Carnivore Cooking! Reverse Searing The Perfect Steak

The reverse sear is named so because it defies convention. Traditionally, cookbooks and chefs have recommended searing as the first step when preparing meat. The common belief was that searing helps to retain juices, but we now know this to be untrue. Searing only enhances the taste, and it doesn’t actually seal in juices. By reversing the process and searing the meat at the end, better outcomes can be achieved. What exactly are these improved outcomes, though?

Well Rounded Cooking

The temperature gradient within a piece of meat, which is the difference in temperature between the outer edges and center, depends on the rate of energy transfer during cooking. Using high temperatures transfers energy quickly, leading to uneven cooking, while low temperatures allow for gentle, even cooking.

Beginning the cooking process with a low-temperature oven for steaks minimizes overcooked portions and results in juicier meat.

Better Sear

The goal of searing meat is to create a crispy, browned exterior that contrasts with the tender, pink interior. This is achieved by triggering the Maillard reaction, a series of chemical reactions that happen when proteins and sugars are exposed to high heat. Imagine the skillet as a bucket of heat energy, and the steak as having three smaller buckets to be filled in order: the temperature change bucket, the evaporation bucket, and the Maillard browning bucket. The biggest of the three is the evaporation bucket, so reducing surface moisture is crucial for achieving a good sear and minimizing overcooked meat.

The reverse sear method is effective at removing surface moisture by slowly cooking the steak in the oven, allowing its surface to dry out and form a thin, dry pellicle that browns rapidly. For even better results, place the steak on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry out further.

Natural Tenderizer

Enzymatic tenderization may not be as obvious as other factors, but it can still have a noticeable impact on the tenderness of your meat. Cathepsins are enzymes found in meat that break down tough muscle proteins, leading to a more tender texture. Dry-aging meat relies on the activity of these enzymes, but at fridge temperatures, they work very slowly.

As meat heats up, the activity of cathepsins increases rapidly, reaching its peak around 122°F (50°C), before dropping off sharply. By slow-cooking your steak, you’re essentially simulating the dry-aging process and promoting enzymatic tenderization, resulting in a more tender steak.

In addition to tenderization, slow cooking also provides more flexibility in achieving your desired level of doneness. High-temperature cooking requires precise timing to achieve the perfect medium-rare, but slow cooking expands the window of time, making it easier to hit your target temperature consistently.

How to Reverse Sear a Steak

Reverse-searing is a straightforward process that can be used to cook a roast or thick-cut steak (at least 1.5 to 2 inches thick) to perfection. First, season the meat and place it on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Then, either place it in a low oven, between 200 and 275°F (93 and 135°C), or on the cooler side of a closed grill with half the burners on if cooking outdoors. Cook until the meat is 10 to 15°F below the desired serving temperature, as indicated on the chart provided at the end of this section.

Finally, sear the meat in a hot skillet or on a grill to create a crisp crust.

For even better results, refrigerate the steaks uncovered overnight to dry out their exteriors.