I set off my smoke alarms exactly every time I try to sear meat. I tend to use either a steel pan over high heat, or a cast iron skillet over medium heat. I have a standard gas range with a recirculating hood. I usually try to have the pan at 375 before adding the meat. I always make sure it's quite dry. I have tried both oiling the pan and oiling the meat. (I'm actually not clear on the strategy there. The Tender Cuts class clearly says to not oil the pan--just the meat, if anything. But most of the sous vide recipes have you heat oil in the pan before the pre-sear.) Anyhow, any advice? Would we guess this is the oil smoking, or the protein? I don't tend to get a tremendous sear, either. Will I get adequate results if I broil instead of pan sear? Thanks.
