How hot is too hot?
August 26, 2016 6:58 AM Subscribe
The Food Lab teams up with Adam Savage's (MeFi's own) Tested to find the perfect method for searing steaks.
Just to save everyone a few minutes - 4 methods: hand held dispersed propane torch, regular (albeit cool) charcoal grill, charcoal chimney starter, and Al forge. Charcoal chimney starter with grate on top won. The takeaway seems to be cook your steak and finish over high heat (their steaks were sous vide'd).
That's how I cook great trip-tip, traditionally a pretty thick cut - low and slow to cook all the way through and finish with a couple minutes over blazing heat, turning frequently to prevent burning/scorching.
posted by mrzz at 8:16 AM on August 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
That's how I cook great trip-tip, traditionally a pretty thick cut - low and slow to cook all the way through and finish with a couple minutes over blazing heat, turning frequently to prevent burning/scorching.
posted by mrzz at 8:16 AM on August 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
One of these days, when I have $200 spare dollars (ha ha, yeah right) I'm going to buy a sous vide circulator/heater. I used the jury rigged approach a few times and the results were amazing, but the pain in the ass factor was too high to really bother with. A real sous vide machine would be lovely.
And yes, slow to get the inside warm followed by a NASA hot sear is the ideal way to cook most meat.
posted by sotonohito at 8:21 AM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
And yes, slow to get the inside warm followed by a NASA hot sear is the ideal way to cook most meat.
posted by sotonohito at 8:21 AM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
I tried the sous vide winner a few weeks back. It's...pretty okay? It's not really do able for more than two people, unless you are a chimney starter millionaire.
The cooller sous vide is a gold medal technique to have in your repitoire however.
posted by Keith Talent at 8:29 AM on August 26, 2016
The cooller sous vide is a gold medal technique to have in your repitoire however.
posted by Keith Talent at 8:29 AM on August 26, 2016
Sotonohito, keep an eye on ANOVA. I got a proper sous vide but wanted a second setup for additional courses like dessert. I was able to pick up one of their immersion circulators for 75 bucks during a sale they had. That was 50% off at the time.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 8:42 AM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Hairy Lobster at 8:42 AM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
Serious Eats also recommends what they call the "Reverse Sear", no sous-vide necessary. Low-and-slow in your oven until the steak is the desired doneness, then quickly sear (grill or cast-iron pan)..
posted by briank at 8:52 AM on August 26, 2016
posted by briank at 8:52 AM on August 26, 2016
You wouldn't be able to do that low & slow in my oven unless you wanted well done; there's no setting which gets a consistent temp below 170. So if you're just guessing time-wise to chase a medium pink you may as well just do it all in the pan.
Like Hairy Lobster says, keep looking on the Anova models. My wife got mine as a gift for me when they were running a sale such that it was $120. Which is not nothing money but it's a sizable discount off the normal price that model went for of $180.
I was sure we had already discussed this video on metafilter somewhere else. Perhaps an earlier Lopez-Alt thread?
posted by phearlez at 9:20 AM on August 26, 2016
Like Hairy Lobster says, keep looking on the Anova models. My wife got mine as a gift for me when they were running a sale such that it was $120. Which is not nothing money but it's a sizable discount off the normal price that model went for of $180.
I was sure we had already discussed this video on metafilter somewhere else. Perhaps an earlier Lopez-Alt thread?
posted by phearlez at 9:20 AM on August 26, 2016
A couple of years ago I got a Dorkfood controller on the cheap for my ancient crock pot. Works great, that and some zip-lock bags got me started on my current journey into sous vide. Also handy for keeping the crock pot at an actual simmer when doing soups and stews, making yogurt, or any temperature-controlled method that could use a little precision. Now I'm thinking I might pick up some cheap meat tonight and have steak on Sunday. Toss some umami intensifiers and flavorings in the bag as a marinade (I like soy and worchestershire sauce, some miso paste, onion and garlic. I once added some old dried-out truffles -- those were an excellent addition!)
posted by Blackanvil at 9:30 AM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Blackanvil at 9:30 AM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
I use a low and slow method in my smoker with cherry wood for an hour and half to two hours, depending on the thickness of the steak, to an internal temp of around 115 to 120. I then take the steak off, vent with foil and let the juices return to the middle of the steak. about ten minutes. Then I heat up a cast iron skillet on the side burner of my grill with just a touch of oil, wait until it is super hot, and slap the steak down. again, let it rest for a few minutes and - oh boy.
posted by bradth27 at 9:36 AM on August 26, 2016
posted by bradth27 at 9:36 AM on August 26, 2016
We're in the ANOVA camp too. I had one of those jury-rigged things off eBay that regulated a crockpot for a while (until it broke); the ANOVA is soooo much better. It's as good as the (decade old) Haakes and Nestlabs we use at work.
Steaks are really good in the sous-vide, but there are a few tricks, we've found. Searing last is much better than sear before you sous-vide. Steaks should be cooled back down to room-temperature or less to prevent searing from over-cooking that perfectly cooked rare interior.
Being able to pre-cook then keep stuff ready for a quick grill is like magic when you have guests.
posted by bonehead at 9:44 AM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Steaks are really good in the sous-vide, but there are a few tricks, we've found. Searing last is much better than sear before you sous-vide. Steaks should be cooled back down to room-temperature or less to prevent searing from over-cooking that perfectly cooked rare interior.
Being able to pre-cook then keep stuff ready for a quick grill is like magic when you have guests.
posted by bonehead at 9:44 AM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
ANOVA is what I want. I did the cooler and prayer approach a couple of times and it does work, but it ain't easy.
posted by sotonohito at 9:49 AM on August 26, 2016
posted by sotonohito at 9:49 AM on August 26, 2016
Having not read the article I assume the final method is either focussing a million mirrors on the steak and using sunlight or an exploding propane tank.
posted by GuyZero at 10:33 AM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by GuyZero at 10:33 AM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm with Blackanvil. Get the Dorkfood DSV controller.
It's $99 on Amazon and works on the cheapest crock-pot you can find.
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:34 AM on August 26, 2016
It's $99 on Amazon and works on the cheapest crock-pot you can find.
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:34 AM on August 26, 2016
Anova sous vide in a food-grade plastic tub + blowtorch with Searsall attachment = best medium-rare steak of my life. I also got the Anova on a screaming deal a while ago; it can happen!
posted by joan_holloway at 11:54 AM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by joan_holloway at 11:54 AM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
As a long-time vegetarian who just cracked last week, I did *not* need to see a post about steaks and a $200 kitchen gadget that cooks them perfectly.
Now what was my PayPal password again...
posted by WinnipegDragon at 12:19 PM on August 26, 2016
Now what was my PayPal password again...
posted by WinnipegDragon at 12:19 PM on August 26, 2016
Not to denigrate the sous vide technique, but expensive kitchen gadgets aren't the only way to make good steaks. I use the chimney technique with hardwood charcoal (not briquettes) on raw steaks (tuna steaks, too) and manage a nice brown sear and mid-rare insides.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:33 PM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:33 PM on August 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
My sous vide is a Coleman cooler, a thermometer with a long lead, and some math.
I followed the method used to calibrate beer brewing equipment to figure out the cooler's pecific heat and heat loses over time.
Calibrating water equivalent specific heat capacity: Add 10 liters of 100 C water to the cooler, which is at 20 C. Cover the cooler and wait 5 to 10 minutes for the system to stabilize. Measure temperature. It is 95 C. This means that 10,000 grams of water lost 5 C to raise the cooler's temperature 75 C. 5 C times 10,000 grams is 50,000 calories. Divided by the 75 C raise in temperature you can see that the cooler has an specific heat capacity equivalent to 666.6 grams of water.
Calibrating thermal losses: Check the temperature every half hour for a few hors. In my case, it loses about 2/3 of a degree per hour. This is your heat loss.
Let's say I want to cook 3 kg of steak at 60 C for an hour. I'd rather go slightly under than over if I am going for taste, or over if I am going for food safety.
We know that the cooler is equivalent to 666 grams of water. I want to heat it from 20C to 60C. 40 * 666 = 26,400. I am going to use 10 liters of water, so 26,400/10,000=2.6. I need to add 10 liters of water at 62.6 C to the empty cooler to stabilize at 60 C.
Now we figure out how much hotter the water has to be to also bring the steak up to 60 C. Using some food thermal properties table (like , this particular steak has a specific heat capacity of let's say 300 joules per kg per kelvin.
If my stake is at 20 C and I want it at 60 C, I need 300 J * 1 kg * 40 C, or 12,000 Joules, to bring it up to temperature. 1 Joule is .24 gram calories, so we need 2880 calories. Divided by the 10,000 grams of water, we need an extra .3 degrees per kilo of steak.
We are making three kilos, so add an extra degree to the 62.6 C for a total of 63.6 C.
If we add 10 liters of 63.6 C water to the 20 C cooler and 3 kilos of 20C steak, the system will stabilize at 60 C, and after an hour it will be at about 59 C.
So you can do it this way with a $30 cooler. Or just set and forget with a fancy sous vide.
Regardless, the best steak is when you cook it low and slow on the cool side of the grill, then sear it directly on the coals.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 3:21 PM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
I followed the method used to calibrate beer brewing equipment to figure out the cooler's pecific heat and heat loses over time.
Calibrating water equivalent specific heat capacity: Add 10 liters of 100 C water to the cooler, which is at 20 C. Cover the cooler and wait 5 to 10 minutes for the system to stabilize. Measure temperature. It is 95 C. This means that 10,000 grams of water lost 5 C to raise the cooler's temperature 75 C. 5 C times 10,000 grams is 50,000 calories. Divided by the 75 C raise in temperature you can see that the cooler has an specific heat capacity equivalent to 666.6 grams of water.
Calibrating thermal losses: Check the temperature every half hour for a few hors. In my case, it loses about 2/3 of a degree per hour. This is your heat loss.
Let's say I want to cook 3 kg of steak at 60 C for an hour. I'd rather go slightly under than over if I am going for taste, or over if I am going for food safety.
We know that the cooler is equivalent to 666 grams of water. I want to heat it from 20C to 60C. 40 * 666 = 26,400. I am going to use 10 liters of water, so 26,400/10,000=2.6. I need to add 10 liters of water at 62.6 C to the empty cooler to stabilize at 60 C.
Now we figure out how much hotter the water has to be to also bring the steak up to 60 C. Using some food thermal properties table (like , this particular steak has a specific heat capacity of let's say 300 joules per kg per kelvin.
If my stake is at 20 C and I want it at 60 C, I need 300 J * 1 kg * 40 C, or 12,000 Joules, to bring it up to temperature. 1 Joule is .24 gram calories, so we need 2880 calories. Divided by the 10,000 grams of water, we need an extra .3 degrees per kilo of steak.
We are making three kilos, so add an extra degree to the 62.6 C for a total of 63.6 C.
If we add 10 liters of 63.6 C water to the 20 C cooler and 3 kilos of 20C steak, the system will stabilize at 60 C, and after an hour it will be at about 59 C.
So you can do it this way with a $30 cooler. Or just set and forget with a fancy sous vide.
Regardless, the best steak is when you cook it low and slow on the cool side of the grill, then sear it directly on the coals.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 3:21 PM on August 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
Disclaimer: It took me 3 beers to type that. Drunk math warning.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 3:26 PM on August 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 3:26 PM on August 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
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