Can I Use It to Reverse-Sear?Updated 4 days ago

Yes, and the thermometer is built for it. The only thing to know is how hot your sear actually gets and which generation you own.

How much heat it can take

 900°F is a peak, not a cruising speed. Brief excursions above 750°F are survivable; long ones are not. If the ambient reading stops rising around 733°F, that is the sensor reaching the top of its range, not damage.

A hard sear on a very hot charcoal grill can pass those numbers. Ours have survived flare-ups, but we keep searing time to one or two minutes.

Two ways to do it

Leave the thermometer in. For most searing temperatures, this is fine. Keep the handle end out of direct flame and away from the hottest part of the grate.

Or pull it for the sear. If you are going properly hot, take the probe out before you sear, let the crust form, then slide it back in once the meat is off the heat. You still get the carryover reading, and the probe never sees the worst of it.

Either way, insert it to at least the minimum line when it is in. Most odd readings during a sear are an insertion problem, not a heat problem.

Still have a question?

If your thermometer set off an overheat alarm during a sear, email [email protected] and tell us which generation you have and what you were cooking on.

What is the max operating temperature? has the full limits. Warnings and Watchouts covers everything that will damage it, and Overheat Alarm: Display Flashing Red and Screeching covers what to do if the alarm sounds.

[Related keywords: reverse sear, reverse-sear, searing, sear, can i sear with it, hot sear, high heat, how hot can it get, flame, flare up, charcoal, grill, direct heat, 600f, 900f, 750f, 733f, temperature limit, max temp, overheat, overheat alarm, pull the probe, take it out to sear, put it back in, carryover, crust, insertion line, min line, 1st generation, 2nd generation, which generation]