Post by BBQ Butcher on Jan 7, 2013 8:37:49 GMT -5
08/19/07
The Barbecue Butcher, #4
By Steve Graves
I’ve been in or around the food business practically my whole life, starting with my grandmother’s restaurant when I was just a wee lad of Junior High School age. I washed dishes for a couple years and then finally my interest in the ‘cooking’ end, instead of the ‘cleaning up’ end, finally kicked in and created a monster, of sorts. I never did pick up on the baking, although I had plenty of chances to learn from some of the best women bakers in our small New England town. My forte was around the grill and the stove. I was not allowed to cook for customers (yet!) but my grandmother was very accommodating when I wanted to ‘experiment’ when the afternoons were slow or if I wanted to ‘cook’ for some buddies after hours. There was nothing I loved better than grilling some burgers, steaks or hot dogs and watching people’s faces as they tasted my creative mix of spices, marinades or sauces upon the unsuspecting meat.
Over the years my habits and likes have changed. All except for my love of cooking steaks. I’ve seared steaks on a flat top restaurant grill, a small Hibachi grill with charcoal, a frying pan, a broiler, a gas grill, an electric grill, the hood of a car, a regular charcoal grill, direct on the coals, over wood, etc….you name it and I’ve probably tried to cook the steak that way. This brings us to one of this week’s topics……
“To SEAR, or not to SEAR, that is the question?”
For the past seven years I’ve seared my steak over all natural lump charcoal, a chunk of wood (cherry, hickory or oak) added for flavor, with a good hot fire and sear for about five minutes per side, then move it to the cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. I had stopped using marinades or exotic spices and have opted to use a simple steak rub consisting of Kosher Salt, garlic, black pepper and Turbinado (raw) sugar….see link for recipe
AAB's Steak Seasoning
A couple months ago, a fellow barbecue buddy convinced me to try a ‘new’ method. Not really ‘new’, per se, but ‘new’ to me. It’s called the “Finney Method” (his last name) or commonly known as the “Reverse Sear”.
In his words…”Well, I guess you guys know how I like to do mine. (I confess I still use the traditional method on very thin steaks) Searing meat damages the meat cells and releases moisture. *
Roasting, or cooking at other that high heat doesn't damage the meat as much. But it also doesn't bring as much flavor to the party.
With the 'reverse' sear, Finney Method, whatever you want to call it... the key is to take it off the cooker while you bring up the temps. This lets the juices redistribute and the meat rest some. Then when you put it back on at searing temps the juices are back in the center of the meat and don't get pulled out. Searing last just makes sense to me.”
I have to agree. Right now the "Finney" method is my preferred way to cook steak, chicken and chops. You can start cooking as soon as you get the coals lit (caution: do NOT use lighter fluid!). Once the center of the steak reaches about 100°, I pull it off and crank up the heat! Throw the steak back on direct and cook until 5° below my desired finishing temp. Presto! As a side note, I’m now just seasoning with Kosher Salt just before I put the steak on the grill. This allows the great beef flavor to shine.
• According to Cook’s Illustrated…”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 the temperature of the meat rises, these enzymes work faster and faster, until they reach 122 degrees, where all the action stops. While our steaks are slowly heating up, the cathepsins are working overtime, in effect "aging" and tenderizing the steaks within half an hour. When steaks are cooked by conventional methods, their final temperature is reached much more rapidly, denying the cathepsins the time they need to properly do their job.”
The Barbecue Butcher, #4
By Steve Graves
I’ve been in or around the food business practically my whole life, starting with my grandmother’s restaurant when I was just a wee lad of Junior High School age. I washed dishes for a couple years and then finally my interest in the ‘cooking’ end, instead of the ‘cleaning up’ end, finally kicked in and created a monster, of sorts. I never did pick up on the baking, although I had plenty of chances to learn from some of the best women bakers in our small New England town. My forte was around the grill and the stove. I was not allowed to cook for customers (yet!) but my grandmother was very accommodating when I wanted to ‘experiment’ when the afternoons were slow or if I wanted to ‘cook’ for some buddies after hours. There was nothing I loved better than grilling some burgers, steaks or hot dogs and watching people’s faces as they tasted my creative mix of spices, marinades or sauces upon the unsuspecting meat.
Over the years my habits and likes have changed. All except for my love of cooking steaks. I’ve seared steaks on a flat top restaurant grill, a small Hibachi grill with charcoal, a frying pan, a broiler, a gas grill, an electric grill, the hood of a car, a regular charcoal grill, direct on the coals, over wood, etc….you name it and I’ve probably tried to cook the steak that way. This brings us to one of this week’s topics……
“To SEAR, or not to SEAR, that is the question?”
For the past seven years I’ve seared my steak over all natural lump charcoal, a chunk of wood (cherry, hickory or oak) added for flavor, with a good hot fire and sear for about five minutes per side, then move it to the cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. I had stopped using marinades or exotic spices and have opted to use a simple steak rub consisting of Kosher Salt, garlic, black pepper and Turbinado (raw) sugar….see link for recipe
AAB's Steak Seasoning
A couple months ago, a fellow barbecue buddy convinced me to try a ‘new’ method. Not really ‘new’, per se, but ‘new’ to me. It’s called the “Finney Method” (his last name) or commonly known as the “Reverse Sear”.
In his words…”Well, I guess you guys know how I like to do mine. (I confess I still use the traditional method on very thin steaks) Searing meat damages the meat cells and releases moisture. *
Roasting, or cooking at other that high heat doesn't damage the meat as much. But it also doesn't bring as much flavor to the party.
With the 'reverse' sear, Finney Method, whatever you want to call it... the key is to take it off the cooker while you bring up the temps. This lets the juices redistribute and the meat rest some. Then when you put it back on at searing temps the juices are back in the center of the meat and don't get pulled out. Searing last just makes sense to me.”
I have to agree. Right now the "Finney" method is my preferred way to cook steak, chicken and chops. You can start cooking as soon as you get the coals lit (caution: do NOT use lighter fluid!). Once the center of the steak reaches about 100°, I pull it off and crank up the heat! Throw the steak back on direct and cook until 5° below my desired finishing temp. Presto! As a side note, I’m now just seasoning with Kosher Salt just before I put the steak on the grill. This allows the great beef flavor to shine.
• According to Cook’s Illustrated…”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 the temperature of the meat rises, these enzymes work faster and faster, until they reach 122 degrees, where all the action stops. While our steaks are slowly heating up, the cathepsins are working overtime, in effect "aging" and tenderizing the steaks within half an hour. When steaks are cooked by conventional methods, their final temperature is reached much more rapidly, denying the cathepsins the time they need to properly do their job.”