Hey guys, it’s Kevin! Today I have a recipe for the best way to cook steak that most people haven’t even heard of: reverse-searing.
Reverse-searing steak will guarantee that it comes out perfectly cooked every time. The science behind reverse-searing steak is very similar to that of using a sous-vide to make steak; you cook the steak until it has reached the desired doneness (medium-rare, medium, etc…) and then quickly sear it on a blazing hot pan to get a beautiful crust. Unlike sous-vide, you don’t need to buy any fancy equipment to make it–you most likely already have everything you need. I first discovered this method of cooking about a year ago, and since then, there’s never been a reason to cook steak any other way!
For reverse-searing, a thick cut of steak that is uniformly thick works the best. My favorite cuts are ribeye and New York strip, but any high quality steak will work.
What Is Reverse-searing?
While the name may sound fancy, reverse-searing is actually very simple, and anyone can do it with some very common kitchen equipment (just make sure you have an instant-read thermometer). The first step is the same as if you were to make steak on a pan normally: pat the steak dry and season it liberally with salt and pepper on both side.
Next, instead of throwing the steak on the pan at this point, we bake it in the oven at 250°F. We use a low temperature so that the entire steak will cook evenly (we don’t want the outside cooking faster than the inside). We bake the steak until the temperature of the meat at the thickest part is a bit below the desired final temperature (for medium-rare, this is about 95°F out of the oven and 130°F final internal temperature. See table below). To check the temperature of the meat while baking, you can use an instant-read thermometer. If you roast a lot of meat though, it might be worth investing in a Meater, which is a Bluetooth thermometer that goes into the oven with your meat.
| Doneness | Out-of-oven Temperature | Final Temperature after searing and resting |
| Rare | 85°F – 90°F | 120°F – 130°F |
| Medium-rare | 95°F – 100°F | 130°F – 135°F |
| Medium | 105°F – 110°F | 140°F – 150°F |
| Medium-well | 115°F – 120°F | 150°F – 160°F |
| Well | 125°F – 130°F | 160°F – 170°F |
After the steak has reached the desired temperature in the oven, we take it out and quickly sear both sides on a blazing hot skillet to develop a beautiful finish. While doing this, we also add some butter and garlic to the pan and baste the steak with it. This will help the steak brown even better and enhance the flavor even more.
We finish the steak off with a big scoop of softened butter mixed with minced garlic and herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley, etc…). There you have it–a beautiful steak, perfectly cooked to your liking and dripping with flavor. Eat it by itself, or with a side of home fries and caramelized onions like we have above.
Let’s get started!
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Reverse-Seared Steak with Garlic Herb Butter
Course: Main CourseCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes50
minutesReverse-searing is a method of cooking steak that is similar to sous-vide but doesn’t require any special equipment. By reverse-searing your steak, you can always get a perfectly cooked steak with a beautiful crust.
Ingredients
1 thick-cut steak (1½ – 2 inches is best; if possible, use better cuts like ribeye and New York strip)
Salt
Ground pepper
4 tbsp butter (2 tablespoons softened)
3 cloves garlic (1 clove minced; 2 cloves smashed)
1/2 tsp dry thyme or other herbs (use 1 tsp if using fresh herbs)
2 tbsp vegetable oil (any oil with a high smoke point works)
- Equipment
Skillet
Wire rack
Baking sheet
Meat thermometer (instant-read thermometer)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F
- In the meantime, prepare the steak. Pat the surface dry with a paper towel. Place the steak on a wire rack on a baking sheet and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper
- Place the baking tray in the oven on the middle rack. Bake the steak until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak reads 95°F for medium rare, 105°F for medium (refer to table above)
- While the steak is baking, mix your softened butter with the minced garlic and herbs.
- When the steak has almost reached the desired internal temperature in the oven, heat up a skillet (preferably cast iron, although stainless steal is fine too) over high heat
- After removing the steak from the oven, add oil to the hot pan. When the oil is hot, place your steak in the pan and cook on one side for about a minute, until a nice dark crust forms
- Flip the steak and add 2 tablespoons of butter with the smashed garlic to the pan. Cook and baste the steak with the butter for another minute. Flip back over and baste for another 30 seconds
- Hold the steak on its side and cook off some of the fat for 30 seconds to a minute
- Remove the steak from the pan and scoop the prepared garlic-herb butter on top of it. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes, then it’s ready to be sliced!
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Feeling Fancy?
Try mixing up which herbs you use in the butter mixture! Also, try pairing the steak with different sides. In our picture above, we prepared the steak with caramelized onions, home fries, and roasted cherry tomatoes for a full meal.
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Looks so good !! ??