Myths in Grilling Steak Debunked (an article from Thermopro)


 
Michael Richards

Michael Richards

TVWBB Emerald Member
Some of you may have got this in your email also, but I thought it was good enough to post. You see them pushing there products more as the myths go on. I thought the most interesting one was the first myth. Also later in myth 4 I thought it there was an interesting case for the reverse sear method.

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Myths in Grilling Steak Debunked | Wireless Bluetooth Meat Thermometer | Thermopro

Table of Contents When you think of a dish you can serve anytime that guests will surely love, you can never go wrong with a steak. Whether it’s for family dinner, date night, or just for a simple get together. Search for “how to cook steak” and you’ll come across with thousands (if not...
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I follow Jess Pryles on twitter and she took serious offense to the only flip the steak once myth. She recommends what she calls the Just Keep Flipping method. I get better results with reverse sear, but I find it works great with thinner steaks. Even on the reverse sear, when searing I flip my steak every minute for maybe a total of 4 minutes depending on internal temp. I guess it depends on what you are going for. If it's perfect grill marks, then people usually turn, flip, turn again to get that crosshatch.
 
I had some problems with the claims in that article. Myth #1 talks about letting the steak come up to room temperature before cooking, but then says absolutely nothing about cooking a steak that has come to room temperature. All they end up saying is it takes a VERY long time for a refrigerated steak to come up to room temperature so leaving it on the counter for a couple hours won't do much. I can agree with that, but that says nothing about the effect of starting with a steak that's at room temperature.

Then it says, "The temperature of your steak has got nothing to do with the grilling process." Say what? So I can put on a steak that's frozen solid and it will cook exactly like one that's been in the refrigerator for two days? I don't think so. Clearly the temperature of your steak has a huge amount to do with the grilling process. That's the whole point of sous vide and reverse searing.

Myth #6 says you should avoid flipping your steak more than once, but like Myth #1, the article says absolutely nothing about this "myth" in the text the follows.

Hopefully ThermoPro does better with temperature measurement instruments than they do with debunking myths about steak.
 
Yeah, I didn't gain much from the article either, but I appreciated the read nonetheless.

I'm very rarely dissappointed by a steak I cook/grill, but I'm always open to new techniques.
 
The #5 Poke Test always seemed ridiculous to me. Especially the poking different parts of your hand thing. I've worked in blue-collar professions my whole life. Poking on my hand is like poking on a baseball glove.

If I really think about it, the meat thermometer was probably the gadget that improved my cooking the most.
 
Also later in myth 4 I thought it there was an interesting case for the reverse sear method.

I think many people already know that "sealing in the juices" is a myth.

The reason to prefer front or rear sear is how much/little crust you like, and whether you get worked up about "edge to edge" medium rare versus having that little band of gray well done.

I go front sear because I like more crust and find front sear easier to pull off.

If I really think about it, the meat thermometer was probably the gadget that improved my cooking the most.

Same. Until I had the digital fast read, who knew that my house likes steak at exactly 132F and poultry at exactly 175F? Now I know. And can easily hit it time after time.

Similarly, many folks report improved driving at night when the headlights are turned on.
 
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Tim Snyder said:
The #5 Poke Test always seemed ridiculous to me. Especially the poking different parts of your hand thing. I've worked in blue-collar professions my whole life. Poking on my hand is like poking on a baseball glove.

If I really think about it, the meat thermometer was probably the gadget that improved my cooking the most.
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I do the poke/feel test and it works for me. ( been doing it for years) I get ya on the hand thing but when you push on a steak or chop you can feel the meat firming up.
I don't probe them because I always thought you release juices and it's one less thing I need outside besides a set of tongs.
 
Tim Snyder said:
Poking on my hand is like poking on a baseball glove.
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I used to moisturize my baseball glove far more often than I ever have my skin. I haven't used my hardball glove in forty years and I'd bet it's still soft and supple from the weekly slathering of Snowproof it got when I was a kid.

timothy said:
I don't probe them because I always thought you release juices and it's one less thing I need outside besides a set of tongs.
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Certainly poking a hole in the steak does release some juices, but it's not like the steak is a balloon full of juice that all runs into the grill when you puncture it with a probe. When given the choice between a perfectly cooked rib-eye with a quarter teaspoon less juice than it would have had if not poked with a temperature probe and one that's passing medium on it's way to medium-well, I'll take the medium-rare less juice option every time.
 
I'm going to buck the trend here.
I cook my steaks straight out of the fridge. Cold. 45-50 degs. Sear both sides. Then indirect to preferred doneness.
I don't rest. Cook. On the plate. Eat. I don't like luke warm food.
I never see any of the rested juices on my plate in a restaurant. Where did they go? That's flavour.
 
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JayHeyl said:
Certainly poking a hole in the steak does release some juices, but it's not like the steak is a balloon full of juice that all runs into the grill when you puncture it with a probe. When given the choice between a perfectly cooked rib-eye with a quarter teaspoon less juice than it would have had if not poked with a temperature probe and one that's passing medium on it's way to medium-well, I'll take the medium-rare less juice option every time.
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Different strokes;)
And seriously how many times do you have to probe a steak to consider it perfectly done?
Once, twice, three times? and where are you probing at ?
Thru the side or close to the bone or elsewhere?
My point was I can just feel when steaks are cooked to our liking.
 
Half the battle is knowing your grill temps & your fuel source & obviously having a good cut of meat. I do use grill grates, I like the marks left behind & I like using the overnight salt brine. I usually only grill ribeyes & I try to find prime grade when available, around 1lb., 1.5" thick, minimum. Also, the majority of people that I'm cooking for prefer medium rare. With that said, once the grill is up to temp, it's 2 minutes followed by 45 degree turn for another 2 minutes, then flip & repeat the process, Eight minutes total, I don't use my MK4, I just pull them & let them rest for a few minutes, never have any complaints with the technique.
 
EricV. said:
Half the battle is knowing your grill temps & your fuel source & obviously having a good cut of meat.
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I'd definitely agree with you on that. I've had a couple guest cooks this summer. Neither one worked out especially well, at least to some extent because neither was used to cooking over charcoal or using my grill. Since I end up doing the grill setup and most of the prep anyway, I think from here on I'll just do the whole thing. The actually grilling is usually not the tough part.
 
Well its hard for me to mess up a steak as I love them any way I can get them, I don't have to have a sear on a well seasoned and good cut of beef, have tried room temp grilling but imo I retain more moisture coming straight out of the fridge, also if folks like it rare with a sear it's much easier to have the center cold to start with, I prefer hot pink which is a fine line and maybe why I like steak any way it ends up, wife don't want to see any color to do with red, have tried to change her mind but its no use, at steak houses they have tried to change her mind, nope back to the flames it goes until its dead lmao. I will be about done before hers is burnt enuf for her.
 
I used to do the poke test, but never seemed to have results that warranted continuing to do so.

Adding an instant read is really the only way for me to nail it and using it has proved totally worth the expense of a good thermometer.

While I love the reverse sear, it isn't for every cut of meat. Same for the room temperature myth. I find that thinner cuts respond well to cooking right from the fridge and to flipping every 90 seconds or so, with testing the temp after two or three flips.
 
I take the steaks out of the refrigerator, dry with a paper towel, salt and pepper, then let them rest while the charcoal is getting ready. I sear them at the start, flipping and turning as needed just to get the appearance I want, then move them off the heat and check the temperature. It doesn't take much time (if any) after searing to get them the way I want. I find this simple method works for me, though it does require a little finesse when cooking a Porterhouse to get the strip just right withoutovercooking the filet.
 
JayHeyl said:
I used to moisturize my baseball glove far more often than I ever have my skin. I haven't used my hardball glove in forty years and I'd bet it's still soft and supple from the weekly slathering of Snowproof it got when I was a kid.


Certainly poking a hole in the steak does release some juices, but it's not like the steak is a balloon full of juice that all runs into the grill when you puncture it with a probe. When given the choice between a perfectly cooked rib-eye with a quarter teaspoon less juice than it would have had if not poked with a temperature probe and one that's passing medium on it's way to medium-well, I'll take the medium-rare less juice option every time.
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Wanna play catch?
 
BFletcher said:
I can't express my opinion better than Raichlen in one of his vids: "What I love about barbeque is we're all headed for the same destination but there are so many routes to get there."
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And every route means another excuse to get the grill going. I just don’t see the down side. If something works, I keep doing it, if not, lesson learned, or maybe it needs a tweak. The “Big 3” for me are:
Coking to temperature, not time
Proper use of direct and indirect heat
Patience

Happy grilling!
 
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