OK,OK,OK, I was wrong. You all were right. Reverse Sear!

TX03eleven

I did my first steak on my MBGE last week; I primarily use my Egg as a smoker, not a grill.  It was a 1” thick ribeye.  I rat the temp to 500 indirect (I use a square 10”x10” cast iron griddle as a heat shield, which works great for smoking at 225).  I put the grill grate on at gave the steak 2 minutes on each side for a total of 4 minutes.  Steak came out medium rare and probably the best I’ve ever grilled.  I will have to try this “reverse sear” you speak of.  I like the idea of slow cooking with some pecan wood and then turning it up for a finishing sear!

Jeepster47

If the steak is at or less than 1" thick, the flip-flip-flip method seems to work the best.  The same way as you grill on your gasser or Weber briquette cooker.

If the steak is 1.5" or thicker, then start with an indirect roast to bring the IT up to an under-the-final-temp point.  The hotter the roasting temp the higher the over-run will coast ... and the thicker the steak the higher the over-run will coast.  On a 1.5" steak with a 300* roast - 25 to 30 minutes is about average -  the temps will normally coast up 5*.  When the under-the-final-temp point is reached, pull the steak and let it rest while your egg heats up.

If I pull the cap and open the bottom vent wide open, my large will go from 300* to 550* in about 4 minutes.  When it hits 550*, I put the cap back on with it fully.  Both the daisy wheel and the Smokeware cap seem to restrict the temp to the 550* range when they are installed and fully open.

If you have a spider, use it legs up with a grid or a CI pan on it for really hot sears ... I do 45 seconds twice on each side with a CI grid.  Otherwise use your normal grid down on the fire ring for good sears ... two minutes per side is a good starting point.

The bad thing with the reverse sear method is that you need to practice and experiment to get it just right.  The really good thing about the reverse sear method is that you need to practice and experiment to get it just right.  For my next reverse sear I'll be following Theophan's example and roast down in the 250* range while hoping for a little better results.

blakeas

ok - I have 1 1/4 inch ribeye.  so basically set it up indirect with my adjustable rig with stone installed.  let it stabilize at 250 cook the ribeye until 115.  Then take stone out, pull off smokeware cap and open bottom vent all the way.  get it up to 600.  put smokeware cap back on fully open, put steak back on for 45 seconds, then flip and do another 45 seconds?

sound about right?

Jeepster47

@blakeas ... you might increase the sear a little more.  Mine is a four flip at 45 seconds each ... total of three minutes.  Theophan does a double flip at two minutes per side ... total of four minutes.  Otherwise you're on your way for medium-rare to medium.  Report back please.

DuckDogDr

Thanks for the detailed post.. I was wondering how to do this reverse seat everyone speaks of... 
When I first saw the pics I thought damn he cooked way too long... But when you opened the book's cover I thought dayum 

jak7028

blakeas said:

ok - so read through your comments.  Want to do the reverse sear tonight for the first time on my large.  Do I do indirect at 250 until internal temp is 115,  then take off and let my large get up to 600.  then put steak back on for 2 minutes per side?  it is big fat ribeye from Costco that I had already put  in the fridge this morning and put spices on it to be ready for when I come home from work

Yes.  When you cook direct at 600.  I dont go by time, I go by char.  When the outside looks good, I take it off.  Usually around 2 minutes per side.

I also shoot more for 105-110 on the internal temp cooking indirect.  That way I can get a nice char, and the steak ends up in the rare to medium rare range.  Going to 115 or so, I have ended up in the medium rare to medium range because I cooked it direct a little to long in the end.

Theophan

I'm NO expert, having done a reverse sear only once, so far, but fwiw, I think my 2 minute/side sear was too long at 600°+.  I like some char, but I prefer most of it well browned but not actually charred, and I think there would have been an even thinner strip of gray meat under the surface.  Next time I think I'll shoot for 1 minute.

And 1 1/4" seems kind of on the edge to me of whether it's thick enough to cook this way.  I usually cook steaks that are an inch or a little more on a hot fire flipping several times.  It's just with a really thick steak, 1 1/2 or 2", that it seems worth separating a low and slow step from a searing step.