those actually looks solid, the problem as you said is the camera/lighting. the best steak in the world won't look that great with that lighting.

Hey guys. I grilled my first ever steak a couple days ago and would like some advice/critique. I didn't sear it, mostly out of confusion about whether I was supposed to do it before cooking or after and I didn't want to screw it up. I've been following this thread for a month or so and have already learned a ton but I want to get better.

Soo when should I sear the steak? For how long? If I sear it before, do I let it rest before I put it on the grill? I just want a simple method for now.

My process for this steak:

I took the steaks out of the fridge, salted it, put it on a rack, and let it sit for an hour before cooking. I got the grill very hot and grilled it for 1:15, rotate 45 degrees, another 1:15, flip, 1:15, rotate, 1:15.

Forgot to take before pics but here they are after.

[IMG]http://s15.************/h9slwpdd7/20130704_185126.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s15.************/uco8fz3l7/20130704_190152.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://s15.************/7104qvpbf/20130704_190158.jpg[/IMG]

Some of the fat on the bottom of the steak added a lot of flavor and was delicious, but some of it didn't really cook and was chewy. Any advice for this?

Ok, thats it. All critiques are welcome Thanks!

Searing is when you do a very short length of time on high heat in order to deeply brown the outside and develop a crust. I expect you just threw the steak on the grill for a few minutes a side, right?

The thread has become a huge fan of the reverse sear method where we use two cooking stages. The first at a lower temperature to cook the steak through to the temperature you want, then take the meat off and crank the heat up to high. Then sear it on both sides to get a rich, brown crust. It's harder to do on a grill unless you have good temperature control. It's a bit more effort than just saying '4m a side' but it ends up with a better result.

That said, that steak definitely doesn't look terrible. Inside looks medium and I've seen worse crusts. Stick with the thread and you'll do well.

Pretty good for a first try. I also have had problems in the past with the steak being chewy and from what I've gathered it seems to be from having inferior cuts of meat. Up to this point I have been using strictly "choice" cuts as I don't have the confidence (or the loot) to be buying prime on a regular basis just yet. The way that I got around this on my last attempt was completely in line with Gobbo's post above. I used the oven to get the steak up to temp and finished it off with a pan sear. It was much less chewy than my previous attempts and also cooked more evenly throughout.

Thanks. This is the part that confuses me. I want medium-rare, which is between 130-135 degrees. So am I cooking it all the way through to 130 and THEN letting it sit or am I only going to ~120ish because the temp will keep rising and get to 130 or so on its own? Or do I want to stop at a lower temp because searing the steak will bring the temp up too high? I know these are very beginner questions but I can't seem to find anything that explains things the way my brain needs them explained

Thanks. The steak itself was actually very tender and tasted very good. It was some of the fat on the side that was VERY chewy that I ended up cutting off bc it was inedible. But some of the fat was tender and flavorful which confused me.

Might try again tonight with the reverse sear method. Practice makes perfect and if I have to eat a dozen "decent" steaks until I get it right, I will bite that bullet and get it done.

Sorry for all the beginner stuff. If it starts to clutter the thread/get annoying I'll stop but I really appreciate all the help.

Get it to 125 or so before taking it off. It'll rise slightly after you take it off and you need to let it sit off the grill for a few minutes and dry both sides thoroughly before putting it on the grill. Dry things brown better. Searing it, especially if it's had a minute or two to 'cool down,' will not raise the inner temp much at all if the steak is decently thick.

Also re: fat. Try to cut it off pre cooking. Don't be afraid of trimming off the not good looking bits. Cooking the fat on a grill without overcooking the meat itself is very difficult because of the lack of heat control.

Get a cast iron pan and throw it on the grill if you want a really amazing sear honestly. Grill just doesn't stand up to pan cooked.

Advice on how to do it on a grill? I have an excellent grill with excellent temperature control, and since I don't have air conditioning and it's been hotter than hell I prefer to cook on the grill.

Commenting on the "4m a side" comment, I really wonder what kind of steak certain people like. I've actually had quite a bit of success with cranking up the heat on my grill and just doing 2 minutes a side, but that often ends up being a little cool in the center. Much more and it overcooks. Last night I googled "grill new york steak," followed some professional cooks instructions to the tee (hot grill, open cover, 2min rotate, 2 min flip, 2 min rotate, 2 more minutes) and it was overcooked. Steak was thick, too. I guess it just comes down to the cooking element.

It all comes down to what temp and for how long (and how thick the meat is obv). Going 1 temp is lazy to me. You should go for a lower temperature for a longer period of time and you'll have great control over your steak's temp. There's so much false info out there about 'how to cook a steak.' People have said it before but it bears repeating: This is probably the best place on the internet to learn how to cook a steak properly.

Is it ok to use the same Cast Iron skillet for both the oven and searing steps of the reverse-sear method?

Not only ok, it's preferable, since you'll be searing the steak in (at least partially) it's own fat.

My issue lately with searing is that, no matter what I do, I can never seem to get the outside dry enough. It's possible I need to up the heat as well. The ghee/oil starts smoking at about 6/10 on the dial, so that's where I try to sear it, but I generally get a pretty uneven sear, even when using a second pan as a weight.

Seriously considering buying a hair dryer just to dry the outside of the steak.

I just pat dry with paper towels and keep going till moisture isn't being soaked up.

If the steak doesn't immediately start sizzling the second you put it in the hot oil, it's not hot enough. The sizzle when you're cooking the meat is the moisture in the steak instantly boiling as it comes out.

I probably don't do it perfectly, but I typically sear in butter while I cook it in fat that I cut off the edged of the steaks before cooking them at all. I never pat dry, but generally am at a really hot level (like 8 of 10 on the dial). I do let it rest for close to 10 min between cooking and searing.

I am planning to host a dinner party in a few weeks where I will be cooking for 9 or 10. Has anyone tried to juggle this many steaks before? Advice on how to get it done if so? I have no idea how I am going to handle this and a couple sides at once.

why do people in here all seem to think this? steak is the best possible pasta topping, so i don't see why pasta shouldn't be considered a delicious side for a steak.

CDL,

For that many people, a prime rib would be my choice. Individual steaks would be pretty intense, probably too intense.

Or tenderloin! A roast in general is very pretty and carving it gives a good, almost thanksgiving-y, feel to it.

won't have time. Its gonna be a Friday night dinner the way things look with our schedules and I can't make it home until 6 or 630, but really want to make steaks. I was thinking I could do smaller cuts 2 at a time in 2 pans at a time or get larger cuts and cut them after cooking to smaller portions.

Hmm.. I once cooked steaks for 5 people using a reverse sear all stove-top method with rib eyes and making creamed spinach, mashed potatoes and asparagus with sides, as well as hollandaise sauce.

If I was going to scale that to 10 people, you definitely have to use the oven. I would heat the oven to ~200 degrees and after an internal temp around 110 I would sear the steaks 2 at a time, and put the seared steaks back in the oven. That way when you are finishing up searing the final steaks, the other ones are up to the right temp. They will not have perfect sear, but it should be very good and seemingly indistinguishable for the majority of guests, I would assume.

For sides, it shouldn't be too difficult, but rotating steaks in and out of the oven is the only way I see it possible.

I'm gonna use the oven for an app I am making (bacon wrapped buffalo jalapeno poppers) and then potatoes as a side. I'm not baller enough to have double ovens at this stage of my life so I think that has to be out. I will just do my best and obviously report results to this thread. Its still a couple weeks away so I may change the menu, but I've kinda wanted to try this meal for a while (though the group grew from 6 or 7 to 9 or 10 unexpectedly).

doing it with 5 makes me think its scaleable if I can just put the few steaks that come off first back in the pan for 15 sec a side before plating.

Ghetto sous vide the steaks at 125f in a cooler filled with hot water for like an hour. Finish in a very hot pan with a lot of fat for like a minute on each side.

not bad at all, Paster. looks like you got a solid medium.

in the future, try to rotate 90 degrees for grill marks imo.


preferred method of many in this thread is season, then put in low temp oven with a thermometer until desired temp is almost reached, then rest 5 min, then sear in hot pan for a couple minutes, then rest again. it gives you a lot of control over the doneness and develops a nice crust.

why is it surprising that most people find it unusual? it isn't a typical restaurant offering like steak and potatoes, steak and eggs, or steak and green veggies.

nobody said it would taste bad.

i think it's fine and all, but "best possible" is not remotely true.

Going to go ahead and nit it up and say theres way too much pesto sauce on that pasta. Looks good though

CDL - what's wrong with using the good ole fashioned grill? all steaks on the grill and off the grill at the same time, rest steaks while you finish sides, serve, done

Yeah grill is the way to do it when you need to cook a large quantity but a lot of us probably don't have access to one...I hate making more than 2 steaks inside at once, doubt id even attempt 10