steak searing

Unknown

I have cooked prime rib eyes on the egg. I just wish that dome thermometer went above 700. I wonder how hot this sucker can get.QQQ
I read a post from along time ago about reaching max temp for searing steaks. Any input out there...qqq

Tim M

David J,
Maybe KennyG will do a test with his thermometer that reads the temp of melted steel. I had my thermo up to what I guessed was 1200 deg once - I now leave the slide/daisy top on so that 600-650 will be the max if I walk away and forget it. No reason to go above 750-800 IMO.[p]Tim

WessB

Tim M,
I agree...I do some 2"thick filets without going over 600-650° can achievie rare to well done depending on the time..I have a bad time with gaskets if I try to go nuclear..just my $.02[p]Wess

Kevin D

David J,[p]I agree with Tim M. that a temp of 600-650 is plenty for a steak. Last night I got the egg stabilized at 300 for about half an hour while I waited for the non-steak portion of dinner to get ready. When it was time to cook the steaks, I took off the cap and opened the bottom vent. I went out about 10 minutes later and the thermometer had cranked around to about 6:35 on the dial, a temp that I estimate to be about 800. When I put the steaks on, flames were so high they were shooting out of the top of the dome. After the first three minutes like this, I turned them over and adjusted the vent to quickly bring the temp down to 650. The strip steaks were awesome, however they had a bit more char on the first side I grilled than I care for. In the future I will try to maintain a temp in the 650 area.[p]If you really want to see how hot it can get I recommend the following: Fill with lump to the top of the firebox, get the temp stabilized at 300 for 30-45 minutes (letting a wide area of charcoal get started), and then take off the cap and open the bottom vent completely. Come back about 15 minutes later and you could very well be all the way to 300 a second time.[p]Have fun,[p]Kevin

Big Murth

Tim M,
I agree....that temps past the analog dome dial probably are overkill....or kill your cook or EGG!! But---don't those premier steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Morton's, Sullivan's and the like, advertise their steaks zapped over a 1200-1600 degree flame? I'm pretty satisfied by the hot-mama action at 700-750...and occasionally I've only seen 600-650 max, due to using too much old lump, etc. Let's face it, for home Q action, we've got a lot to brag about, but I guess these commercial outfits can really nuke their food on a major scale...and if nothing else--have some great bragging rights!! Big Murth in Nuevo

Unknown

Big Murth,Yeah they state that 1600 degrees is the key for searing steaks. I own a Tec infared grill, the same as Ruth Chris. But, its raining and now I must use the Egg.The ceramic burners can not stand any moisture. Oh well, life is a compromise.

char buddy

David J,[p]On a clear day which do you use for steaks - the Tec grill or the BGE? If you showed up at the Eggfest and cooked steaks side by side on the Tec and the BGE could the rest of us tell the difference in a blind test?
I've had the steaks at the Palm, but not Morton's. Ruth's Chris, or Luger in Brooklyn. I can do a steak better than the Palm. Waiting to find out if I can match the other guys.

KennyG

David J,[p]With one of my hand fabricated "turbo" grates and a fresh overload of lump, I had my big Egg up to 1394* as measured by a lab reference thermocouple. This technique works fine for making Pittsburgh style steaks (intense char and still bleeding rare) which are not everyone's favorite. These experiments and abuse are also the reason that all my eggs have cracked fireboxes and I've gone through a bunch of gasket sets after they seize.[p]In retrospect, I can't really say that high temps produce a better steak than simply running the Egg at 650* or so. I also have a TEC and it does a fine job. We simply prefer the better flavor available by cooking over hardwood lump.[p]BTW, The TEC will produce 1500* at the burner head as they advertise. The actual temp at the inverted channel cooking grids is more like 950*[p]K~G

KennyG

char buddy,[p]Both the Egg and the TEC do a fine job of searing. The difference in taste will be apparent immediately. Surprisingly, even with the higher temps on the TEC with burner on high, a 750* Egg will get the cook done faster.[p]K~G

char buddy

KennyG,[p]And what will be the difference in taste?

KennyG

char buddy,[p]Mostly the "brick oven" effect and wood flavor you get from a well seasoned Egg. The TEC system does not use lava rocks or ceramic briquets of any kind like conventional gas grills. With nothing to absorb grease, you don't get the ghosts of cookouts past flavoring your meat/poultry/seafood/etc. I guess the taste could be described as cleaner or more pure. I like the smoke and wood enhancement of the Egg. The TEC does a super job on the quick cooking delicate stuff like very thin cuts of whatever or skewered shrimp. 2 minute per side of less cooks will not benefit from a lump/chip heat source anyway.[p]K~G

char buddy

KennyG,[p]Thanks for the head's up. You are my personal bbq guru, my George Harrison, my guide and mentor, etc.[p]

KennyG

char buddy,[p]Aw shucks, I'm just a little ole country boy from Cleveland Ohio with a fetish for burning meat. I also know that you can fool some of the people all of the time.[p]K~G

char buddy

KennyG,[p]LOL

Tim M

KennyG,[p]""This technique works fine for making Pittsburgh style steaks (intense
char and still bleeding rare) which are not everyone's favorite.""[p]Well, it's my favorite way but it's not easy to do on the Egg unless you have high heat and a thick steak. I normally do mine at 700-800 deg and the results are very good. I had a steak at a resturant yesterday which they called a blackend prime rib. It was completely black on the outside and I cringed when I saw it "knowing" it would be well done in the middle. It was pink in there - I was amazed. It is not going to please everyone, like you say, but if you enjoy the carbon taste, as I do, it was good. I had to ask how they did them. I assumed I would hear TEC or something mentioned but they said they use a cast iron pan. That rascal would have to be awfull darn hot to do it. I may have to find a small cast iron pan to play with. [p]Tim

Spin

Tim M,[p]Move your steak to the freezer to drop the meat temp so the cook can be done on your Egg. A very "stiff" feel of the meat will produce the result intended if cooked over thermonuclear temperatures. It is much better to thaw the meat to very stiff prior to cooking as the center of the meal will be much colder than when attempting to cool the meat after it has been thawed.[p]Spin[p]

Unknown

KennyG, I also like that hardwood lump taste given by the egg. Since you are a TEC owner, aren't you a little miffed by the limited cooking info they provide. You are clearly more proficient in measuring temps etc. Every time I cook on the TEC I wonder if re-designing the grate to a true V would help in vaporizing the grease. The new TEC features a glass plate to protect the burners. A welcome improvement for all weather performance, but they will always lack the loyalty of a satisfied Egg Owner. I love coming to the site to share info.

Unknown

char buddy,I must admit that you would probably favor an Egg steak. I would. TEC is a great grill, but it is not an EGG. I must admit, I will continue to experiment until my arteries scream for a by-pass.

KennyG

David J,[p]Your idea on the grate is a good one and I have wondered myself if improvements can be made. As you have stated, the folks at TEC make a great product but don't provide a whole lot of information. I keep the TEC in the garage through our Ohio winters so I can laugh at the weather. One of my favorite techniques is to use the TEC to quickly add sear marks to foods that were fully slow smoked on the Egg such as chicken breasts, pork chops, and tenderloins. Guests unaccustomed to smoked foods seem to feel more comfortable with the sear marks and it enhances the flavor IMHO.[p]K~G

Tim M

Spin,[p]Thanks - I have tried that a few times and it does help. Trouble is often I am told to grab a steak and cook it but my wife has already thawed them fully before I got home. [p]I want to find a small cast iron pan or griddle to see what that would do if allowed to get really hot. [p]Tim [p]