How to Reverse Sear a Steak

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I’ve been hearing about the Reverse Sear method for cooking steaks for a long time now, but I figured “why bother? I’m happy with how we cook steaks now.” If they are thin steaks, we just toss ’em on the grill. If they are super thick (like a rib steak) then we sous vide them. But what about steaks that are in between? Porterhouse and T-Bone steaks are usually 1.5″ – 2″ thick, and the bone in the cut makes it even trickier to cook properly. If you don’t have a sous vide, then the Reverse Sear method of cooking is your best bet to evenly cook a thick steak.

I did a little research first on the subject, and read what Kenji Lopez-Alt (a food writer I deeply respect) had to say about it. Turns out, there were many people developing this technique around the same time. Lopez-Alt was writing for Cook’s Illustrated at the time, and was tasked with creating the perfect way to cook a thick steak. One answer was using a Sous Vide, but since the tool was very pricey at the time, it didn’t make much sense for the majority of home cooks. What he came to, instead, was the Reverse Sear.

Essentially, you take a very dry steak (important, because you can’t sear a wet steak), season it liberally (we prefer our organic Steak Seasoning) and slow cook it at 200-250F until the internal temperature is about 10 degrees F below your desired finished temperature. Since we like steaks medium rare, that means in the range of 125-130F. We went on the safe side and pulled the steak at 115, then put it on a screaming hot cast iron skillet on our grill with some butter. The result was delicious and perfect!

If you’re looking for a foolproof method for cooking thick steaks, the Reverse Sear method is your ticket to perfectly cooked t-bones and porterhouses. Enjoy

Bill

Reverse Sear Porterhouse Steak

The Reverse Sear method is a great way to cook a thick steak, without the issue of uneven cooking. Slow cooking the steak and searing at the end is the only way to fly, if you have a really thick cut of steak.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 lb 2 lb 2 lb Beef Loin, Porterhouse Steak, any thick steak (over 1.5" thick)
2 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp Primal Palate Steak Seasoning
1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp Ghee

Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

One key to this recipe is a very dry steak, so if you have the ability to start this recipe a day before cooking, place the steak uncovered in your refrigerator to help dry it out. If you're ready to cook, pat the steak dry with a paper towel.
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. You can go lower, but it will take longer for the steak to cook.
Season the steak liberally with our steak seasoning on both sides. If you don't have our Steak Seasoning, you can use salt and pepper instead.
Place the steak on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Slow cook the steak for about 90 minutes, though I would start checking the internal temperature after 45 minutes. For a medium rare steak, remove the steak from the oven when it hits 115F internally.
Heat a grill to high heat, or a cast iron skillet to high heat. As hot as you can make them. Add some ghee to the skillet immediately before cooking (omit if using a grill only). Sear the steak on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side.
Allow steak to rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve immediately.