F'in thermometers, F'in hi-heat, F'in searing..............

[1buckie]

OK......
I try to pay attention in class, I really do......

The wife wants T-bones, seared all ta hell & rare/medium rare, I try.......

No T-bones, so ribeyes are it.....I do them enough, so ought to be able to get this right............

Taters 1st, down in & surrounded by coals.........


after about 55 minutes, they're approaching 190f & I set in the corn & add some lump......


And fire more lump......hopin' for a "Big Finish" here, folks............


Back the corn & taters off & add coals.....and wait just a bit (there was actually more charcoal set in than this)


Set on the grate with sear grate on top & waited a bit for it to get up & screamin'........about 450 & climbing......


compared "Redness Factor" whilst waiting.....


OK...DROP 'em on, go for a few minutes, twist, a few minutes & flip.............


They were only on about 8 or 9 minutes on the 1st side, a couple minutes on this second side & I get the genius idea to whip out the superfast Orange Thermopen & "CHECK"..........I know I got a good, clean center readout.....................

....185 DEGREES !!!!

Yes, that's in Fahrenheit !!!!

I'm screwed...........................they're well done, right?

Ok........back in the kitchen & let's see.............

Mine:


The Wife's:


So I'm really at a loss here......I just don't know how to grill with high heat.....measured  @ 190........

.............perfect medium rare..................I give up!!!!!

[AZ_MIKEY]

I know alot of people are all about temp when doing steaks, but not me it is all about feel and looks. I found that I can take a steak from one meat dept(butcher shop) and cook it at the same time as one from another to the same center internal temp and end up with rare in one and medium well in the other.

[Winz]

buckie - at least you got a perfect result!

Is it possible you inserted the thermopen too far into the meat?  I have made that mistake a time or too - the difference in temp between true center and "just a smudge too deep) is pretty significant, especially with the meet still on the grill.  Because of the intense heat from the grill, your thermopen may be reading higher than it would with the steaks off the heat, especially if the cuts are not very thick.

A couple solutions 1) just barely insert the probe into the steak and read temp, or 2) pull the steak off the flame and read the temp. 

These techniques have worked for me.

Winz

[AZ_MIKEY]

I think how dense the muscle making up the meat plays a big difference in it. Plus I am sure that your thermometer is calibrated correct with all the grate food you turn out buckie

[pbe gummi bear]

I know alot of people are all about temp when doing steaks, but not me it is all about feel and looks. I found that I can take a steak from one meat dept(butcher shop) and cook it at the same time as one from another to the same center internal temp and end up with rare in one and medium well in the other.

+1. I use the poke test for steak:

rare- feels like your cheek
Medium rare- feels like your chin
Medium- feels like your nose
Well done- feels like your forehead.

*General guidelines depending on how chubby you are, how pointy your nose is, etc.

Also, If you want a good sear but don't want to cook the meat too fast- move the CI grate off the charcoal once it's preheated. You will still get the sear from grate conduction but the lack of charcoal radiant heat won't cook the rest of it. If you are doing a few minutes per sear angle (4x total) You'll likely overcook a thinner steak. Guess you'll have to try again!

[1buckie]

Yeah, maybe it's checking in on it while it's on top of that CI grate....that thing gets HOT.........

I did stab at a low angle.several times, quickly, thinking about going thru & hitting the grate..........

But it's just weird that people say"take it to 135 & rest" & when it 'seems' way over, it's still OK.......?

Yeah, MIKEY....I don't really worry about a Thermopen read, I think they stay accurate pretty well & I am still much more about looking at what's going on than a readout.........


Quote:
rare- feels like your cheek
Medium rare- feels like your chin
Medium- feels like your nose
Well done- feels like your forehead.

Pefect-feels like yer buttcheek.....that's how these were...........

[1buckie]

"Quote:
rare- feels like your cheek
Medium rare- feels like your chin
Medium- feels like your nose
Well done- feels like your forehead.

Pefect-feels like yer buttcheek.....that's how these were..........."


Sorry.....I just feel like throwing out all the thermometers & doing things the way I did for years.....

[Bbqmiller]

Buckie - here are some dry aged grade a prime ny strip steaks I did for the Fourth of July a couple of years ago. We don't get steaks that often but I was nervous messing these up as they weren't cheap . The key is a super hot fire to quickly sear them.
Steaks had a nice crust - just salt and pepper


Maybe a little to rare for your taste, but these were tasty


This is the inferno they were cooked over

[1buckie]

Thanks, BBq !!!!

Those look just smashing !!!!

My pics are kinda flashed a bit, but the wife's looked just about like that, even a little bit more rare closer to the edge.............just that I can't reconcile the 130 degree for a rest to medium rare thing with what the actual cooking experience amounts to...........I be baffled ~~>>

The cowboy steaks I did awhile back came out nice...like med. rare, wall-to-wall, same grate, at a bit lower heat......

I think I just do better with a bigger slab of meat, maybe?

[One Touch Platinum]

Reverse sear! You will NEVER overshoot your internal temp again! You really only need to sear at the end to get the nice crust.

[MINIgrillin]

Freeze your steak.

Heresy you say...?
Must let steaks get to room temp you say...?

Here's what I do.

1inch steak. From room temp. Pat dry with paper towel. Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and then coat with corn starch. Then place in freezer for 45 minutes. Steak should not be completely frozen.

The idea is to pull moisture off surface to get caramelization at the sear. If there is moisture it won't caramelize. The freezing is to allow for a grate crust to build and give center a buffer, or more time, to come up to temp. 5minute/3minute then check temp.

Scorching hot sear grate used.

[1buckie]

Thanks for the extra input both MINI & OTP !!!

I've had fine success with reverse & going cold (even done the freezer thing, but no cornstarch, sounds interesting)

I do suppose I can use this info (& BBqMiller's) to up my 'crust' game, that would make the wife happy, I don't care about that, really...........

These ones happened to sit out under the lid of the unlit 18 Red for a short time........

At issue is not that they were too done, just that the temp check didn't seem to match reality.....not even close......add 50% or more pink to the photos & it'll be about accurate..........
The steaks were just exactly right for each of us.....the wife's especially so, thank goodness!!!!

They were hyper-tender & her's was just right rare, even at a quick, off the grate reading of 175.......makes me crazy just thinking about it.......

[MINIgrillin]

Well..do what you know is right and check temp. Maybe somewhere down the road your realities will coexist.

Or do a ice bath test to see if your in calibration.

[1buckie]

Maybe it's just like Winz is saying, the temp is so hot while in action, it overreads for that short time & the actual reading I should be getting is the correct one for medium rare, etc.....?

[mirkwood]

Yeah, maybe it's checking in on it while it's on top of that CI grate....that thing gets HOT.........

I did stab at a low angle.several times, quickly, thinking about going thru & hitting the grate..........

But it's just weird that people say"take it to 135 & rest" & when it 'seems' way over, it's still OK.......?

Maybe the low angle is part of the issue, could it be possible that you were getting what amounts to a
surface temp reading?.

Being concerned about going all the way through maybe you didn't go deep enough to get an accurate
internal reading and were too close to the hotter exterior?