Cooking on Stove Top vs Barbeque Grill?

[Chrispy]

I'd always considered the same. That was until I was invited to a private dinner by the owner of several of the highest end steak-famous restaurants in our area. You know, the inner-city big end of town places where lunches turn into late nights... Not only was he the owner, he had a massive holding of enormous outback cattle stations right over the top end of this country. In short, he knew his meat.

So he asks us all as we are sitting around his massive prep kitchen bench, with all sorts of burners, woks, induction you name it, how we'd like our steaks and show us all different steaks from the freezer, ranging in cuts, marbling,aging, sizes etc. Some wanted blue, some wanted well done, others medium rare. The meat was left on the bench for maybe an hour, but not remotely fully thawed. They were all cooked absolutely perfectly from partially defrosted across a range of pans (all gas) at the same time and served up at once.

To this day, it was the best steak (apart from his restaurants) I've ever had. It was at that party, I realized I knew nothing about red meat, letalone how to cook it perfectly. I'm still learning, getting better, but that set a high bar.

It just never occurred to me to even try going from freezer to pan like that, never saw anyone in my family do that, and we had some good cooks. Now I'll have to....but an hour thaw would be better than nothing, too. At least you could season it that way.

 

[restorer-john]

It just never occurred to me to even try going from freezer to pan like that, never saw anyone in my family do that, and we had some good cooks. Now I'll have to....but an hour thaw would be better than nothing, too. At least you could season it that way.

This is interesting:

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/tips-for-cooking-frozen-steak-on-the-grill-article

My friend definitely had multiple heat areas and moved the meats to different heated grill/pan plates. Must admit, I didn't take a great deal of notice at the time. There were plenty of distractions...

 

[Tom C]

There are those who claim it’s better to sear at the end, rather than the beginning (e.g., Alton Brown). So you cook the steak in the oven until nearly done, then sear in a cast iron super heated pan to finish off. I’ve tried it, and been happy with the results. One of the better ways to do it, imo.
The colder the steak is when you start to cook, and the higher the cooking heat, the more difference there will be between the surface doneness and the center. Frozen steak on high heat should be good if you like a nice outer char with a barely cooked center. If you prefer evenly cooked from center to outer, better to start with steak at room temp, and cook over low heat.
Cooking a steak to 205 degrees F at center, then cooking more would give one terribly overdone steak. That’d be inedible to me.

 

[Chrispy]

There are those who claim it’s better to sear at the end, rather than the beginning (e.g., Alton Brown). So you cook the steak in the oven until nearly done, then sear in a cast iron super heated pan to finish off. I’ve tried it, and been happy with the results. One of the better ways to do it, imo.
The colder the steak is when you start to cook, and the higher the cooking heat, the more difference there will be between the surface doneness and the center. Frozen steak on high heat should be good if you like a nice outer char with a barely cooked center. If you prefer evenly cooked from center to outer, better to start with steak at room temp, and cook over low heat.
Cooking a steak to 205 degrees F at center, then cooking more would give one terribly overdone steak. That’d be inedible to me.

Yep, I do the end sear for both the sous vide and low slow in the oven....but sometimes a quick sear and then throw the pan in a the oven to finish. Just as long as you don't overcook it....I hate that.

 

[ABall]

So you are saying I should move my portable Stove Top induction Cooker outside and defrost the Steak first?

How is a thawed out steak better than a quick thaw?

Its really not if you can cook it to your preferred temp and you enjoy it. The question is can you be bothered to try other options? Is your steak evenly cooked from the centre to the outside or is it a graded finish? See this vid. I use this method for all my steaks over an inch thick, I like to cut my own so they are more like 3" I am so envious of American meat availability and cost.

But to your question of does a steak taste better on the grill? Hell yeah! But you are going to have to spend some money to find out unless you can get invited round to a good friends house who can show you. Just to add my 2 cents to all the comments, I have 2 Kamado Jo cookers, these run on clean lumpwood charcoal, see my thumbnail. I also have a portable gas and Ive had kettle grills that use charcoal briquettes. I dont want to drag this post out so I will just say, I am an out door cooking freak, Christmas day turkey in the UK on my Big Joe. However since I purchased a Joule Sous Vide wand I haven't been cooking outside much, this is the only way you can cook a frozen steak to the same level as in the video. For anyone who struggles to get a good sear on a sous vide meat without affecting the inside temp too much needs to look at Su-vide Gun, I purchased mine at the Kickstarter sale and its totally changed the way I cook meat.

 

[buz]

What strikes me as really funny and more than a coincidence is that cooking is viewed as a fine art. No science. Much like hifi and gardening almost nobody seems to check if the golden rules are really true.

Serious Eats Food lab tested most of the myths before Kenji started his restaurant.

Also the aforementioned Harold McGee and possibly Nathan Myhrvold.

 

[Deleted member 28849]

I like steak cooked both ways - seared or grilled.
Is induction stove vs. grill like digital vs. analog?

What I like about induction cooking is like I know what temperature I'm cooking at and thus I have a better idea how long I should cook it. Cooking on the stove at my parents place I have no idea how hot the burner is so it's guess work.

For stuff like soup induction cooking is real fast, you can have water boiling in like 3 minutes if you crank up the power, faster than a microwave.

For this reason controlled temp. cooking of induction cooking that in my mind makes it a better choice than a barbeque grill. In this way induction cooking is like Digital. Convenience over PIA analog/barbeque grilling.

 

[vert]

I find steaks to be way easier to cook via BBQ than in the kitchen - with results invariably great. The few times I ve used the oven as recommended by chef Alice Walters (brown in the pan then finish in the oven) the results have been promising, much better moisture retention than the exclusive pan method. Do you guys use a meat thermometer in the oven?

 

[Deleted member 28849]

I usually buy thinner steaks so my method works well. The other day though the steak was a bit thicker than usual and I did not get a thorough cook the way I like it. In this case with a thicker slice I should have defrosted it first.

With an even thicker steak I would have to experiment with the cooking times as I don't know if 6 minutes aside at 425 degrees would get the job done to my liking.

 

[ThePracticalPeasant]

Love the thread.

Cooking a steak to 205 degrees F at center, then cooking more would give one terribly overdone steak. That’d be inedible to me.

Agreed, though I find beef inedible much past the 180 mark, my preferred doneness is around 170 after resting. By 205+ I think it'd have the consistency of my work boots.

Do you guys use a meat thermometer in the oven?

When I'm not paying attention or cooking something I'm concerned might not have reached the desired temperature.

I own a couple gas/propane grills, they never get used (unless I'm cooking in bulk for guests, etc). Most of my proteins (chicken breast, pork chops, steaks, etc) are cooked with the sear/bake system in cast iron with a lid. Sear, flip, sear, cover, bake.

That said, if the option is available, I much prefer cooking over an open fire. I like to quickly sear both sides before moving the meat to a slightly cooler area of the fire and cooking both sides to desired doneness.

Flip three times, for them good grill marks, bud.

And because I'd previously cut the video together (pork not beef, but same concept)... Cowboy cooking

 

[pocoloco]

There's no best method. It comes down to how well you execute it. I do whatever I'm in the mood for, sous vide, cast iron, charcoal, wood, etc. But the most important factor by a mile is the meat itself. I'm surprised no one is mentioning cuts. IMO, Ribeye cap (outer edge of the ribeye you can buy on its own) is by far the best cut that blends flavor and tenderness.

 

[Wes]

I'm all steaked out for now. Planning the quickest and easiest way to do up some Boeuf Bourgogne

 

[scott wurcer]

Agreed, though I find beef inedible much past the 180 mark, my preferred doneness is around 170 after resting. By 205+ I think it'd have the consistency of my work boots.

The link actually had correct numbers, the 205F must have been a typo. I usually do 130F and I consider over 140F a goner, and I don't particularly like the nearly raw in the very middle going out to mid-rare.

I buy all my meat from local farmers these days, 100% grass fed no grain finishing and low marbling. I can see everyone to their own here. BTW this meat has lots of flavor almost gamey at times, not for everyone.

 

[Chrispy]

Love the thread.


Agreed, though I find beef inedible much past the 180 mark, my preferred doneness is around 170 after resting. By 205+ I think it'd have the consistency of my work boots.


When I'm not paying attention or cooking something I'm concerned might not have reached the desired temperature.

I own a couple gas/propane grills, they never get used (unless I'm cooking in bulk for guests, etc). Most of my proteins (chicken breast, pork chops, steaks, etc) are cooked with the sear/bake system in cast iron with a lid. Sear, flip, sear, cover, bake.

That said, if the option is available, I much prefer cooking over an open fire. I like to quickly sear both sides before moving the meat to a slightly cooler area of the fire and cooking both sides to desired doneness.

Flip three times, for them good grill marks, bud.

And because I'd previously cut the video together (pork not beef, but same concept)... Cowboy cooking

I can't imagine cooking a steak beyond 140 in the center. 170 is time to throw it in the garbage.

 

[Mashcky]

You can't mean this?????

Corrected.

 

[dasdoing]

a "barbeque grill" is not a real grill outide of the US.
a real grill uses charcoal and then you have a huge diference compared to a stove

 

[Mashcky]

Grilling uses higher temperatures than griddle cooking.

I’m skeptical of this. Even a domestic electric (especially induction) burner can easily reach upwards of 600F, highly competitive with a domestic grill. Fire does not always equal hotter.

For steak purposes, the maillard reaction responsible for browning and increased flavor happens at a much lower temperature than folks realize. Exceeding this temperature can lead to burning that couldn’t happen at lower temperatures. The only advantage of high BTU or high temperature cooking for browning is that it’s capable of boiling off water more quickly, a necessary step for the maillard reaction to occur.

This can be compensated for by starting with meat that is dry on the exterior: reverse searing in an oven (especially convection) or warm side of a grill and leaving a steak in the open air in your fridge for several hours will dry meat before the actual sear. After drying, searing can then be done quickly and evenly even on a relatively pathetic burner.

 

[Wes]

For steak purposes, the maillard reaction responsible for browning and increased flavor happens at a much lower temperature than folks realize. .

eh? are you saying the the Maillard rxn varies by food type?

 

[Marc v E]

The food lab: how to cook your steak in a cooler

 

[Martin]

Start with the steak at room temperature.
Coat in a high smoke point oil.
Liberally season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
In a hot cast iron pan on the stove top sear it for 1-2 minutes per side.
Turn the heat down to medium and continue flipping and cooking until desired doneness.
I use an instant read thermometer and like 125-130 degrees F.
Perfection

Martin