Steak can be an intimidating ingredient to work with, but my recipe for Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak provides a foolproof method to make a steakhouse-worthy meal right in your home kitchen.
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Steak Making 101
Ribeye steak, and steak in general, is one of the more expensive ingredients to cook with, and because of that, many find it intimidating. But I’m here to tell you that the reverse sear method of cooking a steak will give you great results every time!
“Reverse sear” means that you start by cooking the steak in the oven to a temperature that is about 20°F shy of the final temperature, then finish by searing it on the stovetop. For example, for medium-rare, you’d remove the steak from the oven when it reaches 110°F, and finish it in a pan until it reaches 125-130°F when checked with an instant read thermometer.
This method of making steak is nearly foolproof and is the best way to achieve restaurant-level results at home. I like to serve my reverse-sear ribeye steak with a side of creamed spinach and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Steak. I’m using ribeye steak, but you can use any thick-cut steak, such as a porterhouse or New York strips, which I love for steak au poivre. The reverse sear method works best on thicker steaks, so save the skirt steak for other recipes, like my steak sandwich. Prime grade is always great, but can be very expensive, so use what suits your budget.
- Salt. I’m using Diamond Crystal kosher salt for this recipe, and as far as seasoning goes, not much else is needed. I am a firm believer that all a good steak needs is salt and a little black pepper. Salt should be 1-1.25% of the weight of the steaks. So if both steaks weigh 1000 grams, you would salt at 10-12.5g or approximately 1 1/4 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for both steaks. Please keep in mind that this is for Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which weighs half as much by volume of table salt. You would only use a total of 1 1/2-1 3/4 teaspoons of table salt for both steaks.
- Butter and oil. The steak is seared using a neutral oil, such as avocado oil or vegetable oil, and finished with unsalted butter.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to reverse sear a ribeye steak
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place on a wire rack pan and store in the fridge, uncovered, overnight and remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Note: If you’re in a rush, you can just let the steak sit at room temperature for 1 hour after seasoning.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F and probe the steak with an oven-safe digital thermometer.
- Cook the ribeye steaks in the oven until they reach 110°F (for medium-rare). If you prefer a more well-done steak, remove it from the oven when it is 20°F shy of the final temp you like your steak (see reference chart below). Remove the steaks and allow them to rest for 15 minutes before searing.
- Preheat a cast-iron or heavy steel pan to medium-high heat and allow 4-5 minutes to get very hot. Be sure to turn on an exhaust vent because the searing process will create smoke. Add the neutral oil to the pan and once shimmering, add the steak.
- Sear for 1 minute per side.
- Use tongs to hold the steak to sear the sides for 30-45 seconds per side.
- Add the butter during the last 30 seconds of searing and use it to baste the steaks.
- Remove the pan from the burner, transfer the steaks to a cutting board, and wait 5 minutes before slicing. Place the steak slices onto a platter and pour the butter mixture over the top and serve immediately.
| Doneness | Temp to remove from oven | Final temp after searing and resting |
| medium-rare | 110°F | 125°F-130°F |
| medium | 125°F | 140°F-145°F |
| medium-well | 135°F | 150°F-155°F |
Top tips
- Salting the steak. A good steak doesn’t need much seasoning, but be sure you’re using the right amount of salt. Reference my salt level note in the recipe card. I also recommend salting the steak overnight if possible.
- Use the right tools. An oven-safe probe thermometer allows you to monitor the temperature of your steak without opening the oven. I suggest using one for reverse-sear steak. Be sure to use a heavy pan, such as cast iron or stainless steel.
- Let it sit. It’s important to let the steak sit for 5 minutes or so before slicing, as this allows the steak to reabsorb some of the juices.
More steak recipes
If you love steak, here are a few more of my favorite recipes to try.
If you’ve enjoyed this Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak
Cooking steak can be intimidating, but my recipe for Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak provides a foolproof method to make a steakhouse-worthy meal right in your home kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 large thick ribeye steaks
- 1 tablespoon Diamond crystal kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
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Instructions
- Pat steaks dry, then season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the steaks in the fridge overnight on a wire rack, uncovered, then remove 1 hour prior to cooking. If you're in a rush and didn't salt overnight, let the steak sit at room temp for 1 hour after salting. Note: See notes below on salting properly by weight of the steak.
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Probe the center with an oven-safe digital thermometer. Place steaks in the oven and cook until the steaks reach 110°F for medium-rare. If you prefer a more cooked steak, just make sure to remove it from the oven when it reaches 20°F less than the final temp you like your steak. Note: Time will vary based on the thickness and size of the steak. If using an instant-read thermometer, start checking the temperature of thick steaks at the 30-minute mark and thinner one after 20 minutes.
- Remove the steaks and let rest for 15 minutes before searing.
- Preheat cast iron or heavy stainless steel skillet to medium-high heat. Give it 4-5 minutes to get very hot. Make sure to turn on exhaust vent because the searing process will create plenty of smoke.
- Add the neutral oil to the pan and once it shimmers add the steaks. Sear for 1 minute per side, and with tongs, hold the steaks to sear the sides for another 30 seconds on each side.
- Add the butter during last 30 seconds of searing and baste the steaks.
- Remove pan from the burner and steaks to a cutting board and wait 5 minutes before slicing. Place sliced steak pieces into platter and pour the butter mixture over top and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Size and type of steaks. This recipe will work just as well with any thick steak. A porterhouse or NY strip would also make a perfect steak.
- Salt levels. Salt should be 1-1.25% of the weight of the steaks. So if both steaks weigh 1000g you would salt at 10-12.5g or approximately 1 1/4 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for both steaks. Please keep in mind that this is for Diamond Crystal kosher salt which weighs half as much by volume as table salt. You would only use a total of 1 1/2-1 3/4 teaspoons of table salt for both steaks.
- Internal temp. Make sure to cook the steak to less than 20°F of the temp you would like. Medium–rare = 125°F-130°F final resting temp, medium = 140°F-140°F final resting temp, medium–well = 150°F-155°F final resting temp.
- Pan. A cast iron or stainless steel pan works well for this recipe. Make sure to get the pan very hot and to have plenty of ventilation for the smoke. Do not use a nonstick pan.
- Leftovers. Steak is best eaten right away since it will become well done after reheating. The best way to reheat some leftover steak is to pan fry the pieces in butter until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 945kcal | Protein: 50.7g | Fat: 79.8g | Saturated Fat: 37.3g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 1189mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!Check us out on Instagram at @sipandfeast or tag #sipandfeast!
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This recipe was originally published on July 24, 2018. It was completely updated on February 9, 2026.
Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak
Cooking steak can be intimidating, but my recipe for Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak provides a foolproof method to make a steakhouse-worthy meal right in your home kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 large thick ribeye steaks
- 1 tablespoon Diamond crystal kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
Instructions
- Pat steaks dry, then season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the steaks in the fridge overnight on a wire rack, uncovered, then remove 1 hour prior to cooking. If you're in a rush and didn't salt overnight, let the steak sit at room temp for 1 hour after salting. Note: See notes below on salting properly by weight of the steak.
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Probe the center with an oven-safe digital thermometer. Place steaks in the oven and cook until the steaks reach 110°F for medium-rare. If you prefer a more cooked steak, just make sure to remove it from the oven when it reaches 20°F less than the final temp you like your steak. Note: Time will vary based on the thickness and size of the steak. If using an instant-read thermometer, start checking the temperature of thick steaks at the 30-minute mark and thinner one after 20 minutes.
- Remove the steaks and let rest for 15 minutes before searing.
- Preheat cast iron or heavy stainless steel skillet to medium-high heat. Give it 4-5 minutes to get very hot. Make sure to turn on exhaust vent because the searing process will create plenty of smoke.
- Add the neutral oil to the pan and once it shimmers add the steaks. Sear for 1 minute per side, and with tongs, hold the steaks to sear the sides for another 30 seconds on each side.
- Add the butter during last 30 seconds of searing and baste the steaks.
- Remove pan from the burner and steaks to a cutting board and wait 5 minutes before slicing. Place sliced steak pieces into platter and pour the butter mixture over top and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Size and type of steaks. This recipe will work just as well with any thick steak. A porterhouse or NY strip would also make a perfect steak.
- Salt levels. Salt should be 1-1.25% of the weight of the steaks. So if both steaks weigh 1000g you would salt at 10-12.5g or approximately 1 1/4 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for both steaks. Please keep in mind that this is for Diamond Crystal kosher salt which weighs half as much by volume as table salt. You would only use a total of 1 1/2-1 3/4 teaspoons of table salt for both steaks.
- Internal temp. Make sure to cook the steak to less than 20°F of the temp you would like. Medium–rare = 125°F-130°F final resting temp, medium = 140°F-140°F final resting temp, medium–well = 150°F-155°F final resting temp.
- Pan. A cast iron or stainless steel pan works well for this recipe. Make sure to get the pan very hot and to have plenty of ventilation for the smoke. Do not use a nonstick pan.
- Leftovers. Steak is best eaten right away since it will become well done after reheating. The best way to reheat some leftover steak is to pan fry the pieces in butter until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 945kcal | Protein: 50.7g | Fat: 79.8g | Saturated Fat: 37.3g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 1189mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!Check us out on Instagram at @sipandfeast or tag #sipandfeast!
Follow Me
The Sip and Feast Cookbook
- 100+ recipes
- Essential tools and ingredients
- Entertaining ides
- Stunning photography
Have a question,not about the steak which was great but
where can you get Diamond Crystal salt
I live in Vancouver BC Canada.Stores say it is no longer available
Tried to get in many stores in Arizona (no luck) and cant find any in Washington State
where we visit often
Thanks for all the great recipies.
Ron
Hi Ron, we’re able to get Diamond Crystal kosher salt at our local grocery store. I’m sorry we can’t advise on where to purchase in Canada. It looks like it’s availabe on Amazaon Canada but other than that I am afraid we wouldn’t know.
Mouthwatering, I’ll definitely try this.
Excellent receipe my ribeye was perfect!!
So happy you enjoyed, Natalie!
Delicious
Can I substitute porterhouse 1in thick, 1 1/4in ? Same result?
Kevin burggren
Yes you can.
this is my vety first time at reverse searing
a 2″ rib-eye@ $22.
I got my fingers crossed!
You keep saying poor on butter mixture after the searing, but you never say what the butter mixture is. What is in it?
So I just did garlic
Hi BJ, 2 tablespoons of butter gets added during the last 30 seconds of searing. The butter “mixture” is the butter plus any drippings in the pan from the steak.
Jim, love this method, it came out perfectly. My question, wondering if I do for guests, timing isn’t always as controlled with everyone snacking, talking, drinking…. Have you even let the steak sit longer after removing from oven, over an hour maybe then sear to serve when everyone was ready? Thank you for your input on this.
Hi Den. The main issue is that the interior might be a bit cool. You could cook the steaks a bit less initially so that they have a bit more time to sear and heat up the interior. Either way it will definitely work and produce good results. Enjoy!
Wow, did this method ever result in a juicy, tender, delicious steak! 1-3/4″ thick, 20 oz. ribeye. After patting dry I used coarse salt and pressed it into the meat. After 45 minutes at 250, the internal temp was already at 120F (could be a signal that my oven runs a little hot?). After letting it rest 15 minutes, I seared the edges, especially hard on the fat side, and both sides. Because of the 15-minute rest, I don’t think the steak’s internal temperature went too far beyond 120F. The outside was seared magic and the inside was beautiful, red, warm, and juicy. This is the best ribeye I’ve ever cooked, better than anything I’ve done on the grill or in the frying pan. Great method, will use whenever possible! Cheers!
We’re so happy you enjoyed!
When you put the steak in the oven to cook it at 250°, do you put it in or do you just put it in the oven with nothing on it except the seasoning.
Hi Spike, can you clarify what you’re asking when you say “put it in”?
I treated myself to a nice Delmonico steak from the local butcher. Followed this recipe exactly and it was by far the best steak ever! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Zandra, we’re so happy you enjoyed the steak!
I love Ribeye steaks cooked this way, thank you for your help to make it better.
Hi Luz, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
So, I tried this. In your notes, you said you could do oven then refrigerate until next day but another asked you if you could and you said not recommended and should you bring to room temp first?? Which is it cuz I am doing it this right now with a $23 ribeye and would hate to throw it out or get sick.
Hi Denise, I believe the commenter was asking about cooking the steaks fully, refrigerating, then doing a sear to warm them back up. What you can do is cook in the oven to ~15 degrees less than the desired final temp after searing, cover with foil, and refrigerate. Then, remove the steak from the fridge at least 1 hour before starting the searing process.
Love the reverse-sear method for steaks. For searing, instead of oiling the entire-pan’s cooking surface, I make sure the steak’s surfaces are dried of any moisture resulting from the low temp oven cook, and then apply just a bit of oil directly onto the steak’s dried surface before adding it to the screaming hot pan. This limits the oil to just the steak without getting the rest of the skillet’s surface from getting smokey.
Jim,
Thanks so much for your input! Keep up the great work!
Pam
My pleasure, Pam! Thank you!
Jim, love all your recipes! You do a great job!
I recently purchased 4 ribeye steaks from Lidl’s which are from steakhouse naturals. They are 100 % grass fed Angus beef and they are 10 oz each no bone at about 1″ thick. How would I adapt this recipe for steaks that are not as thick as the 1 1/2- 2 ” ones?
Thanks!
Hi Pam, thank you and happy you’re enjoying the recipes! Everything would be the same but you’ll cook for less time considering they’re half the thickness of the ones in the recipe. If you want to get a really good sear, you may want to consider cooking in the oven to a lower internal temperature than I suggested, that way you can sear for the full 1 minute per side. So for example, if you want medium-rare, remove from the oven when the steak reaches 105f.
Hi James, would this work on a BBQ too. I have friends over next week and am thinking this would be an easy option to precook it and rest it earlier in the day and then simply sear it on the bbq when we are ready to eat… Or do you think it would over cook if cooked too early?
Absolutely! We cook steaks on the grill with the reverse sear method all the time. You can do the oven step even the day before and place the almost cooked steaks in the fridge. Just cook them 15 degrees less than your final temp and you will be set!
If I were to precook and refrigerate steaks would I have to sear longer to come to temp? Should I bring steaks back to room temp before searing?
Hi Ali. I wouldn’t really recommend this. The issue is that the steak would have a cold center and seared outside since a quick sear wouldn’t be able to properly reheat the interior. By the time the center gets hot, the steak would most likely be overcooked. Hope this helps.
This looks like a very good low tech way to produce a wonderful steak. Is there is any reason one could carry out the same idea with a sous vide apparatus (if available)?
Thank you! You absolutely can do the exact same thing with a sous vide machine. I don’t have one, but I hear it works perfectly that way too.
Tried this recipe last night and I have to say this was the BEST steak I have had in a very long time, I think I like the reverse searing better than the recipe I had before where you sear it first then bake it. But to top it off I made some of the homemade Cowboy Butter and put a dab on each one while finishing up and it was to die to for. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Thanks very much! So glad you enjoyed it!
Looks so dang Tasty! Looooove me some good steak.
Thanks Ben! Yes, it’s very hard to beat a good steak.