Grilled steak is traditionally cooked the sear-n-slide method in which they are seared over direct heat and then finished over indirect heat. The reverse-sear is exactly the opposite of this classic method, and it really works! With this method, the steaks are first slow-roasted over low indirect heat before being finished over a ripping hot direct fire. The result is that the interior of the meat achieves an even pink color from top to bottom (instead of the grey outer ring of overcooked meat in a sear-n-slide method), and almost no precious juices are lost!
I try to limit how often I prepare red meat for dinner. But, every so often a juicy steak is a treat –especially one that is grilled. I like mine medium-rare, while my husband prefers his medium. It’s a win, as he gets the pieces closer to the ends, and I get the center cuts.
Craig has become quite the accomplished grill master (IMHO) by studying recipes from several of my grilling cookbooks (that I point out to him). A while ago, I bought “Weber’s New American Barbecue” cookbook and it’s a beauty! There are full color photographs and step-by-step instructions. I honed in on the Reverse -Sear New York Steak recipe and bookmarked it along with numerous other mouthwatering recipes.
As luck would have it, my supermarket was having a one day sale on Snake River Farm Wagyu Style NY Strip steak that I could not resist. This cut was beautifully marbled!
If you can get your hands on the Coffee & Garlic BBQ Rub and Seasoning from Trader Joe’s, it’s inexpensive and really good!
The recipe was written for a charcoal grill– and we do own a Weber. However, since we were grilling just one steak, we decided to use our gas grill that has a “searing burner”. (I’ll include how to do this with a charcoal grill.) Craig soaked some wood chips and placed them into the “smoker box” over the searing burner– to really get that smoke going! The steaks were placed on indirect heat, lid closed, until they reached between 110F and 115F (about 25 minutes).
The steaks were then slid over to the screaming hot searing burner, lid closed, flipped halfway through …
…then grilled and until the internal temperature reached 130F (about 4 minutes, total). Now, to let this rest for 5 minutes so that the juices can redistribute.
I strongly encourage investing in an accurate meat thermometer, or you might end up with overcooked steak– and when you splurge on high-end cuts, that would be a very sad ending.
Nice! I see medium-rare slices for me, and medium slices for my Grill Master. The slices look really juicy! Let’s eat!
TASTING NOTES: Of course, the quality of the meat makes all the difference in the world, and this beef is tender and really flavorful. I will keep the Trader Joe’s rub mixture on hand, as it perfectly seasoned the steak. Well done steak isn’t in my vocabulary, so this method of reverse-searing worked beautifully for us. As promised, the steak was pink and absolutely perfect. My Grill Master gets kudos (and a kiss) for adapting this from a charcoal grill to a gas grill.
Reverse-Sear New York Steaks
Equipment
- Gas or Charcoal Grill
- Accurate meat thermometer
- Wood grill chips
- Wood Chip Smoker Box (if using a gas grill)
Ingredients
- 4 New York Strip Steaks well-marbled, about 8 ounces and 1¼ to 1½ inches thick
- Steak seasoning of your choice recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning, Trader Joe's Coffee & Garlic Rub are favorites of ours
- 1 handful wood chips soaked for 30 minutes and drained
Instructions
Season/Prepare the steak:
- Bring the steaks to room temperature at least 30 minutes before grilling. Season to your liking, or wait to season at the end with salt & pepper.
For a gas grill
- Fill a chip smoker box with the drained wood chips. Place on the hotter side (or searing burner) to start the smoke. Once the smoke is going, slide away from the searing burner.
- Turn on one side of gas grill to HIGH (if you have a searing burner, set that on)
- Turn the other side of gas grill to medium for indirect temperature heat of 300°.
For a charcoal grill:
- Fill a chimney starter, one-third full with charcoal (about 30 briquettes) and ignite. When covered with gray ash, dump the coals on one side of the charcoal grate, put the cooking grate in place, and preheat for 10 minutes. The temperature of the grill should be about 300°.
- Drain and add one handful of the wood chips to the charcoal.
Grilling the steaks:
- Grill the steaks on the indirect side, with the lid closed, until the interior temperature reaches 110° to 155°, 25 to 35 minutes.
For a charcoal grill (cont.)
- While the steaks are cooking over indirect heat, light a full chimney started filled with briquettes on a heatproof surface away from the grill. When the coals are very hot, transfer the steaks to a plate, remove the cooking grate, and dump the cooking grate and lid and preheat the grate for 5 minutes. Drain and add the remaining wood chips to the charcoal.
Reverse Searing the Steaks (Gas or Charcoal)
- Grill the steaks on direct high heat, with the lid closed, until the interior temperature reaches about 130°, about 4 minutes, turning once.
- Remove from the grill (season with salt & pepper, if desired), and let rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
Good steak and my preferred way to cook them.
What a great looking steak! Thanks for the tip on the TJ’s coffee & garlic rub; I’ll be sure to grab some the next time I swing by. I’m impressed at how pink it is throughout with such a good char on the outside; Craig really is a good grill master! Within the last couple of years, I too discovered the reverse sear method. It’s funny how everything you thought you knew (sear-n-slide method) was wrong!
I’m so glad that we learned the reverse sear method. It totally makes sense and, like you, I like my steaks pink in the middle. Thanks for stopping by!