The Continuous Reverse Sear Thread!

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There's been some really Great looking reverse sears lately!!!

Keep them coming, this is everyones thread to show off their skills!!!!!!
 
There are very few things my wife will give me credit for but cooking a steak is one of them.  My oldest leaves for Alaska tmrw which will be his permanent duty station for a couple of years.  Only Airbourne unit in the Pacific Theatre so I hope he isn't deployed right-a-way.  Anyway, we are having the entire family over for a steak dinner to send him off.  I asked my wife about trying this reverse sear thing, but she told me not to try it with everyone coming over.  Got a bunch of 1 1/4" great looking ribeyes with the lip left on.  Give me a couple of weeks and I will try it.  Here is what I have gleamed of the process, but please correct me if I'm wrong:

- smoke to an IT of 115

- sear for 45-90 seconds per side

Got it right?  I like mine medium-rare.

The in-laws like theirs medium-well to shoe leather.

Any suggestions?

Doug
 
 
Hi Doug, you are about spot on with the med/rare. If you are a good steak griller then you should be able to tell doneness by feel. Even though I smoke to temp when searing I still go by feel.
For the in-laws, put their steaks on the smoker about 15-20 mins before yours and take them to about 135*, they should come off about the same time and if theirs still isn't done enough just sear it a little longer and just go by feel.
 
Looks good, Doung--I agree 100% with Dave

...since you're a 'steak guy'--I've found the hotter and shorter you can sear, the less 'target middle' your steak will have.  At 900-1000* I sear about 30 sec per side, but have to go 50-60 sec on 700-750*
 
I was way off on my first try as usual.  One steak for my mother-in-law.  It turned out great (to me), but not what I wanted for her.

After feeling and tasting the texture of hers, I definitely will explore this more.

They were some good looking "choice" but hers could have passed for "prime" after cooking.  Tender as all heck and the fat had almost completely melted into the meat rather than dripped down.  I could see each muscle fiber group separately - they almost totally gave up and just folded under their own weight.

I will definitely be trying this again.  I just have to get a little more familiar with the process as I'm a "build the fire twice - high heat and flip once guy".

I may have just found a better way to cook a steak (at home) thanks to you guys.

I use a charcoal Weber so I can only get my sear at about 525 - even after double loading it.  I seared for about 70 secs and it turned out nicely.
 
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S2K9K,

(@ 215* for 45min.-1hr.)  When I remove the steaks @110* IT to get my Kamado to 500*+ will that affect the sear time much from your 1 min. 20 sec./side?

-Kurt
 
My butcher  pal that gets me bellies had a sale on beef.... $5.99 for ribs... $2.49 for bottom rounds (2 cases)...   My freezer is full..  So he drops off the 7 Rib, rib roasts (2) and I cut them into 1 and 2 rib portions...   Here is the 1 rib, rib steak/roast......

Seasoned...


After 4 hours in the smoker at 140 ish


...  113 deg.... I can live with that.....

I did not have the therm in the roast while it was in

the smoker...


4 sided sear on the grill....  IR Temp of the

grating showed 680 deg..... that will work....

The white dot with the squiggles.....   I think that is a vertebrae

with char from the grill on it...


Another side


Removed the bone so I could slice that hummer

into 2 equal hunks.... 


2 equal slices right down the middle.... Bride grabbed hers

and it's on the plate with baked spud and sour cream and who knows what else... 


My first reverse sear.... first hunk of meat that would lend itself to that 

style of cooking...  Bride said I did good, very good....  She ain't talking me into doin'

the cookin'.....  no how, no way.......  I'll just keep strugglin' with the easy stuff.... and chokin' down

my mistakes...

For those of you who ain't tried this reverse sear stuff.... It makes for very good grub..... 

Dave
 
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I've now tried this three times.  Way off on the first try - way underdone for what I was trying to do.  Second try was exact opposite, but that's because I seared it too long.  It started pouring down rain while I was trying to sear and I couldn't get them on and off how I wanted.  Third time was the charm - sort of.  I would say they were between a MR and and M.  However, they were very tender and tasted good.

I usually like my steak a true MR - and maybe even a little on the rare side, but even though this one was a little closer to M, it was super tender and still had the beef flavor that I love in a MR steak.  This process does produce a more consistent doneness through-out, which I like.

I didn't add any wood to the smoker while I was cooking them, but they still picked up quite a bit of smoke flavor.  I have to think that it is from previous smokes, but I was surprised at how much smoke flavor it picked up without any smoke added.
 

Slowly cooking them to a certain IT is easy to do.  I think the key to getting the steak you want with this method is the time and temp of the sear.  I use charcoal so my temps fluctuate.

I would not call this a better way to cook a steak, but more so a different way that is very good.  That's good because even the best steak gets old
 
I've now tried this three times.  Way off on the first try - way underdone for what I was trying to do.  Second try was exact opposite, but that's because I seared it too long.  It started pouring down rain while I was trying to sear and I couldn't get them on and off how I wanted.  Third time was the charm - sort of.  I would say they were between a MR and and M.  However, they were very tender and tasted good.

I usually like my steak a true MR - and maybe even a little on the rare side, but even though this one was a little closer to M, it was super tender and still had the beef flavor that I love in a MR steak.  This process does produce a more consistent doneness through-out, which I like.

I didn't add any wood to the smoker while I was cooking them, but they still picked up quite a bit of smoke flavor.  I have to think that it is from previous smokes, but I was surprised at how much smoke flavor it picked up without any smoke added.
 

Slowly cooking them to a certain IT is easy to do.  I think the key to getting the steak you want with this method is the time and temp of the sear.  I use charcoal so my temps fluctuate.

I would not call this a better way to cook a steak, but more so a different way that is very good.  That's good because even the best steak gets old
Jax, evening.... You are right about it being a different way to cook steaks...   I have charcoaled and added mesquite, which I like...  I've had rib roasts in the oven, which I like....  I've pre smoked 1" steaks and grilled and fried on a cast iron griddle in the kitchen, which I liked...    But the long, long smoke has never been in the recipe for cooking a steak or a roast....    It's different.... produces a very uniform doneness in the meat.. which I like.....  and the additional smokey flavor is very good, which I like....   I guess it boils down to I like steak anyway you can cook it... especially a RIB steak....  

When smoking in a temp controlled smoker, the finished "doneness" is very easy to control....  The finishing sear is easy to control...   Just one more way to try and satisfy the carnivore.....    Now I have to experiment more....  

Dave
 
Hi All, new to smoking here.  My Grill is having issues.  I could do the reverse sear on a cast iron pan but I'm curious -- what about throwing the steaks under the broiler for a few seconds each side?  Or would that cook into them too much?  (I love the broiler for crisping up fat.)
 
 
Hi All, new to smoking here.  My Grill is having issues.  I could do the reverse sear on a cast iron pan but I'm curious -- what about throwing the steaks under the broiler for a few seconds each side?  Or would that cook into them too much?  (I love the broiler for crisping up fat.)
 
I bet the broiler would work just fine. Just get it as hot as possible so it sears quickly. That should help insure that the inside doesn't get overdone. On the grill it usually doesn't take more than a minute per side.

Good luck, and if you end-up trying it, let us know how it works!
 
LauraLee:  my 2 cents for free (worth what you paid)...

The broiler will certainly work, but I favor the cast iron as the direct heat will provide a much better sear

Let us know how it turns out!
 
LauraLee:  my 2 cents for free (worth what you paid)...

The broiler will certainly work, but I favor the cast iron as the direct heat will provide a much better sear

Let us know how it turns out!
Well, I discovered last night that my broiler shuts off automatically when the oven temp reaches 500 anyhow.  SO annoying.  I am really tired of stoves and ovens that try to protect me from myself by shutting the broiler off based on oven temp (how can you broil without direct heat?  Why call the setting broil?) and gas stoves that won't let you turn the gas down below a certain point. (I assume they assume I'll let the flame go out and end up gassing myself, but the temp it drops to is too high for certain things).  I suppose that's a topic for another forum though.  SO right now the case iron sear is my new plan next time I do steak in the smoker.
 
LauraLee:  my 2 cents for free (worth what you paid)...

The broiler will certainly work, but I favor the cast iron as the direct heat will provide a much better sear

Let us know how it turns out!
Well, I discovered last night that my broiler shuts off automatically when the oven temp reaches 500 anyhow.  SO annoying.  I am really tired of stoves and ovens that try to protect me from myself by shutting the broiler off based on oven temp (how can you broil without direct heat?  Why call the setting broil?) and gas stoves that won't let you turn the gas down below a certain point. (I assume they assume I'll let the flame go out and end up gassing myself, but the temp it drops to is too high for certain things).  I suppose that's a topic for another forum though.  SO right now the case iron sear is my new plan next time I do steak in the smoker.
LauraLee, Ever try leaving the oven door open ???      

Dave
 
Dave, thanks -- I did try that, with both my oven and my toaster oven but they both keep shutting off anyhow.  OK, well, I left the toaster oven cracked open just an inch or two.  I'll try really opening it up.  I remember my dad broiling meat that way when I was a kid, with it open a few inches.  The oven automatically shuts off when the door is open.  It seems to be a "feature" of some sort.
 
Picked up two 2" thick KC Strips on sale.


Seasoned with Rufus Teague's Steak Rub and a little Three Little Pigs Memphis Style Rub.

Slapped 'em on my UDS running around 225 or so.



Flipped 'em at about 90 degrees IT.


Foiled and rested the steaks at about 122 to 124 IT.

Cooked foil pouch potatoes and grilled asparagus w/ a little olive oil and Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic.


After the asparagus came off the grill, cranked the gas and seared the steaks for about 90 seconds on each side.

Plated -


I like my beef medium plus, so these came out perfect, plenty juicy.

Not sure how well the sear worked.  Next time I'm bringing out the cast iron ...
 
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