Comparisons · Two ways of cooking
Grilling or Reverse searing
Both end with a seared surface. They differ in the order, and the order is what decides whether a thick cut works.
What each one is
Grilling
Fast cooking over direct heat. What most of the world means by barbecuing, and what American barbecue specifically does not mean — a terminology collision worth knowing about before reading any recipe.
Reverse searing
Bring the food up slowly on indirect heat, then finish it hot and fast over direct. One method, two heat configurations, in that order — which is exactly why the technique and the fire arrangement are described separately here.
Where they overlap
- Both use direct heat.
What actually differs
| Aspect | Grilling | Reverse searing |
|---|---|---|
| The fire it needs This is the difference. Everything else about the two techniques follows from where the fire is relative to the food. | Direct heat | Indirect heat, Direct heat |
| What it suits | Thin cuts that cook through before the surface burns; Anything wanting a hard surface char | Thick steaks, roughly 3 cm and up; Anything where an even interior matters more than speed |
| What it does not suit The more useful half of the comparison, and the half most published guidance leaves out. | Anything thicker than roughly 4 cm; Collagen-rich cuts, which need time rather than heat | Thin steaks, which have no interior to protect |
| Cookers that can do it | 7 of the 11 modelled | 11 of the 11 modelled |
Which one, for what
Conditions rather than a verdict. Each line below is a thing one of them can do that the other cannot, or does without arrangement where the other needs it — taken from the what each cooker is documented as doing, rather than from a preference.
Grilling, if:
- Thin cuts that cook through before the surface burns.
- Anything wanting a hard surface char.
Reverse searing, if:
- Thick steaks, roughly 3 cm and up.
- Anything where an even interior matters more than speed.