Searing before Braising

[BAPyessir6]

I enjoy braising any tough cut of meat, but I was wondering: does searing your meat before putting it in the oven do anything except add flavor/Millard reaction to the food? Or does searing it help aid in turning the collagin into gelatin? Last week I stuck a barely thawed beef chuck in the oven at 250 for like 8 hours and once it was done I realized I hadn't seared it. It was nice and fall apart tender but I wondered if searing it beforehand would have made it possibly....more tender?

 

[Andy M.]

The searing is for flavor. If you've ever eaten a grilled steak that was tough, you'd know searing didn't help.

Searing meats initiates the Maillard reaction that contributes greatly to flavor.

Braising for an extended period brings the meat up to a temperature at which the collagen melts and the muscle fibers break down tenderizing them.

Combining the methods results in a tender piece of meat that tastes great.

There are circumstances under which you can sear after cooking. However, that's not for a braised piece of meat but rather for reverse searing which involves slow roasting then searing. This method is meant for more tender cuts that you want cooked to a rare or med. rare level.

 

[BAPyessir6]

Ah good note I didn't think of that. On the reverse sear method: is one preferable for say, ribeye or generic steak? I usually sear then either just watch the temp in my cast iron or finish in the oven. Is a reverse sear superior to the more common, or just different?

 

[Jade Emperor]

It’s just different. I find that reverse searing is more difficult to achieve my desired result because it negates my normal intuition when preparing meat. YMMV.
More often than not I get an overdone steak. I think it’s just a matter of technique that I don’t do often enough.

 

[dcSaute]

"reverse searing" is an entirely different concept / procedure - on which I have totally abandoned.

the surface of raw meat vs the surface of baked/roasted/braised/nuked/steamed/et.al beef is entirely different - and one cannot get the same result searing raw vs. "cooked-by-any-means"

my beef's worth.....

 

[Andy M.]

Revers sear works when it's a thick cut, like 2" thick. You roast it in a low oven, about 225ºF until it's at your target temp or a few degrees less. Rest it for 10-15 minutes then put it on a super hot surface to sear it on all sides- a minute or so each surface. It could be a very hot gas or charcoal grill or a super hot cast iron skillet.

This is also how I do my Christmas roast. A boneless ribeye roast.

As you see, opinions vary. If you think it's for you, give it a try. Then decide. Check this out for some really good info. https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe

 

[taxlady]

As you see, opinions vary. If you think it's for you, give it a try. Then decide. Check this out for some really good info. https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe

That's the recipe I followed to reverse sear steak a couple of times. It does help to have both a good oven thermometer and a very good instant read thermometer. I actually did it in my toaster oven. One advantage is that the surface of the meat is nice and dry, so it doesn't steam itself when it hits that hot skillet. That means the Maillard effect starts right away and you get really good browning. My DH usually wants his steak cooked to well done. Well, I used one 2" thick steak and pulled it out of the oven at a temperature to achieve medium rare. I seared the steak on all sides. Then I cut DH's half into slices and seared those. When he cut the slices, they were still slightly rosy, but he really enjoyed it. He said the texture was perfect and the flavour was an improvement over well done. I was very pleased with mine as well. It is a little more technical than just cooking a raw steak.

Here's a method that is more hands on. It's called "cold sear" because, you start with a cold pan. If I had a gas stove, I would definitely try it. Here's a video of Lan Lam of America's Test Kitchen explaining about cooking steak and showing how to do this "cold sear" (Stupid sounding name, if you ask me.)

 

[Jusa]

I discovered reverse searing last year and I love it. I usually slow roast the steaks at 200F in their marinade (I like to use Montreal steak seasoning and soy sauce) and then sear in my cast iron skillet. I have done it with steaks that are less than 2" thick and it worked out fine, but I could see there would be less room for error there. I do think it results in a more tender steak.

 

[Andy M.]

. . . Here's a method that is more hands on. It's called "cold sear" because, you start with a cold pan. If I had a gas stove, I would definitely try it. Here's a video of Lan Lam of America's Test Kitchen explaining about cooking steak and showing how to do this "cold sear" (Stupid sounding name, if you ask me.)

I really like this method. I'll give it a try. Thanks for posting.

 

[taxlady]

I really like this method. I'll give it a try. Thanks for posting.

Let us know what you think of it, when you get a chance to try it out.

 

[BAPyessir6]

I'm so used to cooking steaks traditionally in a cast iron so this is eye opening and exciting information! I recently acquired a sous vide so that will probably make reverse searing much easier. Also gonna try the cold sear when I get a steak. The only minor issue I might have is finding a steak that thick. Generally when I go to the grocery store I can find 1 or 1.5 in steaks but not the 2 inch she states would be preferable to use as it's easier to cook to temp.
I'm able to cook 1 in steaks to temp pretty reliably, but is a 2 inch steak vastly superior? Like is it more tender? Or just easier to cook?

 

[taxlady]

I'm so used to cooking steaks traditionally in a cast iron so this is eye opening and exciting information! I recently acquired a sous vide so that will probably make reverse searing much easier. Also gonna try the cold sear when I get a steak. The only minor issue I might have is finding a steak that thick. Generally when I go to the grocery store I can find 1 or 1.5 in steaks but not the 2 inch she states would be preferable to use as it's easier to cook to temp.
I'm able to cook 1 in steaks to temp pretty reliably, but is a 2 inch steak vastly superior? Like is it more tender? Or just easier to cook?

For reverse searing a 1½" to 2" steak is what you need. It's not more tender. But, it's harder to get it right if the steak is any thinner. For the cold searing method, Lan Lam says to make sure you are using a 1½" thick steak, but later in the video when she is talking about timing, she says, "depending on how thick your steak is". I guess it's really not that exact. Once you have tried either of these two methods, a somewhat thinner steak will probably work too, with extra care.

 

[Kathleen]

I'd love to give the cold sear a try. I get frustrated by traditional ways and often fall short of my goal. Thanks for posting this!

 

[taxlady]

I'd love to give the cold sear a try. I get frustrated by traditional ways and often fall short of my goal. Thanks for posting this!

Me too, but I think I'm figuring out a way to make it work on an electric stove. I will try getting the burner hot, without a pan on it. Then, I can get the high heat under my pan right away, like with gas. I'll play with the timing of turning down the heat, since electric reacts slowly - slower to heat and slower to cool.

 

[Kathleen]

I think it is worth a try, Taxy

 

[BAPyessir6]

Strangely, regarding heat, I found the opposite. I grew up with a gas stove (albeit kind of an old one) and when I got married I switched to electric and was dismayed that for like the first month of our marriage I was struggling not to burn/scorch things. (I'm a good cook I promise!)

 

[Andy M.]

Electric stove top burners can get super hot. More than an old gas stove. The negative with electric stoves has always been adjusting the temperature took too long. With gas it's instantaneous. With electric switching from HI to MED you have to wait for the coil to cool off.

 

[dragnlaw]

On my electric stove I would literally lift the pan off the burner when I wanted it to cool quickly. Not for long - I didn't walk away, but I figured without the pan keeping the heat there it would cool faster if taken away. Plus the pan itself would start to cool as well. Tricky but worked!

 

[BAPyessir6]

On my electric stove I would literally lift the pan off the burner when I wanted it to cool quickly. Not for long - I didn't walk away, but I figured without the pan keeping the heat there it would cool faster if taken away. Plus the pan itself would start to cool as well. Tricky but worked!

I still do this when I'm boiling pasta and the water level suddenly BOILS and I worry I'll get 85 percent of my water on the stovetop! Maybe, just maybe, I should use a bigger pot?!?

 

[dragnlaw]

LOL, that invariably happens to me when I put the lid back on trying to bring the water back to a boil faster once the pasta is in.
Think I'd learn?
.... nope, still do it.