The reverse sear is a cooking method where the item you are cooking is cooked at a low temperature for a period of time until you reach your desired internal temperature and then it is cooked at a very high temperature for a short period of time or “seared” to crisp & add flavor the outer layer.
This cooking method can be utilized in an oven, BBQ, smoker, a sous vide, etc. Just don’t forget you have to have some type of source or available cooking method that allows you to sear your food at the end such as a grill or cast iron pan.
By doing this with beef, this helps a few different ways. This method aides in making the protein more tender. Since it is cooked slowly, the meat retains its internal juiciness and tenderness is multiplied.
It also helps to avoid receiving the “bulls-eye” effect with your cut of meat, or a multi-tiered temperature of meat from center to edge, and allows you to achieve your desired temperature (about 10 degrees lower than your final desired temperature) from edge to edge evenly throughout your cut of meat.
Also, with this technique, you can allow your meat to “rest” after the slow cook period. The meat temperature will raise when rested, especially if covered so keep that in the back of your mind when preparing your next stage. After it rests then you sear it. This is great because now instead of letting your meat rest after you cook it, now you can eat it directly right after the sear process. We however still let it rest slightly to let the juices settle a little more, but only for a short period,
There you have it! The reverse sear. Slice up your delightful steak and enjoy!
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