There are about as many cooking methods for a steak as there are barbecue producers. I grew up with the good old methods, with Chefs on television and a generous, cozy and skilled “home economics” teacher named Margot. Here I learned that it is okay to “cheat a little”, that the stir must swell before frying waffles and that schools actually have a budget to follow, even during the Home economics class. “This is the best pizza filling I’ve ever tasted, but there were 2 teaspoons of oregano, not half a glass of it Mr… !!” In other words, challenging the established is not always easy, but food would have been terribly boring if no one was doing just that.
But let me get to the point. Wherever steak was fried, on TV, in restaurants, in cookbooks, yes even at home in the kitchen with my Mom! The steak was always seared on all sides before being cooked on a low heat, in a frying pan, or roasted in the oven. I need to emphasize that there were few culinary highlights that beat Mother’s delicious Saturday steak in my childhood. I’ve used this method myself for years, but it was when I started grilling slightly larger and thicker cuts of delicious steaks, as well as exploring this wonderful world of grilling and BBQ, I discovered the Reverse sear method. Should really one bunch of middle-aged men with folded shirt sleeves, leather aprons and worn out “trucker caps” tell me that Margot, Gordon and MOM, have been cooking steak wrong all my life? That I should cook the steak almost to the desired core temperature BEFORE I sear the meat??
Okay, I wouldn’t call it a mistake to cook a steak in the “old fashion” way. But the result of a perfectly cooked steak, cooked at low temperature before being seared, it is impeccable. Some would like to say that they think this method is overrated, and even ridiculous, but let me try to defend this technique from my own point of view. Reverse sear can almost be compared to sous vide, where you leave the meat firmly packed in a vacuum bag in a water bath, with the desired core temperature for a long time before searing the meat in a pan. But if you do this without water and plastic, on the grill, you also get the good flavour from the smoke and barbecue. One of the things I like best about this technique is that it is easier to get a consistent result, since the starting point of the core temperature is almost the same every time before searing the steak, the actual searing is done in 1-2 minutes. Also, cold meat takes up more flavor from the smoke, then one that is already “sealed” with a crust.
How to reverse sear a steak
Start with getting piece a reasonably sized steak. Use a rib-eye / Tomahawk, Sirloin, T-bone steak etc.. In this example, I use a cote beouf, or just a bone in rib-eye. Start by firing up the grill. Set it up with two zones: one hot and one indirect zone. If you have a thermometer in the grill, and some control of the temperature, try to land it steady at 90-100 degrees celcius. If you have extra time, you can set the temperature at around 80 degrees celcius. Also put some smoke chips, or chunks of fruit wood along with the charcoal, if you use a gas grill, you can use a smoke box as well. Remember to place the vent in the lid over the meat, so the smoke will pass through the meat on the way out.
Season the steak
You can season the steak with what ever you like the best. On this one I used only salt. Plenty of salt! Leave the meat in the smoke while making some delicious sides or have a glass of your favorite brew. Leave the meat until you have a core temperature of about 6-8 degrees celcius less than you desire for the end result. If you stop at 50 degrees celcius, the end result will be around 58-59 degrees. Perfect medium rare! On a side note, this rib-eye was dry aged, which means it reaches the core temperature somewhat faster than a regular steak, but using a good thermometer you have control of the temperature. This rib-eye weighed almost one kg, and reached 50 degrees celsius after about an hour. Once you have reached the desired core temperature, take the steak off the grill and let it rest for a while. spread the charcoal over the entire grill, or turning on all the gas grill flares. Then put a cast-iron pan on the grate, or directly on the coals (you can also use the grate if you do not have a cast-iron pan, but I think the result is much better in the pan). Preheat the cast iron pan in an oven or on a hotplate before putting it on the grill to heat it faster. Put the lid on the grill.
Sear the steak
When the meat has rested a bit (10-15 min), Put a good stick of butter in the pan. (If you want more flavor, you may want to sear the meat with some garlic, rosemary or other herbs) Sear the meat quickly on all sides, 40-60 seconds on each side is enough. Then remove the meat from the pan and serve it while it is hot and crispy. If you give this a try,give me some feedback on how it turned out!
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