Forward sear steaks method for the egg

Powak

Recently I discovered the forward sear method for steaks on my Weber kettle. This is a chimney of coals banked to one side, bricks in the middle of you want (if you want), steaks seared couple minutes a side over the rippin hot fire and then moved to the indirect side and covered with the dome till finished. The results have been outstanding, so good that I’ve given up on the ole reverse sear on my large egg. I am able to fit 4 large ribeyes at a time comfortably with this setup. Anyone else found a good way to recreate this on their egg? 

Langner91

I have a KAB divider for my egg.

With a spider to get you close to the coals, you could do the same thing.  Sear close to the coals, then move up a few inches away from the coals to finish.

Divider:
https://kickashbasket.com/collections/dividers

lkapigian

Looks Killer!

fishlessman

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

tomahawks

 

Powak

Langner91 said:

I have a KAB divider for my egg.

With a spider to get you close to the coals, you could do the same thing.  Sear close to the coals, then move up a few inches away from the coals to finish.

Divider:
https://kickashbasket.com/collections/dividers

Heck yeah! Just ordered one myself. Sounds like a good idea. Love having direct and indirect cooking zones.

JohnInCarolina

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

JohnInCarolina

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

It is personal preference, absolutely.  All that really matters is that you like the end result.

I just find a better smoke profile on the reverse sear, and that it's easier to get the end to end pink result with just the crust and a minimum of gray banding.  The flavor is quite a bit better than a sous-vide steak, in my opinion.  

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

It is personal preference, absolutely.  All that really matters is that you like the end result.

I just find a better smoke profile on the reverse sear, and that it's easier to get the end to end pink result with just the crust and a minimum of gray banding.  The flavor is quite a bit better than a sous-vide steak, in my opinion.  

all in what you like, heres a 2 bone rib roast trexed like a steak, maybe 1.75 inches thick total. a cheap supermarket cut. trex just works for me. there is some grey edging.....

JohnInCarolina

@fishlessman - I don't think I've ever seen someone split a steak into two like that.  

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

@fishlessman - I don't think I've ever seen someone split a steak into two like that.  

This gives you two thin med/rare end cuts of a prime rib. Something you don't get cooking a full roast. Lots of rub surface

Grogu

You have a couple options using the eggspander. You can do one side grate low and the other side raised with half moon stone under it. I think you can get a coal divider, but I’ve done it just banking the coals. Another option is using vertical space. I’ve done the eggspander with the grate low and then the additional top piece for extra raised. It lets you do sort of a knock off Santa Maria cook where you get different temps by how close to the fire you are.

Canugghead

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

This is where Broil King Keg and Weber Kamado can outshine the BGE, without ceramics they are more responsive to temp adjustment.

fishlessman

Canugghead said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

This is where Broil King Keg and Weber Kamado can outshine the BGE, without ceramics they are more responsive to temp adjustment.

that heat sink can cause problems at times yet its so good for many things.  im not to sold on banking lump or using dividers with an egg either. yes its hotter over the coals, but yes, 750/800f dome temp is still 750/800f dome temp either side. some things are just easier with an old kettle to produce great food. ill give steak to the egg, random chicken parts are better in a kettle...

Grogu

fishlessman said:

Canugghead said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

This is where Broil King Keg and Weber Kamado can outshine the BGE, without ceramics they are more responsive to temp adjustment.

that heat sink can cause problems at times yet its so good for many things.  im not to sold on banking lump or using dividers with an egg either. yes its hotter over the coals, but yes, 750/800f dome temp is still 750/800f dome temp either side. some things are just easier with an old kettle to produce great food. ill give steak to the egg, random chicken parts are better in a kettle...

For the initial sear, you don’t need to close the dome while getting the coal bed going. You can get a good fire bed rolling without heat soaking the ceramics all the way to 700+ They get some even when open, but not pizza oven levels. Close lid after the transfer to the off fire side and adjust vents and you can settle in at roast temps without needing a big cool down period.

DryHeat

As for doing it on an Egg, last Sunday I tried Malcom Reed’s method using grill grates on Mini Max and they turned out great.

I used same rub (I little to heavily) but did not make the butter:

https://youtu.be/OfIkj_IQq-0?si=zh4939U8Z6_HHXOt

(Sorry, just realized Malcom’s method is reverse sear, not forward, so still looking for forward on egg.  I think I’ve tried forward but problem is cooling egg down after initial high temp sear.  I think it could work but would just take a while.  Meat would cool off, but I don’t think that would hurt.  Just throw it back on for indirect when you reach the lower temp.

BTW I was a Weber guy for almost 40 years based on having living in Chicago area where they are made.  Bought a new extra large BGE few years ago and shortly after sold all of my Weber grills and smoker.   Then bought used large and mini max.   I still love Webers.  It’s just that I would be divorced had I tried to keep all of them with the add additions.)

fishlessman

Grogu said:

fishlessman said:

Canugghead said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

This is where Broil King Keg and Weber Kamado can outshine the BGE, without ceramics they are more responsive to temp adjustment.

that heat sink can cause problems at times yet its so good for many things.  im not to sold on banking lump or using dividers with an egg either. yes its hotter over the coals, but yes, 750/800f dome temp is still 750/800f dome temp either side. some things are just easier with an old kettle to produce great food. ill give steak to the egg, random chicken parts are better in a kettle...

For the initial sear, you don’t need to close the dome while getting the coal bed going. You can get a good fire bed rolling without heat soaking the ceramics all the way to 700+ They get some even when open, but not pizza oven levels. Close lid after the transfer to the off fire side and adjust vents and you can settle in at roast temps without needing a big cool down period.

i like the 15 minute to 20 minute rest after the sear, its when i add rub and let it mingle with some juices before roasting it. its also enough time to crack open an ipa before finishing the cook. lots of ways to cook a steak, its always good to try them all a few times to find out which one is the  personal preference

Grogu

fishlessman said:

Grogu said:

fishlessman said:

Canugghead said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

This is where Broil King Keg and Weber Kamado can outshine the BGE, without ceramics they are more responsive to temp adjustment.

that heat sink can cause problems at times yet its so good for many things.  im not to sold on banking lump or using dividers with an egg either. yes its hotter over the coals, but yes, 750/800f dome temp is still 750/800f dome temp either side. some things are just easier with an old kettle to produce great food. ill give steak to the egg, random chicken parts are better in a kettle...

For the initial sear, you don’t need to close the dome while getting the coal bed going. You can get a good fire bed rolling without heat soaking the ceramics all the way to 700+ They get some even when open, but not pizza oven levels. Close lid after the transfer to the off fire side and adjust vents and you can settle in at roast temps without needing a big cool down period.

i like the 15 minute to 20 minute rest after the sear, its when i add rub and let it mingle with some juices before roasting it. its also enough time to crack open an ipa before finishing the cook. lots of ways to cook a steak, its always good to try them all a few times to find out which one is the  personal preference

The real issue with your approach is selecting an IPA over a stout.

fishlessman

Grogu said:

fishlessman said:

Grogu said:

fishlessman said:

Canugghead said:

fishlessman said:

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

i think the closest you can get to that on the egg is the trex method. salt, sear above 750 dome temp, take it out and rest on a rack while temps drop below 400 dome, then roast. its the only way i cook a good thick steak. the other method is sear and dwell with the vents closed, it produces an off flavor with the smoke held in the dome

?? - why not reverse sear?

i will sous vide then sear when cooking for a crowd, but i like the way the crust develops better with a forward sear and the way the flavor develops over time as the juices rise during the rest and roast. for uniform interiors, theres not much difference if a few things are done properly as in get the egg up to temp as quickly as possible so not to overheat the ceramics....this lets the egg cool off quicker to get the egg temps lower like 300 dome for the roast stage. and skip anything but coarse salt for the sear as rubs/pepper get bitter when burnt. im not rushing a good steak anyways and it comes down to personal preference.

This is where Broil King Keg and Weber Kamado can outshine the BGE, without ceramics they are more responsive to temp adjustment.

that heat sink can cause problems at times yet its so good for many things.  im not to sold on banking lump or using dividers with an egg either. yes its hotter over the coals, but yes, 750/800f dome temp is still 750/800f dome temp either side. some things are just easier with an old kettle to produce great food. ill give steak to the egg, random chicken parts are better in a kettle...

For the initial sear, you don’t need to close the dome while getting the coal bed going. You can get a good fire bed rolling without heat soaking the ceramics all the way to 700+ They get some even when open, but not pizza oven levels. Close lid after the transfer to the off fire side and adjust vents and you can settle in at roast temps without needing a big cool down period.

i like the 15 minute to 20 minute rest after the sear, its when i add rub and let it mingle with some juices before roasting it. its also enough time to crack open an ipa before finishing the cook. lots of ways to cook a steak, its always good to try them all a few times to find out which one is the  personal preference

The real issue with your approach is selecting an IPA over a stout.

best of both worlds, ipa during the cook, stout while enjoying the steak