If you love a good steak but don’t like steakhouse prices, this recipe is for you. Knowing how to reverse sear steaks will give you a restaurant quality steak dinner in your own kitchen. And the best part is – this method is practically foolproof!

My husband was born and raised here in Texas. So, as you might imagine, he loves him some steak (to be honest, so do I even though I’m from California). So I had to learn how to cook a decent steak at home.

Consequently, I’ve tried a bunch of different methods for cooking steak over the years – broiling, oven roasting, pan-searing, sear-roasting. And while they were fine, I felt like there was a lot of room for error.

At first, sear-roasting seemed like the winner. It’s straightforward, relatively error-proof and delivered a delicious, juicy steak.

But then, I discovered REVERSE sear. And the angels sang.

Before I share my favorite recipe with you, let’s cover a few of the most frequently asked questions about how to cook steak in the oven and the reverse-sear method.

Is it better to sear or reverse sear steak?

The method you choose will depend on the cut of meat you wish to cook. I find beef tenderloin (aka Filet Mignon) and other lean, tender cuts are perfect for reverse sear. However, tougher cuts with more marbling may do better with a different method that will break down that fat.

Pan searing a steak cooks the meat on the stove over fairly high heat in a short amount of time. Restaurant chefs often use this method because it’s the fastest way to get a dish to the table. But a fair amount of skill is needed to sear your steak and get the exact doneness you want. It can also result in unevenly cooked meat – too done in parts and not done enough in others. For me, I found this method was too easy to overcook my tenderloin steaks.

On the other hand, reverse sear cooks the steak in the oven at a low temperature over a much longer period of time, with a very brief sear over high-heat at the end to develop that delicious crust on the outside. Consequently, your steak will cook to the exact doneness you want from edge to edge. A quick sear in a blistering skillet (preferably cast iron) finishes it off with a perfect crust.

 This recipe originally came from Fine Cooking magazine (RIP to the best cooking magazine ever😢) and used the sear-roasting method (sear first, roast after). But after discovering the reverse sear method, I adjusted it to be reverse sear (roast first, sear after).

What oven temperature for reverse sear?

Your goal is to cook at somewhere between 200 to 275 degrees. The lower your temperature, the longer it will take but the more evenly the meat will cook. It also probably depends on your oven – some ovens don’t do very low temperatures. So adjust your temperature and timing accordingly.

Can I reverse sear at 350?

Yes. Theoretically you can reverse sear at any temperature. But the low, slow method is what gives you the ultimate evenly cooked, tender and juicy result. So I would recommend going lower if you can.

Is this the best way to cook beef steak?

In MY opinion, yes – reverse sear is the best way to cook beef steak – at least tender, lean cuts like tenderloin (aka filet mignon). I’ve tried multiple different methods. I find this to be the easiest and most reliable way to get a perfect, high-end steakhouse quality steak at home.

If your steaks are a lot more fatty or tough, another method might be needed to break down the meat.

Put it this way – I served this recipe to my in-laws a couple of years ago and every time I see them to this day, they mention how good it was! ‘Nuff said.

Tips to Reverse Sear Steaks for Steakhouse Quality

Are you ready to try it? There’s no reason to hesitate because this method is virtually idiot-proof: