This recipe is more about the cooking technique, reverse searing, than it is about the recipe itself. When you have high quality steak like this Jorge Ribsteak from Flannery Beef, all you have to do is cook it perfectly and the meat does all the rest. I did make a delicious herb compound butter to go on top of the finished steak, but that is just icing on a delicious piece of quality meat. Reverse seared ribsteak is a cooking technique you are going to want to use when cooking large pieces of meat like this 28-ounce ribsteak. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll be using it repeatedly, because it produces one delicious, perfectly cooked steak.
- Make sure the meat is at room temperature so that it cooks evenly. Never pull a steak out of the refrigerator and throw it on the grill. I guarantee you; it will burn on the outside and still be raw in the middle.
- Salt your meat and let that permeate the meat while it is coming to temperature. It will really season the meat and add to its flavor if you let it sit on the meat while it comes to temperature.
- A note on pepper. Pepper can burn on the grill, so I don’t add it to the steak until AFTER it has cooked and rested. I serve the sliced meat with the pepper mill for guests to add themselves.
- Cook the meat initially over low heat (250-275 degrees F) until the internal temperature is 115 – 120 degrees F.
- Always use a thermometer. No guessing, please!
- Turn the meat every 10 minutes or so, so that it is evenly cooking.
- Let the meat rest, covered, once it reaches that internal temperature of 115-120 degrees F.
- Make sure the grill is really hot (500-550 degrees F.) for the final sear.
- Sear the meat hot and fast (about 2-6 minutes total on each side). Get nice grill marks on the meat.
- Always let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes covered. NEVER cut into the meat before that time has elapsed. CONTROL YOURSELF…lol. You want all those juices to redistribute into the meat before you cut into it. Otherwise, you risk cutting and having all the juices run out, creating a dry and tough steak. Set a timer if you must, but just wait.
REVERSE SEAR TEMPERATURE GUIDE
There are two stages to reverse searing: the first is to kind of cook the meat all the way through to the temperature or doneness that you like. This ensures that the meat is cooked inside. The second stage is the searing of the meat which gives you that delicious crust on the outside. If you’ve always gone for the sear first, I know this might be hard to wrap your head around, but trust me this works…especially on large cuts of meat.
While most chefs will recommend medium rare for your steak, this is a personal preference. It is your steak and your dinner, so cook it the way you like it. These temperatures should act as a guide. Remember, your first stage of cooking in low heat is really determining the internal temperature of the steak, so use your thermometer to get to the right temperature of doneness for you.
NOTE: as the steak rests, the temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees so cook just under what your preference is. Your final searing keeps the meat on the grill a very short amount of time and is meant to just crisp up the crust and shouldn’t increase the internal temperature more than 3-5 degrees. So sear fast and hot.
Use this as a guide for the internal temperature of your steak after the first low and slow cooking.
Rare (125°-130°F)
Medium Rare (130°-140°F)
Medium (140°-150°F)
Medium Well (150°-160°F)
Well (Over 160°F)
I like to finish the steak with a flavorful herb compound butter. It is simply mixing one stick of unsalted butter with 1 1/2 tablespoons of your favorite mixed herbs and adding some salt. I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level myself. For the compound butter in this recipe, I used a mix of soft herbs; thyme, oregano and chives. Feel free to use your own mix. If you choose to use a tough herb like rosemary, be sure to chop it fine. It adds great flavor but can be unpleasant if you get big, hard stems in the butter. I make these up to two days in advance and just let it come to room temperature before topping my meat.
You are now ready to cook the perfect reverse seared ribeye steak.
Be sure to take your steak out of the refrigerator two hours before it is time to grill. Liberally season the steak on all sides with salt. Let sit for 1 ½ – 2 hours to come to room temperature.
Heat just one side of your grill and heat your grill to 250 – 275 degrees F.
Place your steak on the cool side of the grill and cook for 30-45 minutes, turning every 8-12 minutes to evenly and gently cook the meat. Using a thermometer, check the temperature. When it reaches 115 – 120 degrees F. internally, remove from the grill and cover with foil. Let the steak sit for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise while resting to about 130 degrees F. (medium-rare)
While the meat rests, heat the grill to 500-550 degrees F. You want the grill “screaming hot” to sear the meat.
Right before you are ready to grill and sear the meat, wipe down the grill with paper towels doused with olive oil. This will keep the meat from sticking.
Place the steak on the hot side of the grill at a 90-degree angle. Let the meat get good grill marks (about 2-3 minutes). Turn the meat another 90-degrees to create crisscross marks on the steak and sear for another 2-3 minutes. Flip the steak and do the same on the other side.
Remove from the heat and cover with foil. Let the steak rest a full 10-15 minutes to let the juices redistribute into the meat. Do NOT cut before that time has passed or you risk having all the juices run out of the meat giving you dry, tough steak.
Top with the herb butter and cut into thick slices and serve. You can finish with more flaky salt (Maldon is a favorite) and/or pepper if you like. You’ll note that I do not pepper my steak BEFORE grilling. It can burn on the grill and cause an unpleasant taste. Save that for the end if using. Enjoy!
If you want to experience and taste the quality of the meat I worked with in this recipe, be sure to check out Flannery Beef. It is just amazing. Otherwise, be sure to find a high quality 2-3 inch thick rib eye steak locally, and use that.
One last note, make sure you have a sharp, chef’s knife. Use your knife sharpener to keep your knives sharp and ready to cut the beast! That’s it. Enjoy your steak!
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Looking for other steak recipes? Be sure to try some of my favorites:
Filet Mignon with Chasseur Sauce
Filet Mignon with Mushroom and Cabernet Sauce
Reverse Seared Ribsteak With Herb Butter
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 28 Oz. Jorge Ribsteak from Flannery Beef
- 1-2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
- 2-4 Tbsp. Herbed compound butter (recipe below)
- Olive oil to oil grates
COMPOUND HERB BUTTER
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 1 ½ Tbsp. Mixed, chopped herbs (I used oregano, thyme and chives)
- ½ Tsp. Kosher salt
Instructions
- Make your herb butter. Mix everything in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Take your steak out of the refrigerator two hours before it is time to grill. Liberally season the steak on all sides with salt. Let sit for 1 ½ - 2 hours to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your grill to 250 – 275 degrees F on one side of the grill.
- Place your steak on the cool side of the grill and cook for 30-45 minutes, turning every 8-12 minutes to evenly and gently cook the meat. Using a thermometer, check the temperature. When it reaches 115 – 120 degrees F. internally, remove from the grill and cover with foil. Let the steak sit for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise while resting to about 130 degrees F. (medium-rare)
- While the meat rests, heat the grill to 500-550 degrees F. You want the grill “screaming hot” to sear the meat.
- Right before you are ready to grill and sear the meat, wipe down the grill with paper towels doused with olive oil. This will keep the meat from sticking.
- Place the steak on the hot side of the grill at a 90-degree angle. Let the meat get good grill marks (about 2-3 minutes). Turn the meat another 90-degrees to create crisscross marks on the steak and sear for another 2-3 minutes. Flip the steak and do the same on the other side.
- Remove from the heat and cover with foil. Let the steak rest a full 10-15 minutes to let the juices redistribute into the meat. Do NOT cut before that time has passed or you risk having all the juices run out of the meat giving you dry, tough steak.
- Top with the herb butter and cut into thick slices and serve. You can finish with more flaky salt and/or pepper if you like. Enjoy!
