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- 1
Season and set up the smoker
Get two 1- to 1.5-inch ribeyes. Thin steaks are pointless here — they'll blow past medium-rare before they take on any smoke. Pat them bone dry with paper towels; a wet surface won't build bark. Season both sides hard with the kosher salt and coarse black pepper, then let them sit at room temperature while the smoker comes up. Set the smoker to 225°F and run cherry or oak — clean smoke that complements beef without turning it bitter. Hickory works if you want a bolder punch, but keep it thin and blue, never a thick white billow.
- 2
Smoke low and slow
Lay the steaks on the grate and drop a probe into the thickest part of one. Smoke until they hit an internal temp of 120°F — usually 45 to 60 minutes depending on thickness and how steady your pit holds. You're chasing an even edge-to-edge cook and a real smoke ring, not a hard sear yet. If your smoker runs dry, spritz once or twice with apple cider vinegar to keep the surface tacky so smoke clings. Pull them at 120°F and let them sit while you get the heat screaming hot.
- 3
Reverse sear for the crust
This is where the steak gets its face. Rip a cast-iron skillet to smoking hot over high heat, or crank the grill to max. Melt the butter with the smashed garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Lay the steaks in and sear 60 to 90 seconds a side, spooning the foaming garlic-thyme butter over the top the whole time. You want a deep mahogany crust, not gray. Pull at 130°F for a true medium-rare — carryover will bring it to 135°F while it rests.
- 4
Rest and slice
Rest the steaks 5 to 10 minutes, loosely tented. Skip this and all that juice runs onto the board instead of staying in the meat. Slice against the grain, and look for that pink smoke ring just under the bark — that's the payoff for doing it low and slow.
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Reverse-Seared Smoked Ribeye
Created by: SmokeRingSteve
Ingredients
- 2 beef ribeye steaks
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic
- 2 fresh thyme
Instructions
- Season and set up the smokerGet two 1- to 1.5-inch ribeyes. Thin steaks are pointless here — they'll blow past medium-rare before they take on any smoke. Pat them bone dry with paper towels; a wet surface won't build bark. Season both sides hard with the kosher salt and coarse black pepper, then let them sit at room temperature while the smoker comes up. Set the smoker to 225°F and run cherry or oak — clean smoke that complements beef without turning it bitter. Hickory works if you want a bolder punch, but keep it thin and blue, never a thick white billow.
- Smoke low and slowLay the steaks on the grate and drop a probe into the thickest part of one. Smoke until they hit an internal temp of 120°F — usually 45 to 60 minutes depending on thickness and how steady your pit holds. You're chasing an even edge-to-edge cook and a real smoke ring, not a hard sear yet. If your smoker runs dry, spritz once or twice with apple cider vinegar to keep the surface tacky so smoke clings. Pull them at 120°F and let them sit while you get the heat screaming hot.
- Reverse sear for the crustThis is where the steak gets its face. Rip a cast-iron skillet to smoking hot over high heat, or crank the grill to max. Melt the butter with the smashed garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Lay the steaks in and sear 60 to 90 seconds a side, spooning the foaming garlic-thyme butter over the top the whole time. You want a deep mahogany crust, not gray. Pull at 130°F for a true medium-rare — carryover will bring it to 135°F while it rests.
- Rest and sliceRest the steaks 5 to 10 minutes, loosely tented. Skip this and all that juice runs onto the board instead of staying in the meat. Slice against the grain, and look for that pink smoke ring just under the bark — that's the payoff for doing it low and slow.