How to Reverse Sear a Steak

A reverse sear is one of the best ways to get tender and juicy steak with a nice brown crust! You cook the steak low and slow in the oven or grill before finishing with a high-temperature sear.

What is Reverse Sear

Searing means cooking meat at high temperature to form a brown crust with distinctive flavor thanks to the Maillard reaction. Conventional wisdom is to sear at the start of cooking to lock in the juices, but searing at the end is becoming popular too.

With a reverse sear, you cook meat slowly at a low temperature before finishing with a quick sear. This method is well-suited to thick-cut steaks and roasts since it minimizes carryover cooking, the phenomenon where the meat keeps cooking off the heat.

Benefits

Reverse searing is a method of choice for cooking an expensive steak! Here are some of the benefits:

1. More tender: The uniform cooking makes it easier to hit your desired doneness so you can get steak exactly as you like it.
2. Better color: Grey edges will be smaller and the pink/red color more consistent throughout (like sous vide cooking).
3. Easy prep: There’s no need to remove the meat from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking. You also don’t need to pat dry with paper towels either, since the moisture evaporates gradually at low temperature.
4. No resting: You can serve the steaks HOT out of the oven or grill, as they don’t need to rest to finish cooking.

The only downside is … patience! A thick-cut steak that takes 15-20 minutes to cook normally will need 30-60 minutes for a reverse sear.

Which Cuts Can You Reverse Sear

You can reverse sear any thick-cut beef steak including rib eye, filet mignon (tenderloin), New York strip, T-bone and porterhouse. It’s also suitable for marinating steaks such as tri tip.

In addition to these types of steak, this cooking method works for roasts like prime rib as well as pork chops.

How to Reverse Sear Steak in the Oven

Reverse searing is best suited to the oven or grill. Here’s the process for the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
2. Season the steaks and place them on the wire rack. Put them in the oven to cook for 20 minutes.
3. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the middle of the steak every five minutes until you reach the following: 100°F for rare, 110°F for medium-rare, 120°F for medium, 130°F for well-done
4. Remove the steak from the oven. Heat a cast-iron pan on high heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add oil to the pan followed by the steak. Sear for 1-2 minutes until nicely browned.
6. Flip the steak and sear the other side for 2 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Note the steak temperature will rise another 15-20°F during searing. Refer to this temperature chart for the final steak doneness, i.e. 125-130°F for medium-rare.

Reverse Sear on the Grill

Here’s how to reverse sear a steak on the grill:

1. Heat one side of your barbecue on medium, leaving the other side OFF. Let the grill heat up to 250-300°F.
2. Season the steak and place it on the COOL side for 15-20 minutes, adjusting the grill as needed to maintain the same temperature.
3. Open the grill and insert an instant-read thermometer into the middle of the steak every five minutes until you reach the levels above.
4. Crank the heat on the HOT side to HIGH. Move the steak over to the hot side to sear for 2 minutes per side. (If you want crosshatch grill marks, rotate the steak 90 degrees after one minute on each side.)

To avoid opening the grill frequently, I use a wireless dual-probe thermometer to monitor the steak temperature continuously.

 

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