Steak color

pirates21 · July 2012

Ok, this may be an odd question but....
I recently picked up a couple of USDA prime new york strips. I seared them 60 sec per side on about 700 degree, dome open, then closed the vents and cooked 2 mins per side.
They were about 1.25 inches thick. When I cut into them I would say they were a medium rare, but instead of pink inside, it was grey. Why can I never get the seared outside and hot pink inside? Please help! Thanks!!!

stike · July 2012

You cannot cook by time.
Internal temp is the way to go

The Cen-Tex Smoker · July 2012

Yep- Stike is correct. They were actually medium + or they would have been pink inside. Get a reliable I internal thermometer (Thermapen or one of the less expensive alternatives are fine) and it will change everything for you (for the better).

Although I prefer my steaks pink inside, that is one of the nice things about the egg. You can go a little past med rare and they are still pretty good.

fishlessman · July 2012

thermapen makes steaks better, get it off the grill before the internals hit 125. your steak cooking method is also to blame, your searing the steak surface hot and then forcing the heat into the center quickly with the dome shut. 1.25 is a borderline cut for me, under that thickness try the hot tub method, thicker cuts i go with the trex method

pirates21 · July 2012

Thanks for the feedback. I actually usually use the Trex, but was in a bit of a hurry this time. I didn't use the internal thermometer, which I do have. I should have. Lesson learned!!

smoke_monster · July 2012

I made terrible steaks until I started cooking by temperature. Definitely get a thermapen or a fast read alternative from thermoworks (makers of the termapen) for about $20.

The TREX method is fantastic - sear on high heat, take off and rest, and then smoke at a lower temperature to temp. It is forgiving because you are cooking to temp at a lower temperature (you have more time than if you are searing to finish). This is actually how steak houses cook (sear and then finish to temp in an oven). You will get similar results to a steakhouse - a thin band of grey brown well done meat at the edges and a thick band of pink meat cooked perfectly. I've found that when you sear to finish, the pink middle is narrower.

Check out the TREX method if you haven't already on NakedWhiz's site:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/xertsteak.htm

lousubcap · July 2012

@ pirates21 -then closed the vents and cooked 2 mins per side.

The one and only time I quickly shut down the BGE to finish a steak cook I did what you described above. Ended up with an oversmoked soot-like flavor-never did it again. I sear with the dome open then set the vents for around 400*F, shut the dome and during the post-sear rest the BGE lands at temperature to finish the cook. And always cook to temp-regardless of cooking source.

nolaegghead · July 2012

Let your meat warm up to room temp before you cook, and memorize the appropriate temperature you like your steak cooked to. The hotter you cook, the more rise you'll get during resting, so take that in consideration. Make sure you take the internal meat temperature in the center of the thickest part of the steak, I hold the instant thermometer next to the food and estimate the center of the meat, then use my fingers on the probe as a "stop" so you get the end of the probe close to the center of the meat. The end is where the temperature is most accurate.

nolaegghead · July 2012

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/MeatTemperatureChart.htm

Eggbertsdad · July 2012

Medium rare should be a warm red center, not pink. Pink is medium, greyish pink is medium well.

Let your steaks come up to room temp. I'm now a huge fan of hot tubbing the steaks then hitting them with a quick sear, or the reverse T-Rex (X-Ert) where you start low and sear at the end.

nolaegghead · July 2012

Medium rare should be a warm red center, not pink. Pink is medium, greyish pink is medium well.

Let your steaks come up to room temp. I'm now a huge fan of hot tubbing the steaks then hitting them with a quick sear, or the reverse T-Rex (X-Ert) where you start low and sear at the end.

Do you have a sous vide setup or do you just use hot water to hot tub?

Eggbertsdad · July 2012

nola,

My crock pot has a temp setting so I vacuum seal the steaks and put them in the crock pot at about 130 for 1-1.5 hours...starting with room temp steaks. Works like a charm.

khristyjeff · July 2012

Medium rare should be a warm red center, not pink. Pink is medium, greyish pink is medium well.

Let your steaks come up to room temp. I'm now a huge fan of hot tubbing the steaks then hitting them with a quick sear, or the reverse T-Rex (X-Ert) where you start low and sear at the end.

+1. It's easier to increase temp on the Egg than cool it down. Also, produces nice "char" on the surfaces, but the inside is the same color throughout depending on the internal temp you've cooked it to. No 1/8" of brown/gray with red/pink in the middle.

khristyjeff · July 2012

I think I did something wrong. Hear's my comment:

+1. It's easier to increase temp on the Egg than cool it down. Also, produces nice "char" on the surfaces, but the inside is the same color throughout depending on the internal temp you've cooked it to. No 1/8" of brown/gray with red/pink in the middle.

NibbleMeThis · July 2012

Like the others, I prefer either a "hot tub" soak or reverse sear to get that perfect center.

I did the "close the vents" method after watching the DVD that came with my egg years ago. Didn't do it after that. It worked but I got better results learning from folks on the forum.

BeauPNS · July 2012

Will this work for Ribeyes also?

Steak color

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