How To Pellet Grill The Best Beef Steak
It is better that you thaw the meat a few hours prior to smoking it. This will ensure that the meat is at room temperature, which is what you want to start with.
Ignite your pellet smoker so that it approaches the desired temperature. You should set the thermostat to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a rather mild temperature, which ensures a high level of smoke.
Wait until the pellet grill reaches the target temperature. When it achieves this temperature, keep the steak on the grilling grates.
It is a good idea to use a temperature probe. You wont have to open the pellet grill repeatedly to monitor the smoking progress. Opening the lid disrupts not only temperature stability, but also the smoke level. Heat and smoke escape each time you open the lid. It is best to avoid this so that the final quality of the steak is consistent.
One of the best temperature probes is the Habor 022 meat thermometer.
There are several factors that make this a great meat probe. It gives you a temperature reading within 4 to 6 seconds, so it is quick in registering the temperature. The length of the probe is 4.7 inches. With such a long length, your hands will be much safer against burns. It can read temperatures up to 572 degrees Fahrenheit and is, therefore, perfect for pellet grills. Its accuracy is +/- 2 degrees due to which it has good precision.
Besides the smoking method itself, you need to be aware of other key issues for smoking premium gourmet steak.
Are Pellet Grills Good For Steaks
Yes, pellet grills are good for cooking steaks. In fact, pellet grills are perfect for cooking steaks. A good steak is juicy and mouth-watering, and seared on both sides, and you can achieve this perfection with a pellet grill.
Pellet grills are packed with wonderful features that make them excellent, from efficiency to less mess, and the fact that they do not run on charcoal. All of these features that make pellet grills excellent, also explain why they are so good for cooking steak.
For example, the last thing that you want is to be eating a steak that stinks of charcoal. With a pellet grill, this will never happen.
So, yes, pellet grills are good for steaks. This is mainly because a pellet grill will showcase the natural flavor of the steak, instead of masking it with the scent of charcoal. So, if you have a pellet grill, you definitely can cook your steak on it.
How To Make Smoked Ribeye Steaks: The Ultimate Guide
Learn how to smoke ribeye steaks the RIGHT WAY on ANY grill or smoker, whether its a Traeger or Pit Boss pellet grill, a Masterbuilt electric smoker, or just a simple Weber kettle!
Smoke these ribeyes full of flavor low and slow and then finish with a blazing hot reverse sear to create the BEST ribeye steaks youve ever had!
Lets get started!
We are going to cover:
- What to look for when buying ribeye steaks to smoke
- How to prep your ribeye steaks for the smoker
- How to set up different grills and smokers for smoked ribeye steaks
- What temperature to cook your ribeye steaks
- The best wood choices for ribeye steak
- How to know when your ribeye steaks are done
- An optional, but HIGHLY recommended method to reverse sear the steaks and finish them to perfection after removing them from the smoker.
- Our FAVORITE recipe for Reverse Seared and Smoked Ribeye Steaks
Wow, thats a lotso lets get started!
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What Makes The Ribeye One Of The Best Cuts
The Ribeye is considered to be one of the most flavorful and tender cuts of steak available.
This cut comes from an area of the animal that gets little to no exercise, so it tends to have more marbling than other muscles that get used more often on the muscle.
The Ribeye steak is cut from the prime rib, or the standing rib roast.
More Traeger Beef Recipes here!
How To Use The Smoke
When Smoking a steak using the smoke to enhance the flavor. No need to excited about a bunch of fancy marinades or rubs for this recipe. We just want the smoke to do the hard work for us
If you like a mild smoke flavor cherry wood is a great choice for your steak. This steak will taste great and look incredible.
Want a little stronger smoke, with some extra sweetness, that is still mild smoke flavor? Go with apple, pecan, or maple.
Want something stronger with a bold taste? Use mesquite, hickory, or oak wood. This wood will add amazing flavor to the steak.
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How To Cook A Ribeye Steak On A Pit Boss Pellet Grill
If youre looking to cook a steak on a pit boss pellet grill, youll want to know about the different steps that must be taken. The process starts with putting the steak in the grates and working the muscles in order to make sure that the steak is cooked through. Once its done, its time to bake it or pan-fry it. Ultimately, you want to get the most delicious steak possible, and thats where being in the know about grates and tips the scales in your favor. Now, I will discuss more about how to cook a ribeye steak on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill. Read it continue.
Seasoning Ribeye Steaks For Smoking
Since we are preferably smoking some high quality ribeye here, we recommend keeping it simple.
Salt and pepper work just fine on their own. Mixed with the woodsmoke, along with the juices, rendered fats, and oils form the steak, you will be in heaven, trust us.
However, there is nothing wrong with using your favorite steak rub as well.
Pro Tip: Stay away from anything that contains sugar or little bits of dried garlic because these will both burn when you sear the steak at the end.
Before we dive in too much further, heres a great overview from Armadillo Pepper BBQ demonstrating how he smokes his ribeye steak in an electric smoker before reverse searing it in a cast iron skillet with butter.
Check it out!
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Can You Smoke Ribeye Steak
Smoking a ribeye steak adds a unique flavor to this already killer cut of meat. When smoking a ribeye steak, we recommend first dry brining your steak, seasoning it, smoking it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 60 minutes, letting it sit while you increase your grill temperature to 500 degrees, then searing it until its cooked to medium-rare.
What Is Cold Grate Searing
Cold grate searing is an awesome method Ive learned about that allows your whole steak to get seared, rather than just on the grates.
This is easier to accomplish on a kettle style charcoal grill like a weber kettle.
Heres what you do. Get your coals ready then pile them in a 2 zone grill zone. I use the Slow n Sear, but you can pile them in on the side.
I also use lump coal like FOGO*, which burns hotter and faster, which is perfect for getting the high temperature you need for a good sear.
TIP: start preparing your charcoal when your steaks are about 10 degrees cooler than when youre about to take them off. For example, if your aiming for 110 F, take them off at 100 F.
To Cold grate sear smoked rib eyes, wait until its time to grill the steaks then put your grate on the grill. This will present the crates from heating up.
Place your steak over the coals on the grate and cook for 60 seconds. With your tongs, rotate the grate 90 degrees, then flip the steak back over the coals. Cook for another 60 seconds.
Repeat this process until youve seared your rib eyes a total of 2 minutes per side.
Youll notice that you wont have any specific grill marks on your steak. And thats exactly what you want.
What you will notice is the entire steak will be a beautiful mahogany brown, with a nice crust all around.
You know what? This would also be a great method for Tri-Tip
And you know whats insane? As picky as my son is, He LOVES this smoked rib eye recipe.
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What Is Reverse Sear
Reverse-sear refers to steaks and other meats brought to the desired doneness through a low and slow cooking method like roasting or smoke cooking. After this, the meat is seared at high temperature. This is a complete reversal of high-temperature searing first to seal in juices, then slow roasting after the fact.
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Rest Wrapped To Relieve Meat Muscle Tension
So for some reason youll still find youtube videos where people dont bother to rest the meat.
The science behind it is when you have been using direct heat to cook a piece of meat its very tense from all that extreme heat. So you need to let those tense muscle fibers relax. And this is basically why you rest the meat, it will be softer & juicier.
With its resting time, you can use foil or a couple of plates, top one upside down. There is an old traditional rule, which is you rest the meat for as long as you cook it.
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How To Reverse Sear A Ribeye
It all starts with smoking at a low temperature for flavor, and then finishing on high heat for that sear. This is a similar concept to sous vide cooking , only done on the smoker . This is also a similar method to these friggin amazing smoked burgers with chorizo and smoked poblanos. Those burgers were smoked at a low heat then finished on a hot grill for that irresistible sear.
Successfully Cooking Steaks On A Pellet Grill
Not all pellet grills are the same, and most of them will have varying recommended temperature settings for different kinds of meat.
You can now learn how to cook steak on pellet grills and become a bona fide woodfired steak master using the steps we discussed. You can put your skills to the test and make steaks at home so that you can avoid spending top dollar on fancy steak restaurants.
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What Are The Best Side Dishes For Smoked Steak Recipes
Although there are innumerable good options, you simply cannot go wrong with crispy salt and vinegar potatoes. This side dish is so fulfilling and tasty that it makes for a healthy snack on its own.
In this simple side dish, you basically have to boil spuds in a mixture of vinegar and salt. Once theyve absorbed the tangy and salty essence, you need to dry them off to bake them to a crisp in the oven. You are basically getting salt and vinegar chips that few will dislike. The best thing is that these potatoes are not fried like unhealthy crisps , yet they have all the zesty flavor.
Here are the ingredients.
Reversed Sear Ribeye Tacos With Avocado Salsa
- How to cook
Preheat grill to 200°F.
Oil both steaks by rubbing the oil on the entire surface of the steak.
Season both sides of the steak with sea salt and black pepper.
Place steaks on the cooler side of the grill, the left side.
Cook steaks for 10 minutes on each side.
Remove the steaks when an internal temperature hits between 110115°F.
Cover with foil, turn grill up to 600°F.
Place steaks back on the grill.
Cook each side for 23 minutes, or until desired doneness. Remove from the grill.
Cover with foil and let the steaks rest for a few minutes before slicing against the grain.
For Avocado Salsa:
In a bowl, combine the poblano pepper, tomatillo, jalapeño, onion, garlic cloves and oil. Season mixture with sea salt and black pepper.
Preheat your grill, or oven, to 375°F.
Cook in oven until the peppers are blistered. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Once cool, remove seeds and core the peppers.
Place all ingredients into a blender. Then add the peeled avocado and vinegar. Blend until smooth.
Taste and add sea salt and black pepper, as needed.
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How To Reverse Sear On A Gas Grill
- On a three or more burner grill, turn on one burner to low or medium low heat.
- Place wood chips in a foil pouch on the grill grates over the flame.
- Place meat on indirect side. Close lid. Try to keep the temperature of the gas grill under 250 degrees, its tough as they have a lot of venting, so adjust your flame as needed. When the meat internal temperature reaches 110 degrees, you can remove the foil wood pouch.
- Next, crank up heat to high and finish with that sear.
- Remove when internal temperature of meat is to your desired doneness.
How Do You Like Your Steak Done
Growing up, I ate steak grilled by my dad. I think you can call it cardboard-style doneness. I love my dad, but he really didnt get the concept of a properly cooked steak. Any red on the meat was unthinkable. Even a little pink was a definite no-no for my dad.
When I became a young adulta student living on my own, I moved onto medium-well. I almost felt uncomfortable if I saw a tinge of redits not how steak was supposed to be eaten . At this stage, I was doing a little cooking on my own, but I wasnt learning much about technique, and I still hadnt experienced great steak yet . What I did realize was that steak didnt have to taste like cardboard.
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How To Grill The Perfect Steak
Perhaps the most important thing for a grillmaster to know is how to grill the perfect steak. The list of things you need for this is pretty simple, but each is essential.
The Right Meat
Finding a good piece of meat can be as important as the way you cook it. The writers over at The Reluctant Gourmet have compiled a comprehensive list of things to look for when buying a steak, which you can find here. As far as deciding what type of steak to buy we thought wed highlight some of the more popular steak cuts, and the flavors unique to them
For more information on the types of steaks, check out Serious Eats article on them here.
The Right Method
For our recipes, we like to season steaks with salt and pepper. Its simple, tried, and effective at producing great steaks. That being said, if you really prefer another rub, feel free to use it.
There are several ways you can cook a steak, and personal preference is important. We here at Memphis are biased toward the reverse sear method, which takes advantage of our pellet grills smoking capability, as well as its direct flame setting. You can find the recipe for it here.
The Right Heat
Tools Required For Searing Steak On The Pit Boss Pellet Grill
While a grill grates can help searing by keeping food from sticking to the grill, it is important to note that they are not accurate per se since they cannot always ensure good heating andvardment. You need to use the correct temperature for the type ofgrill rate you are using, the content of wood, etc. With an Thermoworks Thermapen, you can usually make better results with these gratings than without them.
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How Should I Season The Ribeye Steak
Im a purist when it comes to steak but I do like to add some flavors as well. When I season the steak I only use kosher salt.
Let the steak come up to room temperature then season the steak on all sides. This is kind a quick dry brine to help you get a great sear.
For thick cut steaks dont be shy and make sure to season well on all sides.
Black pepper tends to burn and fall off when searing. You can finish the steak with fresh cracked pepper after you have cooked the steak.
How To Cook Steak On Pellet Grills
Cooking a steak on a pellet grill can be as easy as using the pellet grill for any other meat. However, procedures can be slightly different depending on the beef cut you choose and the level of doneness you want to accomplish.
As long as you do the following steps, youll have better chances of producing the perfect steak you crave.
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What Are The Best Cuts For A Really Good Steak
Getting yourself high quality cuts is certainly as critical as the cooking method itself. In fact, if you dont have good cuts of meat to begin with, how are you going to get premium BBQ?
Although choosing the right cut is a science in itself and deserves a separate discussion, the following are the best and almost fool-proof choices for making great steaks.
Ribeye this may very well be the best cut of all. The secret behind its rich yet subtle flavor is the marbling. Streaks of fat that criss-cross the meat are responsible for tenderness and juiciness. Therefore, for the best tasting steak, you should always look for cuts with the whitest striations. The more marbled it is, the better the taste will be.
Ribeye steak smoked just right is going to melt in your mouth and bathe your grateful tastebuds in buttery flavor. With the added pellet smoke flavor, it is hard to imagine a better taste.
Strip Steak this one is the staple of steakhouses. It has less fat as compared to the ribeye. Consequently, it is not as tender as the ribeye.
Tenderloin this is another wonderful cut that is also called filet mignon. As the name suggests, it very tender. Tenderloin is well-marbled due to which it has a very buttery texture. The taste is very subtle.
T-Bone this piece is a combination of the tenderloin and strip.