Rep,

Bigdaddy doesn't have the undisputed TEAM PAN title just yet!







Not sure he has topped that one from me yet, and I believe Nootka has some even more elite TEAM PAN steaks than that one. But BDV is def elite!

Anyway, just wanted an excuse to repost some pics, lol.

I've actually found the biggest difference in pan sear quality (more than fat, temperature, dryness, pressure, etc) is whether or not there's some good interior section marbling in the steak. The spottiest sears are always when the middle is extra lean.

This is true. Definitely have found that I get better sears on well-marbled ribeyes.

I was going to eat fish last night but saw two super-marbled ribeyes in the steak case on the way to the fish display and couldn't resist. SV to 138, dry, rest and dry, then sear with canola oil in a cast iron pan with weight. The crust came out perfectly, but I was too lazy to take pictures. Tender and delicious. I know SV to 138 violates forum rules and I may get temp-banned for this heresy, but my kids like steak somewhat more cooked than is de rigeur here. If they're well-marbled, tenderness doesn't seem to suffer.

Dry surface, lots of fat, a rest, high temps and lots of marbling led to a perfect crust. I could have and should have trimmed a little of the edge fat off, but everyone was pleased with my effort, and both teen daughters complimented me. I suspect they each want something.

Time for some new children.

Yep time to send 'em to a home.

Maybe xSCWx would adopt your kids

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I have a nice shovel if you'd like.

All of my entries are team pan, I have some good ones, and I stopped presseng after I bent my spatula in half like two years ago.

I agree with the better marbling yielding better crusts, I mean the cap always develops the best sear and its the most marbled part.

I am also a believer in hotter pan = better sear, and that using butter or ghee yields a much darker looking sear faster than grape seed oil.

Made one tonight, decent but unremarkable strip on the grill. It was challenging because I had chicken on the other side of the grill and the therm was reserved for that. I'll post a pic even though it's nothing special.

Anyway, my question, and sorry if I missed it, is if anyone has pioneered a way to get an awesome sear on a regular Hank Hill propane grill? Is putting a cast iron on the grates and using that pretty much the only way? TIA



Edit: I just realized I forgot to pat dry between cook and sear. That can only help.

Howard,

Sweet pics bro.

It doesn't really take that much effort once you figure things out. Good technique does take a bit of effort, but not all that much imo.

You're reading a 25k post thread about cooking steak on the internet. Did you think it would be a bunch of average joe's who do not put a lot of effort into creating food to eat?

I never considered this could be the primary factor but it makes sense. That's why you see lots of ribeyes with a perfect sear on the cap and a weak sear in the middle of the eye.

I am far below average when it comes to cooking. I can't really make **** and eat out all the time. I studied a bit from this thread, took solid notes, and can make a pretty damn good steak IYAM.

When people study things with lots of nuances like cooking for extensive periods, you're going to get what's in this thread. The tips are there. The wheel isn't being reinvented. Now we just post great steaks and talk ****.

Does thyme and rosemary or whatever actually do anything for the taste?

i add rosemary to my skillet potatoes/home fries and i've found that the best way to really get the rosemary taste out of it is to drop a dollop of butter on one side of the pan at the end of cooking, sprinkle some rosemary into the butter while it melts/bubbles, and it infuses the rosemary flavor with the butter, which i then toss the potatoes around in to coat them a bit. see no reason why it would be any diff with steak in a cast iron pan

Phresh,

"Herbs" and "spices" are like magnets. Nobody knows how they work, but they do. Magic, I guess.

whats the verdict on salt?

sucks, dont bother

the stronger the forearm flavor the better

More tiny steak experiments. This one is a 7oz chuck steak, 30 hours 55C.

Jumped on a basic choice whole boneless ribeye for $6.30/lb to tide us over until aging my whole bone-in ribeye is complete (halfway there this Sunday!)



Check out the cameo of my new Victorinox machete:



Tonight I made an oven reverse-sear StinkyPete cover (it's the steak in the bottom right above):





The verdict was, at least aesthetically, really terrific. The deep golden brown color that browned yet unburned butter provides is quite pretty to look at. I seared twice per side around 55 seconds, changing out butter between sears.

Taste was excellent and I think the interior was perfect. My family loved it, yet preferred the thicker crust that a blinding hot sear creates. Maybe that's just what they're used to. I'm going to continue to play around with this method as I believe it has great promise (which SP has proved repeatedly).

i marvel at how good of a sear you get on that thing, given how bumpy/uneven/curved it is

End piece. Every one I've cut since I've started buying sub-primals has had an awkward shape to it.