Late Night Cravings · Recipe
Reverse Sear Strip Steak
↓ Jump to RecipeCooking a thick steak involves two conflicting axes: time and heat. Too much heat and the outside ends up a charred mess; too much time and the center becomes a sad gray tough mess. Trying to do both at the same time is unreliable and stressful — the reverse sear breaks them into two phases, and the cook becomes reliable and repeatable. It’s a low oven to bring the whole steak up evenly to the perfect temperature, edge to edge, leaving the cast iron with only one job left — the crust.
I’ve been using temperature probes and various techniques to make cooking reliable — sous vide, butter basting, reverse sear — but I always leaned toward sous vide. The Combustion probe took reverse sear to another level, though, and now it’s my go-to. The reverse sear works on its own, but with the Combustion app it truly becomes science. The app tells me when I need to start heating the pan, so I’m scheduling the sear instead of guessing at it. I pull the steak from the oven and the pan is already ready — a drop of water vanishing on contact instead of skating around, and that gap is the whole difference between a golden brown crust and a gray steamed band. You can do this all without the Combustion, but I recommend getting some gadget — your taste buds will thank me later.
The Ledger · Recipe
Reverse Sear Strip Steak
Ingredients
- 1–2 NY strip steaks, 1¼–1½" thick
- Generous kosher salt or smoked salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika per steak
- ¼ tsp garlic powder per steak
- Cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or beef tallow (for the sear)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, optional (for the sear)
- 2 smashed garlic cloves, optional (for the sear)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, optional (for the sear)
- Pinch smoked salt, for finish
- ¼ cup beef stock (for pan sauce, optional)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (for pan sauce, optional)
- 1 tbsp cold butter, swirled in (for pan sauce, optional)
Method
- Choose thick and salt early. 1¼" minimum, 1½" ideal. Thinner cuts don't have the thermal window to make reverse sear worthwhile. Salt generously with kosher or smoked salt at least 1 hour ahead — overnight uncovered in the fridge is better. Season with smoked paprika and garlic powder; these won't burn in the low oven phase.
- Probe at dead center — watch the coldest sensor. Insert the Combustion needle at an angle into the thickest part, aiming for true geometric center. The multi-sensor array shows a temperature gradient across the steak. Ignore the surface sensors and the average — track the core (coldest) reading only. That's your actual doneness.
- Low oven at 275°F on a wire rack. Place steak on a wire rack over a sheet pan. The Combustion app will begin projecting a finish time once it reads the thermal trajectory. Let it run. Pull when the core sensor reads your target pull temp — 10–15°F below your intended final temp. For medium-rare, that's 118–120°F.
- Use the predictive timer to sync your cast iron preheat. When the app shows approximately 15 minutes remaining, start preheating the cast iron on high. This is the move the thermometer unlocks — you're scheduling, not guessing. By the time the steak pulls, the pan is genuinely ripping hot. A drop of water should vaporize instantly, not skitter and dance.
- Rest 5 minutes, then sear 60–90 seconds per side. Pull the steak and rest briefly — this dries the surface further for a better crust. Leave the probe in to watch the temp plateau if you like. Add avocado oil or beef tallow to the hot pan, then sear without moving. You are developing crust only — the interior is already done. Sear the fat cap upright with tongs. Optional: 30-second butter baste with smashed garlic at the end.
- Finish with smoked salt and a brief rest. 2–3 minutes off heat before cutting. Hit with a pinch of smoked salt right after the sear while the surface is still glistening with fat. Optional: deglaze the cast iron with a splash of beef stock and a hit of Worcestershire for a 90-second pan sauce — the fond is too good to waste.
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