Reverse Seared Ribeye

If you love a good steak, then you will wet your pants for this Reverse Seared Ribeye, seasoned with an awesome 4 ingredient rub and finished with parsley butter.  I did not believe all the hype behind the reverse sear method, until I picked up a 2.5″ thick ribeye one Friday afternoon and gave it a try…. mind blown…. life changed forever.   You will end up with a evenly cooked steak, medium rare throughout, with an awesome salty crust developed on the outside.   I have been Reverse Searing Ribeyes a few times a month since the first voyage, and it is heaven every time.

Buying your Ribeye

For a perfectly grilled Reverse Seared Ribeye, you want a big thick steak.  I will not go below 2″ in thickness and usually have the butcher cut a 2.5″ thick ribeye.  You can expect this to weigh about 2 – 2.5 lbs depending on the source.  I like to go to Fareway here in Iowa, as they do whatever you want and usually act happy during the process.  Hy-Vee grocery…. not so much… they are not always thrilled to custom cut a fresh steak for me.  Buy one 2.5″ thick ribeye for every 2-3 people depending on the crowd you are feeding.

The perfect Ribeye will have a good amount of fat marbling, but not huge portions of fat running through the steak.  Try to avoid Ribeye’s with a large fatty area in the center… they do not cook up as well and make slicing up the steak more difficult.   The steak below turned out pretty good.  Ideally, I would like to see a little less fat in the center-left area, but it still turned out great.

If a nice Ribeye is not available, try a 2.5″ thick New York Strip or you could use this same method with a thick beef tenderloin.

What does Reverse Seared mean?

Typically, steaks are cooked over high heat for several minutes on each side until you reach the desired temperature.  For me, I am shooting for 130 degrees F.  However, this can be tricky as the temperature tends to jump pretty quickly over high heat if you are not paying close attention.

Using the Reverse Seared method, we are going to slowly bring the internal temperature of the steak up to 110 degrees F over indirect heat.  I like to use a weber kettle grill with coals only on one side of the grill to pull this off.  I typically have the dome temperature in the grill reading between 350-400 degrees F during this part of the process.  I use my iGrill 2 to monitor the internal temperature of the Ribeye during this part of the cook.

Then, when the steak reaches 110 degrees F,  open the lid of the grill, allowing the coals to ramp up to maximum temperature.  Then, sear the hell out of it over the coals for a minute or two on each side to develop a nice char and bring the temperature up towards 130 degrees F.

The results of this Reverse Seared Ribeye will impress even the most experienced backyard chefs and it is a ton of fun to cook for guests.  They likely have never seen anything like it before.

Grilling Steps to Perfection

1. Pile up a good amount of charcoal on one side of the grill.  Start a small amount of charcoal in a chimney starter, then dump that on top of the unlit charcoal.  Place lid on grill and adjust top and bottom vents to half open.  Heat grill to 350-400 F. Reduce to 1/4 open if the grill starts to run hot.
2. Season the steaks heavily on all sides with this simple rub….
   • 1.5 Tablespoon  Kosher Salt
   • 1 Tablespoon Course Ground Pepper
   • 0.5 Tablespoon Ancho Chile Powder
   • 0.5 teaspoon Ground Cumin
3. Finely Chop up a hand full of fresh parsley and mix into a stick of soft butter.  Set aside for later.
4. Place the steaks on grill, opposite side of the charcoal.  Flip every 15-20 minutes, monitoring the internal temperature of the Ribeyes until they reach 110 degrees F.
5. Open the lid and let the charcoal reach maximum temperature.  Sear each side of the steaks for 1 minute.  Check internal temperature.  Sear each side for another minute or adjust longer if needed. Target internal temperature is 130 F for medium rare after resting.
6. Pull the steaks off the grill place a spoonful of parsley butter on each steak.  Let rest at least 10 minutes.  They are large steaks, so they can rest longer if needed.
7. Slice and serve to the mouthwatering crowd that is watching the scene unfold.

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Reverse Seared Ribeye

Slow cook and finished over high heat,  and you will have a perfectly grilled Ribeye every time.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 2 -3

Author Keegan

Ingredients

• 1 Stick Salted Butter butter comes salted or unsalted
• 1 Handful Flatleaf Parsley
• 2.5 lbs Boneless Ribeye Steak One 2.5" thick Ribeye feeds 2-3 people
• 1.5 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Course Ground Black Pepper
• 0.5 Tablespoon Ancho Chile Powder
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground Cumin

Instructions

1. Pile up a good amount of charcoal on one side of the grill. Start a small amount of charcoal in a chimney starter, then dump that on top of the unlit charcoal. Place the lid on grill and adjust top and bottom vents to half open. Heat grill to 350-400 F. Reduce to the top and bottom vents to 1/4 open if the grill starts to run hot.

2. Season the steaks heavily on all sides with the Rub.

3. Finely Chop up a hand full of fresh parsley and mix it into a stick of soft butter. Set aside for later.

4. Place the steaks on the grill over indirect heat, on the side opposite of the charcoal. Flip every 15-20 minutes, monitoring the internal temperature of the Ribeyes until they reach 110 degrees F.

5. When they reach 110 F, Open the lid and let the charcoal reach maximum temperature. Sear each side of the steaks for 1 minute. Check internal temperature. Sear each side for another minute or adjust longer if needed. Target internal temperature is 130 F when you take the steaks off the grill.

6. Pull the steaks off the grill place a spoonful of parsley butter on each steak. Let the steaks rest at least 10 minutes. They are large steaks, so they can rest longer if needed.

7. Slice and serve to the mouthwatering crowd that is watching the scene unfold.