"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 2 Jan 2012 17:16:03 -0800, Pico Rico wrote:
>
>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Mon, 2 Jan 2012 23:24:22 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>>>
>>>> Sqwertz > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On Mon, 2 Jan 2012 22:45:05 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>> I'm not sure where the practice of starting out in a hotter over
>>>>>> got started. It seems unlikely that hof-brau restaurants who are
>>>>>> roasting beef continuously are doing this.
>>>>
>>>>>Sure they do. Sear in a smaller oven, transfer the larger oven.
>>>>
>>>> That makes sense.
>>>>
>>>>> The crust on a roast beef in imperative for flavor. Otherwise they do
>>>>> come out "steamed" (tasting and looking).
>>>>
>>>> It's simply not true that one needs to start at a higher
>>>> temperature to get a valid crust.
>>>
>>> I don't agree at all. I have cooked plenty of roasts, from ribs to
>>> whole tip sirloins. And the aforementioned method is the only method
>>> that works consistently.
>>>
>>>> But the steady-temperature method still forms a crust.
>>>
>>> It forms a dry crust, sure, but it does not form the flavor of a good
>>> seared crust. The more desirable Maillard reactions/flavor compounds
>>> require the higher heat. You won't get those at sous vide temps
>>> (which is why sous vided steaks are almost always grilled briefly).
>>
>> someone mentioned here recently about doing the opposite of your
>> preferred
>> method - low cook and then hot oven at the end to get the crust. Have
>> you
>> tried that? thoughts?
>
> I prefer to do the sear while the roast is cooler. That way it has
> less a chance a penetrate the exterior and into the meat. If you do
> the sear afterwards you risk getting a larger gray rim under the crust
> since it's already warm inside. At least that's my theory. I see no
> reason to change the way I do it.
>
> Searing it at the beginning also makes the house smell better
> immediately (seared meat and spice smell). And that lasts all
> throughout the 3-5 hour cook, stimulating the appetite. Maillard
> reactions also refer to smell, not just flavor.
>

I concur. I also think the logistics of high heat at the end is harder -
take the roast out and get the oven cranked up, then put it back in?