Grill School - How to Reverse Sear Steak

In grilling, there can be very many intimidating terms that can scare people away.  Internal temperature, direct/indirect grilling and smoking are just a few.  Well, we would like to put your mind at ease with some of them.  One that we get asked about constantly is the reverse sear method of grilling steaks.  If you do not know what it is, let me break it down for you.  It is nothing more than cooking a steak’s insides before the outside.  Yes, the old school way of thinking was to sear the outside first to seal the juices in, but that is no longer the preferred method to cook a thicker steak.  By cooking indirect first, you are ensuring the same level of doneness from one edge of the steak to the other.  If executed properly, you will wind up with a steak that is one uniform pink color from edge to edge and top to bottom.  The outside should have a great caramelization and char on it.  

The result of reverse searing a steak is a steak that is tender and even tasting throughout the entire piece of meat. The first bite will be as tender and flavorful as the last.  If you like your steak more well done or less cooked, you can adjust the temperature accordingly.  Please refer to the chart below for your desired doneness and final temperature.  I hope this was helpful to you and that you get out there and reverse sear yourself some beautiful and delicious steaks this weekend! 

RECIPE TYPE- Beef- Steak

SKILL LEVEL- Beginner

GRILL TIME- 30 Minutes

METHOD- Grilling

INGREDIENTS:

FOGO Premium Charcoal- The First Ingredient

Charcoal Grill- We used the FOGO M-Grills M16 Grill

2 Steaks, 1 ½” thick or more

Kosher Salt

Course Ground Black Pepper

Garlic Powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season both sides of your steaks liberally with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Allow them to sit seasoned for at least 20 minutes before putting them on the grill, longer if possible.
2.  Prepare your grill for 2 Zone Cooking at 250°.  This means having both direct and indirect heat.  You can accomplish this by banking all your FOGO Charcoal to one side of the grill and lighting it or by using a deflector if your grill has one.
3. Place the steaks on the indirect side of the grill (no direct flames or heat).  Close the lid and let the steaks cook until they reach an internal temperature of 125° for medium/medium rare.  (We use a Meater Wireless Thermometer to monitor the temp.)   Once they reach the desired temp, remove from the grill, and rest them while allowing the direct side of the grill to heat up.  You’ll want a hot fire for this so be patient while the temperature builds.
4. Place the steaks back on the grill on the direct side so the hot coals are directly below the steaks.  Allow the steaks to sear for 1 ½ -2 minutes, then flip.  Allow the second side to sear for the same amount of time and remove from the grill to your cutting board.
5. Slice the steaks across the grain and admire your grilling skills!  It should be pink from edge to edge and have a good crust on the outside.