Need some help.. I'm not getting THE CRUST! I've been trying all the classics (cast iron, sear over flame, etc.) but it still seems out of reach. I souz vide these New York Strips and then hit them on the green egg as hot as it gets. They were delicious but I want that restaurant crust. Any pros out there have some ideas? Muchas gracias.
by worthyoutdoor
15 Comments
Turn up the heat, yo. And use a high flashpoint oil (you don’t want the burnt wood flavor).
Looks solid. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Sous vide and reverse sear are the most difficult ways to get a crust in my opinion. I guess the main thing is diligently wiping away as much moisture from those steaks every step of the way and high high heat. Good luck
Damn, that looks perfect!
The pepper is stopping you from achieving the crust you are looking for. Season just with salt. While the steaks are resting hit it with pepper and flake salt.
Try heating up a cast iron and some tallow or butter/oil combo
If you see it smoking a bit it’s ready to rip!!!!
Looks fantastic 🙂
One thing I’m going to be trying out soon, is cooking a cast pan next to my steak, one burner on high, others on low for the steaks, cook em normally then toss em in the pan for a sear
I can’t ever get the crust either just on a normal cook, but I can cook them perfect med-rare
I told my wife that I’d eat it.
Looks like you’re finishing on a grill instead of cast iron. Night and day
I was just innocently scrolling, and now I’m hungryyyyyy
Doesnt look like youre far off from achieving a perfect crust. SV will bring out moisture in the steak. Be sure youre patting it dry before trying for a crust. Heat is your friend. Basting works magic as far as flavor and crust, you want frothy butter medium-ish high heat. As far as a grill goes you want open flames not just a hot grill and some type of fat on the steaks to attract that flame
Make sure the steak is dry before trying to sear it. Personally, I avoid a super hot grill or cast iron and get a sear the long way. Applying even pressure on top of the steak helps too.
On a cast iron, make sure you pat the exterior dry as well. It promotes more contact with the pan, I usually flip when it loosens itself from the pan.
Looks good. From the first photo it looks as though the meat has been sliced with the grain. If it is cut across the grain it would be more tender.
You want the outside a lot drier before you sear. Wrap it in paper towels for a good bit amd leave it uncovered in the fridge. You’ll quickly see how much moisture you had before preventing a sold crust. The SV is adding to the moisture on the surface of the steak.
I also use a bit of cut off fat in the pan or rubbed against the grill.
The best crusts I’ve ever had on steaks was when I would grab a frozen new york strip, run it under enough warm water to get the surface thawed enough to take some seasonings and then toss it into a Forman grill.
Laugh all you want, but the results were great, and being able to sit down to a steak dinner in under 20 minutes after pulling frozen steaks out of the freezer was great.
I’ve tried a variety of other methods, but that one was very consistently good with minimal effort.