Chris Bunk.com

I think the theory of cranking up the heat for 2 minutes on each side and then turning it down is not a new concept to cooking - it is just being applied to the grill now (similar to when you roast, you broil first for 15 minutes to create a natural seal around the meat). I would not disagree that it would make for a well cooked steak. However, the inherent downfall is that you have to use a gas grill to practice this method. And by that assumption, you lose the tasty goodness of a charcoal grilled steak.

I am still a firm believer that you can cook a perfect steak under a constant temperature because a) the steak is not as thick as a roast, so time on a hot fire is less, therefore the theory of sealing in juices is minimized, and b) if you know your steak, all you need is one well timed flip to get a well cooked, juicy steak.

I suppose you could have 2 temperatures on a charcoal grill, but then you have multiple flips and varying heat spots which add too much meat playing and uncontrolled heating variables, making the grilling more complex.

I am not discrediting the method, but I would not dub it the best method, which I don’t think you are saying, right?

Okay, so I should've read the guy's article first before I went commented as he did practice this with a charcoal grill.

I have also practiced the searing method and it does make a great steak. I suppose it would depend on the situation if you had enough time to tend to a steak in this manner.

I have not done a direct comparison on both methods, so perphaps a baseline test is in order. Interested, Bunk? :-)

Conversation spurred from this article arguing the 2 heat method....

10:44:32) funkybunk2: btw the guy in the article I point out talks about how to use this technique with charcoal
(10:45:05) CWPrall: I guess I should read the article first, huh? :)
(10:45:18) CWPrall: but I still don't see the benefit
(10:45:47) funkybunk2: all I know is I tried it and it came out extraordinarily good
(10:45:57) funkybunk2: then again it was a really good cut of Steak
(10:46:31) CWPrall: His demo is on a gas grill, isn't? That's what it looks like. Good cuts help
(10:47:22) CWPrall: I've done the searing method, like he suggests, and it does a good job, but it's a freakin' pain in the ass, especially if you have multiple things to cook (space issue)
(10:47:23) funkybunk2: Place the steak on the hottest part of the grill and leave it there for 2 minutes. If using a propane grill, close the lid. On a charcoal grill, keep the lid off, but keep an eye open for flame ups and put them out with a squirt bottle or simply move the steak to prevent charring. After two minutes, flip the steak over and brown the other side - two minutes.

(10:48:15) funkybunk2: Its not right for all situations
(10:48:40) funkybunk2: you can still cook a steak at steady temperature just fine
(10:49:00) funkybunk2: but if I'm at home only cooking a steak on the grill I didn't find it to be a hassle at all.
(10:49:13) CWPrall: true
(10:49:44) CWPrall: The baseline though needs to be doing it both ways. I've never done that. I've just tried to go by memory of how one may be better than the other
(10:49:51) CWPrall: A real engineer would do that :)
(10:51:10) funkybunk2: check this guys comment out, "I highly recommend starting off by grilling the steak for 15 seconds, on each side, TWICE. This will prevent the steak from sticking to the grill. Next, flip the steak every 45 seconds, for two to three full cycles. Then switch to every thirty seconds until the steak is close to the desired level of "doneness." Then switch to every 20 seconds until it is ready. Flipping often like this allows you to get the steak to have a very even level of red or pink (in medium-rare and medium levels of doneness, where rare == "dark red center (raw)," medium rare == "bright red center," etc. Switching to 30 seconds per side, followed by 20 seconds per side keeps with this goal, and makes it far easier to prevent over cooking. I learned this through trial and error over time. This is the technique I came up with after about 100 steaks grilled, and I get them cooked to perfection every time (unless the steak was cut badly, i.e., the middle is thinner than the edges, or some such variation)."
(10:51:20) funkybunk2: this was a comment on his recipe
(10:51:30) funkybunk2: this would be a pain in the but
(10:51:52) CWPrall: yeah it would . . . that person must work in a diner :)
(10:52:27) funkybunk2: I've never been to a diner with a good steak
(10:52:37) CWPrall: nope, me neither
(10:52:42) funkybunk2: he probbably just has a bad case of OCD
(10:52:47) CWPrall: hehehe
(10:54:12) funkybunk2: EEEEEK. One does not turn the steak repeatedly over and over and over a mesquite, hickory or lame gas fire.

Grease the grill first so it doesn't stick. Jeez.

Turn only once, the first side is your presentation side.

Or sear first on a cast iron pan for a minute or so and we're talking red hot pan.

Toss in to a 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes or less depending upon thickness.

Basic stuff man. Sorry for your 100 steaks, poor things. Steaks been done before.
(10:54:31) funkybunk2: that was in reply to that guys comments
(10:54:40) funkybunk2: the comments on this article are pretty interesting

A baselined test of methods sounds like a perfect excuse for a BBQ. Lets do it.

Excellent