By using this process you only cook with high heat at the very end so your reverse sear steak will be perfectly cooked all the way through!
**Post written by The BBQ Brothers. For all meat prep, grill set up, temperature and humidity control, recommended tools, and techniques for The BBQ Brothers recipes, check out The BBQ Brothers Beginner's Guide To Grilling first, then get to cookin!
I discovered this method of cooking a steak on YouTube so I knew I had to try it as the videos make the steak look incredible! The basic idea is that with the reverse sear method, you have greater control over the cooking process because you’re making sure the high heat only comes into play right at the end so the steak inside will be cooked perfectly. So, instead of an internal ring of different “doneness” your steak will be perfectly medium-rare (or whatever temperature you choose) all the way through.
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REVERSE SEAR STEAK
First of all, we want to get a good thick cut of steak at around 1 inch thick (we used a porterhouse but feel free to use your favorite cut). Then we want to “Dry Brine” the steak, which essentially means we are going to salt (kosher salt) both sides of the steak and let sit in the fridge uncovered for at least 6 hours, but ideally overnight. During that time the salt will penetrate the meat which will hold the moisture inside and make our steaks nice and juicy.
Once you take the brined steak out of the fridge, you will notice it will be a bright red color which shows that your salt has penetrated the meat. We want to put the meat on indirect heat at about 200-220 degrees. We happened to be smoking some chicken for the week so I already had the smoker going which made it simple to throw the steak on with it since I already had it out but you can also use an oven at the same temp if you don’t want to get your grill going. We used apple wood chips since that is what we had going for the chicken, but you could use any flavor you wanted.
It is crucial to have a constant read thermometer so you can monitor your steaks doneness as you will not want to be opening and closing your oven or grill over and over checking on it. You'll want to take it off the grill a little before it reaches your desired temperature. Caitlin likes her steak medium rare so I took it off indirect heat at 120 F, which is 5 degrees away from medium rare (see chart at the bottom of this post for a full temperature grid).
Once off indirect heat we will season with black pepper to taste and place on direct heat (a hot grill or cast iron skillet
Finally, remove the steak from heat and let rest for 3-5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute (this is the worst part as the smell is tempting). Once you cut into it you will notice how tender the steak is compared to traditional grilling, and you will also notice the “wall to wall” red which shows that the steak was cooked perfectly across the entire steak. I enjoy slicing the steak to serve as typically Caitlin and I split it but you are more than welcome to just dig in!
Serve this alongside our simple smoked scallops for our smoky rendition of surf 'n turf! 
I also included this temperature guide so you can be accurate:
Internal Temperature Guide
| Rare | 125 F |
| Medium Rare | 130 F |
| Medium | 140 F |
| Well Done | 160 F (If you’re cooking to this degree, stop eating steak) |
Recipe Card
Reverse Sear Steak
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Reverse Seared
- Cuisine: American
Description
By using this process you only cook with high heat at the very end so your reverse sear steak will be perfectly cooked all the way through!
Ingredients
Meat used: Thick steak (at least 1 inch thick, we used a porterhouse)
Seasoning: Salt and pepper
Wood Used: Apple (but any flavor will work)
Grill Temperature: ~200-220F
Meat Temperature: 125-160 depending on desired doneness
Smoke time: Until you reach 5 degrees before desired temperature for indirect, then 1 minute each side for direct
Instructions
- First of all, we want to get a good thick cut of steak at around 1 inch thick (we used a porterhouse but feel free to use your favorite cut). Then we want to “Dry Brine” the steak, which essentially means we are going to salt (kosher salt) both sides of the steak and let sit in the fridge uncovered for at least 6 hours, but ideally overnight. During that time the salt will penetrate the meat which will hold the moisture inside and make our steaks nice and juicy.
- Once you take the brined steak out of the fridge, you will notice it will be a bright red color which shows that your salt has penetrated the meat. We want to put the meat on indirect heat at about 200-220 degrees. You can also use an oven at the same temp if you don’t want to get your grill going. We used apple wood chips, but you could use any flavor you want.
- It is crucial to have a constant read thermometer so you can monitor your steaks doneness as you will not want to be opening and closing your oven or grill over and over checking on it. You'll want to take it off the grill a little before it reaches your desired temperature.
- Once off indirect heat we will season with black pepper to taste and place on direct heat (a hot grill or cast iron skillet) for 1 min per side. Remember we don’t need to cook long as the steak is essentially already cooked; we are simply searing the steak to lock in the flavor.
- Finally, remove the steak from heat and let rest for 3-5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute (this is the worst part as the smell is tempting).
Notes
See temperature guide in post for degree of doneness
So let us know what you think....did this recipe smoke the competition or go up in flames? Leave a comment below! 🙂
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