I must admit, I haven’t felt this defeated in a long time. I recently attempted reverse searing on my brand new Weber 22-inch grill, and let me tell you, I was a complete novice. I hope my next cooking attempt turns out better. It was definitely a matter of me. Managing the temperatures and being new to charcoal didn’t help matters, but surprisingly, it was strangely enjoyable until the steaks came out overcooked. I left them on the grill and seared them too late. Additionally, I was struggling to maintain a temperature of under 300 degrees Fahrenheit for the first half an hour.
by Main-Earth1434
8 Comments
Hey dude, first reverse sear on a Weber kettle had me cursing too, overcooked mine bad by searing late. Bank fewer coals to one side for indirect, toss in a water pan to hold under 300F easy. Pull steaks at 115-120°F internal, rest 10 mins, then crank heat for sear. Practice makes perfect!
It happens, and you learn. That’s part of the grilling journey. It won’t take long for you to get a process down that works for you. Keep grilling.
Always had better results with hot and cool zones, sear first then transfer to the cool zone. Check temps and bring to your desired doneness.
Practice on chicken or wings or something cheap. You’ll get it after a few tries, Weber grills are awesome and that one will probably last you a lifetime.
Guys, I just noticed that I accidentally double posted. I apologize about that. Lots of good info here and I thank you guys.
Enjoy it dude! This is how we all learn, none of us had a perfect first cook. Like you said, it’s enjoyable to do. You’ll mess up food here and there and yes it sucks sometimes but it’s part of the fun. It’ll make it taste that much better when you nail it. I’d recommend getting an instant read meat thermometer as well, very helpful
I greatly enjoy the charcoal grilling experience. It gives me time to myself without my wife getting upset that I’m in the backyard playing with fire and drinking a beer. It helps that the more you do this, the better you get at your cooks. I still mess something up on occasion, especially if I have too many beers. Don’t give up, but if you do then send me that beautiful grill.
Hey my man, it took me a long time to dial in my technique when switching over to charcoal but its sooo worth it. Especially for smoking, check out the snake method once you’re more comfortable… but I’m getting off track. Don’t mess around with reverse searing. Best thing you can do for a nice crust is to dry brine ’em. Coat them babies GENEROUSLY with coarse kosher salt and throw them in the fridge on a wire rack (on a pan or something to catch any juice) 2-3 days before the cook, but at least 24 hours. Pull them from this fridge an hour or so before the cook, so they get up to room temperature coat very lightly in olive oil or avocado oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or meat church if you prefer. Get all the charcoal on one side for two zone cooking and get those coals HOT. Sear them 2 minutes on each side. You can rotate them 90° half way through if you want criss-cross grill marks but I don’t bother anymore. BUT, when I go to flip them, I first set them on the cool side of the grill for a minute or so to give the grates above the coals time to get searing hot. When you’re done with the sear, throw them on the cool side, put the lid on, and keep that temperature around 400 till they’re done to your liking, flipping once halfway through. Cheers!