I was visiting with one of my favorite working chefs the other day and we got to talking about searing and holding – the professional secret for preparing meat so it’s got the tasty mouth-feel crust on the exterior that people enjoy and with a moist, done-to-perfection interior. We agreed that most home cooks, especially backyard weekend grillers, often over-cook their food. They keep grilling it with direct heat until the outside is dry and the inside is tough. The culprit in most cases is hot air.

Here are some tips to help you prepare meat on the grill that is as tasty as that which you pay dearly for in fine dining restaurants.

Searing
A steak, chicken, duck, roast, fish, quail, moose, burger, chop or any similar cut of meat that is prepared to eat in one individual portion, or in the case of chicken or duck – served all at once, is prepared best when the outside is seared to seal in the natural moisture. Perfect searing temperature for the home cook is between 450F & 550F degrees.

Before I roast a chicken I always turn up the oven to at least 500F degrees and sear it on all 4 sides for about 10 minutes. Then I reduce the temperature to 350F – 375F degrees and let it roast until the internal temperature of the breast or thigh is approximately 150F degrees. I pull it, cover it, and let it rest while the internal temperature continues to climb to about 165F degrees or so. I find this method is a perfect way to roast a 3-5 lb whole chicken in the oven. The only secret here is the searing – then holding to finish.

When grilling a steak I like to sear it on both sides (using my Char-Broil infrared grill) at the highest heat I can get (see tips below). Then I remove the seared piece of meat to a holding pan, lid it or cover it with aluminum foil, and let it continue to finish on the warming rack. If I leave it on the grill and continue to actively ‘grill’ it with direct heat – the moisture will literally cook right out of it – especially on the infrared grill. If I move it to the indirect heat but still on the grates, hot air created inside the closed grill will dry it out.

Holding to ‘finish’
Sneak into the kitchen of many top steak houses and you’ll likely observe the grill master marking the steaks on a very high temperature searing burner, then finishing them with lower and indirect heat. The searing creates the crust, that great mouth-feel we enjoy when biting into a perfectly grilled piece of meat, and somewhat of a seal on the surface of the meat. By removing it from the high heat of the searing grill, placing it on a tray (and even covering it) while holding it for a short time at a lower temperature – the overall quality of the cooking can be better controlled. Holding or using indirect heat on a steak is as an important part of grilling as grill marks!

CB’s Tip for Searing on “Conventional Convection” Gas Grills
Searing meat on a regular gas grill can be a challenge. Because the gas flames don’t get as hot as the hottest charcoal fire that can be banked up in a heap and because the heat from open flames dries out the meat when exposed too long – it’s important to get that meat off the hot flame once it sears on both sides, and hold it somewhat sealed from the dry and hot air of the grill to let it finish. Start by covering the grates with a half-sheet baking tray or aluminum foil – turn up the heat and get the grates as hot as possible. Spray the meat with a high-smoke point oil like canola and place it on the grates. Using tongs to check one edge of the meat – as soon as it’s marked – spray the top side and flip it with the tongs to a fresh section of the grates. When that side is seared, use the tongs to remove it to a holding tray that you can cover and allow the meat to finish at about 200F – 300F degrees. If you want to glaze it – do so and place it once more on the grates for just a few seconds prior to service.

Grilling a steak…for example beautiful porterhouse steaks like these two my friend Lisa prepared:

About 5 minutes before grilling she seasoned them with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. The salt draws the natural sugars and proteins to the surface. Despite conventional wisdom, this does not dry out the steak in such a short period of time and with just a dash or two of salt. She seared the steaks on her Quantum grill - the grill temp was about 500F degrees

She placed them in an aluminum tray, covered it with aluminum foil and placed it on the warming rack of the grill with only the further burner away from the tray on low - and allowed the steaks to finish.

She checked the internal temperature before covering and holding and then at about 10 minutes. She wanted Medium-Rare, and that would be 145F degrees.

Check the temp of the interior of the steak to the level of 'done' you prefer.

CB’s Steak Temperature Tip

To check the temperature of a steak – insert an instant read thermometer into the side.

When not to sear!
When cooking a roast like beef brisket or pork shoulder, or ribs – something with connective tissue that does best when it’s allowed to slow roast and literally ‘melt’ the cartilage in the meat – there is always the possibility of drying out the meat in the hot air of the barbecue or smoker. In these cases I use a wet mop, possibly of apple juice and tomato base, or a vinegar base with spices and brown sugars to regularly wet the outside of the meat. This imparts some flavor and won’t burn at the low heat. It also counteracts the hot air of the smoker, barbecue or indirect heat inside the grill that is generated by the charcoal or gas flames.

Hey, I hope this gives you something to think about and maybe try the next time you grill.

Here are the 3 things to remember

1. Sear at high heat (650F or higher) on hot grates and if you use an oil on the outside of the steak, make sure it’s a high temp oil like canola, peanut, cotton seed or grape seed. NOT OLIVE OIL!
2. One you’ve seared both sides, depending upon the thickness of the meat and the desired doneness – move the meat to another part of the grill without direct heat, to finish at lower and indirect temperatures – paying attention to the internal temperature of the meat using an instant read thermometer.
3. It sometimes help to place the meat on or in a tray and cover to help reduce the ‘drying’ effect of hot air – but don’t seal it up and forget it!  If the tray is exposed to direct heat or too much heat in a cooking chamber (for instance when the hood is down) the meat will steam!

Happy Grilling!