Should You Traditionally Sear Or Reverse Sear When Grilling Steak On A Pellet Grill
Which type of searing will net you the best results? Honestly, theres no clear-cut winner between traditional and reverse searing except for you and your hungry guests.
Now that you know how to cook steak on a pellet grill, you have no excuse not to pick up some ribeyes, T-bones or sirloins for dinner tonight. Perfect isnt always possible when it comes to grilling steaks, particularly on a pellet grill. But when youre cooking on a Grilla, youre on your way.
What Is A Medium Rare Steak
MEDIUM RARE A truly seared steak. A medium rare steak is the recommended doneness to taste the natural flavor of the meat. Its usually how meat connoisseurs and chefs like to eat it.
- Internal Temperature: 130-135
- Grill Time: ~3.5 minutes per side
- Center Color: Pink with thin brown stripes on top and bottom.
- Center Temperature: Room Temperature
How Long Does It Take To Cook A Steak On A Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Preheat your Pit Boss Pellet Grill to 250°F then close the lid 10-15 minutes. As the grill is preheating to the perfect temperature, spice the steaks with the Chop House steak rub. Lay the steaks on the grill for roughly 60 minutes or until the steaks reach an internal temperature of 105 to 110 degrees F.
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Six Internal Steak Temperature
Before you start searing, or take the meat out of the pellet grill, it is vitally important to know the EXACT internal temperature of the meat to ensure that it will be cooked to your liking.
Always use a good instant read thermometer when cooking steaks on a pellet grill.
FINAL Target Temperatures of your Pellet Grill Steaks
Rare: 125 Medium Rare: 130 135 Medium 140 145 Medium Well Done 150 Well Done 160
For the perfect steak, allow it to rest, UNCOVERED! for at least 5 minutes and understand it may rise another 5 degrees F internal temperature after you remove it from the grill.
Some Pro TIPS for Resting Steaks:
- Do not stack your steaks on top of each other as the ones on the bottom will overcook from the ambient heat of the other steaks.
- Do not cover or tent them with aluminum foil.
- They will continue to overcook if you do.
- Place them on a large platter, spread apart as much as possible, and allow them to rest.
The Best Cuts Of Meat To Cook On Your Pellet Grill
Steak from the strip loin is a great cut of meat to cook on a pellet grill. The whole strip loin can be harvested from a cow, and it includes part of the back bone, which means that steaks cut from this area have great marbling.
The entire top loin section also provides many different types of steaks for you to enjoy. The most popular types of steaks include porterhouse, T-Bone and New York Strip Steaks.
These types of steak are leaner than other cuts such as ribeye or tenderloin, but they still have excellent flavor when cooked right!
To get the best taste possible when cooking your strip loin steak on a pellet grill we recommend cooking your steak to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare or 160 degrees Fahrenheit for medium.
You can also use a touch test to determine when your steak is ready. To perform the touch test, lightly press on the center part of the steak with your index finger and thumb. If it feels soft, its not done yet.
If there is no resistance when pressing down then its ready! This method works great when cooking thicker cuts of steak such as porterhouse or ribeye steaks.
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Cooking Steak On A Pellet Grill
When you cook steak on a pellet grill, you have the best of both worlds. You can grill steak in a hurry using the direct heat method. Or, you can use the oven capabilities of the pellet grill to do the increasingly-popular reverse sear method. With this method, your steak will get a nice dose of wood smoke while it cooks.
Direct heat method : To grill over direct heat, set the grill to high, close the lid, and allow it to preheat for 15 minutes. Place the steaks on the grill grate and cook for approximately 3.5 minutes per side until the internal temperature of the steak is 135 degrees Fahrenheit .
Reverse-sear method : To do the reverse-sear method, set your grill to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, close the lid, and preheat for 15 minutes. Put the steaks on for 60 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take the steaks off the grill, then set the temperature of the grill to high. Allow it to preheat with the lid closed for about 10 minutes, and put the steaks back on the grill. They’ll sizzle and brown, getting that terrific Maillard reaction aroma and color. Cook for approximately 4 minutes per side to allow the sear to form, and to get the internal temperature of the steak to 135 degrees Fahrenheit . See all of Traeger’s steak recipes for more ideas on how to cook a steak on a pellet grill.
How To Do A Reverse Sear On A Pellet Grill
1) For this method you turn the burners down to 150F and place your food over indirect heat. Cover the grill and let it cook slowly.
2) After around 30 minutes you can start checking for doneness with your remote thermometer probe .
For 1 thick steak, medium rare will be somewhere between 138F 145F. Adjust the temp accordingly if you want to change that range.
Youll know its done when the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 130F , or 135F .
3) When close to target temperature, place steaks over direct heat over high flame for about 90 seconds per side or until nicely charred on both sides. Flip them frequently to avoid flare-ups.
4) Remove steaks from grill, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Should You Marinate Steaks
Its not required to marinate a steak. But most cuts of beef can benefit from the marinating process.
A good marinade will add make the steak more flavorful. Plus a good marinate can help tenderize the meat if you have a tough cut.
I recommend marinating your steak for a minimum of one hour and no more than 24 hours.
How Long Do You Cook A Steak At 400 Degrees
Stovetop: Sear your 1 inch cast iron steak for 3 minutes on each side. Then baste with steak renderings for another 3-5 minutes. Oven: Sear both sides of a 1-inch steak until well browned then finish the ribeye steak in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a medium-well steak.
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Moisture Is The Enemy
The Maillard reaction gives grilled steak its irresistible aroma.
That’s why we cook it over fire rather than boiling it something that’s boiling in water can never get over 212 degrees Fahrenheit, because that’s the highest possible temperature of the water.
But some people do effectively boil their steaks on the grill by throwing them on when the surface of the meat is moist with condensation or a marinade.
GRILLING WET STEAK IS LIKE STARTING A RACE GOING UPHILL.
Grilling wet steak is like starting a race going uphill. Your grill can’t cook your steak until it first evaporates the water which takes a lot of energy. Your steak can’t get past the 212 Fahrenheit marker and toward Maillard levels, until all that water is gone. Meanwhile, the internal temperature of the steak is rising because of the ambient heat around it.
You can end up with the worst of both worlds no browning on the surface of the steak, and overcooked meat within it.
Here are a few ways to banish moisture from your steak:
Pellet Grill Steaks Final Thoughts
I hope this guide to pellet grill steaks has you excited to go pick up some beef from the store! Steak is a classic grilled food and the pellet grill is a perfect cooker to prepare it on.
Weve dedicated an entire article to picking out the best pellet grills for searing that you can check out if you want to make sure your cooker is capable of delivering beautiful sear marks.
Did you try out the reverse sear? How did it go? Whats your favorite type of wood pellets for grilling steaks? Wed love to hear your feedback in the comments section below.
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Pellets Grill Steaks The Reverse Sear Vs The Sear Over Coals
Pellet grills are an amazing cooking tools. They come with many advantages over the traditional gas and charcoal grill, especially for people who love to cook steak. Lets have a look why that is so.
First of all, pellet grills give you more control over various techniques that give perfect results when it comes to cooking steak.
Were going to show you how to use 2 of the most effective ones: The Reverse Sear and The Sear Over Coals . One or both will yield excellent results in your steaks every time.
Lets start with a bit of theory about the differences between traditional grilling and pellet grilling regarding steaks
Prepping Up The Steak For The Grill
Now that youre all geared up, lets move to the meat. It is important to make sure that the meat you intend to cook is of high quality. Otherwise, you will not be able to achieve a good steak no matter the equipment.
The rib eye seems to be the king when it comes to steaks and is clearly the most popular cut. But there are basically 8 beef prime cuts you can choose from. Most of the people tend to enjoy the T-bone, strip steak, sirloin steak and, of course, our favorite rib eye.
Once youre done deciding the type of cut youd like, decide if youd like a rare or well-done steak. A steak that has a thickness of at least 1 inch would be a perfect fit if you prefer your steaks to be rare. Youll fail to get that crusty exterior and nice red center with a steak that is thinner than an inch. For a medium-rare, you should go for a steak that is somewhere between 1.5 to 2 inches thick.
Its always a good idea to touch and feel your steak through the packaging before you buy it. This way you can find out if there is some solid marbling and avoid ending up with a steak that is too tough.
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Pellet Smoker Grill Cooking: A Lot Of Science Mixed With Art
How long do you cook chicken legs on a grill? At what temperature should you low-and-slow cook a large beef brisket slab? These are some of the countless questions that people new to the art of working with pellet smoker cooking and cooking times have.
The answer is that there can be a lot of variety to the time it takes to finish the perfect spatchcocked turkey or pork tenderloin. Still, as the chart below shows, the internal temperature needs to hit a certain point before you can say Come and get it! to your guests!
Although it might seem strange to modern cooks, when it came to cooking, humans spent most of their culinary time throughout history playing the guesswork game. Whether they were working over an open pit or making food in a wood stove oven, they had to use their best judgment when it came to doneness.
Thankfully, now we have equipment and tools to help us ensure all our meats, poultry and seafood are properly prepared. However, as pitmasters know, some of that ancient intuition can come in handy.
Over time, you will definitely get to know the way certain cuts of beef or pork look, respond, smell and feel when they are thoroughly and safely cooked. You should still use a high-quality thermometer, of course. That way, you are using both your grilling skills and trustworthy implements to whip up masterful creations.
Four Planning The Cook Depending On The Thickness Of Your Steaks
Depending on the thickness of your steaks, you are going to cook them a little differently.
If your steaks are thin, meaning less than an inch thick, you will be able to sear them hot and fast over that high direct heat until the inside comes up to your desired temperature.
If you are cooking thick steaks, like filet mignon, which many times can be 1.5-2 inches thick or more, you will want to first sear the outside over high direct heat until the outside is cooked to your satisfaction, usually 2-3 minutes per side.
The inside of the steak is likely still too underdone to enjoy so you will want to move them to a lower indirect area on a higher grill grate, or usually where they can continue to cook and gradually come up to temperature without the outsides of the steaks burning.
So you will want to make sure you have set up your grill to have a direct cooking area as well as an indirect cooking area before throwing the steaks on.
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Should You Sear A Steak Before Grilling
Searing meat doesnt create an impermeable barrier that prevents the release of natural juices when cooking or slicing a steak or other cut of meat. But that doesnt mean you should abandon searing altogether. You should always consider searing steaks before grilling, baking, braising, roasting, or sautéeing.
Some Final Tips To Cook Steak On A Pellet Grill
Make sure to keep these golden tips in mind when grilling.
Set your grill to the smoke setting when preheating your pellet grill. Let the lid stay open so you can monitor the flame. As soon as is begins to smoke up, close the lid for 10 minutes. Now youre ready to sear.
Weve said it before but will mention it again just to stress on it. It is important as otherwise, youll end up with a dry exterior and cold interior. The outsides tend to cook faster and you wont like a steak thats cold inside.
Avoid rubs that have high salt content. The moisture is drawn out due to abundance of salt. If youre looking for a gorgeous char, try sugar as it will caramelize the exterior.
Use butter or spirits to grease your steaks.
Be patient with your steak and let it spend some time on the grill. The key to great flavor is to not flip it often. If you keep flipping it, youll end up with a raw center and dry steak.
Once youre finished cooking your steaks, let it rest for 10 minutes at least. Dont cut it up too early. This will lock the flavorful juices properly throughout each strip.
So, go ahead and fire up the grill. Invite your mates and enjoy a mouthwatering steak. After all, you now have all the tricks on how to cook steak on a pellet grill to perfection.
- Made with all natural herbs
- Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend
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Can I Put Marinade On My Steak When Cooking On A Pellet Grill
Traditionally, marinades contain oils and other liquids which may cause flareups when using a pellet smoker. If you do decide to use a sauce or spray it on the meat before placing it into the grill then make sure that all your sauces are sugar free and runny.
We recommend slowing basting your meat during the last few minutes of cooking time if you want to add moisture back into your steak.
Remove From Fridge Let Steak Get To Room Temperature
So you normally dont want to cook a steak straight out of the fridge you want to get it up to room temperature so that it doesnt take as long to actually start cooking.
Its just a little bit harder to get a crust on the outside and the proper cook on the inside if you starting at a lower temperature stop.
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Use The Meat Probes Or Thermometer
Most people will find it easier to use an instant-read handheld thermometer to check the doneness.
They are very easy to read and can be purchased anywhere.
Dont have a thermometer or maybe you want to use a different method to test your steak?
The other day, I cooked some steaks on the grill and couldnt find my thermometer. I came across this video that teaches you how to use the hand firmness test.
Its a one-minute-long video and it can save you from overcooking or undercooking your next steak.
What Is The Best Wood For Cooking Steak On Pellet Grill
Wood Pellet comes in various flavors, and this will go a long way in affecting the outcome of whatever is grilled with it, especially your steak. Here are some of the best-flavored wood pellets for a steak that you can choose from.
- Mesquite
- Hickory
- Oak
Mesquite and hickory produce a prominent flavor on the steak. Mesquite has more potent smoke than hickory. Because of the beefy nature and strong cut of steak, it can hold up nicely to strong smoke flavor, and this also helps to cook the meat.
If you want to spice things up, then you have Pecan at your service. It is less smoky compared to mesquite and hickory, therefore less appreciated for grilling and smoking. It has this vanilla and nutty finish that just made the steak flavor awesomely complex.
Some people have also testified to using oak wood pellets for their steak and complimented the medium smoky result you can give it a try as well.
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