CALF_News_October_November_2021

41 CALF News • October | November 2021 • www.calfnews.net GRILL H O T O F F T H E A C A L F N E W S B B Q P A R T Y WHY CHOOSE JUST ONE? By James Coope Contributing Editor I t is a question so many of us face when choosing between an outdoor grill or smoker: Which one do I choose? Here’s an idea … how about both! Few golfers could manage playing with only one club, and most chefs couldn’t get by with just one oven or stove. Some- times, having more than one tool to get the job done can not only make it easier, but also deliver a delicious meal! Case in point – how can we cook a steak that tastes like what we pay a pre- mium for at a fancy restaurant? Most of us don’t have the resources or equipment like they do. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse uses an 1,800-degree broiler to get that signature sear, and then serves your steak on a 500-degree plate. Most backyard grills can only heat up to about 500 degrees, so we need to get creative to match the tools of the famous steakhouses. We want the taste and texture of the sear, but we also want an evenly cooked steak, and that pres- ents a challenge. If you have some sort of oven or cooker that can hold a relatively low temperature (200 to 225 degrees), and a cast-iron pan (or similar), you can use a process called reverse sear- ing to cook a delicious steak that will remind you of that fancy steakhouse. Reverse searing is exactly how it sounds – the searing is done last, after most of the actual cooking happens. The challenge with searing is that it requires a very hot temperature, and as the temperature increases, it becomes harder to evenly cook the steak. If you just sear alone, you may end up with a crispy outside but an unevenly cooked inside. By cooking the steak using a “low and slow” method first, you can achieve the even cooking throughout, then transfer the steak to a hot sear to create the delicious texture and taste on the outside. I used my Traeger smoker and my Weber grill to reverse sear a ribeye steak. It does take some extra time, but trust me, it is worth it! The first step is the preparation, which is quite simple. I sea- soned the ribeye with cracked pepper and salt, and let it rest in the fridge for a few hours. This does a couple of things – it provides time to season, and it also has a drying effect on the steak. Moisture and searing don’t mix; in fact, a moist steak won’t sear quite as well as a drier steak. The Traeger is famous for its con- sistent, low and slow cooking, which is perfect for the next step. I cooked the steak at a lower temperature on the Traeger before transferring it to a cast iron skillet on the Weber. I cooked the steak in the Traeger at 225 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until you get to Continued on page 43  about 15 to 20 degrees below your “done” temperature. I was shooting for medium rare, which is about 130 to 135 degrees, so the plan was to transfer the steak when I got to about 110 degrees. While the steak was cooking on the Traeger, I fired up my Weber as hot as possible and heated the cast iron skillet inside. I’ve got a natural gas grill that can work its way up to just over 500 degrees (usually not a problem in warmer months, but I can’t rely on that in the winter). I seasoned the skillet with some high-heat compatible oil (vegetable oil). I added 1 tablespoon of butter right before transferring the steak to the skillet. It’s hard to beat the sound of a sizzling steak as you place it on a super- hot skillet. I let the steak sear for about