Reverse Sear Steak

5 from 165 votes

Learn all about how to reverse sear steak for tender, perfectly cooked steak with a crispy brown and seared crust. Thick-cut steaks are slowly baked at low temperature in the oven and then seared to perfection!

Prep Time8

Cook Time27

Total Time35

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 470kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

2 thick-cut ribeye steaks or filet, New York strip, T-bone, porterhouse; See Note 1
sea salt
1 tablespoon high smoke point vegetable oil See Note 2

Instructions

Salt the steaks: Pat the steaks dry and generously salt the front, back, and sides of the steak. Place them on a wire rack inside a baking sheet.
You can bake them immediately or leave them uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours up to overnight, which I highly recommend for juicier, tender steaks.
2 thick-cut ribeye steaks, sea salt

Bake on Low Heat

Preheat oven: Preheat the oven anywhere from 225°F to 275°F, depending on the size of your steak. For thicker cuts of steak (2 inches or greater), 250°F to 275°F work fine but for smaller cuts less than 1½ inches thick, opt for 225°F.
Bake: Keep the steaks on the wire rack inside a baking sheet for better circulation. Insert a leave-in thermometer at the thickest part of the steak and bake them at low heat until they are 5°F to 12°F shy of your desired level of doneness to account for carry-over cooking.
See the complete Cooking Temperature Chart in the Notes below.
Thicker steaks have higher carry-over cooking compared to thinner steaks. See Note 3.
Note: I baked at 230°F, removed at 117°F, and found there to be about 10°F carry-over cooking for 14oz steaks measuring 2¼ inch thick.

Reverse Sear on the Stovetop

Heat pan and oil: Remove the steaks from the oven. Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron pan or heavy-bottomed pan over high heat until the oil starts to shimmer and just begins to smoke. Turn on the range hood.
1 tablespoon high smoke point vegetable oil
Reverse sear: Pat the steaks dry once more if needed. Sear the front and back of the steak for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side until a golden brown, crispy crust forms. For thicker steaks, sear the sides as well.

Serve

Slice and serve the steaks with your preferred sides. There's no need to let the steaks rest with the reverse sear method. Enjoy!

Notes

Reverse Sear Steak Temperature Chart for 2.25-inch steaks:

Steaks - Use any thick-cut steak such as ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon, T-bone, or porterhouse. I recommend choosing steaks that are at least 1.5 inches thick. For this recipe, I used thick-cut ribeye steaks that were 2.25 inches thick and weighed 14 oz each.
High Smoke Point Oil - For reverse searing steak, use a high smoke point oil such as avocado oil, peanut oil, or canola oil. This is important because it allows you to get the pan hot enough to get a good sear without creating lots of smoke which in turn creates a burnt, bitter flavor.
Carry-over cooking: Expect a 5°F to 12°F increase in temperature depending on the size of your steak and your baking temperature. Thinner steaks baked at lower temperatures: Remove 5°F to 7°F shy of the final temperature. They have less carry-over cooking due to reaching equilibrium sooner.
Thicker steaks baked at higher temperatures: Remove 10°F to 12°F shy of the final temperature. They hold onto more heat and have higher carry-over cooking. Adjust as needed.

Nutrition