Method · Hot and dry
Reverse sear
Cook a thick steak pink from edge to edge, with a hard crust.
The usual way is sear first, then finish. For a thick cut that leaves a gray band of overcooked meat under the crust. Turn it around. Bring the inside up slowly in a low oven, then sear at the very end. It is the most forgiving way to cook an expensive piece of meat.
This lesson is free, start to finish. So is every other one.
At a glance
- Best for
- Steaks and chops 1½ inches or thicker, tomahawks, small roasts
- Heat
- 225 to 250°F oven, then the hottest pan you have
- Time
- 45 to 90 minutes, mostly hands-off
- Level
- Easy with a thermometer. A guess without one.
What you need
- Wire rack over a sheet pan
- Hot air has to reach every side.
- Probe or instant-read thermometer
- This method is run by temperature. There is no way to do it by time.
- Cast-iron skillet
- For the sear. It has to hold heat.
- Tongs
- To stand the steak on its fat edge.
Why it works
A low oven raises the whole steak at nearly the same rate, so the middle and the edge arrive together. It also dries the surface the whole time it’s in there. A dry, warm steak takes a crust in about a minute a side, so the sear is over before the heat can push a gray band into the meat.
Thin steaks don’t need it. Under about 1½ inches, a plain pan-sear cooks the middle in the time the crust takes.
The day before
Salt every surface, edges too, and set the meat on a rack in the fridge, uncovered. At least 45 minutes. Overnight is better, and a 2-inch tomahawk wants 24 to 48 hours. Salt needs time to travel in, and the cold air dries the outside. Both help the crust.
The cook, step by step
- Heat the oven to 225 to 250°F. Set the meat on the rack over the sheet pan.
- Put the thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone. Bone reads wrong.
- Roast until it is 10 to 15 degrees under where you want to finish. For medium-rare, pull it from the oven at 115°F.
- Rest it 10 minutes. Start heating the cast iron over high heat for a full 5 minutes.
- Pat the meat dry one more time. Add a little high-heat oil to the pan.
- Sear 45 to 60 seconds a side. Stand it on the fat edge for 30 seconds.
- Add butter, garlic and thyme and baste for 30 seconds if you like.
- Take it off at 125 to 130°F for medium-rare. Rest 10 minutes. Slice across the grain.
Pork chops, tomahawks and roasts
- Thick pork chops: oven to 115°F, then sear and baste to 140 to 145°F. They climb about 5 degrees resting.
- Tomahawk: the same method, more time. Plan on 60 to 90 minutes in the oven and start checking at 50.
- Small roasts, like a tri-tip or a rack of lamb: the same. Sear on all sides at the end.
- On a grill: the cool side with the lid down is the oven. The hot side is the pan.
Know when it is done
- Out of the oven: 10 to 15 degrees under your finish.
- Medium-rare steak finishes at 125 to 130°F and climbs 3 to 5 more while it rests.
- Pork finishes at 145°F with a three-minute rest.
- The USDA line for steak is 145°F with a three-minute rest. Lower than that is the cook’s choice.
When it goes wrong
- It overshot in the oven
- You checked too late. Start checking early. If it’s already at your finish temperature, sear it for 30 seconds a side and no more.
- Weak crust
- The surface was damp, or the pan wasn’t hot. Pat it dry after the oven and heat the pan a full five minutes.
- Gray band anyway
- The sear ran long. A minute a side is enough. The inside is already cooked.
- It took far longer than planned
- It was thicker, or colder, than the recipe’s. That’s normal. Thickness drives the time. Trust the thermometer.
- Lukewarm by the time it’s served
- Warm the plates. A reverse-seared steak needs less rest at the end, so serve it sooner.
Practice on these