alternative to the sear & blast steak method

When cooking a steak indoors, I've often gone for the "sear & blast" method on a cast iron skillet:

Heat the cast iron in a pre-heating oven set to 500. When preheated, move the pan to the stovetop over high heat and sear the well-seasoned steak quickly on both sides. Return to the oven and cook to desired doneness. With pre-heating taken out of the equasion, the cooking process takes little to no time.

America's Test Kitchen recently piqued my interest with an alternative to this method. They took a thick strip steak, patted completely dry, and put it in a medium-low oven (275) for about 20 minutes (until the interior temperature warmed to just below 100 degrees) and then finishing with a sear on the stovetop. They describe this method as almost simulating the dry-aging process:

Meat contains active enzymes called cathepsins, which break down connective tissues over time, increasing tenderness (a fact that is demonstrated to great effect in dry-aged meat). As temperature rises, these enzymes work faster and faster, until they reach 122 degrees, where all action stops. While our steaks are slowly heating up, the cathepsins are working overtime (in effect “aging” and tenderizing our steaks within half an hour). When steaks are cooked by conventional methods, their final temperature
is reached much more rapidly, denying the cathepsins the time they need to properly do their job

I doubt that this process can simulate the the flavors of dry-aging, but it's a technique that I was completely unfamiliar with until now, and I intend on giving it a try the next time I buy a steak.

Full recipe here, free registration required
Food science behind the recipe here

Has anyone used this technique and chosen it as their primary method for indoor steak cookery?

Best,
Michael

I've read about this in a lot of other places as well. Specifically remember Alton Brown talking about this on one of his shows. As preheating and searing with such a hot pan in my condo sets the fire alarms a-blazin' - I've pretty much reserved hard searing to my grill. I'm anxious to see how well this works. Will give it a shot this weekend for sure.

Another alternative is the sous vide meathod. Video from Wall St. Journal here (there is also an article posted somewhere around here that goes woth this). http://online.wsj.com/video/sous-vide-c ... F1F6E.html

Upside: No so many problems with overheating and setting off fire alarms.

Downside: You do need a blowtorch and sous vide cooking stuff.

Tom Collicchio has long been opposed to the sear and blast method, and prefers instead to cook his steaks over medium/ medium low heat, turning them very frequently to get more even cooking. I tend to agree with him, though a good steak is a good steak, and I think people should cook it the way that works best in their kitchen. You really can't screw up a good piece of beef unless you overcook it.

Wheattoast wrote:I've read about this in a lot of other places as well. Specifically remember Alton Brown talking about this on one of his shows. As preheating and searing with such a hot pan in my condo sets the fire alarms a-blazin' - I've pretty much reserved hard searing to my grill. I'm anxious to see how well this works. Will give it a shot this weekend for sure.

I still think this ATK method produces a lot of smoke in the final sear. It's "warm & sear" as opposed to "sear & blast".

Wheattoast wrote:I've read about this in a lot of other places as well. Specifically remember Alton Brown talking about this on one of his shows.

I remember that episode as being the one where he debunked the whole sear-to-seal-in-the-juices method as bunk by weighing two steaks both before and after cooking to determine the percentage loss of moisture between the two methods. I don't remember the exact amount, but I think there was a significant difference in favor of the cooler, gentler method. I haven't yet tried cooking this way because I prefer my steaks cooked over charcoal.

I remember that Good Eats episode pretty well. He advocated the low heat cook, then sear explaining that it would keep more of the meat at the target medium rare temperature. The sear and blast method produces a steak that was very well done on the outside graduating to a small portion in the middle at the target temp. It seemed to make sense to me. I haven't tried it as I'm one to get the grill flaming to 700+ degrees.

With regard to the smoke detector problem, a simple solution is to put a plastic baggie over the detector, securing it at the top with a rubber band. We figured this out when installing a new furnace/AC in the condo, with quite a bit of torch-brazing of copper piping being done literally right under the hard-wired detector which sets off the building fire alarms - to say nothing of bringing the fire department.

Then - sear away!

Just don't forget to take the baggie off after the smoke clears.

Better than that - ventilate well (we sometimes set up a stand fan by an open window for that purpose as our micro-hood is a joke) and call the alarm company to tell them you'll be generating some smoke and for how long, so they can shut off the emergency response to your smoke alarm (keep in mind, this means YOU have to call 911 if something goes wrong.)

While baggie-ing the smoke detector may work, you don't want to be charged for a false alarm (in Evanston, you're charged after the 3rd false alarm, and the amount you're charged increases with the number of false alarms) and you probably don't need the extra carbon in your lungs, even if you eventually plan for some to land in your stomach.

eatchicago wrote:America's Test Kitchen recently piqued my interest with an alternative to this method. They took a thick strip steak, patted completely dry, and put it in a medium-low oven (275) for about 20 minutes (until the interior temperature warmed to just below 100 degrees) and then finishing with a sear on the stovetop.

What type of "cooking vessel" do you put it in for the oven - the same cast-iron skillet you're gonna sear it on later? Or do you have to "warm" it in one skillet, then heat another on the stovetop for the sear?

Jay K wrote:

eatchicago wrote:America's Test Kitchen recently piqued my interest with an alternative to this method. They took a thick strip steak, patted completely dry, and put it in a medium-low oven (275) for about 20 minutes (until the interior temperature warmed to just below 100 degrees) and then finishing with a sear on the stovetop.

What type of "cooking vessel" do you put it in for the oven - the same cast-iron skillet you're gonna sear it on later? Or do you have to "warm" it in one skillet, then heat another on the stovetop for the sear?

On the show, they just put it on a baking sheet, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't use the same pan throughout the process.

stevez wrote:I remember that episode as being the one where he debunked the whole sear-to-seal-in-the-juices method as bunk

Previously debunked by the Great McGee:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Curiou ... 0020098010

Heston Blumenthal takes this low heat steak cookery to an extreme. He asks his readers to first quickly blowtorch their steaks with a powerful flame and then warm it in the oven for 30 hours. He also cites the dry aging qualities derived from the enzymatic reactions.

trixie-pea wrote:Heston Blumenthal takes this low heat steak cookery to an extreme. He asks his readers to first quickly blowtorch their steaks with a powerful flame and then warm it in the oven for 30 hours

I have the utmost respect for Chef Blumenthal, but I often feel like he's trying to win the award for "most unreasonable recipe". I think I'll try the ATK 20-minute method.

eatchicago wrote:I have the utmost respect for Chef Blumenthal, but I often feel like he's trying to win the award for "most unreasonable recipe".

Agreed. I've only tried one of his recipes from In Search of Perfection--the spaghetti bolognese--and *boom*, 11 hours later - I had a sauce that was charcterized by my guests as "tasty, but odd", "pretty good, but not bolognese", "would be good for something..."

I also did a traditional bolognese at the same time, which proved to be far more satisfying.

MikeLM wrote:With regard to the smoke detector problem, a simple solution is to put a plastic baggie over the detector, securing it at the top with a rubber band.

I never thought of that actually - pretty good idea. Although my ceilings are very high and it would require getting out a step-ladder each time. I try to do my searing year-round on the grill in a cast iron pan. I can get my big green egg up above 800 degrees if i need it. Sometimes it just feels like a pain getting the fire all set up just for a sear.

For a quick sear, rather than an official kitchen torch, anyone ever use a MAP-gas torch (the kind used for soldering copper pipe, etc) ? I have one i use to start my grill with but wonder if that woudl impart bad flavors or be too powerful or something.

I haven't seen the ATK episode on this topic, but it sounds something like the examination of stove-top pork chop cooking in a Cook's Illustrated issue sometime in the last year or so. The idea was to start with a cool pan and heat up slowly, so as not to tighten up and toughen up the external fibers before the inside has had a chance to cook. I've never been big on pork chops (being Firmly Opposed to Dryness in Foods), but following the slow warming approach, I made the most enjoyable pork chops I've ever had.

(Edited to add: I suppose the two things aren't the same down on the molecular level; just meant to comment on the superiority of the low, slow method to the high heat method for both steak and pork.)

eatchicago wrote:Has anyone used this technique and chosen it as their primary method for indoor steak cookery

Michael,

Cook's Illustrated recently had a similar method for rack of lamb. Make a two stage fire, cook rack of lamb most of the way through on the cool section of the grill and finish over coals for browning/crust. They stressed the fact that this method reduces flare-up from dripping lamb fat, but seems a similar procedure to the what your describe.

My typical method is to start with a sear, be it stove top or over the hot part of a two stage fire, then finish in the oven or cooler part of the grill. It works for my taste, but I am most certainly going to try both the CI lamb method and the low cook/sear method for steaks.

Enjoy,
Gary

Motivated by this thread, the wife bought two prime ribeyes from Paulina Market last night to experiment with this method. While unfortunately the steaks were barely an inch thick on their tip-toes (not ideal candidates for this cooking method), I must say that the results were encouraging. We roasted the patted-dry steaks at 275 for about 19 minutes, then seared them in a smoking hot pan for about a minute on each side. The results (sorry no pics): nicely crusted, just over medium rare, cooked evenly throughout

I can say that Paulina steaks are generally pretty good, and this was one of the beefier ones I've had, with the cap having a subtle gaminess typically reserved for dry-aged steaks. Now, I didn't cook a steak simultaneously using the sear-and-blast method, so I can't speak to any added pseudo-aging flavor enhancement, but the end result was at least as good as our normally prepared sear-and-blast steaks.

One advantage (as was pondered aloud upthread) was the amount of smoke created during the searing process. At least in this singular instance, the time required to create a nice crust seemed less with the already-warmed steak than I recall it taking with a room-temperature steak using the sear-and-blast method. This resulted in significantly less smoke in the kitchen.

The overall experience of cooking the steak was also more relaxing. Knowing that the warming of the steak gave me at least 15 minutes of free time, since at that low temperature it wasn't going to be overcooked, I was free to do other "prep work" (read as: cocktails anyone?). There was also much less stress in taking an already warmed steak and searing for a minute on each side than there typically is in the sear-and-blast method where I always feel more necessity to pay constant attention to the cooking meat, to be sure it doesn't extend beyond the desired doneness.

All in all, I was perfectly happy with the result and look forward to trying it again with a thicker cut. I'll be interested to hear other people's thoughts.

I haven't tried the roast than sear method but do the reverse in a cast iron pan and have solved the smoke problem. Awhile ago one of the LTH threads stated to put a small amount of olive oil on the meat rather than in the pan and this would hold down the smoke. Considering that cast iron has been my choice since we live in an apartment, and most important our smoke detectors are wired into the building and the fire department comes if the smoke gets into the hall I thought I would try this. I salt and pepper the meat, pour a little oil on and rub around. Before starting I turn on the fan on my micro which is above the pan (I don't think this does much good but do it anyway), heat the pan add the meat sear on both sides and finish in the oven. No problem with the smoke detector alarm.
Paulette

I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but this is pretty much the same method I use on my grill with both chicken wings and thighs. Cook slow around 275-300 until firm then get it hot for a quick sear. The thighs and wings come out great like this.

OK. I finally tried it, and I'm sold.

Tonight was Cookie's birthday dinner and her favorite food is steak, specifically ribeye (or hangar steak, or skirt steak, you get the idea).

I followed the ATK method to a T. I bought a standard 1-lb. choice boneless ribeye. I cut it in half and tied the halves to uniform size (resembling filet mignon), patted dry and seasoned liberally.

They spent 25 minutes in a 275 oven on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. They arrived at about 97 degrees.

A quick sear on all sides in very hot vegetable oil (edges included) brought them to a beautiful char. After a 10 minute rest, I removed the string and served them with a red wine reduction, hash browns, and steamed carrots.

The steak was the best I've ever made, easily. The crust was perfect. The interior was tender, cooked to a perfect temperature, and had a heightened flavor that I have never achieved using sear-and-blast. The assertion that this is a faux-dry-aging process is not entirely inaccurate.

Wheattoast, if you're concerned about smoke, I would say that this is not the solution. The searing process at the end produced as much, if not more, smoke as any other method.

Needless to say, when cooking steaks indoors, this will be my default method. Simply delicious.

Best,
Michael

This recipe/method has piqued my interest. I'll be trying it out tomorrow night with some ribeye's i got from costco. I'll be sure to let you know how mine turned out! Thanks for sharing!

I've used this method at least half a dozen times recently to cook steaks and it's always given great results. Even when I left the pan in the oven too long and got steaks done well, they were still moist, which was new for me. I prefer medium rare, so depending on how thick the steaks are and how close they are to room temperature at the start, I shoot for 20 minutes on the first side and 15 on the other, before removing the pan from the oven to get a final sear on the stovetop. My attitude toward cooking steak at home has improved enormously.

Katie wrote:I prefer medium rare, so depending on how thick the steaks are and how close they are to room temperature at the start, I shoot for 20 minutes on the first side and 15 on the other, before removing the pan from the oven to get a final sear on the stovetop. My attitude toward cooking steak at home has improved enormously.

Since it cooks at such a low temperature, is there really much use in flipping the steaks in the oven? The ATK method doesn't call for it, and actually calls for a wire rack under the steaks to ensure even "drying", I believe.

The steaks I made, and in the ATK description, come out of the oven a bit gray-looking without any regard to what side they were on. All the exterior cooking happens on the stovetop.

I tried the ATK method tonight, and it was indeed a very satisfying, and somehow more civilized way of preparing a steak. I started with a 1 lb aged strip, salted it very lightly and let it come to room temperature on the counter for about an hour. Then I gave it a heftier salting, put it in the oven until my meat thermometer read 96 degrees. It came out of the oven looking like a sort of pastrami-steak hybrid.

I gave it a quick sear, and then let it rest, which gave me just enough time to whip up some creamed spinach and throw a pat of butter on the baked potatoes.

I'm not sure if I thought it tasted more aged--it started aged, and in the end it still didn't really taste all that aged. It was perfectly cooked though.(Damn you David Burke, you and your 75-day aged minerally butter steaks that make a perfectly good 21-day aged steak taste like cryovac'd choice slab!)
I think I recall watching Jacques Pepin use this method to do a whole prime rib roast. I suppose if you're going to lay out that kind of cash for dinner, this style of warm'n'sear cookery seems like a sure fire way to not eff it up.

Thanks eatchicago!

Looks delicious, Trixie-pea !

I also recently read about a similarly alternative method here that came from Alain Ducasse's own protocol as described in the NYT here, which seems more designed for thicker cuts of steer.

I would still like to find a way to properly cook a steak indoors, in a small place with a dysfunctional fume-hood, without smoking out the place, but I'm afraid I'm at a loss.

tatterdemalion wrote:I would still like to find a way to properly cook a steak indoors, in a small place with a dysfunctional fume-hood, without smoking out the place, but I'm afraid I'm at a loss.

Hey Nab! I used a pre-heated, but not white hot, cast iron skillet with a little vegetable oil. (The oil was shimmering as it hit the pan, but not smoking). I seared all sides for about 45-60 seconds, and created almost no smoke--no hood vent necessary.

trixie-pea wrote:I think I recall watching Jacques Pepin use this method to do a whole prime rib roast. I suppose if you're going to lay out that kind of cash for dinner, this style of warm'n'sear cookery seems like a sure fire way to not eff it up.

I recently did this for a 7 bone rib roast and I was very pleased with the results. It was a true test of faith while waiting for the roast to come to temperature in the cool oven as dinner time was approaching, but sure enough it worked exactly as advertised.

trixie-pea wrote:I tried the ATK method tonight, and it was indeed a very satisfying, and somehow more civilized way of preparing a steak....

Nicely put. Something about it just seemed pleasant and civilized. While the oven was heating and the steak was warming, I could do other things like prep a salad, make a veggie, etc. The sear and blast method that I was so used to required focus and heat management. Overcooking was always a possibility if you weren't careful. Overcooking with this method is far less likely and the whole process is more relaxed.

trixie-pea wrote:I'm not sure if I thought it tasted more aged--it started aged, and in the end it still didn't really taste all that aged.

This is why I just went with plain ol' choice meat for the first go-round. I got a stronger beef flavor from this method than I was used to from prior methods. Often, the basic choice steaks had a flat taste, rather un-succulent.

I'm glad you tried this out, trix.

Best,
Michael