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Seared Tuna Help?

TBQue
TBQue Posts: 103
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Tried my first piece of tuna on the egg this weekend. Came out good but not great. I cranked the BGE to about 500 degs and cooked for one minute a side. Did not get a great sear on the outside. Any sugggestions?

Comments

  • Try increasing the cook time about another minute.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    500 isn't exactly "cranked". get her up to 750/800 (watch the gasket)... and let her rip.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Whenever I sear something-be it tuna or steak- I go at least 650.
    Tuna I do one minute per side and it's good. As Stike said, if you want more sear, go with more heat.
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Tuna probably needs to be seared as hot as you can get it. In the episode where Alton Brown did tuna, he seared directly over the top of a chimney starter that was roaring hot. Typically, the temperature you can expect under such conditions is about 1300-1500 degrees. With the dome at 500, you might have only had 700-800 degrees at the grid level.
    The Naked Whiz
  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    unless you use a lot of oil you will not get crispy steak or chicken like crunchy sear on the outside and you run the risk of over cooking. the thinner the piece the hotter and quicker. i think you would need a thick piece and nuke temps to get a sear and stil have the cool center. i did tuna twice this week and pulled at 80° in the center
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    As the folks below have said, to get a good sear on a piece of tuna without cooking the center, you need a screaming bed of hot coals.

    I sometimes cook over the top of the chiminea when we get a jet engine fire going.

    SearedAhiChiminea.jpg

    The mini or small egg is another great way to get a good hot fire, and the grate only inches from the charcoal. Which is what I did at the eggfest. Not sure how hot the fire was, because I usually remove the thermometer for turbo temps and don't leave the lid open long.

    5Tuna.jpg

    Good luck!
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    nice and thanks. the boys are getting me a chimnea for my birthday.....seared tuna, champagne.. happy birhtday to me