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Reverse-Searing Steaks

Q. I’ve heard a lot about reverse-seared steaks and that they’re fool proof. Is that true? How should I go about trying it? —Matt, Grand Chute

A. Reverse-searing steaks is an excellent method to produce a perfectly cooked steak to both your desired internal doneness that also has a beautifully seared exterior. The former method of searing steaks would produce an exterior that was perfectly browned, but the interior was basically a rainbow of being overcooked by the edges to being undercooked in the center. The process of reverse-searing has us roast the steak very slowly under low, indirect heat until it reaches about 15-20 degrees below our desired internal temperature. This creates an interior that has a consistent color all the way through from edge to edge. To finish the process, the steak is seared over very high heat until it has a perfectly seared exterior while the interior temperature arrives at our desired doneness. Keep in mind the following temperatures for doneness: 125° F for medium-rare, 140° F for medium and 155° F for medium-well. As for the reverse-searing method being “fool-proof,” I’m not sure I would consider any cooking method fool-proof, but the reverse-searing method is easy to learn and very achievable for most cooks.

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