How to get a good sear/char/brown in a gas grill?


 
C

Chris Kug

TVWBB Fan
I'm trying to figure out where I go wrong. I have seen lots of articles about searing and I really have tried to get the desired heavy brown color on my steaks, but find half the time I can't and I really can't figure out a key ingredient to success.

Most of the times I'm cooking on my gas grill S440 Genesis, although I try and do the charcoal when I can... but I have had the same issues on that one.

my steps:
I take steak out and pat dry, normally about half an hour before. coat liberally with Kosher salt and pepper.
before cooking I pat dry again.
Sometimes I've been coating with olive oil at this point (I was trying this to get good color)
Grill has been preheated to 600ish 4 burners going full blast.
I'll cook 3ish minutes a side, direct heat, with lid closed
I'll generally take temp at that point and try and finish with a cooler grill indirect.

I get grill marks from the grates. sometimes I get brown on 1 side, a lot of times I'm getting a gray color mostly surrounding the grill marks.

I've been trying all difernt types of steak, but I find my ribeyes I can't get super thick, they start off at about 1" and they end up overdone. My best luck has been with shell steaks or filets.

I cooked a filet over the weekend that was decently thick at 1.5-2" and the inside was done nicely, outside was sort of brown on 1 side, and pale on the other.

FWIW, I cleaned my grill yesterday, soaked the grates, bars, and scraped out the crud. Not sure if that will help, but that is another thing that its been needing.

thoughts on where I"m screwing the pooch?

Thanks, Chris
 
I honestly cannot figure out if you're asking about getting an overall "crust" or grill marks. I will tell you grill marks mean absolutely nothing to the flavor of a steak or chop. They're visual and nothing more. However an overall Maillard reaction DOES affect the flavor and texture of a steak or chop.
One advice I will give you is this. I tried doing the early salting and letting steaks/chops "dry brine". Meh very unimpressed. Brings so much moisture up to the surface you will never be able to get a Maillard reaction no matter how many towels you use or how much oil you put on.
I have my best luck with thicker cuts. Let them sit on paper towels (NO SALT) for about 20 to 30 min. Salt generously just when you're going to put them on and no oil either. Simple S&P or salt only at this point. Forget the really high heat. A home grill cannot get hot enough and maintain that heat no matter what the hood thermometer says. Run the grill med hot direct heat. Put the seasoned meat down and leave it alone for bit. Turn it over into a different spot and leave it alone again. Your best results will come from having steaks thick enough that they need about 20 min or so cook time to reach internal temps of 125. You will find a good crust on them then
If charcoal forget briquettes. Use hardwood lump. It will burn really hot. Build a good hot 2 zone fire. Start off same way re salt and seasonings. Get the steak on the really hot side. Same process only faster with coals. Also leave the lid off with coals. This allows the steaks to brown without "cooking" to the center.
Much has been written about GrillGrates and the marks they leave. The marks mean nothing to flavor. Learn how to cook meat without crutches and you will be better off
 
I mostly agree with Larry, I find the long salting needs to go more than the 20 minutes ore like an hour so the moisture appears to almost recede into the steak OR, do what Larry says and do not salt until immediately before hitting the grate. Salt to first side and when you drop the salted side on the grill salt the other.
BUT, when I use charcoal (my preferred method) I use the baskets if I’m doing something else which needs indirect heat, asparagus, what ever, then I place the steaks over the filled to almost overflowing with coals. Or use the Vortex!
I completely agree with the opinion on the Maillard reaction, grill marks are all well and good but, a crust which develops real flavor will generally obliterate grill marks. I prefer crust.
 
If you want edge to edge Maillard brown crust (rather than grate stripes), hot direct heat from charcoal is the ticket. And thin metal grates -- so as not to block the smoke and flames.

Harder to do that on a gasser, which has some kind of diffuser to limit hot spots and flare ups. Which is why some gassers come with a separate sear burner.

If you don't have a sear burner on your gasser, one way to go is to get your sear from hot metal versus hot air. Like a cast iron pan, a griddle, or the flat side (not the rail side) of GrillGrates. I get my crust (and no stripes) from flipped over GGs on my Silver B.

More discussion below.

amazingribs.com

What's A Proper Sear And Why Grill Marks Are Overrated

Stop trying to get perfect grill marks! Yes, grill marks make us drool, but they are a sign of lost potential. Fact: the most flavorful meat has the most browning across its entire surface, not just a few browned stripes. Let's bust that myth. Read on to find out how to make the most flavorful...
amazingribs.com
 
Thanks everyone. Sorry if it was confusing, I'm looking for the overall Maillard reaction crust, not the grate marks. I don't have a proper sear burner, it was done away with for the year I bought the grill and brought back a year or 2 later. unfortunate timing.

So for charcoal, I generally did a chimney dumped in a pile. but not in a basket or slow and sear. I'm guess i need a higher pile or baskets for that.

So it seems that my salting method is working against me. So in your opinion if I'm going to salt for any significant time before cooking I should be doing it for 1hr plus before i cook?

Ive tried the cast iron pan on the grill. it seems to work Ok but still wasn't browning as readily as I thought it should. but it sounds like my salting 20min before is screwing it up.

its funny, I have tended to do dry brining on my split chicken breasts and the skin comes out crispy. I guess different animal and characteristics.
 
If you are going to pre-salt/dry brine, do it for at least an hour. But many hours is best.

The salt will first draw moisture out to the surface -- wet = bad for searing. But then that moisture dissolves the surface salt. And then that salty briny moisture gets re-absorbed into the steak. Which is good for tenderizing and which also leaves behind a dry surface.

My best results come from kosher salt on the steak, then refrigerate overnight (uncovered) on a wire rack. So long as the door stays closed, the inside of the fridge is pretty low humidity. Circulating cold dry air around the steak will dry out and firm up the surface for searing.

www.seriouseats.com

Dry-Brining Is the Best Way to Brine Meat, Poultry, and More

A comprehensive guide to the salty science of dry-brining.
www.seriouseats.com www.seriouseats.com
 
Yes, overnite uncovered.
My old cheap grill wouldn't get hot enough to sear, I hated that P.O.S., I now have a , also cheap, char griller grill that gets HOT! I turn two burners on high over the grill grates, flat side up, I get a full sear now....
 
Jim C in Denver said:
My best results come from kosher salt on the steak, then refrigerate overnight (uncovered) on a wire rack. So long as the door stays closed, the inside of the fridge is pretty low humidity. Circulating cold dry air around the steak will dry out and firm up the surface for searing.
Click to expand...

There has been a couple of times that we've let the steaks go 2 days and have been VERY pleased with the results.
 
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