90 seconds x 2 on each side on the Big Green Egg at 550° direct with the vents open. Why the gray band?
by jcw795
9 Comments
DiscountDog
Physics
thelastmeheecorn
Chris young’s test show you need to flip every 30 seconds to eliminate the gray band. however, the well done gray band adds a lot of flavors. Ive done cooks with zero gray band (not on bge i dont have one i just like the content here) and those well done roasty flavors, even if its just a few mm of them, go a long way.
oscarq0727
Not an expert here so you might want to wait for other people to comment but my guess is that the temp being that high cooked the outer surface to a high level of doneness, but the steak was only on the grill a short time on each side so the heat didn’t penetrate very far. When the heat is lower, the meat cooks more gradually and, if left enough time, it’ll reach deep into the steak before the outside is gray/brown. The zones of doneness are gradual. With yours the meat cooks quickly but the heat doesn’t penetrate fast enough, so the zones transition abruptly.
Accomplished-Cod-563
What color are you not liking? Were you hoping for more sear less done inside?
coyote_of_the_month
That looks to me like an absolutely perfect medium-rare, leaning toward the rarer side.
Semper_Right
My amateur opinion, but perhaps you should have let the meat get to room temperature first? That way, the heat gets into a thicker cut of meat without it looking too rare. I am a rare/medium rare type of guy, but if you start with a colder piece of meat, especially a thicker cut of meat,, it’s going to be on the rare side.
cannedshrimp
Is this a reverse sear or did you go raw meat to 550 direct? Gray band is typically cased by a high temp gradient between the internal temp and the external heat source. Not surprising when going direct at a high temp.
If you want to get rid of it you could do a reverse sear by smoking at 250 to until 115 internal for med rare and then sear direct for less time or sear on case iron.
christador
The heat was either not high enough or it was too high. Or it could have been just right and the steak was on there for slightly too long. I shoot for a higher temp and shorter sear time. Someone else mentioned reverse sear and I’m a fan. As long as it doesn’t get ‘too’ smokey, it’s great for getting it to the right internal temp and then blasting it to finish it off. I’m not super fussy, but my preference is medium-rare. If I want a really good sear, I break out my cast iron, heat it on medium-high (leaning towards high), and that always gets it right.
All of that said, it looks delicious!
ShadowDV
total 3 minutes per side when the grate temp likely far higher than than 550 AND sounds like you have the lid closed… going to happen. Sear with the lid open, then the side on top isn’t still baking from the ambient heat above it. Each side is getting 3 minutes of searing plus 3 minutes of high temp baking.
9 Comments
Physics
Chris young’s test show you need to flip every 30 seconds to eliminate the gray band. however, the well done gray band adds a lot of flavors. Ive done cooks with zero gray band (not on bge i dont have one i just like the content here) and those well done roasty flavors, even if its just a few mm of them, go a long way.
Not an expert here so you might want to wait for other people to comment but my guess is that the temp being that high cooked the outer surface to a high level of doneness, but the steak was only on the grill a short time on each side so the heat didn’t penetrate very far. When the heat is lower, the meat cooks more gradually and, if left enough time, it’ll reach deep into the steak before the outside is gray/brown. The zones of doneness are gradual. With yours the meat cooks quickly but the heat doesn’t penetrate fast enough, so the zones transition abruptly.
What color are you not liking? Were you hoping for more sear less done inside?
That looks to me like an absolutely perfect medium-rare, leaning toward the rarer side.
My amateur opinion, but perhaps you should have let the meat get to room temperature first? That way, the heat gets into a thicker cut of meat without it looking too rare. I am a rare/medium rare type of guy, but if you start with a colder piece of meat, especially a thicker cut of meat,, it’s going to be on the rare side.
Is this a reverse sear or did you go raw meat to 550 direct? Gray band is typically cased by a high temp gradient between the internal temp and the external heat source. Not surprising when going direct at a high temp.
If you want to get rid of it you could do a reverse sear by smoking at 250 to until 115 internal for med rare and then sear direct for less time or sear on case iron.
The heat was either not high enough or it was too high. Or it could have been just right and the steak was on there for slightly too long. I shoot for a higher temp and shorter sear time. Someone else mentioned reverse sear and I’m a fan. As long as it doesn’t get ‘too’ smokey, it’s great for getting it to the right internal temp and then blasting it to finish it off. I’m not super fussy, but my preference is medium-rare. If I want a really good sear, I break out my cast iron, heat it on medium-high (leaning towards high), and that always gets it right.
All of that said, it looks delicious!
total 3 minutes per side when the grate temp likely far higher than than 550 AND sounds like you have the lid closed… going to happen. Sear with the lid open, then the side on top isn’t still baking from the ambient heat above it. Each side is getting 3 minutes of searing plus 3 minutes of high temp baking.