Cooking Technique #3: Grilling and the Reverse Sear
Welcome back to the Greenock Food Cooking section. This post is near and dear to my heart, because it is for my favourite type of cut, and I expect a lot of you agree with me, STEAKS!
Without further adue, lets discuss Cooking Technique #3: Grilling and the Reverse Sear
The smell of the grill will make anybody hungry! I love spending time with friends and family enjoying a great bbq full of steaks, chops, burgers, sausages and all the potatoe salad you can eat. The open fire of the grill allows the outside of meat to develop crispy delicous flavour, thanks to the Maillard Reaction, while the center stays moist and juicy. You can get even more control, and better outcomes, when you reverse sear the meat. Below is a quick rundown of what cuts to use and the basics of the cooking technique.
Cuts to use:
Most steaks and chops (avoid any with heavy amounts of connective tissue, which are best for braising)
Chicken and Turkey Breasts, Thighs or Legs
Hamburgers
Sausages
What you will need:
A grill (a cast iron grilling pan can be used as well)
A fridge
Tongs and a Flipper
Salt (preferably Kosher Salt)
Wire rack
Your preferred cuts of meat (see above)
Quick read thermometer (if available)
Cooking Technique:
1. Thaw the meat, if frozen, then add a nice sprinkling of salt on all sides. If you have time, set the meat on a wire rack or plate in the fridge for 45 minutes to 24 hours. This completes two tasks: 1) it allows the salt to disperse evenly throughout the meat, and 2) allows the surface of the meat to become dry. WET MEAT DOES NOT BROWN! This is important to remember because the browning is responsible for ALOT of flavour. If you salt and rest for less than 45 minutes, you will end up with wet meat as the salt redistributes moisture to the surface of the cut. So, if you don’t have time to rest the meat for at least 45 minutes, use a paper towel to dry the meat, sprinkle on salt and move ahead with the next step.
2. Once you are ready to cook, you want to get your grill set up for reverse sear cooking. This is called “Two Zone Cooking”. To do this, you want to have one area of your grill to be the indirect cooking zone (little to no flame directly below) and the other area to be the direct cooking zone (high heat with flames directly below). Below is a picture of the two zone cooking set up in a charcoal bbq, with the hottest spot on the right side and the coolest on the left. For a propane bbq, turn the right side burners to high heat and the left side on low heat.
3. With your bbq heated up in the two zone cooking formation, you’re ready to grill! The goal of reservse searing is to cook the inside of the meat first and the outside last, let me explain. Start with your meat on the “cool” side of the grill with the grill lid down. On this side, the heat of the hot side will cook your meat as the hot air moves to the cool side. This is called “convection” which gently cooks the meat allowing the center to be heated without overcooking the outside portion of the cut. We all have had a burger that looks burnt on the outside and the inside is undercooked. This technique avoids that issue! Using a quick read thermometer, check the internal temperature of your meat. Once you hit the doneness you are looking for (ie. 135F for medium rare, 160F for burgers and sausages), the hard work is done and you are ready to finish your cook.
4. If you are cooking large steaks or chops, this is the time to let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes. Don’t worry that it will get cold, it will be going back on the grill. This time is helpful to reduce the internal temperature of the meat so you don’t over cook it. Once the meat is rested, it’s time to finish by cooking it over the fire in the hot zone. At this point, the name of the game is golden brown deliciousness. Cook the meat, turning often, to develop a delicious crispy crust. Once the outside of the meat is browned well, take the meat off the grill and you are ready to serve. The nice part of using the two zone method, the cool side is the perfect place to hold the food that is done cooking until everything is ready to go.
Those are the basics of grilling and reverse searing! If you want to go even further, the cool zone cooking can be replaced by sous viding the meat prior to high heat grilling. More about sous vide cooking in a future post!
At your upcoming barbecue gathering, why not experiment with reverse searing? This method is a reliable way to ensure your grilled meats turn out irresistibly delicious. Whether you're a seasoned griller or new to the game, it's worth giving this technique a shot to elevate your culinary skills and impress your guests.
Thanks for reading! In our next post, we will be discussing cooking technique #4 - Smoking
Happy Grazin’,
James Wilton | Founder of Greenock Food Collective