Reverse searing, sounds fancy and all the cool hipster types with beards seem to be doing it, but how do you get in with the in crowd? What is all the hype about reverse searing and what will it do for you and your grill?
The traditional method for cooking steak which you will probably be familiar with involves searing it in a hot pan and then popping it into an oven or grill until done. The result? A lot of guess work and crossed fingers that your steak doesn’t come out grey when you cut into it, followed by dirty looks from the wife from across the dinner table and cursed words scorned over the small fortune you dished out for a steak night date night.
The reverse sear method however as the name suggests reverses the traditional technique on it’s head by cooking the steak on a very low heat, either on the cooler side of your grill or if you are using the oven between 93 and 135C (because we don’t like to judge here at the Shack and hell it does often rain here in Blighty we can’t always be cooking on the Q!).
Once the internal temperature is between 10 and 15C from tucking in time, whip that lil beast right off onto a ripping hot grill searing the outside over a hot flame.
You will definitely need a meat thermometer to do this correctly. Gawd bless the Traeger who have thought of everything to make our lives easy which has thermometers supplied as standard. If you have a timberline you can even set up the app to alert you when your meat is ready to be seared. If you haven’t, then why haven’t you invested yet?!
Personally I think this method works better for fattier cuts like Ribeye and T-bone however it is possible to use a leaner cut of meat – just use a high temperature oil brushed on the outside such as peanut or seed oil.
As you know I do love a science lesson so let’s delve into why this method achieves a perfect medium/medium-rare throughout. The science is known as the Maillard reaction, which very basically is what happens to the chemicals when proteins and sugars are transformed by heat to produce aroma and flavour as well as achieving that beautiful browned outer crust when you nail a steak cook. By using the reverse searing method you essentially have greater control over the Maillard Reaction.
Pfft, science lesson over. That one literally made me sweat a bit!
Though this method does take some extra time than your standard direct grilling, it is most definitely worth the effort giving you the best of both worlds of crispy, melt in the mouth fat combined with delicious smokey flavors.
Throughout July I will be embarking on my own BBQ Biohacking experiment by undertaking the newest fad in diet land, The Carnivore diet. I will be using this time as an excuse to perfect the reverse sear method on a range of different meats as well as documenting all my results so stay tuned sports fans!!
Now I wouldn’t say that this meat was tasty, but it was SO tasty that this is what was left after we demolished it…
Mrs Shack even said if she could have eaten the bone she would have done.
This beautiful piece of meat came courtesy of H.G.Walters via the BBQ Lads Steak Selection box available online here an would make a smashing gift for the meat lover in your life.
At H. G. Walter, they truly value tradition, simplicity and quality. Established in 1972, their independent, family-run business has dedicated years to perfecting traditional methods of meat preparation; to doing things in the proper way, properly.