To Sear or not to Sear....That is the question.

[Big Poppa]

OK...THis is where I'm at these days....I like to sear steak but do not sear larger cuts of meat. My pholisophy is this. With a ti tip or a prime rib I want to get smoke on it. Deep red goodness. I want to taste in interaction between my rubs and the smoke flavor I choose. I start the cooks and smoke tri tip for an hour...prime rib 2 hours....I then go to 235 on the prime rib and 275 on the tri tip....I pull my prime ribs at 130 and let rest for at least a half hour and pull my tri tip at around 142...

I believe that the searing gets in the way of the smoke flavor....I think that t sort of nukes it and the char obliterates a lot of the smoke. Here is some Strube Ranch Tri Tip that I cooked last night at the Campo Comp...

Seasoned with both Little Louies with Black Pepper and Big Poppas Double Secret....
on to the MAK One Star

Usually the sliced meat is the money shot but this is the money shot to me when Im going fo the smoke profile.....Check our the deep reds and the different colors of the meat..searing burns that off. That is a smoky rainbow of the interactions between the smoke meat and the salts and seasonings. This is my new deal and Im sticking with it until the next new deal.

Here is a money shot also with grease on the lens...

and an art shot of me feverishly feeding the Men Of Big Poppa Smokers

 

[Bear]

Love it!

Looks awesome!

 

[squirtthecat]

Pretty! I love cooking on the top rack of the 1 Star.. Great smoke penetration and quasi-indirect heat.

 

[sparky]

Pretty! I love cooking on the top rack of the 1 Star.. Great smoke penetration and quasi-indirect heat.

i agree. i only like to sear my hot dogs and steaks. i like cooking on top of my grill grates but i don't flip my food. stuff comes out juicy.

 

[TentHunter]

Hmmm. Since I have a hard time finding tri-tip I'm going to have to pick up a Prime Rib Roast and give this method a try.

I believe that the searing gets in the way of the smoke flavor....I think that t sort of nukes it and the char obliterates a lot of the smoke.

There's no doubt that searing first gets in the way of smoke. It tightens the cell membranes so smoke can't penetrate.

Now, for steaks I have really been enjoying the reverse sear method (discovered it thanks to this forum) because I get BOTH smoke up front AND that caramelization at the end. In fact it's changed they way I buy steaks. I've been having the butcher cut them for me so I can get them cut a little thicker just for this.

I've also switched to primarily using black walnut or an oak/black walnut blend for steaks.

 

[Rip]

Great stuff BP, your men eat well!

 

[Patrick_CT]

I used the reverse sear on a London broil last night.. It came out really good, probably the best one I have ever made. Also learned from this forum. Since I can not really get Tri-Tip we have to do something out here

 

[Big Poppa]

I think that the beauty of our cookers is that there are a lot of ways to cook. Reverse sear is great so is the Trex sear first. But think about it....in competition have you ever seen someone reverse sear their brisket? no because they are judged on the smoke flavor.

 

[RGrunz]

times like this make me want a MAK more than ever, I have to fire up the gasser to sear, Lil Tex just doesn't do that. Great looking cook BP. When I grow up, I wanna be just like Big Poppa.

Question BP? I want to add a 2nd temp probe to some of my cooks. If I get another wireless Maverick, will they interfere with each other? Probably a stupid question, but then I am not smarter than a fifth grader...

 

[Big Poppa]

no but I would love to sell you one but at some point you need to consider overthinking and controlling the food. For fun trust your cooker and see how you do....Two probes is fine but a little carried away imho (If its in the same piece of meat) Great and wonerful cooks since day one can pat a pork butt or brisket and know when its done.....

 

[cowgirl]

I like the sound of your new deal BP.. it makes sense to me. And your tri tip looks excellent!!

 

[TentHunter]

But think about it....in competition have you ever seen someone reverse sear their brisket? no because they are judged on the smoke flavor.

That is very true!

Like I said I am definitely going to pick me up a rib roast soon and give your method a try. I'm not convinced that the reverse sear added much more color to the last rib roast anyway.

 

[Rip]

I confess, I'm already in the BP no sear camp...just didn't find enough added value to the meat to make it worth the extra effort. That said, I do agree a good sear looks pretty....kinda like a deep smoke ring does.

 

[scooter]

I want to add a 2nd temp probe to some of my cooks. If I get another wireless Maverick, will they interfere with each other? Probably a stupid question, but then I am not smarter than a fifth grader...

I asked Maverick that same question before I bought my 2nd ET73. They will work fine together as long as you turn one on and let the receiver sync with the transmitter then turn on the other unit and do the same thing. Do it both units at the same time and one will sync and the other won't.

 

[scooter]

BP, they look almost shiney like you basted or mopped them? How did they get that color and sheen to them?

 

[Big Poppa]

seriously just the rub and the smoke