starting with a hot coals and turning a couple of times, gets them done to perfection so fast that I seldom bother with 'reverse sear.' BUT it's the only way I cook chicken, pork/beef tenderloins and ribs is to sear at the end.
I don't see the need for reverse sear either, but that all depends on the thickness of your steak and how well cooked you like it. On a steak less than 1.5", as long as your steak is at room temp when you put it on, 600+ degrees on each side should sear it and cook the rest of it perfectly. Especially if you're patient enough to let it rest 5-10 mins in a warm oven.