The correct way to reverse sear a steak
I used to hate cooking steaks at home for one big reason: the smoke. I rent an apartment in Brooklyn, which means I have to contend with a cramped and sensitive smoke detector. But even without the threat of a piercing siren, steak was always one of those “sometimes” foods that ended up making more of a mess than I wanted to clean up.
Until the concept of reverse searing came into my life and changed everything. Now I can cook myself a perfect steak, and you can too.
What is reverse searing?
Searing is the classic way to cook a steak: simply place it in a piping hot pan and sear until cooked through. “Reverse searing” is the catchy term for cooking a roast low and slow in a conventional oven and flipping it in a hot pan later to get a nice color on the outside. The steak essentially cooks almost entirely in the oven; You simply pan-fry it to achieve the gorgeous browning and flavor that the process brings.
You can reverse sear (almost) any steak
You can use this method for almost any type of steak or roast. You can reverse sear rib eye steaks, filet mignon, New York strip steak, or pork tenderloin. The only caveat is thickness: It’s difficult to reverse-sear anything thinner than an inch—between baking and searing, a thin piece of meat will likely cook past the medium-rare point before you catch it can. Try to aim for steaks and roasts that are at least 1 inch thick.
Reverse searing is definitely worth it
Reverse searing browns the steak more evenly than simply pan searing. When you sear a steak over high heat, the protein fibers on the outside cook much faster, causing the outer layer to shrink and the center to bulge, and this deformation of the meat makes it difficult to sear evenly. Searing is primarily intended to enhance flavor, so uneven searing will actually minimize flavor.
When reverse searing, the meat is cooked gently and slowly. Most of the time, you start the process with an oven set to 225°F or 250°F and leave the steak there for 20 to 50 minutes, depending on how you like your steak (and a few variables that I’ll discuss later become). ). When cooking slowly, the meat heats up more evenly and is heated through more evenly, keeping its shape nice and flat. The best part if you ask me? No smoke. With this cooking technique there is no risk of burning. Well, not yet anyway. (You do fry it briefly at the end, but it doesn’t take nearly as long.)
Plus, it’s less stressful: Cooking this way allows you to do other things in the kitchen while the steak cooks in the oven, and you can use a probe thermometer every 10 minutes or so to see how it’s coming along. If you have a terrible habit of overcooking your steak, this method is almost a guarantee that you won’t overcook it.
The correct way to reverse sear a steak
A drier surface sears better, so the night before cooking, pat your steak with a few paper towels and let it rest on a rack over a sheet pan in the refrigerator overnight. If you forget to do this, you can simply do it again in the morning for a few hours. In the worst case scenario (which has certainly happened to me several times), just pat it dry before putting it in the oven.
1. Preheat your oven
Set your oven to 250°F. Place a rack over a baking sheet. There won’t be much dripping from the steak, but lifting the meat will allow the warm air to flow around it.
Photo credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
2. Set your target temperature and cook the steak
Season your steak thoroughly and place it on the grill. You aim for an internal temperature of 10 to 15 degrees below the target final temperature. Keep in mind that the steak can sear in a hot pan and that this will also result in overcooking.
Here is a table of target temperatures that the center of your steak should reach before searing it in a pan.
To reverse sear, aim for the temperature above and remove your steak from the oven.
Photo credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I like my steak about medium, about 140°F. I subtracted 15 degrees and aimed for a temperature of around 125°F. It took me 45 minutes to reach 122°F, with two temperature tests after the first 25 minutes.
There are variables to consider. How thick is your steak? Was it fridge cold or room temperature? My ribeye steak was an inch and a half thick and still cool from the fridge. After 25 minutes, it had just reached the internal temperature appropriate for a rare steak, about 102°F. My advice is to keep an eye on the thickness of your steak and check it after 10 minutes for a thin steak (about 1 inch thick) and after 20 or 25 minutes for a thicker one (about 1 inch more) . Once you get an initial reading, you can adjust the cooking time from there.
Photo credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
3. Fry in a hot pan
Once the desired internal temperature is reached, remove the steak from the oven. Heat a skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. This usually takes a few minutes. Sear the steak on all sides with a knob of butter, about a minute per side. Serve immediately.
Photo credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The first time you reverse sear it, you may be dismayed at how ugly and gray your steak looks out of the oven. Stay tuned. Once you fry it, you’ll understand what it’s all about. Reverse seared steak has great flavor And looks beautiful. Although you miss out on some nice drippings, I think the benefits outweigh the lack of flavor. So say goodbye to burning and hello to a more relaxed and better steak experience.
