how to reverse sear a steak

Reverse searing, unbeknownst to many, is actually much older of a technique, used already from the 1800s. It is after 1845 when Justus Leibig, a chemist, made a false claim that searing meat locks in juices that people decided to start searing meat first before putting cooking it in the oven, low and slow. Kenji Lopez-Alt revived the reverse searing concept when he made it popular through his work with Cook’s Illustrated Magazine in 2007, and later Serious Eats online.

Photos by John Magdalinos - Apertura Project

In my own words, here’s why reverse searing is wonderful:

• You can pre-cook steaks for a party and keep the searing time to a minimum when it’s time to eat

• The final meat slice is uniformly cooked and almost a light shade of pink throughout. Searing and then placing meat in the oven results in a gray band on the exterior of the meat slice and the interior having a more prominent meat gradient to an apple red.

• Higher chance of undercooking meat (especially if not using a thermometer)

• When paired with the dry-brine method for seasoning, results in the most flavor and juicy steak you can make!

Detailed how-to instructions in Steak 5 Ways section of Steak Simplified, page 112. Pre-order here.

Here’s how to do it: