Big Green Egg Perfect Steak vs Slow 'N Sear | Epic BBQ Showdown Ep #2

We took "The Perfect Steak" recipe from the Big Green Egg recipes (link below) and did a side by side comparison between the Big Green Egg Minimax & Slow 'N Sear Cold Grate Technique to see which sears the Perfect steak. Was it the BGE or the SnS. Check it out!

Recipe used:

Link to a better method we recommend:

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[malanritz]

I'm a Green Egg owner and have never used a slow and sear, but I've done "the perfect steak" recipe a few times and absolutely love it. I tend to like a smoked flavor personally, so to me, this is high end steakhouse quality.

[TacticalStrudel]

Former large BGE owner (still have a mini) that converted to the kettle w/ SnS. I never used this technique I do reverse sear. Can get a great reverse sear on either but the kettle w/ SnS is a lot easier. A reverse sear on the egg always takes some work going from low indirect to hot direct- removing a heat deflector, using a half moon heat deflector (which limits space) etc. The SnS I just add hot coals from a chimney and am ready to do the sear.

[jasonburns]

I’ve never used the “perfect steak” method on my BGE because I’d never ever close the lid during a sear.

Next time cook the steaks the exact same way, then do a blind tasting to affirm the results.

[derekg.]

Is there a way to measure retained moisture content between steaks after cooking? I’ve always worried that the Slow n Sear dries the steaks out significantly.

[BabyBackManiac]

We should do more "compare things" videos...especially when it involves eating ribeyes.

[SmokyRibsBBQ]

Hard to beat a classic reverse sear when it comes to steaks, and the cold grate method with the sns does it the best! Not a doubt in my mind about that.

[chrisaubry]

Great video guys. I’ve been thinking about getting the SNS for my 22” Weber kettle. Do you ship to Canada and/or do you have a Canadian distributor? Also, how do you avoid igniting and extinguishing smoke when cooking indirect?

[jliebs]

ok so I have both a bge and a weber kettle with sns. the way you used the bge will produce a less thasn optimal smoke. ithink fairer would have been using the lg bge vs kettle as the added size would have helped with air flow. having said that I prefer the reverse sear method superior. while the sns does a great job and is more convenient the egg give more of the wood fire taste but, it requires changing out the platesetter mid cook, and then letting the coals come up to temp for the sear. frankly a pain the butt. so I usually usetheegg and then sear on my napoleon sear station.  great vid guys

[davidleyes]

about to do it on my BGE mini max.. wish me luck!! thanks guys!!! you make a cute couple...; ) ... will keep you posted!

[joehaynes]

I have a Webber kettle, in my opinion, you don’t need the slow and sear. Just pile the charcoal to one side or use the baskets it comes with. Take some foil and make a wall to separate the direct and indirect zones. Just a tip if you don’t have an extra $150-$200 for the Slow and Sear

[bradenwhittington]

I have a large BGE and while I’ve used the method shown here and cooked some good steaks, it is no where near as consistent as the reverse sear method. I cook them indirect at 225 until internal temp reaches 120 then remove indirect plate and open egg up fully to get it to 700+ and then I sear the steak with the lid up for about a minute each side. No better way to control it other than sous vide but this way you get more charcoal flavor. I’m hungry

[protuzul]

The "off" smoky flavor they were describing at the end of the video on the Big green egg steak is due to the burning of the fat drippings
Never close the lid on a steak your searing, burnt fat smells great but it makes the meat taste terrible

[quetzacoatlx]

I quite admire your cold grid technique, but it only works well in round shaped grills. In South America and Australia people usually use larger rectangular grills with built in grids which cannot be turned or easily replaced.

[johnrose]

Hello! I have been researching your product heavily with the interest of buying one. I noticed in this video you suggested that folks should avoid cooking with the smoke of extinguishing coals along with the smoke of igniting coals. I agree with this statement based on my smoking/bbq experience! My questiion, however, is how does the slow and sear work to cook with coals that are constantly igniting as the flame works it's way across them, without creating that thick white smoke we all try to avoid? Great video, by the way!

[JeananShannon]

just saw this vid. i have an xl bge so not sure if that matters but i get the temp up to 700 degrees i also use hardwood on top of the lump charcoal to mitigate that acrid flavor lastly 2 and half minutes per side not only gives me a dark sear but also makes the steak medium rare

[PixelPirate]

Say what you will about the video. I found no issues with it personally, though I have no experience cooking on a BGE. I DO have a good amount of experience cooking on my SnS and I will say it's fantastic. It's without a doubt the best grill related purchase I've made in years.

[chilipez]

How did these two join up to do videos? They don't seem to be fond of eachother.

[darrylperrin]

I have a large BGE and followed their method as well for a few cooks and was not happy with the acrid smoke either. Chicken is even worse for acrid smoke when cooked direct. For steak I now use either the reverse sear method or the sear, dwell off the egg while it is cools down (not extinguished) to finish the cook. Both methods give good results. Chicken for me is always indirect. Cooking with the lid down yields benefits and drawbacks.

[je]

Forget arguing about the technique, it’s was demonstrated between the two videos that the SNS gets as hot or hotter than the BGE. It can cook and sear a steak at least as well as a BGE. You can use lump in the kettle and cook with the lid off in the Egg. The results will be the same.

[Bubba]

I got a charcoal basket from ABBQ and it fits inside the kamado fire bowl perfectly. I’ve been cold grate searing steaks and will not look back. It’s the only way to cook a steak. This video is comparing cooking techniques not the equipment and the egg is much more versatile; especially with the right accessories.