I'm going to attempt to do my first steak cooked in a cast iron fry pan. I don't have a good exhaust fan over my stove so thought I'd try to do this outside on my Q200. I know it gets the grate hot enough to cook on, but didn't know how well it would also get a frying pan hot enough to do this. Anybody done it with the Q200?
Will my Q200 get a cast iron fry pan hot enough to sear a steak?
- Thread starter W_Stewart
- Start date
I picked up a nice new york strip on the way home, decided I didn't want to screw up dinner by experimenting and just cooked it on the stove. It still came out very good - my first one done in the cast iron. I've been on a cast iron kick lately, cooking everything I can in my new pan. Maybe I'll try a piece of chicken or fish with the cast iron frypan on the grill.
How do you guys manage the amount of heat applied? I can tell where I want to be on the stove as I know what heat level a given burner setting will produce (I usually use a 4.5 out of 10 setting for most cast iron cooking). This produces a pan that is just below the oil starting to smoke. I can go a little higher (like 5/10) if I need a smoking hot pan for searing something.
I guess I can just watch the pan until it smokes on the grill?
I guess I can just watch the pan until it smokes on the grill?
Tommy B
TVWBB Pro
I see your point but I think people like to heat up the cast iron to get a good sear/crust along the whole surface of the steak instead of just where the steak comes in contact with the grate. They want the grill marks all over. I think most cook on the grill and then sear on the cast iron... I don't own a cast iron skillet but I think that is why people use it...
If you plan to cook steak in the oven. Follow this article. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-coo...e-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-108490
This was the only way I cooked steak before owning a BBQ.
This was the only way I cooked steak before owning a BBQ.
I'm not sure I agree with LMichaels about the time to get a pan hot. I have not used the Q in question, but I can tell you a 3200 will get screaming hot (over 600) in 6 or 7 minutes.
I agree with Tommy that the desire to use a skillet is based on crusting up the entire surface instead of just the parts that hit the bars. As the O.P. points out, doing that indoors makes for a house full of smoke and a kitchen full of grease unless you have a really, really good exhaust system, which few residential kitchens do.
W_Stewart,
If I know the Q part numbers right, your 200 doesn't have a thermometer, right? If so, I am afraid you'll have to judge by the smoking point of your oil. Your pan won't take all that long to heat up. If you put it in when you fire up the grill, it will only be a couple minutes behind the cooking grid.
You might also want to look at the griddle for your Q. I get that screaming hot, sear my steaks (or whatever), then back off the heat and put them over on the grid half to cook to temperature.
I agree with Tommy that the desire to use a skillet is based on crusting up the entire surface instead of just the parts that hit the bars. As the O.P. points out, doing that indoors makes for a house full of smoke and a kitchen full of grease unless you have a really, really good exhaust system, which few residential kitchens do.
W_Stewart,
If I know the Q part numbers right, your 200 doesn't have a thermometer, right? If so, I am afraid you'll have to judge by the smoking point of your oil. Your pan won't take all that long to heat up. If you put it in when you fire up the grill, it will only be a couple minutes behind the cooking grid.
You might also want to look at the griddle for your Q. I get that screaming hot, sear my steaks (or whatever), then back off the heat and put them over on the grid half to cook to temperature.
LMichaels
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
A Q3XX grill is a very different animal than a Q2XX grill with about 1/3 more btu. That being said how hot the grill thermometer reads has no bearing really on how hot it can get a large heavy cast iron skillet. I.e. many indoor stoves today have "power burners". My Bosch has 2 one at 14k the other at 12k. And yeah I know the Q2xx has about a 12k burner BUT it is NOT concentrated under the pan in question. Even a larger grill like a Genesis or the Q3xx is the same way. To get a heavy CI skillet screaming hot you need lots of concentrated heat directly under the pan no radiant heat scattered all around it. If you're intent on cooking a steak in this manner outdoors buy a turkey fryer and just put your skillet on that. Or if you REALLY want great sear all over get a charcoal grill with hardwood lump (not those chemical laden briquettes) and wait for those coals to get screaming hot. I guarantee you'll never get a better sear with anything. Hell even a little smokey joe can do the trick here. But don't waste a good piece of meat or time doing what you're thinking of
too funny ROTFLMAO!
Rich Dahl
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Where we live due to high winds and fire restrictions during the summer we can't use our chemical laden KBB all the time and therefore have to use our so called inadequate E320 Ng grill. I can assure you at the oxygen starved 5600 ft. altitude the E320 will get a cast iron pan screaming hot enough to do a wonderful job of doing a total sear.
I can't speak to the Q200 but give it a try I understand your reasoning and what the heck it's part of the fun of grilling. You won't ruin the steak that's for sure and you may get the results you're looking for.
I can't speak to the Q200 but give it a try I understand your reasoning and what the heck it's part of the fun of grilling. You won't ruin the steak that's for sure and you may get the results you're looking for.
I tried it last night with a piece of salmon. I also used my bbq thermometer to see how hot it got up under the lid (mine is older and doesn't have the built in thermometer). It would get 450 - 540 up underneath although I don't know how hot the pan was after 15 minutes.
The salmon did OK I guess. I had wished it had been hotter as I was trying to blacken it and it probably took 5 minutes a side. I still had to nuke it for 30 seconds after cutting into the thicker part.
Next time I guess i will just have to let it sit on the grill even longer. Again, I'm doing this mainly to keep the smoke outside.
The salmon did OK I guess. I had wished it had been hotter as I was trying to blacken it and it probably took 5 minutes a side. I still had to nuke it for 30 seconds after cutting into the thicker part.
Next time I guess i will just have to let it sit on the grill even longer. Again, I'm doing this mainly to keep the smoke outside.
Maybe you need a Searzall. Maybe there will have a father's day discount soon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00L2P0KNO/tvwb-20
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00L2P0KNO/tvwb-20
Chris Conro
TVWBB Fan
W-Stewart,
One good method for determining the relative heat in a cast iron pan (or any flat cooking surface) is by putting a few drops of water on the surface. If the water droplets dance around a bit and sizzle, but don't disappear right away, then your surface is not hot enough for searing. What you want is for those drops to vaporize so quickly when they hit the surface, that they seem to practically jump off the pan or disappear into vapor very quickly. If you see that, then you're good to go for searing.
One good method for determining the relative heat in a cast iron pan (or any flat cooking surface) is by putting a few drops of water on the surface. If the water droplets dance around a bit and sizzle, but don't disappear right away, then your surface is not hot enough for searing. What you want is for those drops to vaporize so quickly when they hit the surface, that they seem to practically jump off the pan or disappear into vapor very quickly. If you see that, then you're good to go for searing.