Name: Reverse-Sear Steak
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 (1 pound, 4-ounces) boneless beef strip steak (1 1/2-inch thick), at room temperature; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 5 teaspoons freshly cracked 4-peppercorn blend, divided; 0.5 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced shallot (from 1 small shallot); 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil; 0.25 cup dry red wine; 0.5 cup unsalted beef broth

Reverse-Sear Steak

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For a steakhouse-style dinner, prepare a compound butter while this steak bakes, followed by an herb butter pan sauce when you finish the cooking in a cast-iron skillet.

Jasmine Smith

Updated on August 24, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

How to reverse-sear a steak

Learning how to reverse-sear means you can serve steakhouse-quality meals from your own kitchen. The trick to this ingenious cooking method is to first cook the steak in a low oven, then transfer it to a blazing hot skillet to quickly sear both sides. The result is a steak with a deeply browned crust and an inside that is evenly cooked. This method is especially helpful when cooking thick steaks; it allows the meat to cook exactly to your taste without overcooking or even burning the exterior of the steak.

How long do you reverse-sear a steak?

This recipe calls for baking low and slow until the thickest portion of the meat reaches 115°F for medium-rare, which will likely take about 35 minutes. The quick pan sear is simply one minute on each side.

What temperature do you use to reverse sear steak?

Cook the steak in an oven heated to 250°F, and use high heat for the quick sear on the stove at the end.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Although this steak is delicious straight out of the skillet, we added a buttery wine pan sauce to finish off the dish. The recipe for the herb butter added to the sauce makes more than you will need and is very handy to have around to dress up a pot of rice or vegetables at the last minute.

Ingredients

1 (1 pound, 4-ounce) boneless beef strip steak (1 1/2-inch thick), at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
5 teaspoons freshly cracked four-peppercorn blend, divided
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced shallot (from 1 small shallot)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup unsalted beef broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 250°F. Sprinkle steak with salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Place steak on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat registers 115°F for medium-rare (the steak will cook more when it is finished in the skillet), about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, place butter, shallot, thyme, and remaining 4 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl; fold mixture together using a spatula until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill the compound butter for about 30 minutes, or store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high until oil shimmers and just begins to smoke. Add steak; cook until golden brown, 1 minute per side. Transfer steak to a cutting board.
Remove skillet from heat, add wine to skillet, and let mixture reduce, stirring constantly, until reduced by half, about 15 seconds. Add broth. Return skillet to heat over medium-high and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring constantly, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons compound butter and whisk until butter has melted and sauce emulsifies. Season with additional salt to taste.
Slice steak into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and divide between two plates. Spoon pan sauce over steak and serve.