Best Grill To Sear Steaks

For Skinny Steaks Use The Turntable Method

The reverse sear works only on thicker cuts. For steaks 1 or less, and my turntable method works beautifully. It even works on on skirt steaks for fajitas. The goals are the same, a dark crisp, crust, and tender juicy, medium-rare center. But because the meat is thinner, the path is different.

1) Season. Salt and pepper the meat on both sides an hour or two in advance so the salt can penetrate.

2) Dry. Make sure you pat the meat dry with paper towels before you put it on. Moisture creates steam and prevents browning.

3) Oil. Coat the meat with a thin layer of fat. It can be rendered beef fat, clarified butter, or vegetable oil. Oiling the meat is better than oiling the grates. When you oil grates it vaporizes almost instantly and can create an acrid smell. When oiled meat hits the grill, the cool meat keeps it from burning and the oil will heat up quickly and transmit heat. It will slightly fry the surface and help create crust. Dont use unclarified butter. It contains too much water.

6) Serve. Remove the meat and serve immediately. Do not let the meat rest. Resting meat is probably a myth that you can see challenged here.

Best Grills For Steaks

There is no doubt here the scent that comes from a steak on a grill is simply divine. It is like being in a bubble bath. There is simply no man out there who will not die for one juicy steak. The moment the grill hits the surface, the intense heat produces a magnificent shimmer. Yet, sometimes despite all the backyard pitmasters efforts and hours spent, the end product is just a piece of meat, which can possibly be defined as very good.

To be able to understand how to make not just a great steak but also the greatest, we need to take a moment and understand the science of what makes one steak a great one. The great news is that this science behind how to produce a great steak is as simple as it is beautiful.

Good meat is important for a variety of reasons. Some cuts, like ribeye and New York strip, are usually reserved for special occasions. Others, like flank and inside skirt steak, can be cooked into a variety of fajitas. Regardless of the type of the meat, they all benefit from:

What Do You Eat With Grilled Steak

You can serve sauces to pour over the grilled steak, such as pan sauce, compound butters, chimichurri, or bottled barbecue.

As far as side dishes, it’s nice to have two elements.

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Tips For Grilling The Perfect Steak

• Season, then chill: I apply the same technique I use for getting crispy chicken and turkey skin to grilling this steak: season, then let it chill in the fridge uncovered for up to 48 hours. This essentially dry brines the steak while also letting it air-dry. This approach allows the surface moisture to evaporate while the seasoning has time to penetrate the meat resulting in deeply flavored steak that sears beautifully and develops a nice crust on the grill.
• Start with clean grates: Just like you use a clean skillet with a little oil to cook dinner on the stovetop, you want to start with clean and oiled grill grates.
• To flip or not to flip? Flip your steak to your hearts content. Harold McGee, food science writer and author of On Food and Cooking, discovered that frequent flipping creates a steak that cooks more evenly and quickly than those flipped only once.
• Grilling directly on coals: Raichlen seemingly knows an infinite number of ways to grill meat, and theres one in his new book, Project Fire , that I particularly like: he cooks steak directly on hot coalsno grill grates necessary. I love the idea, and its on my list of things to try in the near future.

Kamado Joe Classic 18

Best Kamado grill

Reasons to avoid

Cooks who love to try new things, and want to expand their repertoire beyond the basics, will love a kamado grill. The best of the bunch is the Kamado Joe Classic 18-inch KJ23RHC. This ceramic baby is heavy and will set you back a big chunk of change, but it will reward you with unparalleled control over the heat.

That way you can cook an artisanal pizza in mere minutes, smoke a pork butt for hours, as well as grill everything in between. What you dont get is a lot of room to load on the burgers so you should expect to cook about 8 to 10 at once.

Instead of briquettes, youll need to stock up on lump hardwood charcoal. It can be hard to find, but it lights easily and burns slowly. Plus unlike other models, this kamado comes with a wheeled stand and has side tables for resting your basting sauce and a cold one. When its time to clean up, all you have to do is slide out the ash drawer and dispose of the ashes. Safely of course.

Reasons to avoid

The Cuisinart Deluxe Four Burner Gas Grill is a great looking grill that offers even heating whether you cook directly over the burners or indirectly with only some of the burners lit. On this model, theres a very unique feature: a glass window that lets you check on your food without lifting the hood and losing precious heat.

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The Warming Rack Matters

If you have ever taken a piece of steak straight off the grill and cut into it, chances are it has had a pink liquid build up. What is left behind is, sadly, a piece of meat, which turned dry. This is because the nature of protein fibers in meat allows them to contract when heated. If you give the steak a rest for about 3 to 5 minutes, the fibers within the meat will loosen and the juices will redistribute. You can do this by removing the meat from the grill and wrapping it in aluminum foil or just moving it to a cooler section of the warming rack. This will keep the meat warm and juicy, without enhancing the interior doneness.

Lower And Control The Temperature Of Your Grill

Now that youve got that perfectly impressive sear, immediately place your steaks on the low heat side of the grill and get the temp down in your grill by closing the dampers.

Here we go one of many reasons why I rave about the Weber Summit Charcoal Grillis its ability to change temperatures faster than most.

After you get the vents and lid closed, we are aiming for 250 degrees, the same low and slow temp whether its beef, chicken, or fish. Once the airflow/oxygen is restricted, the grill temperature will come down, and the meat temperature will come up.

Recommended Reading: Seasoning Steak Overnight

Is It Necessary To Cook The Steaks More After Searing Them

The most important part of reaching the level of doneness you like is the internal temperature. Searing is largely for flavor. If your steak is thicker, it probably wont reach the desired doneness as fast as a thinner one. One thing that helps ensure you dont overcook your steak, is to leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. If raising the internal temperature needs to take longer because the steak was too cold, it will cause the steak to get overcooked.

Searing A Steak: Grilled Outside Juicy Inside

Most pitmasters follow a simple formula when grilling steaks the traditional way, which is called searing. The secret to a mouthwatering steak is in this step. Below are the steps youll want to follow:

• Let your steaks rest for an hour at room temperature. Dab them with a paper towel to make sure theyre not moist at all.
• While your steaks are resting, heat up your pellet grill to at least 350 degrees.
• Season your steaks as desired. Some pitmasters like to add very little to their steaks. Others rub seasonings into the meat before searing.
• Bump up the heat to 500 degrees.
• Place your prepared, rested steaks on the hottest part of your pellet grill. The hottest part is generally going to be at the back of the smoker. When searing on a pellet grill, you want to hear that sizzle of the steak making contact with the heat of the grill.
• Sear each side of the steak for about three minutes.
• Reduce your pellet grill heat to around 350 degrees. Let the steaks cook until they reach your desired internal temperature.
• Remove the steaks from the pellet grill, slather them with about a tablespoon of butter, place them under a foil tent and wait 10 minutes.

What could be more straightforward? Of course, if you want to get fancy, you could also try whats called a reverse sear.

Also Check: Mcdonalds Steak Bagel Sauce Recipe

How Do You Sear A Steak On A Propane Grill

Sear the steak before grilling.

Do this by getting the grill to a temperature between 400 to 450F. Once at this temperature, place the steak on the grill and do not flip it for roughly two minutes.

If you want to get diagonal hatch marks on the steak, rotate it 45 degrees as it cooks on each side.

As we said in the introducion, theres a grill type for everyone in todays review.

The best gas grill for searing steaks was always going to be a Weber. Do you need the Weber Summit S-670 to cook the perfect steak? Not at all. But if you have the wealth, why not splash the cash on something remarkable.

The Weber Genesis II E-315 is a brilliant option under $1000.

However, if you need something under $500, we think the Char-Broil offers the best sear for your steak.

Under $200, you can choose between the MaxKare and the MASTERCOOK depending on whether you want an outright grill or a grill/griddle combo.

Traeger Pro 575 Pellet Grill

Best pellet grill

Reasons to avoid

Traeger Pro 575 Pellet Grill makes the process of smoking pretty much stress free. You add hardwood pellets to a hopper, set a target temperature, and the grill does the rest. It has an electronically-controlled thermostat that works like the one in your indoor oven. The only caveat is that if the temp you want is super-hot to get a steak browned and crusty on the outside and rosy on the inside, you wont be getting it from this grill which tops out at 500°F.

If you want to go about your yard work, or even just loll in a hammock while your ribs are smoking, you can connect the Traeger to an app which will let you know when its time to baste, raise the temp to finish them off, or alert you that theyre ready to serve.

Reasons to avoid

Instead of grates, the Blackstone 36″ Griddle Cooking Station has the kind of large flat cooking surface you see in diners. That gives you room for 28 burgers at once, and means your hot dogs and shrimp wont fall through the slats.

Underneath are four burners that you can set to different temperatures, so you can keep garlic bread warm on low while simultaneously searing some steaks. Just keep in mind that you wont get grill marks, and wont be able to smoke ribs or brisket.

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Should You Grill Steak With The Lid Open Or Closed

To prevent the wind from increasing your steak cooking time , cover the lid. Covering the grill will turn your grill into an oven. The lid traps heat from the grill and allows the heat to surround your food.

When it comes to baking, we all aim for food with a crispy, slightly burnt outside and moist, soft inside. We want that result whether were cooking a thin steak or a thick ribeye. We want it when we roast tender asparagus, and also when we roast hearty potatoes.

However, even though the destination is the same, the journey of liquid food will be different from that of solid food.

When you close the oven lid, you are creating a convection current. That is hot air coming from a heat source . Trapped by the lid and unable to escape. Then it moves around in the cavity youve created.

Therefore, a tight lid helps the meat inside to cook through, just like an oven.

The Ultimate Luxury Pick: Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grill

This grill costs almost as much as a car, Raichlen says, And it takes up a lot of real estate. But when you fire it up, you know youve arrived. A monster hybrid that works with any combination of gas, charcoal, and wood, its a power tool that can tackle any kind of cooking you throw at itand it’s built to last.

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The Advantages Of The Best Gas Grill For Steaks

Cooking time

Charcoal takes longer to preheat than gas ovens. Moreover, the gas grill is just a push of a button or a twist to start the ignition.

Temperature control

You can control the temperature of the grill, it is simpler than monitoring the temperature.

On the other hand, charcoal grills require constant temperature monitoring. Therefore, you are more likely to burn your food in the case of a charcoal grill if you are not an experienced person.

Grilling coal produces ash. Therefore, gas grills are more convenient to clean. But dont forget you also need to clean up the stains caused by oil drips in the case of gas grills.

Camp Chef Woodwind Wifi

The overall best pellet grill for searing in our opinion is the Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi pellet grill and by a pretty wide margin. The design of this grill incorporates all of the features we already touched on, plus some more.

For your searing, the Woodwind comes with an option to include a gas powered sear box that can really crank up the heat. The cast aluminum burner is also strong and durable enough to hold large pots, cast iron skillets, and even small outdoor pizza ovens.

On top of that, the Woodwind series from Camp Chef has a built in sliding heat diffusor plate that you can adjust to expose your fire pot if you want to sear. This allows for you to decide if you want to sear your meat over direct heat flames or cook with indirect heat.

This thing also has a great temperature range of 180-500°F, affording you a ton of versatility, and also comes in a larger model the Woodwind WiFi 36, if you want the extra cooking space.

This grill also comes able to connect to Camp Chefs mobile app where you can control all aspects of your cook wirelessly. Everything from turning your grill on, to monitoring your foods temperature, to setting your smoke levels can be done right there on the app.

Cons

• Price point is a little more expensive than some others on this list

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What Other Characteristics Should We Search In A Grill

Ah, the eternal dispute gas or charcoal. We can spend an eternity here arguing about the merits of the one over the other and in the end, there would still be people that will be entrenched in their own camp! Fortunately, some distinctive features might help us to set one grill above the other, ignoring the preference of fuel source.

Top Tips For Searing On A Grill

Make sure the grill is clean. If youre cooking on a dirty grill, food will stick to it no matter what you do. If it looks like a tough job, an all-natural grill cleaner can help. Then you can use vegetable oil to season the grates.

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Factors To Consider For Grill And Smokers

Meals to be cooked:

Every smoker has its unique speciality on meat or other foods. If you want to cook meat, then an offset smoker is the best model for you. Such models come with two chambers that allow you to adjust temperature properly and find the tastiest meat.

Besides that, wood smokers are ideal for steaks, chops, chicken breast, fish fillets vegetables and items like garlic bread. This is because wood smokers have a grill grate and a high heat source. For cooking burgers and hot dogs and similar stuff then you can pick a gas smoker.

Quality:

Quality of any smoker or griller is an important factor. A good smokers quality lasts for longer and its materials should be robust and durable. Smokers that are resilient have a strong heavy gauge steel. The welds of such smokers are also sturdy and executed well to enable them longer. A real smoker should have insulated handles for heat resistance that prevents injuries.

It should also consist of lids that can seal the cooking chamber well to control temperature. High quality and well-built smokers should have an in-built thermometer to observe the temperature and control it.

Price

Fuel source