This is the best way to cook a thick steak like a ribeye or strip steak. Period. (But it should be ribeye, for the record because that’s the best. You can disagree, but you’re wrong.) It needs to be at least an inch and a half thick for this technique to be effective. It it’s thinner, go with a direct sear, as it really won’t benefit from the reverse sear process.
You’re going to let the steak come to room temp, half hour or so out of the fridge. (You should always do that, you know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I forget all of the time. But that’s the best way.) Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 250, or 300 if you’re in a hurry, but slower is better. Prepare a sheet pan or other shallow roasting dish by lining it with foil and placing a flat rack on it. Place your steaks on the rack. Roast until the internal temperature’s ten to fifteen degrees below the temperature you’re looking for. Heat up a cast iron or other heavy bottom skillet to very hot, add some oil, then sear those puppies – about 45 seconds each side. Hit them with some butter if you’re feeling decadent and then serve. The reverse sear process means you don’t need to let them rest, as the protein fibers only got surprised at the end there, and only on the surface. But I give them 2-3 minutes because it seems like the polite thing to do – give ‘em a couple of minutes to get their shit together before you start cutting into them. Also, put it on a plate and take it to a table, you damn savage.
Instead of searing it on the stovetop, you could certainly then toss it on the grill. Make sure you have a steady even heat, though and use a thermometer to check the temp. I can’t tell you how long. I’m too lazy to go to all that work when the stove is right there, on top of the oven I just pulled the steaks out of. But also, grill temps vary so much, what you’re burning, how far your grate is from the heat, whether the wind’s blowing or not.
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