quote:

well marbled prime beef did not have the fat pockets that choice has so the grill didn't flame and the sear wasn't as pronounced or flavorful as it is on the flame kissed choice grade - not that they were bad by any means but they were not as flavorful as the cheaper choice cut. $14lb choice $23lb prime.

This is why I use olive oil when I'm grilling steaks, it gets a flame going early and in turn starts melting the fat with higher temps than the grill will do on it's own. My weber will only get up to about 500 without help

I have only reverse seared a Prime Rib and it turned out fantastic

Again, the only time I failed at reverse sear was when I - a) seared on the same grille I low smoked on and b) was not patient to let the grille come up to temp and c) overcooked during the sear process wanting a super crust.

Since I primarily use the BGE to smoke first the only way to improve the results is was to use a split grille assembly that lets half of the grille to get hot.
Or just searing inside in a hot skillet or using the Su-V Gun.
Lately as I have mentioned before the Su-V Torch is quite effective and you can leave in on the grille longer prior to the sear which imparts more smoke.
Suggest trying one of these Beretta Flame Throwers.

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:

well marbled prime beef did not have the fat pockets that choice has so the grill didn't flame and the sear wasn't as pronounced or flavorful as it is on the flame kissed choice grade - not that they were bad by any means but they were not as flavorful as the cheaper choice cut. $14lb choice $23lb prime.

prime will be more marbled, and usually thinly marbled as in it looks like lace ,

choice of course is not as marbles, and may have a vein or 2 thru them,

however,

wondering , since the fat should flow more on a prime, since there is more of it,

did you have the same parts or ends of the ribeye?

(ribeye is the 7 ribs that run from the NY Strip to the Chuck , with a difference in the size of the center and the cap along the way,


and as mentioned, while a ribeye is a ribeye, each cow is slightly different, and I have seen variations in grain or muscle structure and amount and locations of fat in Choice, Prime and Select

color variations as well

(19 yrs as a butcher\meat manager, 35 yrs in the Gro biz)

Reverse sear will make an excellent steak as long as you do it properly. As will the sear the fuck out of it 90 seconds → indirect heat. Sous vide is another method followed by 700 degree grill that will make a great steak, or putting in a stupidly hot cast iron pan, or painting it with a torch. Frying on one side then flip and put into 400 degree oven works great too. Cooking it over a camp fire is another excellent method. Broiling can make a pretty decent steak as well. There's a million ways to skin a cat.

Steak selection is key. You can get a better choice than prime at times, but all other things equal a prime should be better due to higher intermuscular fat content. The biggest two things that affects how good a ribeye is were highlighted by lyman already. A ribeye is actually three muscles, the cap, the eye, and a smaller one I don't feel like looking up. You want one cut closer to the chuck because of the larger cap and smaller eye, you don't really have much control over the third muscle. Besides looking for a steak with the biggest cap, you want to look at the eye for intermuscular fat content, ie marbling.

If you execute whatever method you chose correctly and select the best steak you can, you will end up with a delicious and tender steak.

Prime ribeyes should have more fat than choice. Prime almost always has more fat content. Not sure what's going on with yours.

I never bothered reverse searing, tried it once, didn't see the benefit. I get a great steak on the kamado joe, just cooking it.

We are our worst critics

I over critique myself every meal I prepare for others

Some great tips here:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I can cook at 600F on my BGE in 6 minutes with far less trouble/mess.

Same here.

I recently picked up a soapstone for it. Still tinkering with that, but so far I prefer straight on the blazing hot grill for steaks.

Lot of variables will impact the result, even buying beef in the same grade at the same butcher. I do find that the beef with less fat works best when Soux Vide is the method used since you're not going to render much. The opposite for high fat ie rib eyes, they do better in the oven or on the grill.

When I reverse sear the meat is cooked in the Soux vide up to the desired temp, slow and low in hermetically sealed bags, not left on Funk and Wagnels front porch....

Seasoned, bagged, immersed, remove, chill to stop cooking, heat up cast iron skillet on high, add real butter, chopped garlic, add steak and spoon the butter sauce over the top while it sears.

make you jump up and slap yo pappy...

Link

Agreed with cast iron, I've been using a cast griddle almost exclusively on BGE for steaks for 3 years. Great results.

I'm not so much reverse searing as "hot-potato-ing" with one or two rests in the process covered with foil to even out temps. Great results, R to MR almost edge to edge.

Been a cast iron advocate for decades. Matter of fact we'll be having pan seared flat iron steaks for dinner tonight.

No reverse sear. No sous vide. Don't need 'em. And FWIW we prefer cast iron to our Traeger pellet smoker for most steaks too. Very thick cuts ( > 1 3/4") are the exception.

I've never really had good results with reverse searing (I tried again this week inspired by this thread with the same results). A reverse seared steak tastes like a piece of baked meat with a crust on the outside. It's OK, but doesn't seem to do justice to a nice ribeye.

A regular (forward?) seared steak has a grilled flavor all the way through, not just on the surface. I'm not sure why reverse searing has become so popular. Maybe I'm doing somethin wrong, but I'm basically done with it at this point.

the rs steaks that made me famous were costco 2" choice ribeyes cooked to 112-115 in oven then a hot flame kissed sear for a couple minutes each side. pretty damned good is an understatement.

Thinking back about my disappointment I'm blaming myself for getting them too done, both in the oven and on the grill. I was doing 6 steaks - 3 med rare 1 med, 1 med well, and 1 well done. Way too busy and from now on they are med rare and if you don't like it the grill's still hot or the microwave is on the shelf.

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
the rs steaks that made me famous were costco 2" choice ribeyes cooked to 112-115 in oven then a hot flame kissed sear for a couple minutes each side. pretty damned good is an understatement.

Thinking back about my disappointment I'm blaming myself for getting them too done, both in the oven and on the grill. I was doing 6 steaks - 3 med rare 1 med, 1 med well, and 1 well done. Way too busy and from now on they are med rare and if you don't like it the grill's still hot or the microwave is on the shelf.

2 words…. Sous Vide

Super easy and always perfect

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
Thinking back about my disappointment I'm blaming myself for getting them too done, both in the oven and on the grill. I was doing 6 steaks - 3 med rare 1 med, 1 med well, and 1 well done. Way too busy and from now on they are med rare and if you don't like it the grill's still hot or the microwave is on the shelf.

My GF likes med-well and I like med-rare so here is how I reverse sear on the BGE:

I buy 2 prime grade steaks as identical as possible in both thickness and size.

I set-up the BGE for indirect cooking and set the BBQ guru to be 250F on the grate above the ceramic (BGE calls it a placesetter). Typically, I use oak lump charcoal and then add 3 hickory chunks.

I select the largest one for myself and then I cut hers into 3 roughly equal sized pieces. The heat transfer theory is that volume of each steak is a cooking time variable, and so her 3-piece steak cooks faster than my 1-piece steak. The GF eats like a bird and likes that her steak is already portioned for 3 meals (i.e. I get bonus points for being considerate).

I season the steaks identical. Typically, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper per pound.

I place my steak dead center above placesetter for the indirect heat and then I place her 3-piece steak at the edge of the placesetter. The heat transfer theory is the edge of the place setter is warmer than the center of the place setter. I have a probe in the steaks, and monitor temp with a thermoworks smoke.

When I head indoors, I place an oven safe fry pan in the oven and turn the oven to 400F.

When my steak hits 120ish, I pull both steaks and bring indoors. Typically, her 3-piece steak will be 20F warmer than mine.

A little bit of high smoke point oil (e.g. 500F avocado oil) added to the fry pan, crank the burner on the range, and I sear mine until 131 and hers until 150. I flip every 60 seconds. I'm using a thermoworks thermopen to monitor temp.

I used to screw around with trying to buy a thinner steak for her (rarely an option as the prime grade are typically same thickness), cutting hers thinner (thin steaks are better hot n fast not reverse seared), and even starting hers 20 minutes earlier (time is a total guessing game and inconsistent). Heck, I even foolishly tried educating her that that the red juice in my medium rare wasn't blood so she's safe eating eating same doneness as me, but that didn't work. The above method turned out to be the most consistent method, and very little extra work to make both of us happy. The final product is as good as any high end steakhouse in Houston, and it's a fraction of the price.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
Thinking back about my disappointment I'm blaming myself for getting them too done, both in the oven and on the grill. I was doing 6 steaks - 3 med rare 1 med, 1 med well, and 1 well done. Way too busy and from now on they are med rare and if you don't like it the grill's still hot or the microwave is on the shelf.

My GF likes med-well and I like med-rare so here is how I reverse sear on the BGE:

I buy 2 prime grade steaks as identical as possible in both thickness and size.

I set-up the BGE for indirect cooking and set the BBQ guru to be 250F on the grate above the ceramic (BGE calls it a placesetter). Typically, I use oak lump charcoal and then add 3 hickory chunks.

I select the largest one for myself and then I cut hers into 3 roughly equal sized pieces. The heat transfer theory is that volume of each steak is a cooking time variable, and so her 3-piece steak cooks faster than my 1-piece steak. The GF eats like a bird and likes that her steak is already portioned for 3 meals (i.e. I get bonus points for being considerate).

I season the steaks identical. Typically, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper per pound.

I place my steak dead center above placesetter for the indirect heat and then I place her 3-piece steak at the edge of the placesetter. The heat transfer theory is the edge of the place setter is warmer than the center of the place setter. I have a probe in the steaks, and monitor temp with a thermoworks smoke.

When I head indoors, I place an oven safe fry pan in the oven and turn the oven to 400F.

When my steak hits 120ish, I pull both steaks and bring indoors. Typically, her 3-piece steak will be 20F warmer than mine.

A little bit of high smoke point oil (e.g. 500F avocado oil) added to the fry pan, crank the burner on the range, and I sear mine until 131 and hers until 150. I flip every 60 seconds. I'm using a thermoworks thermopen to monitor temp.

I used to screw around with trying to buy a thinner steak for her (rarely an option as the prime grade are typically same thickness), cutting hers thinner (thin steaks are better hot n fast not reverse seared), and even starting hers 20 minutes earlier (time is a total guessing game and inconsistent). Heck, I even foolishly tried educating her that that the red juice in my medium rare wasn't blood so she's safe eating eating same doneness as me, but that didn't work. The above method turned out to be the most consistent method, and very little extra work to make both of us happy. The final product is as good as any high end steakhouse in Houston, and it's a fraction of the price.

My wife is the same way, I just put her ribeye on 5 minutes earlier than mine.