Steak question

[Sully1546]

So last night I cooked a couple NY strips on the 590. I thought they turned out perfect and was one of the best I ever ate. My better half was not as impressed. I cooked them at 250 degrees.

Her issue was the fact it had a reddish tint to the finished product. I attributed this to the low temp and smoke ring. She wants her steak well done and no pink. The steak was cooked to 165 but that didn't matter since she saw the outside and didn't care.

My question... if I cook them at a higher temp for shorter time will that get rid of the reddish colored outside and give it a more browned outside look?

 

[Greg Jones]

My question... if I cook them at a higher temp for shorter time will that get rid of the reddish colored outside and give it a more browned outside look?

I’d be cooking strip steaks, especially if they are less than 1-½” thick, as hot as hot as I could get my grill anyway, but that’s just my preference. Your pellet choice can influence the color also, so best to avoid any blends with cherry in the mix. Also, making sure the meat is as dry on the surface as possible and at room temperature will help also as nitrogen dioxide from the burring wood combines with the moisture on the meat to form the ring. One final suggestion would be to avoid any rubs that contain meat tenderizers as that also a way to add artificial smoke ring color.

The bigger question is your better half ever going to be comfortable with the look of meat cooked on the pellet grill? It’s going to be difficult to avoid the natural reddish hue that smoking adds to almost all meats.

 

[C. Keeper]

So last night I cooked a couple NY strips on the 590. I thought they turned out perfect and was one of the best I ever ate. My better half was not as impressed. I cooked them at 250 degrees.

Her issue was the fact it had a reddish tint to the finished product. I attributed this to the low temp and smoke ring. She wants her steak well done and no pink. The steak was cooked to 165 but that didn't matter since she saw the outside and didn't care.

My question... if I cook them at a higher temp for shorter time will that get rid of the reddish colored outside and give it a more browned outside look?

My wife isn't happy if she sees anything red with meat. She isn't happy unless it is shoe leather done and damn near burnt (I think she still microwaves it). I have learned to make my steak the way I like and wifey can finish hers in the microwave.

 

[Mastertech59]

So last night I cooked a couple NY strips on the 590. I thought they turned out perfect and was one of the best I ever ate. My better half was not as impressed. I cooked them at 250 degrees.

Her issue was the fact it had a reddish tint to the finished product. I attributed this to the low temp and smoke ring. She wants her steak well done and no pink. The steak was cooked to 165 but that didn't matter since she saw the outside and didn't care.

My question... if I cook them at a higher temp for shorter time will that get rid of the reddish colored outside and give it a more browned outside look?

It's a shame to kill a steak by cooking it well done like this but I guess everyone has different tastes. Maybe get the Mrs. some glasses that block colors.

 

[C. Keeper]

It's a shame to kill a steak by cooking it well done like this but I guess everyone has different tastes. Maybe get the Mrs. Some glasses that block colors.

It's a waste of good food for sure. On a positive note if I'm going to burn a steak I can use a cheap one and nobody know the difference After being married for 30 years I've got this down.

 

[Mastertech59]

It's a waste of good food for sure. On a positive note if I'm going to burn a steak I can use a cheap one and nobody know the difference After being married for 30 years I've this down.

Agree for us we like our steaks a warm pink no more than medium, luckily my wife of coming up on 38 years agrees. My food musts are ground beef aka hamburger has to be cooked but can be slight pink and I hate runny eggs, they make a mess in my Santa Claus beard.

 

[Greg Jones]

I hate runny eggs, they make a mess in my Santa Claus beard.

I love that part-that’s where I save food for a snack!

 

[Mastertech59]

I love that part-that’s where I save food for a snack!

The only problem with beard snacks is when I fall asleep with them in there, the dog scares the crap out of me waking me up when she finds them.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

It sounds like your wife may not really like steak. Ask her. Maybe she would prefer a chicken breast or fish fillet. Or I could be very wrong and she really enjoys a firm and dry steak. You might also see if she prefers a pork cutlet or loin chop.

You might also look into Sous vide cooking. This is essentially, cooking in a plastic bag in a bath of water. It precisely cooks to a specific temperature you desire. Since it's in a captured bag, it will retain all the juices, yet can be cooked to well done. Then you can either serve or grill or pan sear, etc..

But regardless, steaks and chops will be more moist when grilled at higher temps for short times, rather than smoked at lower bbq temps for longer times. This is because steaks and chops tend to be lean as compared to traditional low temp bbq meats, which are tougher and more fatty until cooked at low temperatures for long times, breaking down the fibers of the meat.

I'm fortunate that my wife and I like steaks similarly cooked...but not exactly. She prefers runny, bloody, rare. But she will tolerate a medium rare. I prefer medium rare, but will tolerate rare, if tender. Both of us like juicy meats. Over the years, when I've cooked steaks for a larger group of the family, I've moved to just cooking medium rare and let the family members that want more well cooked meat, to select the outer parts of a steak. (we slice up steaks and serve "family style" when we get a crowd). I've found that trying to cook steaks to order for larger family gatherings results in a lot of waste, since those few that want more well done steak, usually don't eat much meat and nobody else will eat the dry meat. So, if I do steak for the masses, I also serve another meat like chicken to appease the "well done'rs".

 

[cookingjnj]

I am no expert by any means, but I believe the red color you are speaking too is because you are cooking with real wood and creating some smoke. When I used to cook my steaks on a gasser, I was able to get those perfect grill marks, and the steaks had a more brownish appearance. Using my 680 to cook the steaks at 225 for the good wood flavor before I reverse sear gives the steaks, or any beef, that nice redish outside color when done.

This being said, I now do most of my high heat/searing type cooks over charcoal. I do a two zone effect in my charcoal kettle. One side being where the coal are and very hot, the other side no exposer to the coals and cooler. After searing both sides I will move the meat to the cooler side to use the high temp in the kettle to cook the inside of the steak. I do not get great grill marks, but I get a great sear and that awesome redish color on the outside of the meat. It is the same color I get when I low temp cook my steaks on the 680. It is not meat that is not fully cooked that makes it red on the outside, but the chemical reaction between the natural smoke and the proteins in the meat.

I am sure others can explain it much more technical.

 

[Blues1]

Pink meat explanation...

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...nce/mythbusting-smoke-ring-no-smoke-necessary

 

[Mastertech59]

Pink meat explanation...

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...nce/mythbusting-smoke-ring-no-smoke-necessary

Great article thanks for posting this.

 

[C. Keeper]

It sounds like your wife may not really like steak. Ask her. Maybe she would prefer a chicken breast or fish fillet. Or I could be very wrong and she really enjoys a firm and dry steak. You might also see if she prefers a pork cutlet or loin chop.

You might also look into Sous vide cooking. This is essentially, cooking in a plastic bag in a bath of water. It precisely cooks to a specific temperature you desire. Since it's in a captured bag, it will retain all the juices, yet can be cooked to well done. Then you can either serve or grill or pan sear, etc..

But regardless, steaks and chops will be more moist when grilled at higher temps for short times, rather than smoked at lower bbq temps for longer times. This is because steaks and chops tend to be lean as compared to traditional low temp bbq meats, which are tougher and more fatty until cooked at low temperatures for long times, breaking down the fibers of the meat.

I'm fortunate that my wife and I like steaks similarly cooked...but not exactly. She prefers runny, bloody, rare. But she will tolerate a medium rare. I prefer medium rare, but will tolerate rare, if tender. Both of us like juicy meats. Over the years, when I've cooked steaks for a larger group of the family, I've moved to just cooking medium rare and let the family members that want more well cooked meat, to select the outer parts of a steak. (we slice up steaks and serve "family style" when we get a crowd). I've found that trying to cook steaks to order for larger family gatherings results in a lot of waste, since those few that want more well done steak, usually don't eat much meat and nobody else will eat the dry meat. So, if I do steak for the masses, I also serve another meat like chicken to appease the "well done'rs".

Funny thing with chicken around here.... One of the bigger companies in this area is Purdue. What we have found is lots of tendons and veins in the meat which makes it undesirable. We also noticed the same with Butterball turkeys. The farm raised "natural" birds don't seem to have this problem.

 

[DesertRat]

So last night I cooked a couple NY strips on the 590. I thought they turned out perfect and was one of the best I ever ate. My better half was not as impressed. I cooked them at 250 degrees.

Her issue was the fact it had a reddish tint to the finished product. I attributed this to the low temp and smoke ring. She wants her steak well done and no pink. The steak was cooked to 165 but that didn't matter since she saw the outside and didn't care.

My question... if I cook them at a higher temp for shorter time will that get rid of the reddish colored outside and give it a more browned outside look?

NY strip well done?!? Just throw some cheap pot roast in the freezer. At cook time whack off a piece, warm it with your steak. She'll never know the difference and you can have that 2nd steak you got for her when she goes to the beauty shop! You don't ruin an expensive steak and she thinks she has you trained. It's a win-win!

 

[spartanhuntr]

100% agree with the different choice of meat plan. Exactly what i do. And by the way... you don't need to smoke hers.

My wife hates red (other than ketchup) - yes, i am embarrassed.

So what i do.. smoke at 225 my thick cuts. Including $200 worth of Delmonicos this week. And I have sitting at room temperature one strip steak. (Choice). If i cook to MW or Well... i DON'T spend on prime.

I smoke my thick ones (Filets, Ribeyes, Dels, Prime Rib, Thick Strips) for 90 mins or so or whatever it takes to get them to 105 degrees. And then i finish (reverse sear).

My reverse sear could be on my 700 at high or my weber kettle with wood blazing or this week on my infrared gasser (Napolean) at 1000 degrees.

The key here is the first time my wife's steak hits heat is the sear stage. I cook the whole thing hot and fast. So, for example, this week. When i threw the Dels on the infrared burner they flamed up really high (scary high actually)... threw my wife's cheap steak on then.

I hit 130 on the Dels and they were so juicy/MR on the cookie sheet when i brought them in i had to keep level from the juice swishing around. The strip i left on to 170 ish Pulled it. No pink.. no "blood". And, actually looked like the others. She slopped her ketchup on it and raved about it.

The Delmonicos were off the charts... everyone was happy!

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I have a theory on steaks.

Being of partly Japanese ancestry, I think I'm generally knowledgeable about the Japanese. So, I'll generalize here.

I think the Japanese gravitate to the super fatty beef from Kobe because they like extra well done. My mother would cook a steak until it had less moisture than a potato chip. You can cook Kobe/Wagyu to well done and still have what passes for moistness (actually rendered fat). I think most Americans would find a rare or even medium rare Kobe steak disgustingly fatty.

 

[GLF35]

I reverse sear, 225 degrees on the Bull until the internal temp hits 125 and then put the steaks on the gasser at 650 degrees for 3 minutes per side and they come out a perfect medium rare with no red coloring on the outside!

 

[EdRo]

Lol. This was my wife, too. One night I took her out on date night to a great steak place.(before I purchased my Bull 700) she ordered hers medium well and I ordered mine medium rare. As I ate my steak I kept raving about how great it tasted. She obviously couldn't understand how a steak could taste so great, since she'd overcooked hers sooo badly. Finally she asked for a piece of my steak, since it was "Soooo Good". She literally pinched her nose and closed her eyes because it was very red in the middle. I slid a small piece of porterhouse in between her clenched jaw, and...her eyes popped open as she chewed that perfectly cooked steak. I'll never forget her shocked words..."It has FLAVOR"!!!
LOLOL!!!

 

[C. Keeper]

Lol. This was my wife, too. One night I took her out on date night to a great steak place.(before I purchased my Bull 700) she ordered hers medium well and I ordered mine medium rare. As I ate my steak I kept raving about how great it tasted. She obviously couldn't understand how a steak could taste so great, since she'd overcooked hers sooo badly. Finally she asked for a piece of my steak, since it was "Soooo Good". She literally pinched her nose and closed her eyes because it was very red in the middle. I slid a small piece of porterhouse in between her clenched jaw, and...her eyes popped open as she chewed that perfectly cooked steak. I'll never forget her shocked words..."It has FLAVOR"!!!
LOLOL!!!

My wife would never admit she was wrong by agreeing a properly cooked steak is better. Just my reality.

 

[Foodkid]

So last night I cooked a couple NY strips on the 590. I thought they turned out perfect and was one of the best I ever ate. My better half was not as impressed. I cooked them at 250 degrees.

Her issue was the fact it had a reddish tint to the finished product. I attributed this to the low temp and smoke ring. She wants her steak well done and no pink. The steak was cooked to 165 but that didn't matter since she saw the outside and didn't care.

My question... if I cook them at a higher temp for shorter time will that get rid of the reddish colored outside and give it a more browned outside look?

If you used cherry pellets you would get the red tint. Use Hickory or mesquite for steak