Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Thick steaks 650 shutdown or 500?

Powak
Powak Posts: 1,391
I'm planning on grilling up a couple 1-1/2"- 2" thick ribeyes or sirloins this Friday. Shooting for medium/ medium well. I've done the 650 degree 3-4min a side and then shutdown and rest on the grill method a couple times. Worked real well on my thinner 1" or less thick steaks. Thick ones have come out pretty good too.

I was wondering how a 500 degree cook, 8 minutes a side, no shutdown would do? 
«1

Comments

  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 6,546
    edited April 2016
    The way I do thick steaks. Reverse sear indirect at about 350/375 until internal hits about 120. Pull and let them rest. Take out the place setter and put just the grill grate in, open the bottom vent remove the daisy wheel and let it go till about 500/600 put steaks back on sear for aprox. 1 to 2 min a side or until you reach your desired internal. Remove plate and let them rest with a tab of butter for aprox. 10 min....
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited April 2016
    Shutting down (the "dwell method") can be problematic.  It was the recommended method by BGE for a long time, and i did it for a long time because they tasted much better than steaks of the gasser

    but after i while i realized they had a sooty element to them that wasn't good and sort of made every steak taste the same

    shutting down starves the fire. And the large fire you have for searing (coals really, no flame at all, so maybe incorrect of me to call it a 'fire'), well, those coals don't simply dim like a light bulb and cool down. 

    They smolder. And that smoke is from a fire that can't fully combust the fuel. 

    Think black smoke out of your tail pipe, or that horrible smoke you get when you blow out previously clean burning candles

    Lots of large unburnt particles. Bad stuff. Fatty too (especially if cooking ribeyes).

    you can somewhat get away with it with less fatty steaks, but still not good

    i'd just sear the thin steaks til done. Vents open

    But you can also deal with thin steaks by only cooking one side at a time, with the dome OPEN. Dome closed, you're searing from below but also roasting from above (or convection cooking in a way).  Thin steaks will over cook from full time in the heat (hwat all sides)

    so, open the dome (keep it open), shut the bottom vent (so air feeds the top of the bed of coals from above) and let a good bed of coals spread out (not the whole bed, just big enough for the steaks).

    Toss the steaks on for color and sear, then flip and do the same. Searing each side will be enough to cook thru.

    when the down side is searing, the upper will be cooling (or at least hundreds of times cooler)



    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • poster
    poster Posts: 1,167
    agree with above, not to mention the inevitable fire ball that may erupt on a starved fire when you go to open the dome
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    So for a balanced cook with no messing around or shutting down would a medium hot heat like 500 work on the thicker steaks? Sounds like open dome will be the way to go on the thin ones.
  • bhedges1987
    bhedges1987 Posts: 3,201
    I go 650 on mine when I don't reverse sear. That is raised direct 650

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,174
    Reverse sear works for thick steaks as mentioned by @johnmitchell or you can hot tub til around 115-120 and then sear them off in a CI pan to get the crust. FWIW- 
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    Err on the side of less dome, lower temperature.  When u pull them off they still cook.    An overcooked steak cant be undone....
  • jak7028
    jak7028 Posts: 231
    Another reverse sear vote, this method seems like it was made for thicker steaks.  You get a lot more control over the finished products internal temp and you control how much crust/sear you want at the end.  In my opinion, reverse sear is hands down the way to go for the steaks you are talking about (assuming you are only cooking with the BGE - no SV, water bath, oven, etc...)
    Victoria, TX - 1 Large BGE and a 36" Blackstone
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Reverse sear sounds killer. I'm gonna try that Friday.
  • NonaScott
    NonaScott Posts: 446
    650 for 3 minutes rotate 90 degrees, 3 more minutes, flip 3 minutes rotate 90 degrees, 3 more minutes, pull and rest 5 minutes. I buy all my steaks 1 3/4 to 2 inches thick and have used this method for 30 years on a Weber kettle, Weber Genesis gasser and large BGE at factory grill height. All come out perfect medium rare. Quality beef is the key.
    Narcoossee, FL

    LBGE, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter, Ash Tool. I'm a simple guy.
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    One more who agrees with @Darby_Crenshaw on NOT shutting down the fire while meat is in the Egg.

    I also have become a convert to reverse sear.  Especially for thicker steaks, I now cook them low and slow (though I haven't bothered with a plate setter), flipping fairly often, at 250° or so until 115° (though I'm aiming for medium-rare -- you'd probably want to aim for at least 120°, maybe higher for medium/medium-well), then take them out, crank the fire up to 600° and sear for 1 minute/side.
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Theophan said:
    One more who agrees with @Darby_Crenshaw on NOT shutting down the fire while meat is in the Egg.

    I also have become a convert to reverse sear.  Especially for thicker steaks, I now cook them low and slow (though I haven't bothered with a plate setter), flipping fairly often, at 250° or so until 115° (though I'm aiming for medium-rare -- you'd probably want to aim for at least 120°, maybe higher for medium/medium-well), then take them out, crank the fire up to 600° and sear for 1 minute/side.
    That sounds perfect. About how long does it take to get the steaks to 120?
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    Powak said:
    That sounds perfect. About how long does it take to get the steaks to 120?
    I've never timed it.  The first time I tried it, I put it on, and maybe 5 or 10 minutes later decided it was silly not using my Maverick, so I got that out and stuck in a probe, found it was already getting warm, went inside to sit down and have a drink or something, and it seemed like 5 minutes later it was up to 115°.  Seemed like the blink of an eye.

    But since it seemed so fast, the second time I stood outside and thought I'd just flip it every few minutes, and it wouldn't take long and I'd just keep checking it with my Thermapen...  And of course that time it seemed like it took forever!  :)

    So the next time I'm using the Maverick again, AND I'm going to write down how long it took.  I'm sure it'll be different each time, but at least I'll have a ballpark.

    Bottom line: I honestly don't know, didn't time it, but I'm guessing it was 15 minutes or so.  But again, I didn't time it.  AND I was shooting for 115°, not 120°.  If you have a remote thermometer, use it!  If not, maybe flip and check the temp every 5 minutes.  Maybe someone else will be more helpful.
  • fishindoc
    fishindoc Posts: 212
    How do I save this thread for reference?
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Theophan said:
    Powak said:
    That sounds perfect. About how long does it take to get the steaks to 120?
    I've never timed it.  The first time I tried it, I put it on, and maybe 5 or 10 minutes later decided it was silly not using my Maverick, so I got that out and stuck in a probe, found it was already getting warm, went inside to sit down and have a drink or something, and it seemed like 5 minutes later it was up to 115°.  Seemed like the blink of an eye.

    But since it seemed so fast, the second time I stood outside and thought I'd just flip it every few minutes, and it wouldn't take long and I'd just keep checking it with my Thermapen...  And of course that time it seemed like it took forever!  :)

    So the next time I'm using the Maverick again, AND I'm going to write down how long it took.  I'm sure it'll be different each time, but at least I'll have a ballpark.

    Bottom line: I honestly don't know, didn't time it, but I'm guessing it was 15 minutes or so.  But again, I didn't time it.  AND I was shooting for 115°, not 120°.  If you have a remote thermometer, use it!  If not, maybe flip and check the temp every 5 minutes.  Maybe someone else will be more helpful.
    Hey how often do you flip at 250?
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    fishindoc said:
    How do I save this thread for reference?
    Click the star at the top right of the page.  This will add it to your Bookmarks folder.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    you aren't grilling at 250, you're roasting
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    you aren't grilling at 250, you're roasting
    So you shouldn't have to flip right?
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Err on the side of less dome, lower temperature.  When u pull them off they still cook.    An overcooked steak cant be undone....
    So in that case maybe I shouldn't use the pswoo2 when roasting indirect? With the pswoo2 and plate setter in it only raises the grate up maybe an inch or less.
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    Powak said:
    you aren't grilling at 250, you're roasting
    So you shouldn't have to flip right?
    You flip a roast?

    two stage cooks are always:

    roast to temp. 

    Sear for color and finish (grill marks)


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Big sirloins came out AMAZING! Nice medium. I'm sticking with this method for the big ole steaks.
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    You flip a roast?
    The only reason I decided to flip the second time was that the first time, even though it was (not-raised) direct at about 250° till 115° internal, it was very clear that the bottom was a little crusty (before the sear) while the top looked still almost uncooked.

    If I'd been doing the low-and-slow stage indirect I wouldn't have flipped it, but I didn't want to mess with a hot plate setter.
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I prefer the TREX METHOD.SALT ONLY,SEAR,Rest,season,roast indirect til desired internal temp.perfect,every time.

  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    If direct, then yes, flip. But that is searing even at 250

    which means one side is cooking more than the other, and not quite the same thing as reverse sear. Initially you roast to temp, and THEN sear. 
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    If direct, then yes, flip. But that is searing even at 250

    which means one side is cooking more than the other, and not quite the same thing as reverse sear. Initially you roast to temp, and THEN sear. 
    I did mine with the plate setter in for the 250 roasting. It looked a little more cooked one than the other after the roasting but the 600 degree searing took care of that.
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Would this same method work for big ole bone-in cowboy ribeyes too?
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657


    Powak said:
    Would this same method work for big ole bone-in cowboy ribeyes too?
    it is DESIGNED for big steaks.

    warm, then sear.

    you cannot cook a thick steak simply by searing.  well, you CAN, but it will be way overdone for most of it, with a small core of what's good.

    so, break it up.

    sear and then roast or roast and then sear.  two different steps to cook the steak properly


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    I've never tried searing and then roasting. Is there much difference in the outcome?
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    In my opinion it is easier to catch the final perfect temp because you have already done the high temp part of the cook and the final stage is a slow cook with not a lot of carryover temp 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.