When to sear ...

[wordsandwords]

I'm a noob to smoking steaks, so pardon what might be an obvious question ...

I've always seared my steaks on high heat and then put them in lower heat when necessary. That'd be the case whether I was doing direct/indirect heat on the grill or doing steak on stovetop to the oven.

I'd think that would be a good way to do the same with the smoker. Sear it on high heat and put it in the smoker until it hits the right temperature. This would seem to make it easier to judge the right temperature since you're not taking it out of the smoker and hitting it with more heat.

However, I've noticed in a lot of posts that people tend to smoke then sear. Does the sear prevent the meat from absorbing the smoke? Or is there another reason to do it this way?

Thanks!

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[DivotMaker]

Hey Words, depends on what you are smoking.  If you are doing ribs, pork butts, or briskets, start with cold meat in a cold smoker.  If you are doing something like a prime rib roast, you'll reverse-sear (after the meat reaches internal temp).  Forget your grill experience (for the most part) when it comes to low and slow smoking.  I'm pretty darn good on my Weber gasser, but it's totally different cooking with a dedicated smoker.

Remember, also, that you're not smoking steaks or the like.  You're usually smoking large cuts, poultry or ribs, with the occasional "odd ball" item thrown in!

I find myself using mine almost every weekend (when I'm not working), so the process couldn't be that hard!  Hehehe!  Seriously though, it's "lazy Q" at its finest!