Reverse-Seared Steaks (For perfect steaks every time!)

Reverse-seared steaks are cooked in a low oven to the perfect temperature and then seared for a great crust. Reverse-searing is the way to cook your steaks perfectly every time.

Reverse-Seared Steak with Roasted Garlic

For some helpful tips before you begin, click here.

Ingredients:

2 steaks at least 1″ thick, (about 1 lb/450g each)
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1/2 teaspoon (1.5g) black pepper
1 teaspoon (3g) garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.5g) onion powder
1 teaspoon (6g) MSG*
vegetable oil, for searing

OPTIONAL:

4 to 6 tablespoons (57 to 85 g) butter, melted
2 to 4 cloves garlic

*MSG is wonderful for steak, but if you do not like to use MSG, it can be omitted.

Directions:

1. Dry-brine the steaks for 1 hour.

– Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and then sprinkle both sides with salt.
– Let the steaks sit on a rack uncovered over a foil-lined baking sheet at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 250°F (121°C).

– Preheat the oven to 250°F (121°C) and place the oven rack in the middle position.

3. Season and cook the steaks.

– Combine the black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and MSG.
– Season both sides of the steaks with the seasoning mix.
– Cook for 30 minutes or until the steaks reach an internal temperature of 125°F (52°C) for medium-rare. (The internal temperature of the steaks will rise 5 to 10 degrees while it is resting.)

4. Rest the steaks.

– Remove the steaks to a rimmed plate, tent with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

5. Sear the steaks.

– Pour enough vegetable oil to completely coat the bottom of a large cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet.
– Heat the skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is glistening hot, but not smoking. (The steaks should sizzle. If they do not sizzle, wait longer.)
– Place the steaks in the center of the pan and let sear for only about 1 minute per side, moving the steak around only once or twice, to get a good even crust.

Optional – Add the melted butter and garlic cloves into the pan. Baste the steaks while searing.

– Sear the sides of the steaks as well. (Use tongs to stand the steaks up on their sides.)
– Remove the steaks to the cutting board or serving plate. Pour any butter or pan juices over the steaks.

6. Serve hot.

– Serve reverse-seared steaks while hot. (Since the steaks were already rested before the sear, no need to rest again.)

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About this recipe:

What is reverse-searing?
Unlike pan-seared steaks, which are seared in a hot pan, finished in the oven and then rested, reverse-seared steaks are cooked in a low oven first, rested, and then seared.

Low and slow cooking provides control and precision.
By cooking in a low, gentle heat, steaks can be brought up to the desired internal temperature with more control and precision. Plus, when the steak reaches that desired temperature, for example, medium-rare, the steak will be medium-rare throughout, from edge to center with no overcooked grey band along the outside.

Resting before searing assures a steak served hot.
A reverse-seared steak is rested before searing. Because the steaks can be rested from as short as 10 minutes to as long as 60 minutes, there’s a large window of time allowing the steaks to be seared only when everyone is ready to eat. A minute per side in a hot pan or grill is enough to get a good crust. And since the steaks were already rested, the steaks can be served hot right off the pan or grill.

Forgot to defrost?
Reverse-searing works well on frozen steaks, too! (See my post Steaks from Frozen – the Safe Way)

Tips:

Here are 6 helpful tips:

1) Dry brine for flavor and texture.

Dry brining your steaks simply means pre-salting them and then letting them sit to absorb the salt, enhancing the flavor, as well as tenderizing the meat. Here are some helpful rules:

Never use more salt to dry brine than you would normally use to season your steaks. Usually, about 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt per pound is sufficient.
Let the steaks sit for at least an hour. Less time than that will not give the steaks enough to time to re-absorb the juices extracted by the salt, resulting in a less juicy steak.
Keep the steaks uncovered while dry brining. A dryer surface will promote better browning.
If dry brining longer than 2 hours, keep the steaks refrigerated and loosely covered. You can dry-brine your steaks as long as 3 days in the refrigerator.

Above: Before and after dry brining.

2) Steak temperatures and residual cooking:

STEAK TEMPERATURES:

Rare: red, cool center 120-130°F/50-55°C
Medium-rare: red, warm center 130-135°F/55-57°C
Medium: pink throughout 140-150°F/60-65°C
Medium-well: barely pink anywhere 155-165°F/68-74°C
Well: brown throughout 170°F/77°

RESIDUAL COOKING:

After removing the steaks from the oven to rest, residual cooking will bring your steaks’ temperatures up 5 to 10 degrees while resting.

Pull your steaks from the oven around 5 to 10 degrees before it reaches your preferred doneness and let it finish cooking while resting.

3) Estimated cooking times:

Below are estimated cooking times for reverse-searing steaks that have worked for me with my oven. However, everyone’s oven is different. I highly recommend getting an instant-read thermometer and checking your steaks early and often.

– The best and most reliable way to know if your steak is at the perfect temperature is to use an instant-read thermometer.

ESTIMATED COOKING TIMES:

Cooking times at 250°F (121°C) for medium-rare (125°F/52°C before resting):

1″ steak – 30 minutes
2″ steak – 45 minutes
3″ steak – 60 minutes

Add about 5 minutes per inch for medium (135°F/57°C before resting)
Add about 10 minutes per inch for medium-well/well-done (145°F/63°C to 150°F/66°C before resting)

**Add a few minutes if cooking your steaks straight from the refrigerator.

4) Rest your reverse-seared steaks before searing.

Don’t skip this step. Rest your steaks at least 5 to 10 minutes per pound.

Resting prevents overcooking during the sear. While resting, the steaks can complete any residual cooking and its internal temperature can stabilize. A stable internal temperature will be less affected by the high surface-searing heat, allowing the steak to get a good crust without overcooking.
Resting keeps the steaks juicy. In addition, if you cut into a steak that is not rested, all its juices will run out. Letting the steak sit for a few minutes will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the steak and ensure it’s as juicy as it can be.

5) Sear fast and hot.

Use a cast-iron pan or other heavy-bottomed skillet. These pans will retain heat better and provide more even cooking and a better crust.
If basting your steaks, start with melted butter. A minute per side for searing goes fast and won’t provide enough time to melt and brown cold butter for proper basting.

**6) This method will work on frozen steaks, too.**

– Frozen steaks can be successfully cooked by reverse-searing as well. Just add about 15 minutes per inch extra cooking time in the low oven. (See Steaks from Frozen – the Safe Way)