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sous-vide then sear...what went wrong?

hdgraham
hdgraham Posts: 7
in Beef
Ok, so a few weeks ago i had some family over for steaks. After a sous-vide bath, i wanted to finish using my cast iron skillet and my BGE. I preheated the BGE to 700, putting the skillet on when the temp hit about 500 to get it preheated as well. From there, I put some oil (canola) in the skillet and closed the lid of the egg (probably where I went wrong). When i opened it back up to put some butter and garlic in the skillet, the skillet was on fire, like blue fire. I eventually let the fire run its course and was forced to finish the steaks with a simple sear on the egg's grate. The steaks turned out fine, but I want to know where I messed up with the skillet. Was the temp way too high? should I have left the top of the egg open? Should I have used different oil? I want to do this right next time!
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Comments

  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    Pat the meat dry and oil the meat, not the pan.  Temp too high for oil in the pan. Also may want a higher flashpoint oil. 
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Yes. The oil was WAY above the smoke point. Everyone has their own way - but why the skillet? I'm sure the steaks seared just fine.
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974

    that's awesome!  I wish you had pix of the Blue Steel!


    I haven't done that combo, CI + egg. If I'm using CI I just do it on the stovetop.


    On the egg, I'm usually going indirect to cook my baked potatos while the steaks are swimming.  then I pull the indirect piece and open up the lid and let the coals get real hot, and sear on the grid. I keep the lid open most of the time, since I don't want the steaks to roast, and I slide them around a lot to try and get a nice even brown finish.

    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
    Why bother with the egg if you're using a skillet for 4-6 minutes?
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  • hdgraham
    hdgraham Posts: 7
    SciAggie said:
    Yes. The oil was WAY above the smoke point. Everyone has their own way - but why the skillet? I'm sure the steaks seared just fine.
    The reason for the skillet is I wanted to give the steak a butter/garlic bath. I guess in the future, I'll stick to the stove top for that.
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    If that butter and garlic hit that temp it'd be burnt and bitter in no time. 
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  • td66snrf
    td66snrf Posts: 1,838
    I usually just put the butter on when it resting. 
    XLBGE, LBGE, MBGE, SMALL, MINI, 2 Kubs, Fire Magic Gasser
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    hdgraham said:
    SciAggie said:
    Yes. The oil was WAY above the smoke point. Everyone has their own way - but why the skillet? I'm sure the steaks seared just fine.
    The reason for the skillet is I wanted to give the steak a butter/garlic bath. I guess in the future, I'll stick to the stove top for that.
    You can still use the egg, just be mindful of the temperature of the egg and the temperature of the skillet. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I'm a little surprised you didn't get a fire ball when you opened the Egg to put in the butter and garlic.

    The air temp was enough to turn the oil to smoke, but the IR from the lump may have been pushing 1800F. Thus the blue CI which was probably the oil burning as it turned to gas, and maybe even CO flames.

    Save the butter and garlic for sauce added after the sear. The rule of thumb is direct, dome 500++, lower grill position, 30 seconds on a side per 1/2" of meat, then flip. Expect the steak to be a fireball when turned.
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    You don't need oil.  Just throw the steaks on, when the crust develops, they will release.  Save the garlic butter for when you pull them off.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • baychilla
    baychilla Posts: 387
    blind99 said:

    that's awesome!  I wish you had pix of the Blue Steel!


    ...

    Ok Zoolander  ;)
    Near San Francisco in California
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  • J-dubya
    J-dubya Posts: 173
    td66snrf said:
    I usually just put the butter on when it resting. 
    Yup 
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,893
    I usually sear around 550 degrees. Am I missing anything by not going hotter?
    Stillwater, MN
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    StillH2OEgger said:
    I usually sear around 550 degrees. Am I missing anything by not going hotter?
    Nope 
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    theyolksonyou said:
    StillH2OEgger said:
    I usually sear around 550 degrees. Am I missing anything by not going hotter?
    Nope 
    Listen to Yolk.  He was before the chicken?  Good advice.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    nolaegghead said:
    You don't need oil.  Just throw the steaks on, when the crust develops, they will release.  Save the garlic butter for when you pull them off.
    This. You also don't need 700° either. As mentioned, 5-550° is plenty.

    Also, the only reason for using the egg is to keep the smoke outside. In 2 minutes, it buys you nothing re smoke or flavor. If you have a flattop or even an electric hotplate and CI skillet, it will do the job nicely. And you won't have to wait for charcoal to get hot.

    I usually do mine on the egg, indirect at 250-300°, flipping from time to time rather than sous vide (though I've done a few in the water bath). Once the meat is to temp, I just set it aside, remove the indirect piece, open the vents and add the griddle. Doesn't take long to get hot enough to sear. 

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,196
    Ive tried several ways,  now I use a weed burner where I can adjust the flame as needed. Ive had my fair share of getting the egg too hot and messing it up. 
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    Carolina Q said:
    ......
    Also, the only reason for using the egg is to keep the smoke outside. In 2 minutes, it buys you nothing re smoke or flavor. ......
    Besides smoke, there is a fair amount of grease splattering on the stove and counter.  Egging it keeps that mess outside as well.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • Raymont
    Raymont Posts: 710

    Zoolander

    Small & Large BGE

    Nashville, TN

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  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    May find this helpful.
    https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/smoke-point/

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
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