reverse sear question

laserdoc85

Rib eyes next week. First time on this technique 

How do go from indirect to direct for the sear process. Or do I just raise my grate up to the gasket by setting some bricks under the grate to raise it and start at 200 direct and then pull them and crank the egg up to 600

Foghorn

Most people do the initial part of the cook indirect at around 250 (+/- 40).  Then they remove the platesetter (or whatever you use to block the direct heat), get a grate set down low (I just use my regular grate - some go super low with a spider or a smaller grate that sits directly on the coals) and open up the vents for 5 to 10 minutes until the egg reaches 600+ degrees.  At that point you drop the steak on the grate for 45 seconds to 2 minutes per side - depending on how hot and how close you are to the coals.

With that being said, there is no reason why you can't do it what you described - without a platesetter or other heat blocker.  Just light the fire off to one side and put the meat on the opposite side of the grill for the low temp portion of the cook.  Owners of Weber kettles have been doing this sort of two zone cooking for decades.

laserdoc85

OK thanks,  so I dont want to keep my grate raised when I sear it but drop it as close as I can get it to the coals. I don't have my plate setter yet. Wife has it for me for Xmas so I can't get to it but I want to cook steaks this weekend as I will be Turkeyd out

Foghorn

Depending on the size of your egg, you may not even have to raise the grate.  On my XL (24") I just put it on the other side from the fire.  That's what works on a 22" Weber as well.  With smaller grills you can't get the meat as far from the fire so raising the grate would be helpful.  However, you do have the option of a poor man's heat blocker where you just put the steaks on a piece of aluminum foil during the low temp portion of the cook. 

There are a lot of ways to skin this cat.

laserdoc85

Hmmmmm I see said the blind man on the tinfoil part. I have a medium size egg

Skiddymarker

Do you have two cooking grids?

If so put one (CI is ideal) on the fire ring, put spacers about half inch or so high on that grid, then the plate setter legs up. The spacers between the "fire ring" grid and setter makes it much easier to grab the setter and get it out. Put second grid on the setter legs. Do the slow part of the cook. Take the steaks out at 10º below finish temp, remove the setter and fire the egg to sear temps. If your resting steaks have moisture on them, quick dab with paper towel will remove the moisture and speed the browning of crust. At the sear temps, only minerals (salt) will survive, herbs and spices will simply burn off so many season after the sear. 

laserdoc85

OK rib eyes tonight. This is the first. Times and temps would help for the low part and the sear part. Go my new thermapen and I'm ready

What temp for med rare?

Foghorn

According to this, medium rare is 130-135.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/meat-and-poultry-temperature-guide/index.html

I would end the low temp portion of the cook at about 115.  The meat temp will rise while you rest it and get the egg up to high heat.  Then the sear will raise the internal temp some as well.  It seems like most people here sear it for 45 seconds to a minute per side - but many of them are searing right down on the coals.  My preference is to go a little longer - 1.5 to 2 minutes per side - on my factory grid that is a couple of inches from the coals depending on the temp of my fire.  When I am impatient and focused I put the steaks on as soon as my grill tops 500 degrees and I sear a little longer.  These steaks turn out best.  When I am enjoying an adult beverage and good conversation I get distracted and sometimes let the egg get to 1000 degrees.  I do a shorter sear at those times. 

laserdoc85

How long will it take at the low cook at 200-250 ? 5 min'10 min ? Steaks are about 3/4 inch thick

paqman

If you do the initial part at 200-250, I don't think that you need to cook indirect. You can use your grid lifter to remove the grid and bring the egg up to searing temps and sear directly on the coals about 1 minute per side.

billyray

The set up I use is with the spider and the Weber griddle. This not only acts as an indirect cook, but the griddle is getting warm during the initial cook part. I'm usually cooking about 300 on a raised grid, when the IT reaches 115, I pull and crank up the temp. to 500-600. This only takes a short time for the griddle to get hot enough to sear because it has been in the egg the whole time, then sear 90 seconds or so a side,depending on the thickness of the meat. Then I pull the steak and check the temp. to make sure it's 125-130, if not it goes back on the griddle for some more time.

laserdoc85

How much lump you putting in do do this sear, Fill up to the bottom of the fire ring. Thats alot of charcoal for a short time on the egg.

First time to use my thermapen. I go in at an angle and not straight up and down right?

How long are they on the grate at 200 so I know to check the IT ?

Loosemoose

I check mine after 5 to 10 minutes on the indirect portion of the cook. That will help you gauge how much longer and to estimate when to check it again.

laserdoc85

Ok thanks

Heck ! I feel I'm learning all over again

billyray

laserdoc85 said:

How much lump you putting in do do this sear, Fill up to the bottom of the fire ring. Thats alot of charcoal for a short time on the egg.

First time to use my thermapen. I go in at an angle and not straight up and down right?

How long are they on the grate at 200 so I know to check the IT ?

I fill to the bottom of the fire ring for every cook. You are not using that much for this cook, after you shut it down you have lump ready for the next cook. If your steaks are thick enough go in from the side with the thermopen, you'll get a more accurate reading, if not at an angle is better than straight up and down. I would start checking at 10 minutes if I was cooking that low, sooner if you are at a higher cook temp.

laserdoc85

ok here is my setup. Figure Im doing the low part with the steaks in a pie tin then pull the grate and the bricks and then drop the grate on top of the coals and let it climb on up to 650 or so. Then sear them for a min each side.Then pull the steals and test the IT for about 125 with the new thermapen.

billyray

laserdoc85 said:

ok here is my setup. Figure Im doing the low part with the steaks in a pie tin then pull the grate and the bricks and then drop the grate on top of the coals and let it climb on up to 650 or so. Then sear them for a min each side.Then pull the steals and test the IT for about 125 with the new thermapen.

Looks like you've removed your fire ring and just have the fire box in the pics, is that correct? Also looks like you haven't put enough lump in as I can see the air hole in the fire box. Lump should always be a couple of inches above those holes, at least, so that you have air flow through the lump. 

SoCal_Griller

I wouldn't put the steaks in a pie tin not sure what that would do to the steak, but I would think that the steak would end up cooking in its own juice. Reverse sear usually means indirect for the low portion of the cook, it's like a slow roast instead of grilled. I assume you want to put the steak in the pie tin to achieve indirect? If so, then that's not the same thing. I think Paqman has the right idea if you do not have a way to go indirect. Heck, If I was you I would go hot and fast instead. Edited to add that if you put something in between the pie tin and the steak, that would probably work. Something like a roasting rack. But do t put the steak in direct contact with the tin.

laserdoc85

OK just got done with it.

I learned from this first try. You were right it wanted to cook in the pie tin. My wife's was med well and mine ended up around medium. Good but room for improvement. I hate having to wait until Xmas to open up my plate setter. Oh well I will just have to deal with it.

Yes I did remove the fire ring. Reason being ,,,when I went to sear mode I wanted the grate down on top of the cools. Next time I will just try hot and fast.

One thing I did notice was the temp was hard to adjust to 250 or 300 and hold it there. This was the first cook since my clean burn ,so know I'm learning the egg all over again. I used to always set my egg at 300 for everything and it would stay there. The bottom vent was open just a fingers width and my vents on my wheel were about a quarter of the way opened. Know it is way more finicky but I will figure it out. I did have plenty of airflow as it went to 650 within about a min and a half when I opened both vents full open.

At least she said I just needed more practice on the reverse sear, process. Plus I needed thicker steaks as they did got pretty fast on the low end and the high sear end. By the time I dial this in I will have my late setter and have to learn all over again

billyray

Get a small cast iron grill or griddle that will fit down on the coals, or on something like the spider from CGS. http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/large-spider-big-green-egg.html

Then you won't have to remove the fire ring.

laserdoc85

Got to live this sight!! I have a griddle except it has a handle so it would not fit down on top of the coals. I will just have to hit the lodge cast iron store of Acamedy to fine something with no handles that will fit my medium egg

laserdoc85

Something like this maybe but then I would have to leave it on the coals until the egg cooled down before I pulled it

http://www.lodgemfg.com/seasoned-cast-iron/serving-griddles/round-handleless-griddle-L7OGH3