I know you love the taste of our grassfed beef — and I feel the same way.
To bring out that flavor even more, there’s a powerhouse move you can use. Sear that beef! Today I’m giving some tips for searing success.
The definition of “sear” is “to burn or scorch the surface of something with sudden, intense heat” and while I think the word burn might go a step too far, that’s what I’m talking about here.
Almost every cut of beef you use can probably benefit from a good browning. Last week when we were snowed in for days on end, I made skirt steak tacos, a sirloin tip roast, beef stew, and used ground beef for spaghetti sauce. And I seared all of them.
Searing just adds a beautiful layer of brown caramelization to all of your meats that boosts the flavor. For you chemistry lovers out there, it’s the Maillard reaction turning amino acids into deliciousness. (Very scientific, I know. Feel free to read up on it.)
Just like the definition states, you want to use sudden, intense heat to get a good sear, so here are a few pointers.
Use a large, heavy skillet
It helps to use a pan that is heavy enough to hold a lot of heat. I love cast iron for just about any cooking and that’s what I used when searing all of my meat last week.
In addition to being heavy, your pan needs to be large enough to give the meat you’re cooking some breathing room. If you crowd your meat, it will start sweating and you’ll miss out on the browning.
Work in batches if necessary to make sure you get nicely browned meat.
Turn up the heat
You’re not going to get a beautiful brown by setting your meat in a cold pan and heating it up. Heat the pan first, and when it’s good and hot, that’s the time to add your meat. I usually start on high but if things are getting a little too intense, you can turn it down later.
Dry your meat
Excess moisture will keep you from getting that delicious golden-brown crust on your meat, so pat it dry with a paper towel before you put it in the hot pan.
Heat some fat
Since our beef is very lean, I like to season my cast iron pan with a tablespoon or so of some kind of fat. I use bacon grease, olive oil, butter, lard, tallow … use whatever you love.
Turn your meat
For best flavor, I sear all the sides of my meat. When I’m searing a roast, I even hold it up with tongs to get the skinny little sides and ends seared.
Once your meat is seared, you can cook it more thoroughly, depending on the cut. Some recipes even suggest cooking first and ending with a sear — it can work both ways.
Like I said, I even do this with ground beef.
Instead of throwing a whole pound of ground beef into the pan and stirring it around until it’s a grayish color, I use my hands to pull off small chunks of beef, then place them individually into a hot pan with some breathing room between the pieces.
I leave those chunks undisturbed until they’re nicely browned, then give a quick stir to flip them over. Then I leave them alone again until seared on the other side. A stir or two more and your ground beef is ready to be tacos, barbecues, tater tot hot dish, or whatever you’re dreaming of.
Are you excited to get searing? You’re going to love the flavor boost you get from this golden brown crust. And it looks so beautiful too. The eyes (and the phone camera) eat first, you know!
Whether you make Christmas Eve chili like I do, or perhaps a rack of lamb for New Year’s Day (lamb is just now listed in our shop!), I hope you’ll give searing a try to bring out the best flavor in your meat.
Happy cooking — and happy holidays!
Tanya and the Svec Farm family
