Grilling is a tasty way to cook. Grillers pride themselves on special ways to finish their meat. This often means “Searing”.
You Sear meat to hold in the flavor and add texture to the exterior of the meat. Searing is done on red meat, fish, chicken, and pork. Everything tastes better when seared.
There is always a debate about whether to sear first or use searing as a finish to your grilling. Most of the time, I use a reverse sear at the end of my smoke/cook to finish the meat. A thermometer will help you adjust to the perfect and safe temperatures.
So, what is best to Sear in? I use my Grandmother Wrights vintage cast iron fry pan. It is well over 150 years old and has decades of memories cooked into it. Back in the day, Crisco, bear fat, or… were used. Today it comes down to oil and butter.
Fry folks use Olive oil. I must admit that the Burnt Orange infused Olive Oil is my favorite for fish and seafood. Olive oil is not the best choice for other meats. It begins to smoke around 350 degrees. For thicker steaks and meats, you may need over 400 degrees to quickly sear.
Searing happens fast. You do not want the meat swimming in warm oil or butter for a long time. For steaks and ham/chops, I use salted butter. The salt helps to bring out the flavor. Butter smokes at a higher temperature than Olive oil. I add aromatic spices like rosemary and thyme to the butter.
My formula begins with a rub or marinate. Overnight is not too long. Keep them refrigerated until ready to grill, then allow them to reach room temperature. I smoke my meat for maybe thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the thickness or size. For pork, I smoke chops or steak with pancake syrup at the end of smoking.
Now it goes into my sear pan next door to my smoker. This pan is on an already heated propane grill. I use a spoon to pour the butter over the searing meat. Flip and sear on the top, bottom, and sides. Look at the thermometer to get it right. For a medium rare I wait until I get to 120 degrees and stop. Take the meat off and let it rest. The meat will continue to cook, and the internal temp will rise.
Modify your searing to whatever you like. Scallops and seafood cook way faster than chicken. You can also use the sear for veggies in a hurry. Cook your food to your tastes and styles. It’s all good!
Sear Baby Sear!
Montana Grant
