Can you cook a steak on a pellet grill? Yes. Can you sear a steak on a pellet grill? Well, the answer is, it depends on which pellet grill you have. Most pellet grills max out at 400 to 500 degrees, making a high temp sear hard to achieve. But, with the Coyote Pellet Grill, the versatile pellet grill that can smoke, grill, AND sear to temps up to 700 degrees, it is now possible to achieve that nice crust on a steak that can only be obtained from a hot sear.
Let’s redefine a classic sear versus the reverse sear. The classic restaurant-style steak sear involves searing a steak in cast iron or a hot pan to get a nice crispy edge and then letting it finish cooking in the oven to allow the steak’s internal temp to come up to the desired degree of doneness.
Why the Reverse Sear versus Regular Sear?
The reverse sear switches this process and begins by doing the smoke/roast part of the process first, finishing with the sear at the end. The reverse sear effectively gives the steak time to absorb the smoke flavor from the grill before searing it and sealing in the juices. To do a reverse sear on the Coyote Pellet grill, you want to first infuse the steaks with smoke flavor on smoke mode and then, when the steaks are near the desired internal temp, put the Coyote Pellet into sear mode and let those flames rip to get that perfect crust on the outside of the steak, effectively sealing in the juices and adding caramelization to the meat which adds to the overall flavor.
By not searing the steaks until the end, you give the steak time to absorb smoke flavor before you sear the steak and therefore seal in those juices, which results in the perfect steak: a beautiful balance of smoke flavor with a nicely seared crust on the outside.
Ingredients for the Reverse Sear Steak with Umami Butter
- 2 bone-in or boneless ribeyes or (grilling) cuts of your choice
- 1 tbsp (or to taste) Kosher sea salt
- 1 tbsp (or to taste) freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- Olive oil
Umami Butter**
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 10 anchovy fillets, lightly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- zest of 1 lemon (1 to 2 teaspoons), preferably organic
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground toasted fennel seeds, or ground fennel
- 1 tsp capers, optional
** recipe adapted from Chris McDade’s “The Magic of Tinned Fish”.
How to Make the Reverse Sear Steak with Umami Butter
Before grilling your steaks, let’s start by making the compound butter.
Combine the butter, lemon juice, zest, garlic, fennel seeds, and capers in a food processor or blender and mix until all ingredients are combined. Place the butter in a mason jar or preferred serving dish to be paired with the steaks later and set aside.
Prepare your steaks by first letting them come up to room temperature by letting them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Next, rub a bit of olive oil into the steak and season with salt and pepper.
Next, turn on your Coyote grill and prepare to smoke the steaks at 275 degrees until you’ve reached within 10 degrees of your desired internal temperature. Use an instant-read digital thermometer to ensure you have hit the desired temp. For smoking, you will use the smoke/grill insert that came with the Coyote. I like my steak medium rare so I pull mine off at 125 (rare) to prepare for searing. Refer to the infographic below for reference on temps:
Rare: 125 degrees F
Medium Rare; 135 F
Medium: 145 F
Medium Well: 150 F
Well Done: 160 F
After your steaks have reached the desired temp, you will pull them off and set them on a plate and get your grill ready for searing by swapping out the smoker/grill insert in the Coyote with the Sear insert. Use the handy tool that came with the Coyote Pellet Grill to swap out your inserts to get ready for searing and remember to wear heat-resistant gloves when doing this.
Now that you have your sear insert in place and have placed the grates back in position, place the Coyote pellet grill into sear mode and crank the temperature to 600 degrees. (The Coyote Pellet Grill will get to temps up to 700 degrees but for the purpose of searing a steak 550 is high enough for the desired outcome).
Once the grill is at temp, set the timer on your phone for a minute and a half and grill your steaks for 1 and a half minutes per side, removing them promptly after you have grilled both sides.
Let the steaks rest (they will continue to cook after you have pulled them off the grill) under foil until ready to serve. Before tenting, place a dollop of butter on the steaks before covering them with foil.
Serve steaks with your favorite sides and additional Umami butter table-side so each person can add more butter as desired. Prepare to be amazed with all the flavor in these steaks from the reverse sear technique which infuses the steak with smoked while giving it a nice crust, paired with the addition of the Umami butter that hits all the right notes on your taste buds! This very well could be the best steak you’ve ever cooked- congrats and enjoy!
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How to Cook a Steak on a Pellet Grill: Reverse-Seared Steaks with Umami Butter
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 steaks 1x
Description
This recipe shows you how to successfully sear a steak on your pellet grill and pair it with an addictive Umami butter for a glorious finish.
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in or boneless ribeyes or (grilling) cuts of your choice
- 1 tbsp (or to taste) Kosher sea salt
- 1 tbsp (or to taste) freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- Olive oil
Umami Butter**
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 10 anchovy fillets, lightly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- zest of 1 lemon (1 to 2 teaspoons), preferably organic
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground toasted fennel seeds, or ground fennel
- 1 tsp capers, optional
Instructions
Before grilling your steaks, let’s start by making the compound butter.
Combine the butter, lemon juice, zest, garlic, fennel seeds, and capers in a food processor or blender and mix until all ingredients are combined. Place the butter in a mason jar or preferred serving dish to be paired with the steaks later and set aside.
Prepare your steaks by first letting them come up to room temperature by letting them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Next, rub a bit of olive oil into the steak and season with salt and pepper.
Next, turn on your Coyote grill and prepare to smoke the steaks at 275 degrees until you’ve reached within 10 degrees of your desired internal temperature. Use an instant-read digital thermometer to ensure you have hit the desired temp. For smoking, you will use the smoke/grill insert that came with the Coyote. I like my steak medium rare so I pull mine off at 125 (rare) to prepare for searing. Refer to the infographic below for reference on temps:
- Rare: 125 degrees F
- Medium Rare; 135 F
- Medium: 145 F
- Medium Well: 150 F
- Well Done: 160 F
After your steaks have reached the desired temp, you will pull them off and set them on a plate and get your grill ready for searing by swapping out the smoker/grill insert in the Coyote with the Sear insert. Use the handy tool that came with the Coyote Pellet Grill to swap out your inserts to get ready for searing and remember to wear heat-resistant gloves when doing this.
Now that you have your sear insert in place and have placed the grill grates back in position, place the Coyote pellet grill into sear mode and crank the temperature to 600 degrees. (The Coyote Pellet Grill will get to temps up to 700 degrees but for the purpose of searing a steak 550 is high enough for the desired outcome).
Once the grill is at temp, set the timer on your phone for a minute and a half and grill your steaks for 1 and a half minutes per side, removing them promptly after you have grilled both sides.
Let the steaks rest (they will continue to cook after you have pulled them off the grill) under foil until ready to serve. Before tenting, place a dollop of butter on the steaks before covering them with foil.
Serve steaks with your favorite sides and additional Umami butter tableside so each person can add more butter as desired.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Steaks, BBQ, Meat
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American, Carnivore, Keto, Paleo
Want more grilled beef recipes? We’ve got you covered with all things grilled steak, burgers and all kinds of beef!
This post was developed in partnership with my friends at Coyote Outdoor. I only work with brands I personally use and endorse!
