Tried a reverse sear on a brisket at a competition in Memphis... still don't get the hype

My buddy swore by reverse searing for years, so I finally tried it at the Memphis in May contest last spring. I brought it to the judges and ended up with a 67th place finish out of 120 teams. Why do people act like this method is the only way to get a good crust?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.brian1d ago

@seana14 hit the nail on the head, that "burnt asphalt" comment made me laugh because I've seen the same thing happen at a cookoff in Knoxville where a guy tried reverse sear on a chuck roast and it came out like charcoal. I agree that people get way too locked into one technique, I've had way better luck with a simple hot and fast method on my old Weber kettle than any fancy two-step process. At the end of the day the meat and the cooker matter way more than the method, which is why I stopped chasing the reverse sear hype and just focus on getting good coals and a clean fire.

seana141d ago

67th out of 120 is actually pretty solid for that comp, Memphis is no joke. I remember watching a guy next to me at a local cookoff in Nashville trying reverse sear on a pork shoulder and he ended up with a crust that looked like burnt asphalt. People get so locked into one technique they forget the meat and the cooker matter way more. I've seen guys win with a simple hot and fast method on an offset smoker that would make reverse sear purists cry.