# Reverse Sear



## LarryWolfe (Oct 10, 2007)

Since I've been promoting the "Reverse Sear" (aka: Finney Method) :roll: here lately I wanted to show the results and the advantages of doing it this way.  These pic's are of a London Broil we cooked at SOTB.  It was rubbed down with WRB and cooked indirect on the raised grate (on the left) until it hit 100*, then finished on the bottom grate (on the left) until it hit 120*-125*.  It rested for about 15 minutes then sliced.  Notice the uniform rareness, versus grey bands around the outter parts of the meat and then rare in "just" the center grilling the conventional method.  Also notice the moisture from this very lean cut of meat.  That's all of the natural juices.


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## Cliff H. (Oct 10, 2007)

Im convinced.  

This method has my attention for sure.  I haven't used my grill in a while but when I do, I am giving this a try. 

Looks great Larry.


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## Diva Q (Oct 10, 2007)

cool


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## Pigs On The Wing BBQ (Oct 10, 2007)

Good stuff Larry. Going to give it a try soon.


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## Captain Morgan (Oct 10, 2007)

I ate it.  I expected it to be good coming from Larry, but I really was
surprised how good it was.


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## Bruce B (Oct 10, 2007)

Great looking steaks Larry, I'm gonna try that.


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## 007bond-jb (Oct 10, 2007)

Larry Your London Broil looks marvalous & I would love to dive in for seconds. I like a darker crust than your pics show & I like a crisp bark too.
Using the reverse sear It would be hard to achive a darker crisp crust & not overshoot a 120deg rare internal. My favorite steak is to duplicate a Ruth Criss steakhouse type of finish on the meat. Grill marks look great but a sear in a hot skillit over charcoals will come closer to what I'm looking for. Larry I'm not tryin to start no argument I'm only pointing this out for others to take into consideration. Every method of grilling will yeild different results. 
Here is a PM I sent to Surfinsapo on this subject:

 Glowing hot charcoal briquettes hit 800 to 1000 deg, The trick to a perfect steak is sear from the top, this is what a comercial salamander does. This stops the heat from rising from an under the meat heat source which give inconsistant results. The other + is even radiant heat up to 1200deg if needed. 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-salam ... roiler.htm 


Then in restaurants they finish the steak in the oven to the costomers liking. This does 3 things It puts wonderful crust on the outside, the crust is the same depth on both sides & the red or pink center is centered & consistant throughout the cut. When we grill steaks at home its tricky to be consistant every time. What I do is quick sear the meat as close to the coals or fire as possible on both sides, bring the remove from the grill & place on a warm plate with a pat of butter or Maitre D'hotel butter cover & let rest. This will make a rare steak For med put it in a 350deg oven for about 5 min.


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 10, 2007)

007bond-jb said:
			
		

> Larry Your London Broil looks marvalous & I would love to dive in for seconds. I like a darker crust than your pics show & I like a crisp bark too.
> Using the reverse sear It would be hard to achive a darker crisp crust & not overshoot a 120deg rare internal. My favorite steak is to duplicate a Ruth Criss steakhouse type of finish on the meat. Grill marks look great but a sear in a hot skillit over charcoals will come closer to what I'm looking for. Larry I'm not tryin to start no argument I'm only pointing this out for others to take into consideration. Every method of grilling will yeild different results.
> Here is a PM I sent to Surfinsapo on this subject:
> 
> ...



JB you are contradicting a cooking method you have admittingly in previous posts to have never tried before.  Each time I have made a post in reference to the reverse sear method you debate it, but I haven't seen a JB video of you trying it to get a real opinion of it.  Until I see proof you've at least given it a fair shot, your argument is a moot point with me.  

As far as the crust on those particular steaks...........again, you're debating something without the facts.  Just because they weren't blackened (see your catfish video) doesn't mean they were not properly charred.  Everything doesn't have to be blackened.

Ruths Chris....................I went to one once and the only thing that impressed me was the view of Regan National Airport across the Potomac River I had out of the window we were sitting by.  Other than that, the food was good, but certainly not worth the prices they charge.  Even you could have cooked a better steak!


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## 007bond-jb (Oct 10, 2007)

You are correct Larry I have not tryed the reverse sear. I will admit the last london broil I made I didn't care for the results, (Too dry outer ring & not rare enough) I will try your method on the next one I do. I don't like my steaks chard black, just a darker brown color.
Now Blackend fish rocks...

JB


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## Unity (Oct 10, 2007)

Larry Wolfe said:
			
		

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Where does the serving line start? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





--John  8) 
(Darn, Larry, that looks fantastic.   )


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## Finney (Oct 10, 2007)

JB,

I might be wrong but I think that cook was the first time Larry had used the method.  He was probably a little scared of ruining a chunk of beef in front of a lot of his friends (at a comp no less).  

You can get as dark a char as you want.  If you can get your fire hot enough that is.  Actually, the hotter you can get your searing temp to, the better.

Here's the reason this will work no matter how you like your meat cooked.   While you are raising the grilling/roasting temp to searing temp, your meat is on a plate (loosely tented in foil) "resting".  You internal temp in your meat should actually drop a few degrees before you sear.  "If" your sear temp is high enough, you can sear the meat on both side without raising internal temp more than a few degrees. (the lower your sear temp, the longer on the grill for char (raising internal temp).

Cooks Illustrated recently did basically confirmed this method using an oven and a frying pan.  I'll hunt up the article and post it when I get home.

I've converted people way more skeptical than you.

You can use it or not.  It doesn't really matter as long as you can make something you like.


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## Finney (Oct 10, 2007)

Also, its not just for London Broil.  You can use it for almost everything.  Ribeyes, chops, burgers... everything but really thin cuts of meat.

Use it on your Christmas Prime Rib.


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 10, 2007)

Finney said:
			
		

> Also, its not just for London Broil.  You can use it for almost everything.  Ribeyes, chops, burgers... everything but really thin cuts of meat.
> 
> Use it on your Christmas Prime Rib.



I'll second the Prime Rib.......I'll also add to this, it also works great for top round roast used for pit beef.  

As well as turkeys, pork loin, and roasting chickens.  Obviously with the poultry, you would adjust the temperatures accordingly for doneness.




			
				Finney said:
			
		

> JB,
> 
> I might be wrong but I think that cook was the first time Larry had used the method.  He was probably a little scared of ruining a chunk of beef in front of a lot of his friends (at a comp no less).



Actually it was the first time I had fired up the Primo as well.


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## surfinsapo (Oct 10, 2007)

Is all that juice from the meat in the aluminum pan? That looks awesome. Are you going to cook like this regularly? I want to know more please. Who showed you how to do this style.. It seems great.. I want to try it next time..
Thanks for the inspiration Larry...  I don't care what everyone says, I think you're a cool bbq'r!!!!


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## Cliff H. (Oct 10, 2007)

I saw a nice size tri-tip at the grocery store today.  It was in the reduced priced section.  ( I don't think folks around here know what to do with them).  It was reduced to 1.65 lb.  I may go back and see if it is still there in the am so I can give this method a try.


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## surfinsapo (Oct 10, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> I saw a nice size tri-tip at the grocery store today.  It was in the reduced priced section.  ( I don't think folks around here know what to do with them).  It was reduced to 1.65 lb.  I may go back and see if it is still there in the am so I can give this method a try.


 you have a meat grinder? make killer burgers...


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## Smokey_Joe (Oct 10, 2007)

*Reverse Sear????? 

Is that what you call cooking it that way?

Hmmmm, I guess I've been reverse searing all along and not even
known it!  

I rarely sear first, unless I'm in a big hurry. And when it comes
to $8.99 & $9.99 a lb. ribeyes... I'll wait the extra time for a
quality tasting steak! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





When it comes to food...
NOTHING good is quick
&
NOTHING good is easy.*


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## Puff1 (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm sold I'll try it because that broil looks great


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## Nick Prochilo (Oct 10, 2007)

I'll try it! If you started the sear when the meat hit 90 instead of 100, would that help the sear to be "blackened"?


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## john pen (Oct 10, 2007)

Ive been a fan of the reverse searing since cappy invented it and Finney took credit for it...Have done many a steak that way over the past few months and have yet to be disaponted..Heres one I did a bit ago that I served with grilled shrimp and Zuchinni w/mushrooms and onions..


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## Rev.Jr. (Oct 10, 2007)

I had more than my share of that London broil that day. I can tell you it was absolutely delicious. Been using the "Reverse Sear-Triple Axel-Finney method" ever since.


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 10, 2007)

Nick Prochilo said:
			
		

> I'll try it! If you started the sear when the meat hit 90 instead of 100, would that help the sear to be "blackened"?



Nick if you want a darker more carmelized crust, just get your grill hotter.


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## Finney (Oct 10, 2007)

Here's a article from the SW Florida News.  "To SEAR, or not to SEAR, that is the question?"
http://www.swfl-news.com/askabutcher/id/7


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 10, 2007)

Finney said:
			
		

> Here's a article from the SW Florida News.  "To SEAR, or not to SEAR, that is the question?"
> http://www.swfl-news.com/askabutcher/id/7



Ruths Chris just fired all their Chefs for cooking the steaks wrong!


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## Finney (Oct 11, 2007)

Thanks for pointing out the correct issue Glen.
From the Cooks Illustrated article.

_"The Problem with Thick-Cut Steaks"

The traditional pan-searing technique produces a brown crust, a pink center, and a gray band of overcooked meat in between. Could we eliminate the gray zone?

The Problem: Pan-searing a thick-cut steak (a steak almost as thick as it is wide) presents a unique challenge: How to keep the perimeter from overcooking while the very center of the steak reaches the desired temperature.

The Goal: We wanted our steak to have a good crust and medium-rare center, without a wide band of dry, gray meat between the two.

The Solution: We found it was essential to sear the steaks quickly to keep the meat directly under the crust from turning gray. The key was to start with dry meat. We moved the steaks straight from the fridge into a 275-degree oven, which not only warmed them to 95 degrees but also dried the meat thoroughly. At this temperature, when the steak met the hot skillet, it developed a beautiful brown crust in less than four minutes, while the rest of the meat stayed pink, juicy, and tender._

And this from the food science section of the magizine.

_FOOD SCIENCE 

Tender Steaks 

Meat consists of groups of cells that are covered by long sleeves of collagen. As meat is heated above 140 degrees, the collagen shrinks, bursting the cells within. The liquid that was held within these cells now floats freely in the meat. This is whatâ€™s happening in the gray zone, and when eaten, the liquid inside will flow out copiously with the first couple of chews, leaving you with not much more than a wrung-out sponge in your mouth. On the other hand, if meat is kept between 120 and 140 degrees (as with our method), the cells remain intact and the juice stays put until pressure is placed upon them, resulting in a steak that slowly releases its juices with each chew. It turns out that less juice released more slowly provides a greater sensation of juiciness than more juice released all at once.

This explains the juiciness, but what about the tenderness? Meat contains active enzymes called cathepsins, which break down connective tissues over time, increasing tenderness (a fact that is demonstrated to great effect in dry-aged meat). As temperature rises, these enzymes work faster and faster, until they reach 122 degrees, where all action stops. While our steaks are slowly heating up, the cathepsins are working overtime (in effect â€œagingâ€_


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## Captain Morgan (Oct 12, 2007)

good info here, thanks.


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## 007bond-jb (Oct 12, 2007)

Alrite Finny I'm gonna try this


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 12, 2007)

007bond-jb said:
			
		

> Alrite Finny I'm gonna try this



Oh I see...........I post about the reverse sear, you tell me it's wrong and I need to do a Nuclear Sear etc., .........................Fu#$head posts an article and you're gonna try it??   :roll:   Are you drinking POPS already??


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## wittdog (Oct 12, 2007)

Larry Wolfe said:
			
		

> [quote="007bond-jb":vk6g5a2a]Alrite Finny I'm gonna try this



Oh I see...........I post about the reverse sear, you tell me it's wrong and I need to do a Nuclear Sear etc., .........................Fu#$head posts an article and you're gonna try it??   :roll:   Are you drinking POPS already??   [/quote:vk6g5a2a]
JB knows who to listen to....


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 12, 2007)

wittdog said:
			
		

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JB knows who to listen to.... [/quote:1aa7o0rl] [smilie=a_doh.gif]


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## wittdog (Oct 12, 2007)

[smilie=drink.gif] 
It's Friday


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## Finney (Oct 12, 2007)

There's some people you can trust.... some you can't.


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 12, 2007)

Finney said:
			
		

> There's some people you can trust.... some you can't.



Indeed!   :roll:


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## 007bond-jb (Oct 12, 2007)

I did said "Try it"... Boys I might be old, but I aint never to old to learn a new trick or two. Least I know how to splel corertcly  BTW I'm on my 6th pop now


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## wittdog (Oct 12, 2007)

007bond-jb said:
			
		

> I did said "Try it"... Boys I might be old, but I aint never to old to learn a new trick or two. Least I know how to splel corertcly  BTW I'm on my 6th pop now


What took you so long to hit 6....must be sloooooooooooowing down in your old age...MAN


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## 007bond-jb (Oct 12, 2007)

wittdog said:
			
		

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 I like em colder than what the my local  wine shop keeps em at. I had to give em time ta ripen WitMan/Boy


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## wittdog (Oct 12, 2007)

Ice JB Ice...best way...Are you really union? The union boys up here keep a cooler full of beer in there cars...that way they know the beer is cold.


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## Smokey_Joe (Oct 13, 2007)

wittdog said:
			
		

> Ice JB Ice...best way...Are you really union? The union boys up here keep a cooler full of beer in there cars...that way they know the beer is cold.




*Ahhhhh...not just ICE my Northern neighbor beer swigging friend.... but ICE & SALT...

Ice down them beers and then pour a generous amount of table salt 
all over the ice....
Believe it or not....salt makes the ice COLDER!
and QUICK TOO!  *


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## surfinsapo (Oct 17, 2007)

My turn to try. Larry & Finney... wish me luck fellers!!!


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 17, 2007)

surfinsapo said:
			
		

> My turn to try. Larry & Finney... wish me luck fellers!!!



What's your test subject Sapo?


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## surfinsapo (Oct 17, 2007)

Larry Wolfe said:
			
		

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 A new york strip steak only...  I eat steaks during the week since I work nights and need a quick meal... It's on the Kamado right now


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## surfinsapo (Oct 17, 2007)

Flytyer said:
			
		

> I know this will sound obvious but I want to make sure I understand the method before I ruin some good meat tomorrow. Am I to understand that the basic philosophy is to slow cook to 100 degrees and then sear - simple as that? Thus, reverse sear, or am I missing something. Kind of like finishing ribs with flame at the end of a smoke?


 That's all you do.. I just did one and it came out awesome... cuts like a hot knife and butter.... Thanks Finney & Larry


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## Unity (Oct 17, 2007)

surfinsapo said:
			
		

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Omigosh, that looks good!   

--John  8)


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## Griff (Oct 17, 2007)

I'd eat that -- in a heartbeat. Good job SS.


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## john a (Oct 18, 2007)

Man, that looks wonderful; way to go SS.


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## Finney (Oct 19, 2007)

I think he might just have the hang of it.
Clicked on the pic... no 'gray' meat.


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## Cliff H. (Dec 24, 2007)

BUMP

I am cooking steaks on Christmas day. 

 I need to study.


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## LarryWolfe (Dec 25, 2007)

I'm doing our rib roast using the "Reverse Sear" aka Finney Method as well!  Stay tuned!


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