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My favorite method (and no guy tasting my steaks has ever said anything but "hmmmmm"): use salt on both sides the day before (to remove moisture), keep the stea

• tptacek 5y ago
  Try it both ways, yours and the reverse sear. Don't just do a subjective taste test, but rather take a cross section of both steaks. You should find that your pan-grilled steaks have a much bigger band of grey meat --- a much more fluid gradation from gray/seared to pink/rare --- than the reverse-seared steak. That's the point of the reverse sear (which is the opposite of what you're doing); "cook" the steak (bringing it up to almost its desired final temperature) very slowly at low heat, so the whole steak cooks consistently and evenly (almost the same color edge-to-center) and then sear it. You also get a better sear, because the cooked steak is drier than the one you pulled out of the fridge. (Salting ahead of time probably doesn't remove moisture; the steak reabsorbs the liquid it sweats out). Having said all that: some people just prefer steak that isn't edge-to-center the same doneness, so your method might just suit your tastes better.
  • csdvrx 5y ago
    > You should find that your pan-grilled steaks have a much bigger band of grey meat --- a much more fluid gradation from gray/seared to pink/rare --- than the reverse-seared steak I like meat rare, so the grey band has been one of my concerns. But if the oil reaches a high enough temperature while the steak comes directly from the fridge, the coldness of the meat is often enough to prevent the grey band. My method depends on a very high temperature gradient, and in my experience is indistinguishable from the reverse sear, while only taking a fraction of the time > (Salting ahead of time probably doesn't remove moisture; the steak reabsorbs the liquid it sweats out). Very possible; it's likely that leaving the steak in the fridge uncovered is what removes a lot of moisture.
    • stickfigure 5y ago
      It sounds like you're going for black-and-blue, char on the outside but still mooing in the center. It works for lean cuts like filet but if you try it with fatty cuts like ribeye (my particular favorite) then the fat doesn't render and the overall effect is less juicy and flavorful.
      • csdvrx 5y ago
        Yes, it works best with some cuts, and even better with slightly fatty cuts: charred fat tastes like heaven! BTW I just realized I could make a lot of thin-blue-line jokes about my steaks :)
  • yellowapple 5y ago
    > Don't just do a subjective taste test That seems like a silly prohibition. The taste is kind of the whole point; if one prefers the taste of "sear then cook" over "cook then sear", then great. Whatever floats your boat. So what if the presentation doesn't meet some arbitrary standard? Unless you're cooking for Gordon Ramsay or something like that, hardly anyone's gonna care, 'cause steak is steak and - barring being burnt to a crisp - will be delicious all the same.
  • calf 5y ago
    Like the above comment I also usually get cheap supermarket cuts which tend to be quite thin. The couple times I tried reverse searing a 1/2" supermarket steak, I ended up overcooking. But I might try it again with a lower oven temperature, or refrigerating before searing. Meanwhile, traditionally pansearing a thin steak works, I just flip and scoot it around until there's some crust, then let it rest. I think that's what they were talking about, simple method that works.
    • csdvrx 5y ago
      > I think that's what they were talking about, simple method that works. It is, but with the help of a very cold steak (to limit the risk of overcooking), and presalted. Simple and foolproof!