Reverse-Seared Steak

No disrespect to this method, but I've done the Serious Eats method a number of times and it's been perfect each time. The main difference is salting the meat and then letting it sit in the fridge overnight. It also is a non-grill method, but you can do the final sear on the grill easily enough (get it super hot!). It's brilliant! If you can plan for a day in advance, by all means, do it. https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe

I think that reverse searing is the steak cooking fad that’s here to stay. Sous vide was big years ago, but reverse searing makes a much better crust. I’d agree that salting early - 24 hours early if you have the time - seems to make a big difference here. We’ve also tried leaving off all the other seasonings except the salt until after searing the meat at the end. Seasonings besides salt burn, right? Adding them in a compound butter is fun; just sprinkling the spices on at the end works too.

At one of the best steak houses in Green Bay, and they are fantastic, I've seen the line cooks get the traditional steaks done on the outside with a hot grill, then grab a small stainless pan and place the steak in it and pop it in an oven for a few more minutes. Their flavor is remarkable, and always very well prepared, to the doneness we ask for. Yet they are very busy and not fussing over each steak until it alone is done. I would suggest trying it since pros seem to use this method

The wood smoke no doubt adds flavor, but this is just one of many variations of 2-phase grilling/broiling/searing steak. If you are technological, use a sous vide bath to bring the steak to about 110 F, hold as long as you want, then sear/broil/grill. For Luddites, heat a cast iron pan to screaming hot, then sear one side of the steak, flip it over and put the pan and steak into a 300 F oven.

It's harder to get a good sear with sous vide b/c the steak comes out of the bag wet. A big benefit of the reverse sear is that it dries the steak out (without drying out the meat, if that makes sense), which then gives you that great crust from the sear

Yes, the slow cooking can be done in the oven at 200 degrees until it reaches an internal temp of 120. No need to wrap the meat. Rest for 10 minutes while you heat a cast iron pan or a grill as hot as possible. https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/alton-brown/reverse-sear-ribeye-steak-reloaded-5458694

Yes! No worries if you don’t have a smoker box. Drain the chips and roll them in foil, poke a few holes and presto! Clean up is easy the next day when the chips are completely cool and no longer burning.

The grill is a strictly inferior appliance for reverse searing a steak. Get yourself a cast iron pan and some high heat oil.

This is my favorite method for cooking steak. However, bear in mind that once you start it, you are on a strict timetable dictated by the steak, and a lot can happen in the hour or so it is coming up to temperature in the oven, especially if you have company. Make sure everything else (especially the company) is ready to go the moment the steak is finished. My gas grill does not get hot enough to properly sear a steak. I pan sear with a little oil instead. Enjoy!

Reading this was so weird. I have been reverse sear grilling for years and didn't know it. In the winter, I slow cook in a 175 degree oven until the center reaches 120 (takes about 40 or 50 minutes), let it rest for ten minutes, and sear both sides on a smoking hot skillet. Perfect for a really thick cut of meat, a perfect even pink all the way through, without over cooking the outside.

I grilled tri-tips on two consecutive days -- the first day using this reverse-sear method, the second day using the traditional method (searing first). To my surprise, the traditional method turned out better. The reason? It was much easier to hit the exact right temperature. When finishing it off on the indirect side, the thermometer goes up more slowly and predictably. It was easier to hit exactly 130 degrees -- and nothing is more important for perfect tri-tip.

I sous vide cook thick steaks like this then take them out of the bag, dry them off thoroughly oil the outside and sear them on the grill just as described here. Comes out perfect ever time and I can use cuts like chuck steak that are tough but very tasty. Cooking sous vide for a long time at a low temperature breaks down the tough fibers without overcooking the meat so that you get full flavor without tough texture.

Yes, this is the traditional wisdom. In reality, this doesn't actually work. If you weigh two nearly identical steaks before and afterwards, but do one reverse-sear and another traditionally seared first, the reverse-sear looses less juices. There a number of people who have carried out these tests to shift the conventional wisdom, so I'll refer you to Meathead Goldwyn or J Kenji Lopez Alt (who has written for the NY times) and barring that, try it yourself. The results speak for themselves.

Do not soak wood - ever. It produces dirty smoke and reduces the temp of the fire, if you are using charcoal.

Or, just cook it in a low oven and then Hot Grill Sear it adding wood chips as some point to the coals- If using gas grill, turn it on and wrap wood chips in foil pouch and poke holes in it, when it starts to smoke then grill sear hot. Takes the guess work out of moving coals around which is difficult if your grill isn't big enough.