Grill Question- It's that time of year!

bighammer said
I've been doing a little experimentin with "reverse searing" my steaks. Traditionally, like most people I assume, we were told that you need to start off by searing the steaks on a very hot grill. This will (supposedly) seal in the juices. Well guess what? It's a myth. Now if you like your steak medium rare, with a sort of crust with blackened edges, read on.

Place your steaks on the lowest setting you can on your grill until the center reaches about 125-135* (If you don't have a temp probe, it usually takes about 15-20 minutes) then remove from grill and set aside to cool. Crank up your grill to its highest setting, and after you reach that super hot temp, season the steaks with salt and pepper and place them back on the grill. Sear the meat, flip over, sear the other side, remove from grill.

What you have now is the juiciest, tenderest, most bestest ever steaks! The coolest part is they will have the crust with blackened edges, but when sliced open, they will reveal a medium rare all the way thru. Unlike the traditional method which results in a medium rare center, but becomes well done, dry near the crust. Try it!!

^Can confirm. Been doing this for the past few years, but using thick cuts and very low temperature.

My favorite is to get a tri-tip or roast. Roll it in a dry rub and put it in the oven or grill at 160-210F for 3-4 hours or until the center reaches about 135-140. In the oven I bake it over a tray with a grill on it - you want air on all sides of the meat to avoid 'stewing' it - this is why the grill is better. Then I get the cast iron screaming hot over my propane burner on the grill. I use peanut oil anymore to avoid burning the oil and without tainting the taste of the meat. About 2-4 table spoons worth and then toss the meat on and sear the bee-jeezus out of it on all sides. Especially on any fat caps.

Remove from heat and leave to rest for 20-30 mins (for thick cuts) before slicing. Unless you like a plate full of blood.

I'll save the left overs and dice them up into small cubes and use them the next day. Start with peppers and onions in the cast iron, pepper and salt (not much since the rub tends to contain salt and is still on the meat) and once the veggies are cooked, toss in the meat and stir until everything is warmed up. Serve on tortillas or a roll with sour cream, cheese, or anything else that your doctor will hate you for.

This also works great for steaks, just adjust the time. The initial temperature should be very low so that the entire piece of meat is near the 140F range when tossed on to sear, but not so low that it takes more than a few hours unless you like bacterial gut infections ;)
I tend to aim for ~200F for anything over 3/4" and ~180 ish when under and no more than about 4 hrs of low-temperature time if I want it medium rare. For ribs or bbq, I aim for 200~225F and 4-6 hrs or more and will add smoke.