Amp Up Your Steak Game Amarillo, The Reverse Sear Will Give You Pro Results
Now that things are starting to finally warm up around the Panhandle, It's time to start getting the grill going again. For some of us grilling season knows no bounds and we'll do it even if its 15 Degrees outside (I'm THAT guy.)
I'll admit there is nothing like a good steak on the grill, doesn't matter what cut you go with. There's one thing that annoys all of us sometimes, getting a steak that is tough, chewy or just plain burnt. Today, I'm gonna throw a little bit of fire on to your steak.
Introducing the Reverse Sear
So the conventional wisdom states that we have to get our grills nice and warmed up, throw the steak on, sear the living daylights out of it because the sear will lock in the juices, do our quarter turns until we reach the tenderness we like, pull off the grill, serve hot and call it a day.
Yeah... and we wonder why we always over do it. we end up with something that just never really seems right, and here's the hint... you get a layer of gray inside the steak that's just a little off. Ideally here's what you want:
You want red or pink in the center (depending on how well you like your steak) with more brownish tint on the outer edges.
So, if you're saying this picture perfect steak is impossible? believe it or not... no. You CAN do this. The best part is any cut works and you can still season any way you like. Me, I keep it simple, Course Sea Salt, Pepper and occasionally Garlic or Chili Powder with Smoked Paprika adds a little twist to the standard.
The Grill Setup:
First... we don't want what's going on above. This is direct grilling and by the way... someone needs to calm that fire down!!! Oh.. and for the love of all things taste and for my charcoal folks, don't drown your coals lighter fluid... there are much better ways to light and no one wants that as a marinade.
What we are doing is indirect cooking, If you are familiar with smoking meats this is nothing new, but if this is your first time here's the principle. We are creating a zone on the grill where there's no heat.
For Gas Grills you want to keep a few rows of burners off. if you have 3 burner we're gonna leave two of them off, 4 burner same thing. basically we want an area for the steaks to warm up to about 100-105 degrees internally. Which because of this indirect cooking may take an hour or so (think like a smoker... low and slow)
For charcoal... same principle. you want to have your coals on one side or flanking the meat. nothing underneath atl all. Again we are looking for that internal temperature of 100-105 degrees. Another thing, when you're about 90-95 degrees it might be a good idea to get your charcoal/wood starter going with more briquets... you're going to need them in a few moments.
It's time to crank it up
When we get to that internal temperature of 100-105 degrees, you're going to get a steak that looks nice and golden brown. go ahead and pull them and set them aside on a cooling rack or pan for a moment while you reconfigure your firebox to the more traditional direct grilling method.
Get the steaks back on the grill and depending on the cut quarter turn every 3-5 minutes until you reach the firmness you're looking for and of course to get those nice sear marks as well.
Rest and Serve
Another big mistake folks make is they figure serve hot off the grill... This is a no no! When any cut of beef comes off the grill, resting is just as important. There's a big reason why. The cooking process has most of whatever moisture in the steak move towards the top of the meat. resting allows it to redistribute giving you a more juicy steak. With the Reverse sear you get a more evenly cooked cut with a crispier outside that is more flavorful and more juicy
The question is, how do you like yours? Rare? Well Done? there's really no wrong answer... Serve with a good drink and sides and enjoy!