You’ve seen the awesome char marks you get when you order a steak from a nice steakhouse. You can find steak perfection at home without the expensive restaurant prices. Achieve the perfect sear on your steak by using the “Reverse Sear” grilling method.

The Reverse Sear is achieved by first creating two zones on your grill for indirect and direct cooking. You want the grill to be in the 400-degree range overall, with the coals on the direct side hot enough to get good sear marks.

Keep in mind the timing stated below will vary based on the thickness of your steaks, so use this as a general guideline. Don’t forget to use an internal read meat thermometer like the Thermapen by Thermoworks to gauge your internal temps accordingly.

How to Reverse Sear Steak

Take a look at the guide below to help you determine what temperature your steak should reach! If you are wondering about what internal temperatures other proteins should meet, check out my BBQ Calculator!

PERFECT REVERSE SEAR

Oil your grill grates well. Before I reverse sear my steaks I like to slather them in olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. That’s it!

Put your steaks on the indirect side and let them cook for a minimum of 3 minutes per side. This time is going to vary — if your steaks are very thin, decrease the time. If they are VERY thick, increase this time. For a medium rare steak, pull the steaks off the indirect zone at 120 degrees (if you are going for a well-cooked steak then go for 130).

Make sure your direct side of the grill is pretty hot. If using gas you will want the burners on high, and if using charcoal, make sure all your air vents are wide-open to have a very hot fire to obtain char marks. Sear the steak on each side for 2 minutes and remove.

Let the steak rest tented under foil for 10 minutes to let the tasty juices reabsorb. While the steak is resting, you can continue to cook any veggies on the grill. I recommend my blue cheese and herb stuffed tomatoes — they go perfectly with a nice reverse seared steak!

 

Have you tried sous vide + grilled steak? Check out that steak recipe and more recipes and articles right here on GrillGirl.com.

Sous Vide + Grilled Steaks

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