Finney - Iron Pig BBQ Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Hi guys and gals... I'm Chris, but almost everyone calls me "Finney" (my last name). I've been cooking a long time on ceramics (I have two Primos) and even longer before that. I cook with competitions with "Iron Pig BBQ", actually I am Iron Pig BBQ as I usually cook alone. In addition to my Primos I have 6 Webers, and 2 Superior Smokers (one trailer mounted for comps). Back in the early to mid 2000's, I pioneered the "Reverse Sear" cooking method... but nobody would listen to me. Finally after more than 3 years of trying to persuade people to try it some brave folks over at the 'old' Primo forum started to use it. Then what finally started people using it was an article in "Cooks Illustrated" that proved the method, and Alton Brown used a similar method in an episode of Good Eats. Then people at BBQCentral tired it... then TVWB people started, the Big Green Egg, etc. Now it's all over the internet. For more info, check out my website, www.IronPigBBQ.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Welcome Finney! I know that reverse sear method... Hell, I thought I invented it!! JK!! Nice to see some more guys from the competition circuit on the forum. I will patiently wait as you present your secrets for perfect competition chicken including the elusive "crispy skin you can bite through but does not pull off in one piece with that bite". OK, go ahead, I have a pen and paper ready now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Welcome Chris / Finney Welcome to the forum, we all look forward to picking up some tips from from you. I of course love having anyone who thinks outside the box here.. I fully agree with your rational thinking with your reverse sear.. Someone told me that Ruth's Chris does this.. I've never seen or been to one but I'm regularly told that meat of a KK is of course better.. For someone with such a history of charcoal cookin' you'll love this post where about 16lbs of charcoal ran 85 hours.. http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2697 Once again.. Welcome to the forum.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Speaking of the "Finney" method I have seen conflicting directions. One says to slow cook until 100 degrees, rest, then sear. Another says to cook until X degrees below target, rest, then sear. Which is right/latest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Poppa Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Finney prepare for ceramic nirvana...I have read many of your posts on the Primo forum...My primo is fine but it is now a doorstop.....this kk is the best I bought two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Hey Finn, My good friend Ronnie_Suburban at the LTH Forum clued me in on this a few years ago. If this was from you, I salute you.really nice way to carmelize the surface. Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finney - Iron Pig BBQ Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 Finney prepare for ceramic nirvana...I have read many of your posts on the Primo forum...My primo is fine but it is now a doorstop.....this kk is the best I bought two These cookers do have 'sex apeal'. One day............. maybe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finney - Iron Pig BBQ Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 Hey Finn' date=' My good friend Ronnie_Suburban at the LTH Forum clued me in on this a few years ago. If this was from you, I salute you.really nice way to carmelize the surface. Welcome to the forum![/quote'] I just looked at that forum... it's great. And yes, as far as I know... it was me. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finney - Iron Pig BBQ Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 Speaking of the "Finney" method I have seen conflicting directions. One says to slow cook until 100 degrees' date=' rest, then sear. Another says to cook until X degrees below target, rest, then sear. Which is right/latest?[/quote'] Jeff, the cook to 100°, rest, then sear is what I've always called the "For Dummies" method. It is the Reverse Sear in the most basic form, but it still works. I like the method that is more detailed on my site better. I know exactly what I'm gonna get more precisely with it. Truely... the slower you do the cooking part and the quicker you do the sear part, the better. Unless your piece of meat is paper thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 I think Cook's Illustrated has been advocating that same method recently. It's a goodie. No grey meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finney - Iron Pig BBQ Posted August 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 You are correct Sanny. The Cooks Illustrated article is what finally got more than a small group of people using the the Reverse Sear. I had tried to convince people for a couple of years before that came out and they all thought I was crazy. They still do, but not because of the way I cook steak, roasts, etc. The Primo people were the first ones to slowly buy into the Reverse Sear back when they still had the 'old' forum (approx 1- 1 1/2 yrs before the CI article). Probably because it was a lot of people new to ceramic cooking and they were ready for any help anyone would give them. Now it's all over the internet. I've only heard of a small group of people that don't keep using the Reverse Sear after they try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Chris, your method sounds perfect. I have a big party coming up, am planning to grill some thick tenderloin steaks, maybe also some tri-tip. Here's a practical question. To cook at 200 degrees on my KK with indirect heat, I will need to use the heat deflector (doubles as a pizza stone). When I bump up the heat at the end to get ready to sear, won't I have to remove the heat deflector? That could get a bit dicey! Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Here's a practical question. To cook at 200 degrees on my KK with indirect heat' date=' I will need to use the heat deflector (doubles as a pizza stone). When I bump up the heat at the end to get ready to sear, won't I have to remove the heat deflector? That could get a bit dicey![/quote'] That is exactly what you will have to do although it is not as bad as it sounds. For low temperature indirect in the KK you ignite your cools in one or two places, then put the head deflector with liner down on top of the charcoal basket. Put in the lower grill with drip pan on that (I like to foil line mine to keep the cleaning to a minimum) and the finally the upper grill with your meat on it. Close the whole thing up and wait for your thermometer to tell you when you are done. At that point you would pull your meat, grab a pair of nice thick leather gloves (I use welding gloves) and pull the upper grill out, then the drip pan and lower grill, and finally the deflector. If you go at a decent pace and don't hold onto the hot pieces of metal for too long (more than thirty seconds maybe, no need to rush) you won't feel a thing. Then you can put in the sear grill (or the lower grill which alot of folks use for searing), open up the dampers all the way and wait for it to come up to searing temperature. For me, the biggest problem with all the dis/assembly is not the heat but rather making sure I don't get grease from the grills spilling onto my patio. For that reason I usually clean the upper grill before pulling it. Of course, depending on where you are working, figuring out where to put hot grills may cause problems as well -- in my case, brick doesn't care. Definitely more involved than a sear followed by a shutdown/dwell so don't do it if you are really pressed for time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Actually, I thought of a good alternative if you want to minimize parts shuffling. Put the heat deflector with the drip pan on top of it on the lower grill (don't worry, they will fit). Then put the upper grill with your meat in place. When it comes time to sear you can just remove the upper grill, drip pan and heat deflector (as one unit) and close it up. I had actually asked how people used the heat deflector a little while back (see this thread) and the general consensus seems to be that putting it on the charcoal basket would result in a more indirect heat but in this case it probably doesn't matter, especially if it saves you from having to juggle the lower grill multiple times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Finney on a Meco For grilling I never actually use my KK. Since day one my only KK cooks have been low and slows. My old Meco grill is easier to use for grilling. I get a whole load of lump going in a chimney, throw it in the grill with the vents barely open. I put the steaks on the grill at the highest level above the fire and cook at about 350 til done. That's about four or five inches above the fire. I flip them once when they are half way between starting and finishing temp. I call this a "steak low and slow". I takes about 15- 20 minutes. Then open the vents, get a hot fire, drop the grill down closest to the fire and get a quick sear. That's about an inch above the fire. Easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 OK, now I'm getting a little confused. From JeffB's first post --- what is the difference between the sear grill and the lower grill? I have looked through the Photo Inventory of Gen II OTB Accessories shown on the Features and Accessories page, and I don't see a "sear grill". I also don't see an extra "sear grill" in the components that came with my KK. From JeffB's second post --- I think I am following this, as it says to put the heat deflector on the lower grill, then put the drip pan on top. But then I think there is a typo, because it says to remove the upper grill, drip pan, and heat deflector as one unit, and I think it should say to remove the steaks from the upper grill, then remove the upper grill and set it aside, then remove the lower grill, drip pan, and heat deflector as one unit. Then I could remove the heat deflector and drip pan, place the lower grill back into the KK (or the sear grill, whatever that is), and then when the heat is at a peak, sear the steaks on the lower/sear grill. Do I have that right? With regard to MGuerra's post, I could do that with my trusty Weber I suppose, but would prefer to learn how to do everything on my KK. Anyway, thanks everyone for your helpful advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 The sear grill IS the lower grill. You guys are making this way too complicated! I gave you the cheap metal grill method, apply it to the KK. Cook your steaks direct on the main grill till done. Move down to the lower or sear grill to sear. That's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 simple 2 Also, you can use the Alton Brown method. Cook your steaks til done and then throw them directly on the charcoal for a few seconds to sear. He blows the ash off first with a quick blast from a hair dryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 OK, now I'm getting a little confused. From JeffB's first post --- what is the difference between the sear grill and the lower grill? I have looked through the Photo Inventory of Gen II OTB Accessories shown on the Features and Accessories page, and I don't see a "sear grill". I also don't see an extra "sear grill" in the components that came with my KK. Sorry for confusing you. I am assuming too much in my descriptions and also mixing terms a little bit. There are three grill surfaces: lower grill, main grill, and upper/sear grill. The upper grill becomes a sear grill by turning it upside down and putting it directly on top of the charcoal basket. As I said though, a lot of people just sear on the lower grill. For the Finney method I think you might be best served using the sear grill since that gets you right on top of the coals. From JeffB's second post --- I think I am following this, as it says to put the heat deflector on the lower grill, then put the drip pan on top. But then I think there is a typo, because it says to remove the upper grill, drip pan, and heat deflector as one unit, and I think it should say to remove the steaks from the upper grill, then remove the upper grill and set it aside, then remove the lower grill, drip pan, and heat deflector as one unit. Then I could remove the heat deflector and drip pan, place the lower grill back into the KK (or the sear grill, whatever that is), and then when the heat is at a peak, sear the steaks on the lower/sear grill. As I said earlier I am mixing terms a little, so when I say upper grill I usually mean the main grill. The "in one unit" part meant to convey that you can just grab the drip pan and deflector together "as one unit" to pull them out. That minimizes the number of times you have to reach into the grill. In this scenario though you leave the lower grill in place and just sear on it. I obviously skipped a few steps in the description since I am assuming you will pull off the meat at the appropriate times. With regard to MGuerra's post' date=' I could do that with my trusty Weber I suppose, but would prefer to learn how to do everything on my KK.[/quote'] Yeah, the simplest way to do this is just to have two grills. One set up for indirect and the other for sear but I am not lucky to have two KKs yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Three grills.. four cooking positions. Time for me to step in and clarify things a bit.. Three grills.. four cooking positions. Upper/Sear duo use grill.. Has the tall legs Main Grill has the door built in, sits near the lip.. Lower Grill.. has the open space up front (to add wood for smoking) It's the upper / sear that can be used in two positions.. is of course can be set on top of the main or lower grill for a "second story cooking configuration.. Then it can be flipped over with the tall legs, now handles up and sit it down right on the tall handles of the charcoal basket.. with a full bowl this can get the grill right down on the coals... There you have it 3G.. 4CP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
