Why and how to Reverse-Sear!
Honestly, it's not that complicated... instead of searing or frying your steak on a pan and then cooking the inside in the oven afterwards, you reverse that process by (guess!) cooking the inside first, then searing at the end!
Before you get started:
1. Ensure your steak is thicker than an inch
2. You need a probe thermometer and an oven
3. Prepare a foil-lined tray with a roasting rack to suspend meat
Step 1: Season your steak.
They should be at least an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper or a rub. For best results, you can refrigerate them overnight before cooking.
Step 2: Preheat the oven.
Preheat to anywhere between 93 and 135°C. The lower you go, the more evenly the meat will cook, though it'll also take longer. We went for 130C and used the fan oven setting.
Step 3: Bake the steaks!
We used a Weber iGrill to make it easier which is a probe thermometer (operates via app and electric probes), so you don't need to keep opening the oven door to check the temperature of the steaks. The next best thing is the Meater Probe (wireless) by Traeger Grills. Otherwise, a regular meat thermometer will do which you can get at Tavola or Amazon. We cooked the steaks to 54C internally.
For internal target temperatures, see below chart! The time you bake depends on your desired final doneness. Please take note that this is geared towards steaks 1.5 inch thick which is Serious Eats' recommended thickness for a good reverse-sear experience.
Chart photo courtesy of Serious Eats.
Step 4: Rest the steaks, around 10 minutes.
This ensures the juices are distributed evenly before the last sear, which means you don't have to rest them at the end! Woohoo, hot steak off the pan!
The great thing about this is... you can actually pre-cook steaks this way for parties, until your guests are REALLY ready for their steaks. Just cover with foil as you wait.
Step 5: Sear the steaks.
This is the fun part! Sear the steaks till they're all beautifully golden brown. Medium high heat would be best.
Step 6: Slice and inhale!
Slice and devour. You're welcome. Check out how uniformly done they are inside!
Have you tried reverse searing before? What are your thoughts? Would you try reverse searing after reading this? Would love to discuss below!
Meaty regards,
Joan
Culinary Business Manager
Leave a comment