When Reverse Sear Makes Sense (and When It Doesn’t)

Reverse searing is not for every cut or every night. It shines in specific situations:

Best cuts for reverse sear

• Ribeye (bone-in or boneless)
• New York strip / striploin
• Filet mignon / tenderloin steaks
• Porterhouse / T-bone
• Tomahawk ribeye
• Thick pork chops

Ideal thickness

• 1.25–1.5 inches: sweet spot — reverse sear gives you control and a perfect interior.
• 1.75–2.5 inches: reverse sear is strongly recommended. Traditional sear-first almost always gives you a thick gray band.
• Under 1 inch: skip reverse sear. These cook too fast for a low-and-slow phase; use a traditional hot-and-fast sear.

When reverse sear is overkill

• Thin weeknight steaks you’re just trying to get on the table.
• Fajita strips, kebabs, or small cuts that cook through in minutes.
• Smash burgers (you want pure high heat the whole time).

The thicker and more expensive the steak, the more reverse sear pays off. If you’d be annoyed to ruin it, reverse sear it.

Target Temps & Doneness Chart

Reverse sear is all about pulling early. You stop the low-and-slow phase 10–15°F below where you want to finish, then use the final sear to close the gap.

Always measure with a trustworthy instant-read or probe thermometer placed into the center from the side of the steak, not straight down from the top.

Prep: Choosing, Trimming & Seasoning Steaks

A great reverse sear starts before you ever light the grill.

1. Pick the right cut & grade

• Look for marbling: thin white streaks of fat throughout the meat (especially on ribeye and strip).
• Choose thickness over quantity: two 1.5" ribeyes beat four thin ones.
• USDA Choice or Prime (or equivalent): you want some intramuscular fat to render during the low-temp phase.

2. Trim smart, not aggressive

• Leave a reasonable fat cap on ribeyes and strips for flavor.
• Trim off hard, waxy exterior fat that won’t render.
• Clean up any ragged edges that will overcook during searing.

3. Salt timing: dry brine if you can

• Best: Salt generously with kosher salt 12–24 hours before, then store steaks uncovered on a rack in the fridge (dry brine).
• Next best: Salt 45–60 minutes before grilling, still on a rack.
• Last minute: Salt right before cooking (better than nothing, but you won’t get the same depth).

Dry brining gives you better seasoning penetration and a drier surface — which equals a better crust.

4. Seasoning beyond salt

• Before low-and-slow: salt + black pepper is plenty. You can add garlic powder, onion powder, or a steak rub if you like.
• Before sear: light touch of fresh cracked pepper if it looks sparse (pepper can burn if applied too heavily right before high heat).
• Finish: a small pat of compound butter, beef tallow, or a drizzle of good olive oil after resting.

Core Reverse Sear Method (Any Grill)

The reverse sear workflow is the same no matter what you’re cooking on:

Phase 1 — Low & Slow (Indirect Heat)

• Set your grill or smoker to 225–275°F using an indirect zone.
• Place steaks on the cool side away from direct flames.
• Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest steak.
• Cook until internal temp reaches your pull temp from the table above.

Phase 2 — Short Rest While You Heat the Sear Zone

• Transfer steaks to a plate or wire rack.
• Rest 5–10 minutes while you bring your sear zone to maximum heat (burners on high, fresh charcoal, IR burner, or ripping-hot cast iron).
• This “bridge” rest helps prevent overshooting your final temp during the sear.

Phase 3 — High-Heat Sear

• Sear steaks over very high direct heat for 30–90 seconds per side.
• Rotate halfway through each side if you want cross-hatch grill marks.
• Optionally sear the fat cap and edges by holding the steak with tongs.
• Pull when internal temp hits your final target.

Phase 4 — Final Rest & Serve

• Rest 5–10 minutes (loosely tent with foil if it’s cold or windy).
• Slice against the grain if serving sliced; plate whole if serving individual steaks.
• Finish with butter/tallow and flaky salt if desired.

Everything else in this guide is just adapting those four phases to gas, pellet, charcoal, or infrared hardware.

Reverse Sear on a Gas Grill

Gas grills are the most common setup and the easiest place to learn the reverse sear technique.

Step 1 — Build a two-zone fire

• On a 3–4 burner grill: turn one or two burners on low/medium (your hot side) and leave the others off (your cool side).
• Close the lid and stabilize in the 225–275°F range.
• Place steaks on the cool side with the thicker parts facing slightly toward the heat.

Step 2 — Low & slow until 10–15°F below target

• Use a probe thermometer in one steak; spot-check the others with an instant-read.
• Flip steaks halfway through the low-temp phase to encourage even cooking.
• Expect 25–45 minutes depending on thickness and grill temp.

Step 3 — Preheat for a hard sear

• Remove steaks to a rack or plate to rest.
• Turn all main burners to high (and your infrared burner on, if you have one).
• Close the lid and preheat 10–15 minutes — gas needs time to get grates blazing hot.

Step 4 — Sear over high heat

• Place steaks directly over the hottest part of the grill or IR burner.
• Sear 45–60 seconds per side, plus 15–20 seconds on edges if desired.
• Watch the internal temp — it will climb fast in this phase.

Pro tip: If your gas grill struggles to reach high temperatures, preheat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over the burners and sear the steaks in the pan instead of directly on the grates.

Reverse Sear on a Pellet Grill

Pellet grills are built for low-and-slow — reverse sear plays to their strengths, as long as you solve the searing phase.

Step 1 — Smoke at 200–250°F

• Set your pellet grill between 200–250°F for maximum smoke without drying the exterior.
• Use a stronger wood (oak, hickory, mesquite) for beefy steaks; fruit woods for pork chops.
• Place steaks in the middle of the grate away from any hot spots.

Step 2 — Ride the temp curve

• Let steaks cruise until they hit your pull temp (110–120°F medium-rare).
• Pellet grills have steady convection, so you’ll usually get very even internal color.

Step 3 — Transfer to cast iron or a sear station

• Option A: Crank the pellet grill to its max setting (often 450–500°F) and preheat a cast-iron skillet or plancha inside until smoking.
• Option B: Move steaks to a gas grill or infrared burner next to the pellet for the sear phase.
• Option C: Use a dedicated sear plate attachment if your pellet brand offers one.

Step 4 — Sear quickly, don’t re-cook

• Sear 30–60 seconds per side in the screaming hot skillet or over the sear station.
• If using butter in the pan, add it the last 20–30 seconds to avoid burning.
• Pull steaks when they hit your final target temp.

Think of the pellet grill as your “steak oven” and the cast-iron or sear station as your “restaurant broiler.”

Reverse Sear on a Charcoal or Kamado Grill

Charcoal is where reverse sear feels the most “live fire.” It gives you the deepest grilled flavor and the strongest crust when done right.

Step 1 — Set up two zones

• On a kettle: bank hot coals on one side (direct), leave the other side coal-free (indirect).
• On a kamado: use your heat deflectors to create an indirect zone, then remove them or move the steaks later for the sear.
• Adjust vents to hold 225–275°F on the indirect side.

Step 2 — Slow cook over indirect

• Place steaks on the indirect side with the lid closed.
• Add a small chunk of hardwood to the coals if you want a subtle smoke note.
• Cook to your pull temp, flipping once or twice during the low-and-slow phase.

Step 3 — Build a rocket-hot coal bed

• Once steaks are resting, open the vents to stoke the coals.
• Add a fresh layer of lit charcoal if your coal bed is fading.
• For kettle grills, pile coals into a tight mound directly under where you’ll sear.

Step 4 — Sear directly over the coals

• Sear 30–45 seconds per side directly over glowing coals.
• Use a raised grate or keep the lid open if flare-ups get aggressive.
• For extra char flavor, briefly “kiss” fatty edges right over the hottest spots.

Charcoal reverse sear gives you the clearest difference between gentle interior cook and explosive exterior browning.

Reverse Sear with an Infrared Sear Burner

If your gas grill has an infrared (IR) sear zone, you basically own a mini steakhouse broiler. Reverse sear lets you use it without overcooking the interior.

How to integrate an IR burner

• Do the low-and-slow phase on your main burners, pellet grill, or charcoal pit at 225–275°F.
• When steaks hit pull temp, rest them while you preheat the IR burner on high (5–10 minutes).
• Place steaks over the IR burner for 15–45 seconds per side only.
• Check internal temp after each side — IR burners can add 10–15°F in under a minute.

Use IR for the final 5–10°F of cooking, not as a general “grill everything” zone. That’s how you get steakhouse crust without turning the outside into charcoal.

Reverse Sear for Groups & Meal Prep

One of the hidden superpowers of reverse sear is that it scales. You can cook a whole tray of steaks to the same internal temp, then sear them off as people arrive.

For parties

• Low-and-slow all steaks to 5–10°F below your usual pull temp (e.g., 110°F if you normally pull at 115–120°F for medium-rare).
• Rest them on a wire rack, uncovered, in a warm area.
• As guests are ready to eat, sear 2–4 steaks at a time and serve immediately.
• This gives you fresh-seared steaks without everyone waiting around for their turn.

For meal prep

• Reverse sear steaks to just under your final temp.
• Cool, then refrigerate whole.
• When ready to eat, re-warm gently (low oven, low grill, or sous vide) and do a quick sear to refresh the crust.

Reverse Sear for Pork Chops, Tomahawks & Prime Rib

The same logic works beautifully on other “thick cut” proteins.

Thick pork chops

• Low-and-slow at 225–250°F until 130–135°F internal.
• Rest briefly, then sear to a final temp of 140–145°F.
• Target: juicy interior, deep golden crust, no dry sawdust pork.

Tomahawk ribeye

• Treat it like a ribeye on a handle: reverse sear is almost mandatory because of thickness.
• Cook at 225–250°F until 110–115°F, rest, then sear over intense heat while rotating to manage the long bone.
• Expect a longer cook time; use the bone as a heat shield when needed.

Whole prime rib / rib roast

• Low-and-slow at 225–250°F until the roast is 10–15°F below your target (e.g., 118–120°F for medium-rare).
• Rest (often 20–30 minutes or more).
• Finish with a high-heat blast in the oven or on the grill (475–500°F) to crisp the exterior.

Once you understand the pattern — gentle climb, early pull, hot finish — you can apply reverse sear to almost any thick cut of meat.

Common Reverse Sear Mistakes to Avoid

• Pushing the low-and-slow phase too far: if you only leave 5°F of room, it’s easy to overshoot during sear.
• Skipping the thermometer: reverse sear without a thermometer is just a slower version of guessing.
• Using a wet surface: excess moisture fights browning. Pat steaks dry before searing.
• Searing too long: you’re building a crust, not re-cooking the steak. 30–90 seconds per side is plenty at true high heat.
• Keeping the grill too cold: if your sear zone is only 400–450°F, you’ll overcook the interior before the crust develops. Preheat longer or add cast iron/IR.
• Skipping the final rest: slicing immediately after searing can dump juices onto the board instead of keeping them in the steak.

Reverse sear is 90% temperature control and 10% attitude. Respect the temps and the crust will follow.

Reverse Sear FAQ

Related Guides from Solavi Living

• How to Sear Steak Like a Restaurant (Any Grill)
• Direct vs Indirect Grilling Zones Explained
• Infrared Burners Explained (Pros, Cons, Myths)
• Grill Size Guide: What Size Grill Do You Need?
• Grill Fuel Guide: Gas vs Pellet vs Charcoal